Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 156: The Shortcut I

Chapter 156: The Shortcut I

Daphne could only watch helplessly as Drusilla’s retreating back was swallowed up by the flames, but she seemed to be unharmed, making a mad dash for the palace like Atticus predicted.

Cordelia quickly sprung into action, summoning the water from the nearby pond to put out the fire, her bangle glinting an arrogant blue. In no time at all, the fire was cleanly extinguished, leaving behind nothing but a huge scorch mark on the table. The area was now thick with the smell of smoke and algae.

"What a piece of work," Cordelia grumbled, flexing her arms irritably. The ends of her hair had gotten singed by that bastard princess. "None of this would have happened if she had just kept her mouth shut."

"The truth was bound to be revealed regardless," Daphne murmured, frowning as she stared at where Drusilla had disappeared off to.

Inwardly, she dreaded the scolding she would no doubt have to face once Alistair learned about this. Knowing Drusilla, she would be able to find a way to twist and fabricate details of the recount until it was somehow everyone else’s — particularly Daphne’s — fault rather than her own.

"And she still dared claim the ring was faulty," Cordelia said with a snort. She turned to the ladies, dusting her hands. "Now that the show’s over, you all will have to excuse me. I need to do something about my hair before it becomes permanently ugly. If it’s ruined for good, I’ll scalp Princess Drusilla’s own hair for a wig."

With that last ominous statement, Cordelia stalked off, her head held high and her back straight. More and more ladies followed suit shortly after, including Princess Aurelia and Princess Charlotte. The former hadn’t even forgotten to shoot a glare Daphne’s way before scurrying off.

Daphne was a little surprised she did. After all, Prince Nathaniel was still around. The entire time, the look that Princess Aurelia had given her brother could only be described as carnivorous. Daphne felt pity for his future wife, who would have to deal with having a possessive sister-in-law that bordered on lunacy.

Now that everyone had retreated and the commotion was over, only Daphne, Atticus, and Nathaniel remained in the pavilion.

Daphne turned to look at the two men, her gaze shifting between both of them awkwardly. They were a rare pair to see together, after all. She hadn’t been so clueless as to completely miss the air of hostility that was always present around them both, directed towards each other.

"So," she started to say, "did the conference proceed smoothly? I admit, I am rather surprised to see the both of you here together." Then, when a memory slipped through her mind, Daphne’s expression darkened. "Or did you manage to find anything regarding Eugene Attonson?"

Prince Nathaniel shot Atticus a glare, implying he remained silent. Atticus merely shrugged before plopping down on the scorched seat directly behind Daphne. He toyed with the charred remains on the table, curiously examining the burnt pastries and stained tableware.

"Actually, about that, we’re here to ask you a few questions regarding what happened at the heart of the maze," Prince Nathaniel said. He cast a look at Atticus, ensuring that there was no glow coming from his ring before returning his gaze to Daphne. "Your Highness, what can you tell me about what happened before King Atticus found you?"

"I already said all there was to say." Daphne frowned. "I was with King Calarian and Princess Cordelia originally," she admitted. "When the maze shifted, I was separated from Atticus and the two happened to find me. They mentioned the heart of the maze was the only location in the maze that wouldn’t shift and suggested I go there to wait."

Prince Nathaniel nodded grimly. "And how did Eugene Attonson come into the picture?"

Daphne recounted the details as best as she could, leaving out the baby griffin’s participation. Prince Nathaniel needn’t know of the existence of Zephyr, lest he suddenly decide to confiscate the beast. What he wouldn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Once she was done, Prince Nathaniel said again, "There were three magical signatures detected. One belonged to Eugene Attonson, one to King Atticus, and the other is unknown."

Daphne frowned. "What are you implying, Prince Nathaniel?"

Atticus could no longer keep his mouth shut. He snorted ungracefully, crossing one lack over the other. "The fool thinks that you can do magic."

Prince Nathaniel took a deep breath in, visibly attempting to control his anger. If it weren’t for how murderous his gaze was, he might’ve actually fooled everyone there.

"No need for name-calling, King Atticus. As I said, the maze makes no mistakes."

"It might not, but human eyes sure can," Daphne refuted. She easily understood Atticus’s hint. "How could you be so sure that we were the only three people present there before all of you joined us? Eugene Attonson could’ve had an accomplice that had escaped undetected. After all, he must’ve been let into the maze somehow, yes?"

"The current assumption is that there might be someone working inside the palace that helped him access the hunting grounds," Nathaniel agreed reluctantly with a nod. He then cast a pointed look at Atticus. "We will need a few more sessions to discuss both this and the original agenda for the conference. It was pushed back to make way for this investigation."

Atticus offered him a sickly sweet smile that looked so unnatural, Daphne wondered if her husband’s face had started cramping up. She wasn’t aware his facial muscles could even move this way.

"We’re happy to assist wherever possible."

Prince Nathaniel held out a hand and said, "Please, allow me to walk you back to your chambers. You both must want some rest after all the events that transpired today."

Daphne nodded appreciatively. The husband and wife trailed after the crown prince of Raxuvia down the corridors. Only, none of the hallways looked familiar and that caused Atticus to frown shortly after realizing it a few minutes in.

"Is there anywhere you are bringing us, Prince Nathaniel?" he asked. He had remained silent and took up the prince’s offer since he didn’t seem to have meant any ill-intent. However, if he was indeed trying something, Atticus was ready to start a war with Raxuvia if it meant keeping Daphne safe.

Maybe it was still too soon to rule out the possibility that Prince Nathaniel was the one working with Eugene Attonson in the first place. He was in the perfect position to do so.

"At ease, King Atticus, this is merely a shortcut," Nathaniel replied. "I would rather not scale the unnecessary flights of stairs. Only certain people know of these passages."

Atticus said nothing, choosing to remain silent. However, the faint purple glow of his ring spoke volumes about how much he trusted Prince Nathaniel’s words.

Nonetheless, Atticus soon realized that his wariness was for naught when familiar voices relayed from a little further down the hallway and past a curve.

All three of them stopped moving immediately, their footsteps ceasing. Daphne exchanged wary glances with Atticus and Prince Nathaniel, preparing for a second confrontation.

It was Prince Alistair. And he wasn’t alone.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.