Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 116: A Well-Made Nest

Chapter 116: A Well-Made Nest

"So are you... sleeping here tonight?" Daphne asked hopefully, a tiny blush on her face.

Sure Atticus had just proposed, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to sleep with her. He had shown no carnal desire for her so far, and Daphne still had a bad memory of the last time they shared a bed, back at the inn on the way to Raxuvia.

Was it only a week ago? It felt like a lifetime.

Atticus blinked and a teasing smile crossed his face. "My dear wife, are you really going to kick your poor husband outside? After he has proposed to you? With a ring that costs a million gold coins?"

Daphne spluttered, her face growing redder. When Atticus put it like that, her question did seem very silly.

"I’m just asking! I didn’t know if you wanted to share a bed with me!"

"Sunshine, I would love nothing more than to sleep next to you tonight." Atticus beamed. "Unless of course, you don’t want me to sleep next to you. Then I shall wear my disappointment like a cloak to shield me from the cold bitter nights ahead―"

"Oh shush, you’re so dramatic," Daphne scolded fondly. Nights in Vramid were a lot colder than the nights in Raxuvia. Atticus wouldn’t need anything more than his shirt to keep him warm. "I’m asking because... I want you to share... my bed with me tonight."

’And for every night for the rest of our lives,’ Daphne mentally added. She didn’t have the guts to say it out loud. Even telling Atticus that she wanted him by her side tonight was done in a mumble, her normally strong voice trailing off at the end.

Daphne couldn’t even meet his eyes! It was too embarrassing to say such things out loud. Atticus most likely wouldn’t be offended by her words, but Daphne still wanted the ground to swallow her up when she heard Atticus chuckle.

"What? Is something funny?" she asked, her lips subconsciously shaped into a pout.

Atticus quickly shook his head. Not only was Daphne, his wife, utterly adorable, but she also wanted to sleep next to him!

"Nothing, sunshine. I’m very happy to share your bed tonight. Of course, I’m assuming we are cuddling? Unless you want to do more. I’ll gladly rise to the occasion."

Atticus finished his statement with a meaningful look. Daphne’s face burned as she remembered their shared bath, the strange tension between her legs, the heavy weight of him in her hands. Then Atticus laughed.

"I’m just joking! Don’t look so scared."

"Just cuddling is fine!" Daphne squeaked out in response, diving immediately under the blanket so that Atticus wouldn’t see her screaming silently into her hands.

Atticus could only let out a series of cackles before leaping onto the bed, causing Daphne to shriek in surprise. He dove under the blanket too, laughing at the startled look on his wife’s face.

Their eyes met, and Daphne fell into a startled silence as she stared into Atticus’s eyes. The blatant affection present in those captivating orbs caused her heart to race, and she couldn’t help notice the situation they were in, both tucked under the blankets with nary a space between them, his body a furnace next to her.

Did he want her the same way she wanted him? Would he ever? Daphne couldn’t help but wonder.

Meanwhile, Atticus watched Daphne’s eyes soften as she gazed at him, her tenderness an almost unbearable balm for his wounded soul. How he longed to reach out and kiss her, hold her, bring her to new heights of forbidden pleasures.

But Atticus knew this wasn’t the right moment for it. They already had experienced a long day, and a longer one awaited them tomorrow, with the first event beginning immediately after breakfast.

So Atticus leaned in closer and pressed a tender, chaste kiss on Daphne’s forehead.

"Tomorrow is a busy day. I’m turning in for the night. Goodnight, sunshine. Sweet dreams," Atticus said.

"Oh, you’re right. Goodnight Atticus," Daphne said, torn between relief and disappointment that Atticus had not kissed her on her lips.

She watched as Atticus made himself comfortable under the covers, taking off his coat and trousers without any shame before he blew out the candles, plunging the room into semi-darkness.

Soon, Atticus began to snore lightly. One of his arms wrapped around Daphne’s waist as though Daphne was a particularly enticing pillow. Her heart rate quickened once again. She was used to sleepless nights caused by fear and worry, but things were different tonight.

Daphne still couldn’t sleep, but this time, she spent the night practically in a hazy segue of euphoria, alternating between staring disbelieving at the ring on her finger to turning to gaze at Atticus, her husband

, who slept next to her side, a protective arm wrapped around her waist.

Even the fact that he snored loud enough to wake the dead wasn’t enough to ruin her mood.

It was almost too incredible to be true. Daphne wanted to scream at the top of her lungs from happiness, but since that would disturb everyone and possibly send a horde of guards into their room, she decided to settle for watching the serene look on Atticus’s face as he slept.

This man was her husband. He wanted to marry her. This man was her husband!

Eventually, her eyelids grew heavier, lulled by his steady breaths and the snores that grew in volume. She fell asleep, cuddled protectively in his arms.

***

"Rise and shine! It’s time to get up― Oh my god!" Jonah yelled in surprise.

He had knocked on the room door multiple times but no one responded. So, he assumed that Atticus and Daphne were still asleep and he had to wake them up.

But what he didn’t expect was for Atticus and Daphne to be asleep together. In the same bed. With their bodies intertwined underneath the blankets!

No wonder Sirona didn’t want to volunteer to wake them up! Not like she could have, since she was still asleep, but it was the thought that counted. Jonah had asked if she wanted to accompany him and she threw a pillow at his face.

"What?" Atticus grumbled, flipping off the blankets as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He opened one bleary eye to stare at his flabbergasted best friend. "Stop yelling, it’s so early."

"When did you―" Jonah spluttered, trying to avert his eyes, but he relaxed slightly when he saw that both Atticus and Daphne were at least half-clothed.

He didn’t want to know the status of their bottom halves!

"Relax, nothing happened. I just proposed," Atticus said, begrudgingly getting up. He was in his boxers, and Jonah relaxed further.

Meanwhile, Daphne made an unhappy noise when he pulled away, and Atticus was surprised by how much he longed to return.

"You proposed?!" Jonah nearly screamed, his eyes widening in shock. "When? How? Where did the ring even come from? Why didn’t you tell Sirona and I anything?"

"It just happened," Atticus said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I’ll explain more later. I need to wash up now."

As Atticus left for the bathroom, Jonah could only splutter. Sirona wasn’t going to believe her ears when he told her what happened! Jonah would have thought that Atticus was just pulling his leg, but when he and Daphne walked down together for breakfast, arm in arm, there was a noticeably shiny ring on Daphne’s ring finger that wasn’t there before.

Apparently, Atticus wasn’t joking! And Jonah wasn’t the only one that noticed the pricey new accessory that was nestled on Daphne’s ring finger.

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