Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 385: The Checklist of Possible Suitors II

Chapter 385: The Checklist of Possible Suitors II

"I am sorry!" Daphne quickly apologized, just short of bowing to show her sincerity. She would if it weren’t for her status as both the crown princess of Reaweth and the queen of Vramid. "I shouldn’t have assumed."

Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "It’s fine. I’m used to it. At this point, I suppose even I have relented to the horrid jokes about my romantic preferences," he said. "Please take care of your health, Your Highness. I’ll have the tonic delivered to your room in a short while. You can let Zephyr have the first dose after his meal."

Daphne quickly thanked Prince Nathaniel and scurried away. She couldn’t even run fast enough; it was too awkward to stand in the same space after that topic was brought up.

In her head, once she was a safe distance away, Daphne began to tabulate the people Jonah could’ve been spotted with.

Now that Prince Nathaniel was out of the picture, it had to be someone else. Jonah couldn’t have been dating any of the servants― she sincerely doubted that he had the luxury of time to talk to one beyond simple orders, much less develop romantic feelings for them. Thus, it had to be someone higher up the social ladder.

Leonora, perhaps?

Either way, he had spent some time with her clearing up the shitstorm Alistair created. Adversity was always a good bonding experience. That was a possible lead Daphne didn’t mind double-checking. If it turned out to be true, she could even give her blessing.

As far as men went, Jonah was a good catch. He was smart, kind and good-natured, and his handsome looks were simply a cherry on top of the cake. He would make an exceptionally good match with Leonora, despite his lower status. They were skilled in physical combat and liked weapons. Marriages between royalty thrived on less.

Just like her and Atticus. The thought of their marriage thriving would have made her smile any other time, but now it felt like a leaden weight in her stomach as her suspicions grew stronger.

If Daphne could not find the person Jonah was supposedly dating, that meant that Atticus had, for some reason or another, lied. She sighed, willing herself to focus on the matter at hand.

Leonora.

***

"Leonora, do you have the time? Can I talk to you for a while?" Daphne asked, knocking on Leonora’s door after dinner, Zephyr tucked into her arms. He had taken all three doses prescribed by Nathaniel, but Daphne wasn’t letting him out of her sight until he turned back into his hybrid form.

Leonora looked up curiously; while her relationship with Daphne had improved by leaps and bounds, it was rare for her older sister to look for her privately without the news of a monster on the loose. But then again, perhaps her older sister wanted to talk about her husband, and she couldn’t go to her healer, since Healer Sirona technically worked for him too.

Leonora’s heart warmed. Was this what people called girl talk?

"Of course," Leonora nodded and let her through, closing the door behind her. "Is this about your disagreement with King Atticus?"

One would have to be a fool to notice the sudden chill between the usually loving couple. Her sister had not spared her poor husband a single glance throughout dinner, making the normally lively atmosphere highly awkward to sit through.

"There’s a disagreement?" Silas asked curiously before his gaze landed on Zephyr. "Oh, hello little chicken!"

Daphne barely managed to stop Zephyr from pecking out Silas’s eyes for that comment.

Silas’s head was placed on her dressing table, much to the dismay of Leonora’s servants, but Leonora paid them no mind. Silas slept most of the time, only waking when Leonora offered him some of her blood to drink.

And after that silent dinner, she wanted someone to talk to.

"Yes, weren’t you listening to me?" Leonora grumbled. "I told you about this just a while ago. Is your mind still working in that head of yours?"

"Hey!" Silas gasped, affronted. "I’m doing my best! It’s not every day I’m decapitated. I thought you were pulling my leg..." A mischievous look crossed his face, and Leonora groaned.

"Don’t say it―"

"Even though I have no legs!" Silas finished proudly, and Leonora rolled her eyes heavenward before turning to Daphne.

"You see what nonsense I have to deal with?" Leonora asked rhetorically, "But if you want my opinion on King Atticus, I dare say he made a grave mistake leaving the infirmary unguarded."

"I interrogated the palace guards on duty, and they all said they were given the night off because King Atticus’s men would be taking over. Clearly, there must have been a mix-up in the orders given."

The leaden weight in Daphne’s stomach grew heavier at Leonora’s words, and she swallowed with difficulty, her words stuck in her throat.

"Are you sure?" Daphne asked croakily. "Could the men be lying?"

Leonora scowled as she crossed her arms petulantly, her figure tense and upset. "Perhaps, but why would they lie about something like that? Daphne, if you don’t trust my answers, then why are you here? Do you think I’m Drusilla, purposely out to ruin your marriage?"

Leonora’s voice was colored with bitter disappointment.

"No, no, of course not," Daphne said hurriedly.

The thought had briefly entered her mind. While Leonora didn’t have any ambitions to take Daphne’s place as Atticus’s husband, she might still want to become Reaweth’s new queen.

Yet this kind of sneakiness was not Leonora’s style.

"I know you well enough now that even if you wanted the crown, you would simply challenge me for it in combat, or overthrow me in a coup," Daphne said frankly, and Lenora’s shoulders relaxed.

"Sis, I don’t know if I can root for you as queen though," Silas said honestly. "You did call me a moron and you don’t like my jokes."

"Because your jokes are bad," Leonora retorted without any hesitation.

"Anyway," Daphne hastily interrupted before the twins could delve into yet another verbal spat.

Entertaining as it was to watch, she had an investigation to do.

"I have another question for you, Leonora. What are your feelings for Commander Jonah?"