Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 248: Missing Puzzle Piece

Chapter 248: Missing Puzzle Piece

Atticus’s heart shuddered at Daphne’s words, and her clear, unwavering gaze. It felt like spring had entered his heart, melting away the protective icy barrier that had encased that lonely, scarred organ beating in his chest and enveloping it with warmth.

Meanwhile, Daphne waited for a reply. With every second that passed, her worries began to grow. What had her father said to Atticus? Did Atticus immediately bed her as an apology because he was going to do the unthinkable with Drusilla in the future?

Panic began to enter Daphne’s eyes. Atticus saw it and realized his wife was still waiting for his reply; he wasn’t a casanova by any means, but even he knew that staying silent after a confession of love was a bad sign!

"I love you too," Atticus replied tenderly, stroking the curve of Daphne’s cheek tenderly as his wife nestled into his hold. "My apologies sunshine, I’m afraid you might have broken my brain."

Daphne laughed weakly. "I am not capable of such a feat. What’s on your mind?"

"You are capable of many things. Don’t insult yourself," Atticus said with a frown as laid back down on the pillow to cuddle Daphne. He couldn’t shake the sheer disdain Daphne was treated with by her own family and her servants. It was as though his wife was a piece of dirt stuck at the bottom of a shoe.

It was no wonder his wife had turned into a shell of her former self when confronted with Alistair and Drusilla back at the Crown Conquest. They spent years undermining her confidence and ill-treating her!

"Your family’s words are sheer nonsense. I should chop off their tongues."

"Don’t change the subject," Daphne said warningly, cupping Atticus’s face in her hands. "What’s on your mind?"

Atticus sighed. "Your father wants me to take Drusilla as a concubine. I suspect he is going senile since he’s willing to play matchmaker for her." A disgusted look crossed Atticus’s face as he recalled their conversation. "How can he be so blind to the character of his bastard daughter?"

Daphne scoffed bitterly. "That’s the daughter of his beloved woman. Nothing is too difficult for him to do."

"You don’t sound surprised," Atticus said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I expected more... dramatics."

Now it was Daphne’s turn to come clean. "Do you remember Alistair’s wife? I bumped into her while I was trying to return to our room."

Atticus nodded. He did his own research and knew Alistair was married to Duke Ferrowood’s eldest daughter. However, Alistair’s behavior was completely contrary to his marriage status.

"My condolences to his wife. If I married Alistair, I’d be a widow," Atticus said with a roll of his eyes. "Wait, did she bully you?"

"Like she can," Daphne bopped Atticus’s nose with a playful finger, "I’m the one with a devoted husband. There is nothing she can do to me. She was the one who told me about my father’s plan to get me to share my own husband."

"Don’t worry about that," Atticus said reassuringly, "I told your father he could shove that offer up his hairy―"

"Atticus! I don’t need the mental image," Daphne scolded, but her lips twitched in amusement. In a softer voice, she asked, "Did you really tell him that?"

"Not in those exact words, but I believe my response cannot be misinterpreted. I told him Drusilla was a whore and even destroyed his chandelier."

Peals of laughter escaped Daphne’s lips. "Oh, how I wished I could have seen his face!"

"It did look very purple. Not a fetching color on him, that’s for sure," Atticus said, stroking Daphne’s hair fondly. "What else did you do today, other than getting ambushed by a scorned wife?"

"I stole something," Daphne replied, deciding not to mention the encounter with Nereus. Nereus had meant her no harm, and she wanted to solve the mystery of their shared past before Atticus went on a warpath to destroy him.

"You what?" Atticus exclaimed, looking down at his wife in shock. "I’m so proud of you! Good job. Rob your family blind."

"You didn’t even know what I took," Daphne snickered.

"Whatever it was, I bet it didn’t belong to them to begin with," Atticus said. He had a sneer dangling on his face; just the thought of the Molinero family — sans Daphne — brought a bitter taste to his mouth. "So, what did you steal?"

"I stole a book from the library with help from Blanche. She’s a cyromancer, and she’ll be coming back to Vramid with us," Daphne said excitedly.

"...Alright," Atticus said reluctantly. After meeting Daphne’s sisters, he didn’t have high opinions on their character. But if his wife wanted it, he would just have to accept it― until he found a reason to get rid of her. "What book was so valuable it required two princesses to steal?"

"Have you ever heard of ’The History of Magic’?"

"I might have heard of it, yes," Atticus said in a measured tone. "Since I am, after all, a highly knowledgeable king with magic."

Unknown to Daphne, Atticus’s other hand, the one that was hidden from her view, had twisted in the bedsheets, as though he was restraining his excitement.

Atticus made sure to keep his expression casual and playful, instead of frantically shaking Daphne and demanding where she put the book. He couldn’t let Daphne know how much that book meant to him― how it was the missing piece of the puzzle for his plans.

Atticus didn’t want Daphne to interfere in his plans. The less she knew, the safer it was for her.

He continued to speak, trying to play his elation off. "Not to mention," he said, "terribly handsome, incredibly intelligent, a great lover―"

Daphne smacked his chest to stop her husband from monologuing about his own virtues.

"Okay okay, I’ll stop. Where is the book now?"

"It’s in your trunk," Daphne said. "My family wouldn’t dare to search your belongings unprovoked."

"Smart woman," Atticus praised, kissing Daphne so intensely that it took her breath away, and desire began to raise its eager head, wanting more of the earlier pleasures. Once again, Atticus loomed over her, his face hallowed in the candlelight as a grin split his face.

Daphne had never seen him look this happy.

"I’m very happy to marry you."

"Likewise," Daphne said, smiling back at her husband. And their lips touched again, and there were no more words between the two. What continued was a conversation between bodies, and Atticus made sure to use all sorts of ways to pleasure his wife, as a reward for her help, no matter how unknowing.

Besides, he needed to wear out Daphne so that she would sleep the entire night.

True enough, when Daphne finally fell asleep after their latest round of lovemaking, Atticus hurriedly went to his trunk and pulled out the book, sucking in a deep breath as he cracked it open. His eyes widened as he read the smudged words.

There it was. The last piece of his puzzle.

Now, he knew just what to do. Pressing one last kiss against Daphne’s sweaty temple, he tucked her in, got dressed, and proceeded to look for Jonah and Sirona.

There was no time to waste.

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