Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 118: Uneducated

Chapter 118: Uneducated

Drusilla came over with Princess Aurelia in tow, a bright smile decorating her face. On the contrary, Princess Aurelia looked like she had just stepped in cow dung, a faint sneer painted on her face.

"Oh, and you must be Princess Cordelia. Your hair is really as pretty as the seas!" Drusilla greeted them cheerfully.

She waited for Cordelia’s response, expecting a returned compliment, but Cordelia merely grunted at her. She didn’t want to socialize with any of Daphne’s family.

Instead, Cordelia gave a polite bow and greeted Princess Aurelia with the same enthusiasm Princess Aurelia had for her. There was an immediate chill in the air.

Unfazed, Drusilla turned to Daphne, her main target. Now that Daphne had seen through her sister’s behavior, she didn’t miss the way Drusilla’s eyes glanced at her new wedding ring or the way her lips twisted in jealousy before she smoothed it over into a practiced smile.

"I see you have something new on your fingers. Did you buy it yourself?"

Cordelia gave Drusilla an incredulous glance before scoffing at her question. Now she had seen everything! The sister was even dumber than Daphne.

"Good morning, Drusilla," Daphne replied with a gentle smile of her own. If her sister wanted to play such games, she shall indulge her this once. Daphne let out a tinkling laugh, demurely covering her mouth with her hand, drawing even more attention to the ring.

"Sister, surely you jest. What woman would buy her own wedding ring?"

"You mean..." Drusilla’s skin was greener than her dress, her jealousy palpable but not unique. She wasn’t the only one eyeing her ring covetously; many other women were trying their best to get a discreet look at the ring from their seats.

"Yes. This ring is from Atticus."

She deliberately shifted her finger. The ring caught the sunlight and shone so brightly, it sent a bright beam of light at Drusilla’s eyes, temporarily blinding her.

"Oh, I see," Drusilla said with gritted teeth. "That’s very... kind of him, especially after he left your finger bare for so long. How did he get such a beautiful ring on such short notice though?"

"Does it matter?" Daphne asked curiously.

"Of course it does! Think about it, Sister. Rings with this level of craftsmanship take a long time to create," Drusilla exclaimed, working herself into a frenzy as she spotted a possible opening.

Her eyes lit up with barely restrained glee.

"Sourcing for materials alone would have taken months. How could King Atticus simply give you a ring like this in two days?"

At her statement, murmurs started growing among the women. Drusilla’s words made sense. If King Atticus had such a precious ring made for his wife, why hadn’t he given it to her from the very beginning?

There was no doubt in Drusilla’s mind that while the ring was pretty, it was most likely a fake created at the last minute to salvage Daphne’s reputation.

Drusilla had a lot of experience dealing with fake gems after all. She knew better than anyone how easy it was to make a plain gem look priceless under the right lighting.

"I’m just worried about you, Sister," Drusilla said as she placed a tender hand on her own chest, blinking back tears.

Her acting was so bad that it made Cordelia’s skin crawl. She watched with a slowly-growing sneer how this supposed other Reawethen princess made a complete, utter fool of herself. For a moment, Cordelia wondered why she ever thought Daphne was an imbecile.

Her sister was obviously much worse!

Drusilla bit her lip before continuing, "I know you must have wanted a ring very badly, but you can’t just accept a counterfeit like this! Is his love for you a lie too?"

Before Daphne could even think of a scathing response, Cordelia had begun to slowly clap, shaking her head. She attracted the eyes of random strangers.

"You’re incredible, Princess Drusilla."

"I am?" Drusilla seemed to glow at the praise, sensing an ally. "But I’m just looking out for my sister here. It’s what I should do."

"It takes a special skill to be so proud of being utterly ignorant, yet crow about your supposed contribution," Cordelia said, giving her a baleful glare as though Drusilla was nothing more than a bug that found itself underneath her shoe.

"Excuse me?" Drusilla squawked, her earlier glow immediately vanishing as she registered Cordelia’s rude words. She quickly collected herself and put on an act of self-pity, looking every inch the wounded victim.

"How could you say such a thing, Princess Cordelia? I only have my sister’s best interest at heart. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but she has been treated appallingly these few days."

"No thanks to you, no doubt," Cordelia grumbled, low enough for only Daphne to hear. Daphne turned to look at her in surprise, but then she continued in a louder voice. "Do you even know what this ring is, you imbecile?"

"I― Well, I never!" Drusilla pulled herself to her full height and stared down at them both. "It’s a very beautiful ring, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be faked!"

At this, Cordelia stood up as well, rolling her eyes to the high heavens. "My god, they really stuck me with fools. Peel your eyes open and take a closer look― that’s no ordinary ring. That’s the Symphony of a New Dawn!"

There were several gasps, but Daphne and Drusilla still had confused faces.

"That’s a very beautiful name," Drusilla started, with a pinched frown between her eyebrows, "but I don’t understand―"

"Oh, you certainly don’t understand a single thing. Are you sure you are Reawethens?" Cordelia pulled Daphne up by her hand and jabbed at the ring with her finger. "This ring is literally made by your ancestors! My god, do none of you princesses even study?"

"My ancestors?" Drusilla and Daphne asked in unison.

Cordelia shot the both of them with a single, disparaging look. "This ring is said to be handmade by the first king of Reaweth, King Rowan Verimandi, for his wife, Queen Bethany-Anne Verimandi. It was their tenth wedding anniversary gift!"

Daphne’s heart raced as she glanced at her ring again. She briefly recalled what was said at the auction house about this item, and she couldn’t help but smile in happiness, using a finger to gently caress the beautiful moonstone in the middle.

Atticus could not have chosen a more perfect ring if he tried.