Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 176: Temporary Goodbye

Chapter 176: Temporary Goodbye

After Daphne patched things up with Atticus, she took the chance to also further explain the issue regarding the kelpie. Atticus had decided, then and there, that they had to leave for Vramid as soon as possible.

Raxuvia simply wasn’t safe for Daphne anymore; it was bad enough that Jean Nott was still on the loose, having a dark creature lurking around the palace undetected was the last straw! Atticus was confident in his ability to protect Daphne, but he would feel more reassured once they were back in Vramid, where he had complete control over what went on in the land.

If the kelpie dared to follow them to Vramid, it would soon learn what a terrible mistake it made.

Daphne was initially reluctant to leave, but she soon realized the wisdom of Atticus’s words. In addition, she knew that Atticus couldn’t leave his kingdom unattended for much longer.

So when Atticus attended yet another meeting, Daphne took the chance to get started with her packing. They had to leave first thing in the morning.

With a heavy heart, she laid out all her dresses and started to fold them into her luggage, a task made more difficult by the baby griffin. It continued to chirp as its talons dug into the soft fabric, threatening to shred her clothes into pieces if Daphne so much as pulled him away.

"Come on, let go!" Daphne tried to coax it sweetly, but it simply continued to roll all over her clothes, "Don’t be like this, I need to pack!"

A sharp knock on the door broke her concentration, and the opened door revealed Cordelia with her arms crossed and an unhappy look on her face. The look on her face grew even more pinched when she caught sight of Daphne’s half-packed luggage and the clothes strewn all over her bed.

"So it’s true? You’re leaving already?" Cordelia asked in lieu of a hello.

"News certainly travels fast," Daphne replied, blinking quickly. "How did you know?"

"Your husband told me," Cordelia said, "You should have seen the way he beamed in front of Prince Nathaniel when he dropped the news. I’ve never seen him smile so wide. It’s honestly creepy."

Daphne asked worriedly. "How did Prince Nathaniel take the news?"

"He looked like someone killed his entire family in front of him. Completely crushed, that man was. I’ve seen happier people at funerals," Cordelia said without mincing her words. "Not that he didn’t deserve it, mind you."

Daphne winced. She made a mental note to speak to Prince Nathaniel before leaving.

"Then what about you?" Daphne asked curiously.

"What about me?"

"Are you crushed I’ll be leaving?" Daphne asked teasingly. Sure, it was slightly shameless of her to ask, but she had seen Cordelia care for her enough that Daphne would miss her if she was gone.

Cordelia spluttered, her face turning red in embarrassment. "Of course not! In fact, the faster you’re gone, the better it is! You’re already a huge magnet for trouble, if you stayed here any longer, a meteorite might just fall on all of us! Just go back to Vramid and live a good life!"

"Oh, so you do care about me! I’m so touched!" Daphne exclaimed, flinging her arms around Cordelia in joy. Underneath her harsh words, Daphne had sensed her obvious concern and worry. It was the exact opposite of the sweet but cruel words she had endured from her family.

Cordelia was now one of her best friends. She had stood up for Daphne multiple times and even saved her life! Daphne had never had a best friend before, and she was realizing quickly how terrible it would be to part from her.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, and Daphne started to bawl into Cordelia’s shoulder, clinging to her waist.

"Hey hey, stop crying! If you do this, people will think I’m bullying you!" Cordelia demanded, immediately panicking as she found her hands full of a crying queen. Her hands gingerly patted Daphne’s back, clearly unused to providing comfort. "You’re going to smear your snot on me! Why are you even crying? Stop it!"

Her clumsy attempts only made Daphne cry harder― oh, she would miss her and her quippy snide remarks so much!

"If you don’t stop, I’ll beat you up!" Cordelia finally threatened as she looked around the corridor. Thankfully, they were alone.

Daphne laughed wetly and finally wiped away her tears. "Don’t waste your powers on me."

"Who said anything about using powers? I could take you down with my bare hands," Cordelia boasted. "But then again, your husband is a very terrifying man. So I shall let you live for another day."

"I thank you for your mercy," Daphne said, blowing her nose into her hanky before stepping away from Cordelia to collect herself. To her surprise, Cordelia’s eyes also looked strangely shiny, but she blinked them away before Daphne could call her out on it.

"Don’t thank me yet, I came with a message from my uncle. He wants you and your husband to visit him in Xahan sometime in the autumn of next year. It’s for his oldest daughter’s birthday celebration. Bet you anything he’s making the same offer to your husband too."

"That sounds great! Will you be there?" Daphne asked excitedly, happy at the thought of seeing Cordelia again.

Cordelia shrugged with less enthusiasm. "It depends on my mood. That girl is a smartmouthed brat."

"So... like you?" Daphne couldn’t help but add, snickering at the affronted look on Cordelia’s face.

"Excuse me! I am nothing like her! Urgh, you’ll see for yourself if you go. I know you don’t have powers, but try not to die in the meantime. Go and study or something. My aunt would be so disappointed, especially since I mentioned you to her and I don’t want her to cry."

"You mentioned about me to your aunt?" Daphne beamed, holding her arms out for another hug. "I knew you loved me! Don’t be shy, let me hug you."

"Quit it," Cordelia grumbled, but she didn’t make much effort to shove Daphne off. "Don’t you still have to pack? And what is that tiny chicken doing, is it making a nest out of your clothes?"

The griffin let out a series of disgusted squawks at Cordelia calling it a chicken. Daphne whirled around and nearly screamed at the mess her dresses had became. They were crumpled and twisted, with visible claw marks in some of them.

And in the middle sat the baby griffin, looking very pleased with his handiwork.

"Oh, you’re such a menace!" Daphne complained as she tried to shoo him out of the way. The griffin merely chirped and tried to peck at her hands happily.

"If you don’t behave, I’ll turn you into soup," Cordelia threatened, flexing her fingers. "Chicken or griffin, it tastes equally good in the belly of a stormgator."

Daphne watched with wide-eyed wonder as the griffin took one look at Cordelia’s eyes and promptly vacated the nest, sitting quietly at the side with its head bowed low in apology.

"He’s just a baby," Daphne whispered, feeling sorry for it already.

"Precisely! If you are not firm with them when they are still young, they won’t listen to you when they’re older," Cordelia explained. "Don’t be suckered by its behavior, it knows exactly what it’s doing. Manipulative little chicken menace."

After Cordelia’s intervention, Daphne could quickly finish packing. She was done right before Atticus had ended his last conference with the panel of rulers and within hours after, she was on the road back to Vramid.

Back home.

Only, they weren’t the only ones that left for Vramid that day. No one noticed the ominous pools of water that seemed to trail after their carriages and horses, only to dry up nearly immediately under the hot afternoon sun.