Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 163: Something Green

Chapter 163: Something Green

"Oh, this?" Daphne gulped and her face fell as she saw the stormy look on Atticus’s face. "It’s a bracelet from Prince Nathaniel. He said he prepared this for my supposed arrival months ago."

"Oh?" Atticus asked.

His expression turned thunderous as he flipped her hand back and forth to look at the tinkling jewelry. The glistening, polished beads caught the light of the golden sun, reflecting it beautifully across the smooth surface. He pressed the seed in between his fingers, squeezing lightly.

Then, he said, "Do you know what this is when you accepted this gift?"

"This is a seed bracelet souvenir?" Daphne replied hesitantly, her answer more of a question than a statement. From the way Atticus’s face darkened minutely, Daphne knew her answer wasn’t quite right. "Should I have not accepted it? I thought it would be fine since it wasn’t a jeweled ring. Do you want me to give it back to him?"

"...No, there’s no need for that. It was a gift, after all. Keep it," Atticus growled the last bit out reluctantly. "I bet it was something very precious, wasn’t it, Prince Nathaniel?"

He glared at Prince Nathaniel, but that blond bastard merely blinked placidly, his lips forming a faint smile that radiated the barest hint of satisfaction. Yet, Prince Nathaniel refused to rise to his barb, leaving Atticus feeling disappointed.

Daphne turned back to Atticus to demand an explanation for his behavior.

Atticus scowled.

"Atticus?" Daphne prodded gently, but Atticus’s scowls deepened.

"Nevermind. We shall wait for the others to arrive and proceed," Atticus said, giving Prince Nathaniel one last glare before storming over to the side, plopping down on one of the park benches as though he was sulking.

Daphne had the strangest feeling she did something wrong. She hurriedly rushed towards Atticus, wanting to talk to him, but then her shoe caught on the edge of a cobblestone. Before she knew it, she was tripping. A scream escaped her mouth, and her hands wheeled through the air frantically while she tried to stop herself from falling.

"Daphne!" Two voices yelled, but only one man managed to reach her in time to stop her from suffering an ungainly fall, preventing her from smashing her face straight onto the ground.

It was Prince Nathaniel. Daphne blinked as she found herself staring at deep green eyes, the ends of his blond hair tickling her face. Prince Nathaniel had one of his arms wrapped around her waist, and the other was holding her hand.

Meanwhile, the outrage radiating off King Atticus was palpable, but his hands were outstretched and empty. The glow of his ring dimmed as the purple aura around Daphne followed soon after. His magic would’ve caught her just fine but even for all his emotions, Atticus was still a moment too slow.

Prince Nathaniel tightened his hold minutely, a wordless acknowledgment of his victory.

"Daphne, are you alright?" Prince Nathaniel hurriedly helped her up, frantically checking over her for injuries. "The path is uneven, you should be more careful."

Daphne nodded, slightly shaken. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for saving me."

"She’s fine now. Drop your grubby hands," Atticus demanded belligerently, shooting Prince Nathaniel a glare so venomous it was a surprise that he didn’t drop dead.

Prince Nathaniel raised an eyebrow and simply moved away without resistance. Yet, Atticus continued to glower at him as he pulled Daphne next to his side to sit on the bench, causing Daphne to feel vaguely indignant on Prince Nathaniel’s behalf.

Surely her husband couldn’t be so ill-mannered! Even if he didn’t like the fact that she accepted a gift from Prince Nathaniel, this man prevented her from falling. How could Atticus treat him like a servant? Not only was there no word of thanks, he didn’t even offer him a seat.

What if Prince Nathaniel took offense and decided to retaliate by harming Vramid’s interests? Did Atticus not care?

"Why are you so upset?" Daphne whispered hotly into Atticus’s ear as they sat on the bench together. "He stopped me from falling!"

"I could have done that," Atticus retorted. "And I’m not upset."

Despite his words, the frown on his face was clearly visible. Atticus turned away, presumably staring at the still waters of the lake.

He then said after a moment of silence, "And if I were, shouldn’t you be able to know why?"

"If I knew I wouldn’t need to ask you," Daphne pointed out reasonably. "All I know is that you’re lying about not being upset."

Atticus huffed, proving Daphne’s point. Daphne restrained the urge to roll her eyes.

"Atticus, can you please tell me what is going on? Would you rather I fall and injure myself than to have Prince Nathaniel catch me?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what’s the issue?" Daphne prodded.

"I did catch you. You would’ve been safe anyway even if he hadn’t moved. My magic would’ve kept you safe," he grumbled under his breath.

Then, Atticus’s eyes darted to the new addition on her wrist.

Daphne sighed.

"Fine. If you hate me wearing his bracelet so badly, I’ll take it off right now and give it back to him." Daphne reached for her the bracelet, trying to undo it with a frown. It was surprisingly more complicated than it looked.

Atticus held out a hand to stop her.

"...There’s no need," Atticus finally grumbled. "You can keep it on. I just don’t like the color green on you."

Daphne snorted disbelievingly. Finally, she understood the main issue. She couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Atticus, the one that’s turning green right now is you. Why are you even jealous of him?"

Atticus spluttered, but thankfully for him, he didn’t have to think of a reply. The second carriage had pulled up the path and parked next to the first, and Sirona and Jonah emerged, one looking cheerier than the other.

"Wow, this place does look great," Jonah said appreciatively, eyeing the trees and flowers. "Did all of you wait long?"

"Not as long as I expected," Atticus said frankly, "especially when I saw how slowly our coachman was driving earlier."

"Funnily enough, he sped up after you leaped through the window," Sirona said, raising her eyebrow. "He must have been so worried about you falling and breaking your neck."

"He can save his efforts," Atticus said, "I will never fall. No matter what sort of petty tricks people might use to get the upper hand, I’ll always remain on top."

"Now that we are all present, perhaps you might wish to proceed with the tour?" Prince Nathaniel interjected smoothly, attracting their attention.

Daphne quickly stood up in agreement. "Yes please, that’ll be much appreciated!" Atticus followed her with greater reluctance, but he made sure to hold onto Daphne’s other hand. He didn’t want more accidental falls.

As they began to walk down the winding path, Jonah and Sirona instinctively hung back to let the three royals proceed first. Jonah’s eyes then caught the sight of an unusual green on Daphne’s wrist.

"Sirona, can you see what’s on Daphne’s wrist? There’s something green on her?" Jonah whispered.

"Green?" Sirona peered closer and nearly choked in surprise. "Bloody hell!"

"Is it a snake?" Jonah asked worriedly.

"Worse," Sirona whispered, "It’s a Raxuvian wedding bracelet."

"Oh dear," Jonah shook his head in resignation. "No wonder Atticus looks like he has a thundercloud over his head."

Only, little did they know, that thundercloud would only grow in the next few seconds.

"The sights at the lake are beautiful," Prince Nathaniel said. He then suggested, "How about we go for a ride? Princess Daphne, would you give me the honor of sharing a boat with you?"

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