Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 135: One Less Foe

Chapter 135: One Less Foe

Daphne continued to watch and wait, weighing her earlier interactions with the both of them. King Calarian had been friendly enough, and Cordelia did help her stand up against Drusilla. Then again, she couldn’t trust that they would not stab her in the back. Cordelia did seem very intent on winning this contest.

While Daphne thought to herself, King Calarian furrowed his eyebrows, eyeing the tree. Was he seeing things, or was there a flash of golden hair inside it?

"Is someone there?" King Calarian called out. "Come out now!"

At his words, Cordelia immediately notched an arrow, taking aim at the tree hollow.

"Don’t worry, Uncle, I’ll flush them out."

Daphne panicked and yelled out, "No, it’s just me! Don’t shoot!"

"...Queen Daphne?" King Calarian asked bemusedly. "Is that you?"

"Yes!" Daphne stuck her head out through the gap and Cordelia outright gawked at her. "Thank you for saving me."

"Where’s King Atticus?" Cordelia demanded, looking around warily as though she expected Atticus to jump out from hiding to steal her bag.

"I don’t know," Daphne confessed honestly, squeezing the rest of herself through the gap."We got separated when the maze shifted."

The baby griffin watched her leave and quickly hopped after her, flapping its tiny wings to land on top of her face. It was determined not to be left alone!

"Arghhh, move, I can’t see," Daphne complained, quickly grabbing it with one hand while she tried to hold on to the grooves of the tree trunk with her other. Since she wasn’t an expert climber and had no upper body strength, she stumbled and fell, wincing as the rough bark rubbed against her skin.

"Careful!" King Calarian exclaimed, quickly catching her before she landed face flat on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"You’re such a klutz," Cordelia said with a disparaging sigh. "Do you even exercise?"

"Cordelia!" King Calarian scolded gently. "Remember what I told you! Kindness and understanding!"

Cordelia made a face and turned to Daphne. "So you are alive? Good for you. Hurrah."

King Calarian rolled his eyes heavenward. It was impossible not to worry about this niece of his; here he was trying to create chances for her to make friends and allies so that she would have an easier time in the future, but of course, she had to turn her nose up at anyone that couldn’t fight or hunt!

However, Daphne wasn’t offended. Instead, she smiled at Cordelia. She vastly preferred her bluntness over her own half-sister.

Cordelia saw her smile and inched away warily, holding up her knife as though she thought Daphne had a screw loose. "What’s the matter with you? Why are you smiling at me?"

"Nothing, I’m just very glad to see you. Both of you," Daphne gave them a thankful bow, tucking the baby griffin in her arms. It let out a chirp as if echoing her statement. That tiny sound drew two sets of eyes towards it, and Cordelia’s hand flew to her mouth.

"Is that... Uncle... that’s the―"

"This is a baby griffin, isn’t it?" King Calarian asked, his eyes widening in surprise as he surveyed the animal in Daphne’s arms. This was such a stroke of fortune! After all, he and Cordelia had already stumbled onto one of the adult griffins. It was no trouble to kill one that was already weakened with an injured wing, but having a live griffin would be a beautiful bonus.

"If you have it with you, that must mean the nest has been raided. Is your husband alright?"

"He is fine," Daphne said, trying to hide the chick from their view. There was a covetous look in their eyes that she didn’t like, and if they tried to fight her for the chick, they would overpower her easily. "Like I said, we just got separated. My brother and sister were also there."

Cordelia let out a sound of disgust at the very mention of Drusilla. "Please tell me she got eaten by the griffin."

"Cordelia!" King Calarian looked aghast.

"Fine, I hope she’s only injured. Severely injured." Cordelia raised an eyebrow at Daphne. "So, is she?"

"She’s fine. She nearly died, but then I got Atticus to save her," Daphne said. "Then we got separated."

Cordelia only shook her head in disappointment. "Are you crazy? You’re risking your husband for that bitch of a sister? Serves you right for getting separated then."

Before Daphne could justify herself, King Calarian raised both of his hands in a conciliatory manner. "Ladies, please calm down. Queen Daphne, do you wish for us to accompany you?"

