Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1163 - 74 : Just Like a Fairytale

Chapter 1163: Chapter 74 : Just Like a Fairytale

*Daphne*

"You’re right," I said to Rion. "We should look into what Hestia’s experiment on you could mean for our children."

When we arrived at the palace, I immediately sought out my mother. After her excited greeting when I told her about the twins, I explained our concerns about Rion’s experiments and the potential implications for the babies.

She nodded gravely. "I understand your worries. Unfortunately, I do not have much information about it. As far as I know, a very corrupt faction of the Lycaon church sacrificed many children to achieve the same thing that Hestia did with Rion and Eva. But the only thing they left behind were their remains. Rion and Eva are the only children I know of who survived."

My heart broke as my shoulders slumped to think that Eva and Rion could have died like the others.

“Were you ever able to find the families of those children?”

My mother shook her head. “But something about Rion and Eva must make them special,” my mother suggested.

“Maybe that information is in her Grimoire.”

“It could be... I gave it back to Eva so she can study it since she is the only person in the palace who can even open it.”

My heart thudded in my chest. I didn’t mind going to pay Eva a visit, but was I ready to face the truth of what happened to them as children and why? Was I ready to know if it would indeed have implications on the babies growing inside of me?

That evening, Rion and I made our way to Eva’s chambers, escorted by palace guards. I was anxious to see if the Grimoire contained any information about the experiments done on Eva and Rion as children.

The guards unlocked Eva’s door and announced our arrival. She was seated at a desk, poring over the old book. Her face lit up when she saw us.

"Daphne! Rion! Please, come in."

We entered and embraced Eva warmly before taking seats around her desk.

"How are you faring?" I asked kindly. Palace arrest couldn’t be easy, even with her partial freedom.

Eva smiled wanly. "As well as can be expected. Jasper left not long ago. He keeps me company for the most part."

I nodded at the book in front of her. “That’s actually why we came. We were hoping you might have learned something about the experiments done on you and Rion."

Eva’s expression turned solemn. "As it happens, I’ve read over that section many, many times."

She delicately turned the aged pages until landing on one scribbled densely with spidery handwriting. "Here is Hestia’s account of ritually sacrificing children to take the first witch’s bone, then using it to enhance Rion and me."

I shuddered, revulsion twisting my stomach. Rion’s jaw tightened as he scanned the page.

"Have you found anything about where you and Rion came from originally?" I asked gently. "My mother told me that many children died during this kind of experimentation. Maybe there is something special about the two of you, and the experiments might impact our babies."

Eva shook her head apologetically. "Unfortunately, there are no clear records. But from what I gathered, we were both probably found somewhere near the Dark Forest during a time of war in the Dark Realm. Many refugees were fleeing the capital. Some must have lost their way."

My heart ached at the tragic image. Rion and Eva had been helpless children, stolen and exploited.

"Do you think the experiments could affect the twins?" I asked worriedly.

“Twins?!” Eva gasped with a shocked smile. Then she frowned slightly as she pondered that for a moment. "Hard to say for certain. But Hestia’s work focused on enhancing strength and speed. I don’t believe she was trying to alter fertility or genetics."

I let out a small breath.

"Of course, there could always be unintended consequences–more strength and power than usual maybe," Eva added gently. "What did the doctor say?”

“So far, everything looks normal,” Rion told her.

“I have a feeling that the babies should be fine,” she said encouragingly.

Rion reached over and squeezed my hand supportively. I managed a grateful smile, comforted by their reassurances.

"I suppose only time will tell for sure," I conceded.

Eva nodded sympathetically. "Try not to worry too much. Focus on the joy your children will bring."

A wistful look fell across her face. I imagined she was thinking about her own children.

I stood and embraced Eva once more. "Thank you."

She returned my hug warmly. "Of course, I’m happy to help however I can."

As Rion and I left Eva’s chambers, I felt cautiously optimistic. The future remained uncertain, but I chose to have hope.

To keep myself from worrying too much about the twins, I kept my word to assist Rhys with his recovery.

I was by his side at every therapy and tutoring session, providing encouragement and any physical aid needed. There were difficult days filled with pain and frustration, but my brother persevered.

Then the day came when it was time for him to take his first steps out of his chair.

I knelt beside Rhys’s wheelchair, taking his hands in mine. "Are you ready to try walking today?"

Before Rhys could respond, our parents and siblings gathered around eagerly.

"Today’s the big day!" Alexis said, squeezing Rhys’s shoulder.

"We’re all here cheering you on," Rosie added with an encouraging grin.

Rhys took a deep breath and nodded, resolve shining in his eyes. "I’m ready," he said as I helped him rise shakily to his feet.

Jacqueline and I positioned ourselves on either side of Rhys, ready to support him. Mother dabbed at the corners of her eyes, while Father squeezed Rhys’s arm.

"You can do this, son," he said gruffly. "We believe in you."

Rhys took a few faltering steps between Jacqueline and me. Our sisters walked backward in front of him, arms outstretched.

"That’s it, keep coming!" Alexis said.

Rhys wobbled, and Rosie caught him before he could fall.

"Steady now," she encouraged. "Nice and slow."

Sweat beaded Rhys’s brow as he grimaced through the pain and effort. But he kept placing one unsteady foot in front of the other.

