Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 177: Fight for Dominance I

Chapter 177: Fight for Dominance I

’Dear Prince Nathaniel,

I hope you are well! I am heartened to know that your research on floral cross-breeding is going well, and your variants are thriving well. Your skill in horticulture never fails to impress me, and I’m sure Atticus would love speaking with you about your new seed variants.

The designs of the flower dresses for Raxuvia’s spring dance contest look incredible, and I’m sure the Raxuvian ladies will look utterly stunning in spring. It would be a bouquet of beauties; perhaps one of them might catch your eye?

However, I only regret that Atticus and I will not be able to make the journey to see it. We have duties in Vramid that require our attention. Spring is finally coming into this wintry land, and with it comes plenty of festivals that I am supposed to host.

For a start, the Spring Parade is right around the corner, and I am twisting my fingers to ensure everything goes well. Wish me the best of luck!

Hopefully, my next letter will bring better tidings.

Yours in friendship,

Queen Daphne’

Daphne lifted her quill as she gently blew at the ink, rereading her own letter to ensure that she had not leaked any confidential information. Satisfied, she sealed the letter in an envelope.

She and Prince Nathaniel had kept up regular correspondence in the past two months. While Atticus was initially not too enthused to find out she was writing to Nathaniel, Daphne eventually coaxed him to look at the bigger picture.

There was no harm in keeping friendly ties with another royal. Other than Prince Nathaniel, Daphne also wrote more often to Cordelia’s whose letters came back smelling of kelp and the sea, her handwriting practically floating off the parchment.

But while Daphne was more effusive in her replies to Cordelia, she made sure that she remained friendly, yet polite in her letters to Prince Nathaniel. She made sure to mention Atticus at least once in every letter, just in case Prince Nathaniel forgot she was married. She didn’t want him to misconstrue anything.

The last thing she wanted to do was to lead him on, but being friends could only be advantageous for Vramid. Vramid needed allies, and Raxuvia, with its bountiful harvests, stores of grain, and wealth of medicinal herbs, would be an invaluable partner to Vramid’s future.

Also, Daphne had felt terrible about how things have ended with him. She didn’t manage to speak to him for the last time before she was whisked back to Vramid, so she decided to write him letters instead.

"Your Highness! The ladies want to know what you are planning for the Spring Parade!" Maisie burst into the room after a quick knock, her arms laden with letters. This time, they were letters from Vramid’s social circle. Daphne heaved a sigh and stretched her arms, gesturing at Maisie to put them down on her new work desk.

"I’ll take a look at them later," Daphne said, glancing at Maisie from the corner of her eyes. She had mostly physically recovered from her harrowing ordeal of being kidnapped, but Daphne noticed that Maisie looked thrice before turning a corner, and she wasn’t as guileless as before.

Now, Maisie thought twice before speaking, and she made sure to report every single detail, no matter how small, back to Daphne before making a decision.

It made Daphne’s heart hurt. Maisie had got a taste of the world’s cruelty and lost some of her innocence.

"What did they say?"

"Your Highness, Marchioness Seibert wants to meet you this afternoon," Maisie said apologetically. "She has... opinions regarding your suggestions for the Spring Parade. She and the other ladies will meet you in the North Parlor."

"Again? I swear, she’s doing this on purpose!" Daphne cried out, wanting to slam her head on her table. Then she realized that there was only Maisie in the room, so she could do just that. Her head fell on the table with a lovely thud.

"Your Highness! Don’t do that!" Maisie exclaimed in a panic, dumping all of her letters on the table and pulling Daphne up worriedly. "Your forehead will hurt!"

"It can’t hurt more than having another meeting with Francessa," Daphne said dryly. Francessa was not as bad to deal with as Drusilla was, but that was a very low bar to cross.

Francessa Seibert already held a lot of power in Vramid’s social circles to begin with, and she had thoroughly entrenched herself in court while Daphne had been absent, either on visits to other kingdoms or because she was too busy getting kidnapped.

Honestly, Daphne only had herself to blame for this turn of events. Why had she paid so little attention to Vramid’s social circle?

Oh right. Because back then, she hated Atticus and everything he stood for. She had tried means and ways to escape instead of integrating herself into Vramid’s internal politics, not knowing that she would love Atticus so dearly her heart would hurt at the thought of his absence.

It was insane to think about how she had just fallen into a whirlwind romance with a man she had never believed possible to love. Yet, despite their rocky start, Atticus had found ways to surprise her every day― her love only had room to grow, never to waver.

Now that Daphne wanted to stay with Atticus, it was paramount for her to regain control of Vramid’s inner court. As such, Daphne volunteered to plan the celebrations for the Spring Parade, in a bid to show off her capabilities.

But it was easier said than done!

Francessa Seibert was a dragoness with no intention of vacating her crown. She had spent weeks shooting down every suggestion of hers to replace with her own, and her people eagerly agreed, leaving Daphne with few options. As the deadline loomed closer, Daphne was forced to compromise again and again, despite being the Queen.

She had complained to Cordelia about Francessa’s behavior, but only received Cordelia’s less than sympathetic reply, which pointed out that this circumstance was caused by her ignorance and neglect of Vramid’s noble circle, and her reluctance to take control.

Harsh but true.

When Daphne asked for possible solutions, Cordelia told her to use a harpoon! She even helpfully attached a picture. Daphne had paled at the drawing; even someone like her who had never held court knew it was a bad idea.

But that did not stop Daphne from thinking about shooting said harpoon at Francessa when she sat next to her in her parlor, a practiced smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, Marchioness Seibert, ladies," Daphne greeted politely as she paid her respects to the older woman and the rest of her entourage. "I heard you wanted to speak to me about the Spring Parade? Didn’t we already decide on the flower arrangements?"

Francessa smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Your Highness, I would never bother you with something as paltry as that." All lies, Daphne had received several missives about this from her in a single week. "I am here to inquire about your plans for the main celebration."

Daphne blinked. "The... main celebration?"

Next to Francessa, the other ladies tittered behind their hands.

"Surely you don’t think that a few jugglers and clowns would suffice for such an important festival," Francessa said with a glint in her eye. "Especially not after our king’s wedding. What will you plan to do to showcase Vramid’s prosperity to the kingdom?"

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