Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1160 - 71 : A Foreboding Warning

Chapter 1160: Chapter 71 : A Foreboding Warning

*Daphne*

My head rested on Rion’s bare chest as it rose and fell dramatically with his deep breaths. He had his strong arms around me, and I had the best night’s sleep I could remember.

Being in his arms again was perfect.

Almost as soon as the sun hit the window, my stomach rolled. I leaped off the bed and raced to the bathroom, morning sickness striking again.

Groaning, I rested my head against the cool tile wall, waiting for the nausea to pass, my arms around the large toilet bowl.

“Daphne, are you okay?” Rion came up from behind and draped my robe around me.

I squinted up at him and smiled weakly, my hands shaking. “Just some morning sickness.”

“Maybe we should see a healer. This seems... unusual.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “How much experience do you have with morning sickness?”

Rion grinned and shook his head. “None. Maybe all of this is normal.”

“I think it is. It’s just... not fun.” Sighing, I got up and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash. I pulled the robe around myself, tying it closed. “Thanks.”

Rion touched my cheek and brushed his thumb over the ridge of my cheekbone. My skin warmed, and I knew I was blushing under his touch. I bit my lip and looked down.

“I’ll be here for you, always.” He pulled me against his firm, bare chest in a comforting, protective embrace.

I rested my head on his shoulder and pressed my fingers to his bulging, unyielding pec muscles.

Having my parents blessing for us to be together meant so much to me. It was nice to know they wouldn’t get in our way with fake engagements and deals to try and keep us apart anymore. I was glad they finally saw that Rion was a good man.

My heart fluttered and I hugged him tighter, sighing against him. He chuckled and ran his hand up my arm, his fingertips sending tingles along my skin until he reached the mark on my neck.

I shuddered and leaned into his touch. Rion kissed the spot where he’d marked me, and I melted against him.

My mind wandered to the big announcement my parents were planning. Soon, the whole Dark Realm would know that the White Queen’s powers were gone. Groaning, I pulled away from Rion.

Worry festered in my stomach like a poisonous snake. It was a complete mood killer.

“What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “I should try to eat something. Hopefully, this morning sickness will pass soon.”

The entire kingdom would change with my parents’ announcement. There was no getting around that.

After nibbling on some toast and drinking a little herbal tea, I went to the training fields, where Rhys was working on his physical therapy.

After being separated from him for so long with his coma, I didn’t want to miss out on another minute of his life.

He worked with a palace physical therapist, doing stretches to get his muscles back in shape. The physical therapist helped him extend each leg and did some massage work on them while pulling them out to stretch the muscles. It looked very relaxing and enjoyable.

When I approached the edge of the exercise mat, I noticed the look of frustration on Rhys’s face.

“I’ve been doing stretches for days. Can’t I move onto strengthening exercises?”

“That’s not a good idea, Your Highness. You can’t rush your recovery.”

“Ugh!” Rhys pushed the physical therapist away. “This is taking too long.”

“What’s the rush, brother?” I plopped down on the exercise mat beside him.

The physical therapist creased her brow. “Rhys, we should get back to work.”

“I’m taking a water break,” he grumbled.

She sighed and shrugged. It wasn’t like she could argue with the prince. Slowly, she got to her feet and headed into an office at the back of the gym to give us some privacy.

“I can’t stand this. She’s purposefully trying to hold me back. I need to work on my strength. My body is–” Rhys held his arm up and let it fall limply at his side. “It’s like a wet noodle.”

I giggled. “Come on, Rhys. You can’t rush this. What if you push yourself too hard too fast and you hurt yourself?”

He sighed and bowed his head. “I know, you’re right. But with Mom and Dad’s big announcement coming up, I need to be in better shape. We both know the kingdom could explode over this.”

“Well, fortunately, Dad is still at the top of his game, and the palace is full of guards who have our back. Not to mention, we have Rion and Eva on our side now.”

“Yes, but if the kingdom is going to trust me and accept me as their prince, I need to be the one standing out there, strong and unbreakable.”

I looped my arm around my brother’s shoulders. “Rhys, you’re putting too much on yourself. You should be grateful that you’re awake and able to work toward getting back to normal. You don’t need to worry about the fate of the kingdom right now.”

I couldn’t stand the thought of my brother speeding through his therapy and injuring himself worse. I only just got him back... I didn’t want to see him end up permanently harmed.

“Why are you so worried about the kingdom accepting you as their prince?”

“Well, I know that Mom and Dad are worried about succession. Alexis, Jackie, and Rosie aren’t interested, and you have your own life. It falls on me to be the next king of Egoren.”

“Is that what you want?” I frowned and studied my brother’s face.

