Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 137: An Old ’Friend’

Chapter 137: An Old ’Friend’

In a flash, Daphne whipped out the dagger that she carried and pointed it, ready to strike. The blade stopped short just a hair’s breadth away from Eugene’s sleek throat. The man had both his hands held up beside his head in a sign of surrender. Nevertheless, there was still a small smile that curved his lips.

"It’s nice to see you again too, Daphne."

He greeted her as though they were long-time friends that had been separated. Daphne’s blood boiled as she recalled the sight of the underground dungeons the day they discovered Eugene Attonson had escaped― the bodies, the blood, the butchery. She remembered Maisie, scared and manipulated to do this monster’s bidding.

Atticus and Jonah had always been right. Eugene Attonson was a monster. He had always been.

"How dare you show your face in front of me again," Daphne said, her voice viperous. "After all you’ve done. After all the people you’ve ruthlessly slaughtered!"

"Trust me, Daphne―"

"It’s ’Queen Daphne’ to you." She hissed.

"Trust me, Queen Daphne," Eugene corrected, "the number of people I’ve killed is probably only a tenth of what your husband has on his ledger."

"Is that supposed to absolve you of your crimes?" Daphne retorted. "I’m now talking about you. Not him."

Eugene gave a wry smile in reply. "I see that you’ve gotten closer to King Atticus."

"Of course," Daphne replied, her eyes squinting. "He’s my husband."

Eugene shrugged. "I’m merely pointing out that things were pretty tense when I left."

"When you escaped," Daphne corrected. "You were a prisoner, Attonson. You could’ve left the cells as a righteous man if you hadn’t planned your escape, manipulated my maid, and stabbed me in the back."

"Be honest with yourself, my queen, your husband was never going to let me back into the light of day." Eugene snorted, rolling his eyes.

"What is it that you want?" Daphne questioned. "I don’t think you’ve come looking for me all the way in Raxuvia just for an afternoon chat and maybe some tea and crumpets."

She held the baby griffin tighter to her chest. As if the animal could sense the hostility between the two humans, it began to growl at Eugene Attonson as well, its fur and feathers slightly standing to attention.

"Queen Daphne, while you are a lovely woman and I would’ve loved to stay friends, you’ve overestimated your own importance in my heart to say that I’ve come running across kingdoms just to find you." Eugene chuckled under his breath, the light in his eyes dancing. Under the sunlight, some streaks of his hair turned gold.

Daphne’s eyes widened. Did Eugene fake his hair color too, all this time? Atticus had never mentioned anything about him being blond. Truly, this man was a snake through and through.

"Then what reason do you have to show yourself in front of me?" Daphne asked hotly. She could feel her anger fueling the garnets embedded in her earrings, causing them to glow slightly, tingling her skin with its warmth.

"Since fate has deemed us to meet again, I see no reason to fight it." Eugene shrugged. "Besides, I sense we have a lot to catch up on since I last saw you."

"I have no plans on staying friends with you, if that’s what you’re implying," Daphne retorted.

"Then allow me to prove my sincerity," Eugene said with a little bow. "I see that you’re currently separated from the king?"

Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"And what of it?"

"I know how to find King Atticus in this maze," Eugene said. "To prove that I have nothing but good intentions, I can lead you to him. Reunite the lovers."

"Good intentions? You?" Daphne exclaimed disbelievingly. She let out a scoff. "This is sounding remarkably like the same lies you sold Maisie when you led her to believe that you escaping would be beneficial for my marriage."

"Was it not?" Eugene asked, genuinely perplexed. "As you can see, the both of you are a lot closer than before. No matter what, I’m sure my decisions played an important part in bringing the both of you together."

Daphne sucked in a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. Her ears were feeling hotter by the second, as though they longed to burst into flame. The absolute nerve of this man to worm his way out of trouble!

"Do not try to excuse yourself from your crimes," Daphne declared. "While I wish to find my husband, I’m more curious to know what you are doing here, masquerading as a guard no less."

"Now now Daphne... If I told you, I would have to kill you," Eugene said, with a placid smile on his face, and Daphne subconsciously took a step back, warning bells ringing in her head. After seeing the massacre that happened in the dungeons, she knew all too well that Eugene Attonson was capable of taking multiple lives without any trouble.

That same line also forcefully reminded Daphne of the time they spent in the auction house, where the announcer had said the very same thing about the ring Daphne was now wearing. To think things would have changed so much in such a short time!

"Come on, don’t look that terrified," Eugene cajoled, holding his hands up to show that he was unarmed. "As long as you let me keep my secrets, I see no reason to do you any harm."

"If you lay one finger on me, Atticus will never let you off," Daphne warned.

"If he can even catch me," Eugene replied easily, looking particularly unbothered. "Of course, you’re assuming I would avoid him. Have you considered that I want his attention, Queen Daphne?"

Daphne’s face paled further. Eugene Attonson clearly had something planned for Atticus, and he wasn’t above using her life or death as a stepping stone, a convenient chess piece. If she fought him now, she would die! And if Atticus tried to avenge her, he might not come out unscathed either.

Daphne bit her tongue hard enough that she felt the metallic taste of blood fill her mouth. There was no way out of this mess, but to play into Eugene’s hands.

"Fine, I can respect that," Daphne said begrudgingly. "You say you can take me to Atticus, then prove it."

"Only if you promise not to tell him of my existence here," Eugene said cheerfully. "If not..." Eugene made a sharp slicing motion across his own neck. "Accidents might occur. A sudden fall, a grave cut...Wouldn’t it be interesting to see if Healer Sirona can re-attach her own neck? I always wondered how good she was as a healer. It would be interesting to find out."

"Don’t you dare!" Daphne all but roared, seeing red. Her ears felt hot enough to burn.

"I won’t if you won’t. Do we have a deal?" Eugene asked. "And don’t think about lying to me. I will find out, and you won’t like the consequences.

"... Fine," Daphne said begrudgingly. "We have a deal. Now take me to Atticus!"

"Was it that hard?" Eugene asked, but he clearly wasn’t waiting for an answer. He walked out of the pavilion and held out a hand for her, a mockery of an escort.

"Let us hurry, Queen Daphne. The clock’s ticking."