Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 278: The Troubles of Being Queen I

Chapter 278: The Troubles of Being Queen I

Daphne found Atticus back in their shared rooms, reading the book she had stolen from the library. He had a frown on his face as he pored over the words on the pages.

"Atticus!"

"Sunshine." He looked up from the book with a snap, his eyes widening. The frown on his face only grew when he caught sight of Zephyr trailing behind Daphne. "Did something happen?"

Placing the book down, he got up to embrace Daphne. His wife looked uncharacteristically upset, so he rubbed circles into the small of her back to calm her down. Meanwhile, Zephyr watched this display of affection with a scowl, scuffing his foot against the rug.

"Alistair is in contact with Jean Nott," Daphne burst out. "He promised to regrow Alistair’s hand in exchange for me!"

Atticus’s face darkened at her words. He let go of her, planning to divest Alistair of his remaining limbs. "After I’m done with your brother, he’ll have better luck living the rest of his life as a lizard."

"No, don’t waste your energy going after him," Daphne said, holding him back. "He can’t do anything to me now, and he knows it. My father wants to make me the crown princess, and he took the news badly."

"I’ll get Jonah to tail him then," Atticus growled. "Now that we have confirmation that they’re in contact, I bet that imbecile will lead us straight to him. Then we can deal with him later. And what are you going to do about your father’s offer?" Atticus had the strangest look on his face, and his shoulders were tense as if he was steeling himself for an incoming blow.

Daphne gently cupped his cheek. Did her foolish husband believe that she would take this offer over him?

"As far as I’m concerned, that offer doesn’t exist. So, my dear husband, you can rest assured," Daphne said firmly. "I refuse to accept such a ludicrous proposition. Vramid is my home now. You are my home. Why would I stay here and rule over a kingdom I feel no affection for?"

"Who said I was concerned?" Atticus retorted, but Daphne noticed how his shoulders subtly relaxed. Foolish man.

Atticus continued, "I knew you wouldn’t pick staying in this lousy kingdom. Terrible food and terrible hospitality. In fact, now I’m half-tempted to support you in ruling it so that you can improve things. You’d certainly do a much better job than that braying donkey of a brother."

Daphne laughed, but then she realized that Atticus wasn’t exactly joking.

"Atticus... do you actually want me to become Reaweth’s queen?"

Atticus paused. His moment of hesitance caused Daphne’s heart to feel as though it had dropped right through to her stomach.

"You are a capable woman," Atticus said. "Reaweth would flourish under your rule. As a king, I would be foolish to ignore the potential benefits it would give Vramid if Reaweth came under your control."

"If I rule Reaweth, who will be by your side?" Daphne asked. She took a step back away from Atticus’s hands, ignoring how they hovered awkwardly in the air, obviously unprepared for her to pull away.

"Why would that matter?" Atticus’s eyebrows tightly knitted themselves together. He took a step forward to close the distance between them but Daphne moved back still.

"Someone would have to stay in Reaweth, right?" Daphne said. She didn’t want to meet his eyes. For some reason, her chest felt like it could no longer contain the suffocating sensation. "To ensure effective rule, to watch over the kingdom, to take care of its people from inside, someone will have to stay here. In Reaweth."

Finally, when she lifted her gaze to look at Atticus, he spotted tears that had already beaded the rim of her eyes.

"If I am the crown princess, and eventually the queen, wouldn’t that person have to be me?"

Atticus pursed his lips tightly. He finally understood why Daphne had reacted in such a way. And as though she was confirming his suspicions, she sighed heavily.

Daphne said, "You are Vramid’s king, first and foremost. I get that you are a man of duty and you have worked hard to ensure the best for your people. It’s understandable that if the choice came between a possible advantage for Vramid and our relationship, you would choose your people and your land."

"She is your wife," Zephyr piped up, cutting in before Atticus could say anything to defend himself. "She should be your first and only priority."

Atticus’s face darkened. If seeing Zephyr with Daphne had brought a frown to his face, the expression he had on now could only be described as murderous.

"Our relationship does not need an outsider to make unnecessary comments," Atticus gravely said, sneering. "I am a king. As a king, I will have to take into consideration what’s best for Vramid. However, it doesn’t make me any less of a husband."

"You said it yourself!" Zephyr argued. "Reaweth would flourish under Daphne’s rule. But how could it if she’s not there to watch over the land properly?"

A vein ticked in Atticus’s forehead. Breathing in deeply, he barely maintained his faux smile before the ring on his finger glowed. Instantly, Zephyr straightened up, his arms plastered down against his two sides and knees stuck to one another. The window opened even wider and Atticus gestured towards the exit.

He said nothing more, leaving panic to flood Zephyr’s eyes before one swing of Atticus’s hand and Zephyr was soaring out the window.

"Zephyr!" Daphne yelled, horrified.

However, in the distance, she spotted a set of fiery red wings taking flight. Only then had she realized that her husband had released control over Zephyr the moment he was out the window.

She heaved out in relief just as the window slammed shut, preventing Zephyr from flying straight in. Even the curtains had been drawn to hide them from prying eyes, leaving them in darkness if it weren’t for the sliver of light that shone in from the cracks.

"Daphne," Atticus said.

He had gotten so close without her realizing. The moment she turned to face him, Daphne was shocked to see Atticus right by her side.

His finger gently tucked strands of wayward hair behind her ear, his index finger trailing down the smooth skin of her cheek before resting at her chin. He tilted her face up, leaving her gaze nowhere else to run but to look right into his eyes.

"Whoever said you would be leaving my side?"