Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 310: Cage of Fire I

Chapter 310: Cage of Fire I

Nereus walked on the grounds of the castle, barely nodding at the bows he received from servants. With Daphne’s new status as the crown princess, his own popularity had surged. Despite his best efforts to remain as hidden as possible, it didn’t take long for the servants to notice the missing chickens from the coops, or the sudden lack of random vegetables right before dinner time.

While no one had ever seen Nereus steal from the kitchens, some servants have reported puddles of water lingering at every corner of the scene of the crime. Others have seen a mysterious man speaking with the crown princess every once in a while before jumping into the lake, not to resurface even after hours.

Reaweth always had a history of kelpies roaming the land up until the recent decades. As such, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to spot one in real life here. The servants quickly put two and two together― the mysterious man the crown princess was speaking to was no doubt a kelpie.

Knowing that the crown princess was seemingly friends with this mysterious creature made it less stressful for the servants whenever they spotted him as well. He had always kept his distance as well, politely returning their greetings but never getting closer.

With the increased interaction, he would sometimes even offer a word or two in return, evidently more comfortable with conversing than before. As such, there was never a reason to fear.

Unless one was a chicken.

Night had fallen.

Nereus had just returned from another round of vegetable theft and was trailing down the hallways back to where he usually rested during the night― the lake near Reaweth’s royal palace. However, there was an unlikely visitor waiting for him.

"Daphne?" Nereus called out, a little stunned.

The woman didn’t turn nor did she speak. Yet, the long platinum blonde hair that swayed along with the wind was unmistakable. She was also dressed in the same gown that Nereus had seen her in during the afternoon. Perhaps she had been so busy of late that she had yet gotten the chance to properly wash up and rest.

He had just seen her a few hours ago when she had brought the invitation to attend her coronation. Daphne stayed for lunch, along with the annoying griffin-turned-winged-demon. As such, Nereus hadn’t expected her to be back so soon.

She had mentioned that she might be preoccupied with the coronation planning for the next couple of hours and wouldn’t be able to spare the time to visit tomorrow. However, Nereus’s heart had warmed at the thought of Daphne wanting him to be present on her big day.

"Is there something you need―" He paused in his steps, frowning. "You’re not Daphne."

The woman, who had her back in Nereus’s direction, finally turned to meet his face.

Nereus had never seen her before. However, the resemblance she bore with the crown princess was uncanny. The same pale blonde hair, the same striking blue eyes, the same physique and build. If Nereus hadn’t seen her face, or if he was a human without a keen sense of smell and affinity for magic, he might’ve even been mistaken.

There were minute differences in her appearance as well. For example, this woman’s nose was a little bigger than Daphne’s, her face a little longer. She also had sharper cheekbones and fuller lips. Yet, from a distance, she could’ve easily passed for the crown princess.

"Seems like the potion still isn’t good enough."

Suddenly, the woman in front of Nereus let out a choked gasp. She clutched at her throat as foam started to bubble at the corners of her mouth. She collapsed to her knees, causing Nereus to take a step back in surprise.

The woman continued to claw at the ground, one hand at her throat while the other had her fingernails digging into the dirt, pulling out the grass with every grasp. She began to wildly shake and convulse, strangled sounds slowly escaping her.

For a second, Nereus’s eyes met with hers. Her gaze was pleading and she reached out a hand in his direction, almost as though she was begging for his help.

Then, her body went still. There was no need to inspect closer; Nereus knew immediately that the woman had died.

The moment she passed, a different scent filled the air. It was putrid, rancid, and smelled like a man that hadn’t washed in eons. However, beneath the odor, Nereus recognized the person who had been hiding nearby, watching everything unfold.

"Prince Alistair," he greeted into the dark, speaking at nothing in particular. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

What a lie. It was definitely greatly less than a pleasure. Just the sight of this wretched prince of Reaweth had Nereus wanting to drown him in a water bubble straightaway. However, the king wouldn’t react kindly to his newest crown princess’s acquaintance drowning his son on palace grounds.

That would be as good as an act of war, seeing as to how Nereus was still of dark origins.

"I knew you weren’t dead," Alistair said, grinning as he walked out of the shadows of the trees.

He emerged, smiling maniacally. The glint in his eyes had never changed from when he was a child― unsound, psychotic, and crazed. He had every murderous intention stored in the color of his irises.

Alistair was out for blood.

"I’m surprised to hear that you dared to return to Reaweth, however," Alistair confessed. "Especially after what happened the last time you were in my kingdom."

"The crown princess is in Reaweth," Nereus simply replied, ignoring the tick of Alistair’s eyebrows when he heard Daphne’s title. "Where she goes, I follow."

"Are you sure you’re a kelpie?" Alistair scoffed. "You seem more like a loyal guard dog."

"Is there something you need, Prince Alistair?" Nereus asked instead, quickly changing the subject. "If not, I would like to rest before the coronation ceremony tomorrow."

"Actually, there is one thing," Alistair said. He took a step closer, revealing the blade that he had hidden up his sleeve. "I need your blood."