His eyes were sunken in, his skin pale and drawn tight over his skull. He still had a long way to go to recover. I knew that the palace healers had him on a special diet to rebuild bone and muscle mass. His physical therapist was helping with his movement and strength. My parents even had tutors working with him on cognitive recovery.

Rhys hadn’t suffered any permanent damage, as far as we could tell.

“I don’t want our family to give up the kingdom without a fight. Our bloodline has been on the throne for generations, and I won’t see that come to an end just because the Moon Goddess took her powers back. We both know there wasn’t always a White Queen in the Dark Realm.”

“Rhys, you’ll make a great king.” I hugged him and kissed his cheek.

He groaned and pulled away from me. “Yeah, if my physical therapist ever lets me do the real work to get back on my feet. Plus, I need to finish school. Once I make all that happen, I’ll be ready to lead.”

“Hey, the Dark Realm needs a king who recovers fully. Take it slow, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He blew me off a little.

I smiled endearingly and left Rhys to get back to his exercises.

***

Alexis, Jacqueline, and Rosie all returned to the palace a few days after I made it home. It was a full-on family reunion now that Rhys was awake.

Of course, they immediately dragged me aside to grill me on my kidnapping and all the events that happened in my life in the past few months.

All of us princesses went out on the pond in a little row boat. Rosie and Jacqueline each took an oar and slowly propelled us through the calm, glassy water. It reflected the sky perfectly with a bright, glowing sun and all the fluffy clouds.

Giant, colorful Koi fish swam lazily through the lily pads. I dipped my hand in the sun-warmed water and traced them along the slimy, smooth back of one of the fish.

“How’ the degree coming?” I asked Jacqueline.

Even after she finished her regular college degree, she’d gone on for a masters and a PhD. I didn’t think she’d ever stop going to school.

“Which one? I finished my masters and am about to wrap up my PhD in history. I’ve already started on my next one.”

I gaped at her. “How many PhD’s do you need?”

“Don’t get her started,” Rosie argued, rolling her eyes. “I swear, she’s trying to get one PhD for each of us.”

“Well, it’s not my fault that you chose partying in school over studying.” Jacqueline huffed and dropped her oar, crossing her arms.

I grabbed it before it slid into the water.

“Hey, will you two cut it out? We haven’t all been together like this in a long time. Let’s enjoy our time together.” Alexis stepped in with a stern look and a harsh reprimand.

Bowing my head, I smiled so they couldn’t see me. It was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed.

“How are the kids?” I asked Alexis, changing the conversation.

“They are growing up so fast! I just want to freeze them in time and keep them small and cute forever.”

We did another turn around the pond, the palace guards watching closely from the shore. They would never let four princesses out of their sight.

I joined my sisters for a visit with Rhys after we got all caught up. When he wasn’t doing physical therapy or working with his tutors, he was expected to stay in the infirmary, where he could be monitored.

I hung back as my sisters hugged and kissed him and fawned all over him. My heart swelled as we all sat around Rhys’s bed and caught up. Having my siblings together, safely in the palace, meant a lot.

I felt like my life was finally getting back to some normalcy, and I could move on from all the insanity that had me running all over the place since I’d met Rion.

Thankfully, no one brought him up in a negative way. I wondered if my parents warned my sisters not to say anything.

“Well, my physical therapist finally started my strengthening exercises, not just stretching. I still feel like a rag doll most of the time.” Rhys sighed and shook his head.

“Well, for a guy who’s been in a coma, you certainly look handsome.” Alexis pinched his cheek.

“I still have a lot of catching up to do.” Rhys nodded to the stack of books and papers next to his bed.

“If you want, I can help you out. Those palace tutors are hacks. I’ll get you caught up in no time.” Jacqueline picked up one of his textbooks and began flipping through it.

“Thanks, I’ll probably take you up on that.” Rhys nodded. He held his hand out and Alexis took it. He held his other hand out to Jaqueline.

In turn, my sisters reached out to me and Rosie. All of us held hands in a big circle.

A dark and serious look came over Rhys’s face.

“I know you all have your own lives, but it means the world to me that you are here right now.”

“We’re your sisters, of course, we are here,” Alexis assured.

“That’s not what I mean... I know that if we all stay strong and stay together, we’ll get through this. The kingdom is changing, and we’re the ones who will hold it together.”

“That’s why we are here, to show our support for Mom and Dad when they make this big announcement,” Rosie agreed.

“I know.” Rhys smiled weekly but his eyes remained dark. “There are dark forces in the kingdom that threaten us and the whole Dark Realm. They will stop at nothing to see the royal family destroyed.”

I bit my lower lip as my sisters gasped and started asking questions. How did Rhys know all this? Did he have a vision while he was in his coma?

He hadn’t mentioned anything. When the time was right, he’d tell us.

Still, I couldn’t shake the dark, foreboding feeling that settled over me. The royal family was in trouble, that was clear.

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