Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 187: Threats in Plain Sight II

Chapter 187: Threats in Plain Sight II

In a rare display of magic, Jonah redirected the plants and shrubbery to one side so as to create a path that led directly to the river. He walked in front while Daphne followed closely behind him, her heart rate going up and down as it increased due to panic and decreased whenever the mixture of herbs worked its magic.

The river’s ominous rumblings resonated in the air, a deep and foreboding undertone that hinted at hidden currents of power beneath its surface. Its relentless growl seemed to echo the secrets it held, a reminder of nature’s unpredictable and formidable forces.

Right at the riverbank sat a man dressed in different shades of blue. His long white hair raced down his back, colored by seemingly random streaks of blue. Under the light of the setting sun, the man almost seemed to glow. Even the hand that reached out into the river’s waters seemed a little translucent. However, right after Daphne rubbed her eye and looked again, it was opaque once more.

"Nereus?" The name slipped from her lips, almost on instinct.

At the sound of his name, the man turned around. His piercing green eyes quickly found Daphne’s as her lips parted in a soft gasp. It had only been a mere guess but this man’s hair was definitely unique enough. Daphne highly doubted she would’ve gotten it wrong unless Nereus had a twin brother.

"It is you," the man said. He stood to his feet, flicking the water from his fingertips. Then, he quickly hid his hands behind his back, seemingly hiding something from their view.

"What are you doing here?" Daphne asked as she squinted at his suspicious actions.

There was something odd about this man. Never mind that he could possibly be a dark spirit― she oddly felt much calmer in his presence. Perhaps it was because he had saved her once before but Daphne didn’t feel threatened by him.

"Do you know him, Your Highness?" Jonah asked.

He hadn’t lowered his sword, though the green glow from his malachite had already died down. His eyes remained warily trained on the stranger. Even he could tell that this man wasn’t human.

"He saved my life once in Raxuvia," Daphne vaguely explained. She, too, didn’t dare to say too much while in front of Nereus. Who knew when this creature would go insane and kill her for revealing his identity?

No, Daphne needed to act clueless. She couldn’t let Nereus know that she — and probably Jonah — already had a good guess who he really was.

"What brings you to Vramid, Nereus?" she asked, knowing fully well that the kelpie had followed her. He must’ve trailed her from the lake and then back here to Vramid.

Only, Daphne couldn’t figure out for the life of her why he would do such a thing, especially when he didn’t seem too keen on eating her like what the others explained kelpies would do.

The man — or kelpie — cast a look into the distance, in the direction where most of the floats were being held for the night. Daphne’s float wasn’t there but she knew from how the women bustled back and forth it was where a good bulk of Francessa Seibert’s supporters had theirs parked.

Good riddance too. She didn’t wish to be anywhere near theirs in case one — or more — of them decided to sabotage her hard work.

"There is a parade," he simply said, his eyes still looking afar. Only after a short pause did he turn back to look at Daphne, completely ignoring Jonah’s existence. "Is it a celebration of spring?"

"The Spring Parade, yes," Daphne replied.

"There is also a competition," he continued, his words more of a statement than a question.

Daphne nodded, confused as to why the kelpie was asking such weird questions. Had they been wrong this whole time? Perhaps Nereus was just an odd traveler who enjoyed experiencing the different cultures of various kingdoms. Maybe it was just a coincidence that he was here in Vramid.

"It’s a beauty contest," Daphne explained. "We each have floats decorated in an assortment of flowers for the main parade. The woman with the most beautiful float and dress will win the competition."

Nereus nodded understandingly. Then, under the wide-eyed gazes of both Jonah and Daphne, he took a step closer and held his hands out. Jonah’s grip tightened on his sword until he realized what Nereus had held out― a bunch of haphazardly arranged flowers.

A lot of them were common blossoms that could easily be found in Vramid’s forests. Some of them were those that only bloomed in the rare water bodies, making them rather difficult to pick and, thus harder to sell or buy. Nereus’s bouquet wasn’t big but it did hold a significant amount of flowers, some of which even perfectly matching the theme Daphne had going on for her float.

"Are those..." Daphne started, staring questioningly at the flowers after silence engulfed them for a few seconds with Nereus just awkwardly holding his hands out like that. "Are those for me?"

Nereus nodded. "Mm."

Flabbergasted, Daphne had to focus hard to make sure her jaw was still tightly clamped shut and not wide open for flies to dart in and out. She stiffly reached forward, taking hold of the flowers before returning to her original spot so as to maintain a safe distance between them in case she needed to bolt away.

As soon as she took hold of the flowers, a faint floral fragrance wafted into her nose, quickly overtaking the scent of the riverbank’s dirt and rushing waters. Some of the petals were still a little wet, most likely having been freshly plucked right before Daphne and Jonah had shown up and interrupted the harvest.

"Thank you," Daphne said, her appreciation genuine, her surprise even more so. Nereus maintained a stoic expression but his eyes practically glittered with anticipation. "If these are for my float, I would only be able to add them in tomorrow," she said. "We’re about to head back for the night."

Again, he nodded understandingly.

"You will win," he said enigmatically.

With the flowers given, Nereus turned to leave. He hadn’t even waited for Daphne to say goodbye or thank him again for his well wishes before he disappeared into the forest, the quickly darkening skies aiding his silent departure.

"That was..." Daphne started to say.

"Odd," Jonah finished. He returned his sword back to its sheath. "We should go."

"Right." Daphne turned, allowing Jonah to lead her out and back onto the path.

She cast one last look behind her shoulder but she wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of Nereus’s figure. He had completely melted into the dark, further confirming the possibility of his origins.

The duo quickly returned to the palace. Even though Jonah had suggested Daphne returned with Maisie to her chambers first to rest, she was insistent on following him to report their findings. They bolted straight to Atticus’s office.

Jonah hadn’t even bothered to knock and instead, threw the doors right open in panic.

Two heads turned to stare at them, with Atticus in his chair and Sirona standing at the other side of the desk, her arms folded across her chest. There was a map and a bunch of messily scribbled parchments thrown everywhere but now that Jonah had returned with such a bombastic entrance, Daphne standing just a little behind him, he had fully captured their attention.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Atticus asked with a scoff.

"You look like you’ve seen a ghost," Sirona commented.

"I might as well have," Jonah said, swallowing the bile in his throat. "We just saw the kelpie."