Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 274: New Heir

Chapter 274: New Heir

Daphne whirled around to spot her mother watching her, a look of abject disapproval on her face. Daphne then realized that she was still kneeling on the ground after her near-drowning experience, and hurriedly got up with mild embarrassment.

It was too late for her to escape from what was sure to be an uncomfortable encounter with her own mother.

Queen Anette pursed her lips at the inelegance displayed by her oldest daughter as she stumbled to her feet, brushing grass stains off the silk of her dress. Beside her, her bird-like companion hovered over her protectively, as though he expected her to fall back to the ground.

Anette couldn’t help but judge her daughter’s taste in companions and her lack of ambition.

After the part her husband played in the most recent dragon attack, it was the best time for Daphne to build relationships with other Reawethen nobility. Queen Anette had wanted to use the chance to reintroduce Daphne into Reawethen upper society. With Daphne now no longer being powerless and married to one of the most powerful men in the world, she could easily curb Drusilla’s influence among the nobility.

But then, Daphne had spent the past week dodging her attempts. Instead of doing anything productive with her time, her daughter was wandering around the castle with her strange human griffin pet!

"Why were you on the ground?" Queen Anette asked, pursing her lips.

Daphne paused; that almost sounded like her mother was concerned. But that was preposterous. Thanks to Nereus jogging her memory, she now recalled what true concern from her mother sounded like.

And this wasn’t it.

Her mother wanted something from her, and Daphne wondered how much she could get away with before her mother revealed her true reasons for approaching her. Perhaps she should use this chance to interrogate her own mother about her past.

"I wanted to go swimming," Daphne said cheerfully, while Queen Anette stared at her incredulously like she had lost her mind.

"Swimming? In your gown? You’ll drown!" her mother replied, aghast.

"Well yes, but that wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened to me, would it," Daphne said knowingly as she gazed into her mother’s eyes.

They were so much like her own it felt like she was looking into a mirror.

"After all, didn’t our dungeons once flood with me inside it? I was a child! It was a miracle I survived such an encounter. Don’t you think so, Mother?"

Queen Anette widened her eyes imperceptibly, but that was all the confirmation Daphne needed.

"How did you... That’s impossible." Queen Anette collected herself and stared down at her daughter imperiously. "To think you are still making up stories at your age... you need to become more mature now that you are married. There is no room for such flights of fancy when you marry a man as powerful as King Atticus."

Daphne scoffed out loud, ignoring Queen Anette’s scandalized look. She was unbothered by her mother’s lectures on propriety; Daphne wasn’t the same powerless girl who hung on her every word, hoping to emulate the behavior of a proper princess to regain her approval.

Especially now when she knew that she had never truly been powerless, but no one in her family cared enough to test her for any magical ability other than pyromancy. It was a miracle she had a piece of aquamarine with her rather than a garnet as a child.

"Mother, what is it that you want from me?" Daphne asked evenly. "I find it very hard to believe that you are looking for me because you care about my well-being."

Queen Anette flinched slightly as if she was hit. She didn’t expect her daughter to treat her with such coldness! She had never dared to meet her eyes and stand her ground before.

She was becoming a true queen. Anette would make that happen, or die trying. This was the best way she could make up for neglecting Daphne during all those years.

"I have news that might change the course of your future," Queen Anette said severely, and Daphne raised an eyebrow. The last time her mother spoke to her with such seriousness, she found herself on a carriage bound for Raxuvia.

Since she was already happily married despite Drusilla’s best efforts, Daphne didn’t have a single clue what her mother could be referring to, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t like it.

"Now with Alistair... indisposed," Queen Anette said with a delicate scrunch of her nose, "Your father wants to crown you as his heir. You’ll be the new Crown Princess of Reaweth."

Daphne snorted in disbelief, rolling her eyes at the sheer ridiculousness of her statement while Zephyr’s eyes widened in awe. "Wow, you can become a queen! That’s incredible!"

"That’s incredible alright. Incredibly ridiculous!" Daphne exclaimed as she laughed to herself. "Me, Queen? Mother, does Father want Reaweth to be destroyed? Even if he wishes to retire from being King, he shouldn’t make such decisions!"

"Maybe your father is going senile," Zephyr added, then realization dawned in his eyes. "I know! That’s why he wanted Atticus to marry Drusilla. Because he is going senile!"

They laughed together, but Queen Anette continued to stare at both of them impassively, and eventually Daphne’s laughter trailed off into silence when she realized that her mother wasn’t joking.

"Mother, tell Father to reconsider," Daphne said. "He has many other children he can select his new heir from. In fact, Alistair has only lost a hand. He can still rule."

"You just need someone to cut his meat for him during mealtimes," Zephyr added, and Queen Anette shot him a scathing look.

"Outsiders should not be interfering in this conversation."

"Zephyr is my family," Daphne retorted immediately with no room for argument. "If you are making decisions about my future, he has every right to be present and give his opinion."

Zephyr puffed out his chest and preened.

Daphne cleared her throat. "Mother, do you have anything else to tell me?"

"You have to stop wasting your time," Queen Anette huffed angrily, balling her hands into fists. "You know all too well that your father will not be swayed from his decision. There is now a huge target on your back, and you cannot afford to sit idly by while the people around you plot your demise!"

Daphne could only sigh wearily, understanding her mother’s worries. But she was no longer the same foolish child from before.

"Mother, I’ve survived multiple kidnapping attempts from dangerous criminals, as well as the attempts to destroy my reputation and my marriage within the presence of nobility and royalty alike. What more can my siblings do to me?"

"It’s not just your siblings you have to look out for," Queen Anette said lowly. "And even then, Alistair―"

"Are we talking about me, Mother?"

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