Step by step, our family slowly guided Rhys across the marble floor. Each small victory was met with celebratory cheers and words of praise.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Rhys made it to the far wall. I hugged him fiercely as tears streamed down my face.

"I knew you could do it!" I cried.

Our family engulfed us in a group embrace full of joy and pride. Rhys grinned triumphantly through his exhaustion. It was a beautiful, hope-filled moment for us all.

I knew from that moment forward that Rhys would soon be able to stand on his own and would be ready to face anything.

***

*Rion*

A few hours after our visit with Eva, we went to bed but were awakened by angry yells that seemed to shake the walls of the palace. Daphne and I shot upright in bed, rushing to the window to see a mob of angry protestors standing right outside the palace.

Several guards were already trying to fend them off, but the angry crowd was huge and appeared to be growing.

Daphne was staring out the window with a solemn but resigned expression on her face. “I should go find my parents,” she said, rushing from the window in order to change out of her nightgown and into a simple dress.

Even during moments like this one, she needed to look her best.

I followed her example and got dressed as well and we searched the palace for her parents. It wasn’t difficult to find them. They were hurrying up the stairs, already dressed as well. King Xander narrowed his eyes when he saw us.

“Daphne. Go back to your room. You will be carefully guarded there.”

“I’m going to face them with you,” Daphne told her father stubbornly, raising her chin.

King Xander glowered down at her, looking like he was going to scold her mercilessly. Before he could, Queen Lena stepped forward and put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders.

“We are going to try to calm them from the balcony, sweetheart. We’re going to be just fine. There will be guards stationed everywhere. Please go back to your room and let us handle this.”

Daphne gritted her teeth, but I saw the hesitation all over her face. It was clearly more difficult for her to argue with her mother than her father.

This involved Queen Lena primarily, so it was understandable why Daphne would feel like she couldn’t go against her wishes.

I didn’t want Daphne anywhere near the protestors either, so I gently grabbed her arm and gave her a meaningful look. She glanced at me for a moment before giving her mother a reluctant nod.

Queen Lena smiled at her before straightening and following King Xander up the steps leading to the front balcony.

Daphne watched them go worriedly, and I wrapped my arms around her and led her back to her bedroom.

Once we got back to the room, I tried to convince her to sit on one of the plush couches on the opposite side of the window overlooking the chaos, but she refused. “If I’m not going to stand by my parents, I’m at least going to watch.”

I relented, knowing that there was no arguing with Daphne once she had her mind made up. I held her close as we stood at the window. I insisted that we stand behind the curtain, but in a way that we could still watch what was happening without being seen.

With the dozens of people all yelling at once, it was difficult to hear exactly what they were saying, but we were able to make out that they believed that the king and queen should step down as the rulers of the kingdom.

Daphne was shaking with despair and rage as she listened to the obscenities that her people were spewing. It was clear that the situation was becoming more violent. People began to shake their fists and try even harder to push themselves past the guards.

Just as we were debating whether or not to take cover somewhere, the powerful women introduced by the queen during her announcement rushed forward, leaping over the guards. One of them created a huge purple translucent force field and carefully moved forward so that the crowd was shoved back away from the palace.

A large flock of owls pierced the night sky and descended upon the crowd. The graceful but dangerous birds never touched a single person, but the sudden appearance of them was enough to give the crowd pause.

Daphne and I watched silently, wide-eyed as the powerful women eventually forced the crowd to disperse completely. They reluctantly turned to go, but several of them glared with great hostility toward the palace as they did so.

Even after the crowd completely disappeared and the gifted ladies as well as the guards went back inside the palace, Daphne refused to leave the window. She stared out where the crowd had been, her sad eyes illuminated in the moonlight streaming in through the gap in the curtains.

“Those women are truly extraordinary,” I said finally, breaking the long silence that had stretched between us since the mob departed.

Daphne nodded, her eyes rounding. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, even she had to acknowledge how impressed she was by the gifted ladies.

“That went much better than I thought it would,” she admitted, letting out a long breath. “Perhaps my parents and the palace will be able to remain safe in their hands until Rhys is ready.”

I watched her carefully, concern coloring my features. All this stress couldn’t be good for her and the babies’ health. I was more adamant as I essentially ordered her back to bed, helping her gently under the covers.

We were cuddled close, wound in each other’s arms when she murmured quietly. “If we do leave the palace together, what will our life be like?”

I pursed my lips, considering that for a moment before I dropped a kiss onto her head. “Well, I’d like to think we would live somewhere peaceful, surrounded by a community that cared for one another like a family.”

Daphne relaxed slightly, nuzzling deeper into my chest. “That sounds nice,” she said, urging me to continue.

“Nowhere too urban,” I went on decisively. “We’d have land large enough so that our children can run through tall grass, making up adventures of their own. We would have a clear view of the horizon so we could watch the sunset each day. The air would be clean and fresh.”

Daphne giggled. “This is beginning to sound like a fairytale,” she quipped good-naturedly.

“Of course,” I said, pressing another kiss to her hair. “One fit for a princess, naturally. Perhaps our bedroom could overlook the ocean. That way we could lay in each other’s arms and hear the gentle sound of the waves crashing against the shore.”

“So, we’ll have a field for the little ones and a straight shot to the ocean?” Daphne asked skeptically, but I could tell from her voice that she was pleased, even comforted by the image.

I smirked and leaned over her so that I could kiss her lips this time. “I’m sure we could make it happen.”