"Uncle, you can’t be serious!" Cordelia complained. "She’s a burden!"

Daphne couldn’t even protest against that insult. It was the truth, and her smarting palms and aching thighs proved it. She couldn’t even scale down a tree properly!

"We cannot, in good conscience, leave you here," King Calarian said worriedly.

"I can," Cordelia interrupted. "Very easily. Can’t you just break your quartz and get rescued?"

"I said, we will not leave you here," King Calarian repeated firmly, with no room for argument. "I consider King Atticus an ally, and it would be remiss of me to leave you behind when I know you have no way to defend yourself. We should stay with you until you reunite with your husband."

"Really? Thank you so very much," Daphne bowed again, this time even lower than before. While she had a feeling that King Calarian wasn’t completely honest about his intentions, she also knew that she stood no chance on her own without their help.

Perhaps they wanted the baby griffin as repayment. If they managed to reunite her with Atticus, Daphne would have to, in good conscience, trade it away.

The three of them then proceeded to walk through the maze, keeping their eyes peeled for Atticus. Daphne was mostly silent as she felt out of place. Instead, she spent her time listening to King Calarian and Cordelia’s conversation.

"So, have any other men caught your eye?" King Calarian asked hopefully. "Perhaps I can help matchmake you. This is a good chance!"

"None. The only one I liked got married and proposed with a ring worth a million gold coins, so I’m all out of luck." Cordelia scoffed, shooting Daphne a dirty look, and Daphne could only let out an awkward laugh in response.

"Why do you want to marry Atticus?" Daphne asked curiously. "Is it because of his looks? I recall you claiming that I ruined your plans for world domination."

King Calarian choked.

"The looks are a bonus," Cordelia said dryly, "but I like the fact King Atticus has a sharp mind paired with incredible skill. I want someone like that beside me. I refuse to be wed to an imbecile like your brother. All offense intended."

Daphne nodded, understanding her point. "I would not wish my brother on my worst enemy. He’s a foul man."

The two women shared a commiserating glance before Cordelia snapped out of it, a flush on her face. "Don’t think we’re friends now just because I hate your siblings!"

"Of course, I would never," Daphne said, biting her lip to hide her smile.

"And I’m not going to steal your husband either," Cordelia continued with a haughty sniff, flicking her light blue hair proudly as she met Daphne’s eyes. "I, Cordelia Aberforth of Nedour, will never be desperate enough to beg for someone’s attention. I am never a second choice!" Her voice then lowered. "Especially when they’ve already burned through a million gold for their first wife."

King Calarian applauded proudly. "I’m so proud of you."

"Stop that, Uncle, that’s embarrassing." Cordelia declared and began walking faster. King Calarian caught Daphne’s eyes and both of them began to laugh in unison. "Hey! Stop laughing at me!"

The resulting walk was a lot more comfortable after that.

Unfortunately, it was not to last. The comfortable silence that was hanging between them soon disappeared when the familiar low rumbling of the maze started to echo again. It sounded far away, a good distance before it would reach them. However, it still made Daphne’s skin crawl with unease.

"It’s happening again," Calarian commented, his expression grave.

"Has it already been half an hour?" Daphne asked, worried. Even the baby griffin squirmed in her hands, burrowing further into her embrace as though it recalled the near-death experience it had just gone through.

"We need to find somewhere safe to stay," Cordelia said.

The ground beneath their feet trembled and shook. Pebbles were starting to jump against the dirt. They could even see puffs of dust spread through the air just slightly away from where they were.

"We could walk through there," Cordelia said, pointing at a fork in the road. "We made markings on the ground previously and on the various landmarks in the maze. That route should lead to the center. There’s a pavilion there that will never change. It’s nearby and definitely safer than out here."

Daphne’s eyes followed after where Cordelia gestured toward. However, there was a flash of a familiar figure. It disappeared into the shadows again very quickly, easily shielded by the clouds of dust. She squinted, not believing her eyes.

"Eugene?"

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