Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 167: Kelpie?

Chapter 167: Kelpie?

"A kelpie," Jonah murmured under his breath.

"Sounds like it," Atticus agreed with a nod.

"But kelpies are not native to Raxuvia, we never had anyone spot one in centuries!" Prince Nathaniel exclaimed, looking even more confused. "Don’t they usually hunt in colder waters? In fact, kelpies used to be spotted more often in Reaweth’s multiple lakes."

"They are?" Daphne asked, surprised. Once again, she felt her face burn from her lack of knowledge. She couldn’t recognize a creature native to her homeland!

Prince Nathaniel stood up taller and began to explain. Daphne needed to see he was the more knowledgeable man. Or at least, definitely better educated than her husband. King Atticus always seemed more like a man with more brawn than brain.

"Kelpies take the shape of humans or horses and lure unsuspecting members into their watery lairs, where they’ll drown. Around half a century ago, they were actually a huge threat to Reaweth’s citizens that the royal family decided to cordon off the lakes. When it didn’t work, they used their flames to heat up the lakes, boiling the kelpies alive."

Daphne’s mouth fell open. Even if those were dangerous creatures, it seemed like a particularly cruel way to get rid of them.

"After that, they also decided to shrink their lakes to stop them from growing too large and powerful. Princess Daphne, have you heard stories of any recent kelpie sightings in Reaweth?"

Daphne frowned and shook her head. Was there ever such a thing? Then again, no one had ever told her anything.

"Who says one can’t migrate all the way here?" Atticus interrupted, frowning heavily. "Maybe someone smuggled it in?"

"The very idea is preposterous. I personally conduct inspections of this place twice a year!"

"Even under the lake? Did you go underneath the lake to look?"

A muscle twitched in Prince Nathaniel’s jaw. "No, but―"

"So there could be a kelpie!" Atticus said triumphantly. "Daphne was telling the truth!"

"I am not saying that she is lying. All I’m saying is that it is simply illogical and impossible. Many noble families visit this place all around the year. We have never heard of a single sighting of a kelpie, nor did anyone go missing. If there was a kelpie in this lake, it would have starved to death since they couldn’t get their hands on human flesh," Prince Nathaniel said bluntly. "King Atticus, you should know this too."

Daphne shuddered at his words. "So... they only eat humans?" Daphne wondered how close she came to death. The creature didn’t seem particularly hungry when it met her, but that didn’t mean anything.

"Humans are said to be their preferred food, but they also do eat other forms of meat," Atticus explained, rankled by Prince Nathaniel’s slightly condescending attitude. "What about the other animals in this lake?"

"The biggest animal we have in this lake is the snapping turtle," Prince Nathaniel said. His hands made a gesture; it was only the size of a bread basket. "Even if the lake was full of them, it wouldn’t feed a kelpie for more than a year."

Atticus opened his mouth, but Prince Nathaniel held up a hand, already expecting his rebuttal. "And before you comment― they breed once every three years."

"Then how would you explain what Daphne saw?" Atticus demanded. "Are you claiming she was lying?"

"I’m not saying that," Prince Nathaniel said patiently, turning to Daphne. "But Queen Daphne, you were also disoriented, in shock, and out of breath in the water. It was a terrifying new experience for you. Was it possible that your eyes made a mistake?"

Daphne paused, biting her lip. She wanted to exclaim that her eyes weren’t lying, but she also realized Prince Nathaniel had a point. He was too kind to say outright that she could have panicked and hallucinated the sight.

"How could that be?" Atticus interrupted. "As you said, there are only harmless flora and fauna here. Did you think my wife could have imagined something she didn’t know existed?"

"Atticus! Don’t be rude!" Daphne hissed. She didn’t want Prince Nathaniel to be put in a spot. He was only making conjectures based on his own knowledge, and frankly his explanations were looking more and more likely.

Atticus’s attempts to defend her just made her look more like a liar. It was a small mercy that this did not happen in front of everyone else.

Prince Nathaniel sighed. "Perhaps Queen Daphne has a vivid imagination. What can I say? Even shipwrecked sailors blabber about visions no one can comprehend, least of all themselves."

Atticus growled, taking offense at the comparison. Daphne grabbed his arm, willing him to calm down.

Prince Nathaniel continued. "If someone actually managed to smuggle a kelpie through my kingdom’s borders and deposit it here — in one of my kingdom’s most scenic sights — without arousing suspicions, raise it, and have it hunt down members of nobility undetected... they would be skilled enough to create their own kingdom."

King Atticus froze minutely at his words, but no one noticed.

"I understand that you must’ve been distressed, Princess Daphne, and I am not trying to discredit what you witnessed," Prince Nathaniel said, ignoring how Atticus’s expression turned even more rigid. "We will have someone look into this situation but it is, as mentioned, unlikely to be a kelpie."

"If it was, there would’ve been more deaths reported in the area as well," Jonah said in reluctant agreement. He tapped a finger to his chin, deep in thought. "Perhaps it was a water nymph instead? They share the same habitat and they tend to be peaceful creatures."

"Whatever it is, we will have a thorough search of the lake. With that said, perhaps we should head back so that Her Highness can get some rest," Prince Nathaniel suggested.

He looked at Daphne, waiting for her to either nod or refuse, but she merely frowned, squinting down at the wooden boards of the boat.

"It didn’t hurt me," she murmured.

"Daphne?"

"The kelpie," she said, looking up. Shaking her head, Daphne corrected herself, "Or whatever that was, the creature didn’t have any ill intentions. It seemed more... curious."