Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 396: Quickening Heartbeat II

Chapter 396: Quickening Heartbeat II

Daphne knew even if she were asleep, this racket would have woken her up! So she frantically wiped herself dry, cursing under her breath as she pulled on her regular nightgown.

Shit. This was terrible. She didn’t even have time to rummage through his belongings yet! She blew out the bathroom candles, praying he wouldn’t enter or notice the steam wafting through. The bathwater was still warm.

Zephyr squawked loudly, trying to buy her time.

"I’m up, I’m up," Daphne replied, making sure to sound tired and extremely cross as she scolded Atticus from behind the door. "What do you want?"

"My dear sunshine, I want nothing more than for you to open the door."

And she wanted nothing more than to keep it shut.

"Can this wait till tomorrow?" Daphne demanded peevishly. "It’s the middle of the night!"

"Noooooo," Atticus’s voice came out in a long childish drawl. "I missed you. Don’t you miss me too? Please just open the door. Or I’ll sing right here until everyone comes out to see."

Before Daphne could call out his bluff, Atticus opened his big mouth and started to howl. "I miiiiissss yooooou―"

"Okay, shut up," Daphne pulled open the door quickly to prevent her husband from making a ruckus outside, only to end up with a handful of Atticus as he all but fell into her arms. "Ooof, you’re heavy!"

"Daphne, you’re here!" Atticus exclaimed as he nuzzled into her neck. Daphne blinked as the smell of sherry and whiskey hit her nose.

"Atticus, are you drunk?" Daphne exclaimed, tugging his head back as she lit up a few candles to take a proper look at his face. In the warm candlelight, his complexion was a ruddy red, and his eyes were glinting with mirth, even as they had trouble focusing on her face.

"No, no, I just had a little bit of wine," Atticus said.

"Of course you only had a little bit," Daphne said disbelievingly.

Her husband must have indulged too much in his cups. She had never seen him so drunk before, so she could only imagine how many drinks he had before his drunken stupor eventually brought him to her doorstep.

"Why did you get drunk at this hour?"

"I missed you," Atticus said sincerely, and Daphne felt her heart flutter as she gazed into his eyes. They were filled with a love so familiar that it caused her to ache with longing. It was as though everything that happened before was nothing but a bad dream.

After all, drunken words were sober truths, right? That would mean that Atticus did have her in his heart and he did care about her. Even while drunk, he still came for her, and only because he missed her.

"You’ve not spoken to me for so long," he said, whining a little. He nuzzled further deeper into her embrace, taking advantage of her stunned stillness. "Do you not miss me too?"

Daphne’s breath was caught in her throat. She did miss him. That was a truth that she could not deny. However, she also feared whatever he was up to. His actions had hurt her thoroughly and it wasn’t something that she could simply look over.

However, with him drunk like this, how dangerous could he be... right?

"I..." She hesitated, not sure whether she should speak the truth or steel her heart. "I do miss you. But that doesn’t mean that I am no longer upset at you," she softly said.

"I didn’t mean to..." Atticus whined.

He was so much bigger and taller than Daphne was but he had already minimized himself as much as possible, nuzzling further and further as though he wished to meld his body with hers into one. He was bent at the knees, his back hunched, and his arms wrapped tightly around her tiny waist.

Daphne struggled even to hold up his weight, something which felt like it was entirely placed on her.

"But I had to do it," he said. "I can’t... I needed to..."

Daphne’s blood chilled.

"Do what?" she asked.

Was he going to explain his actions at long last? Atticus was drunk. Did that mean that he wouldn’t realize he was spilling the truths to Daphne, and she would finally be able to weasel information out of him on what was so important that he would betray her trust like so?

"Drink," he said.

Daphne’s heart surged in disappointment. "Oh."

"I had to drink. It numbs the pain."

His weight was a little too much, and Daphne stumbled back. They fell back onto the bed, Atticus lying on her with his head pressed against her chest. Daphne hoped he couldn’t hear the thundering of her heart. Or at least, she hoped that even if he did, he wouldn’t be sober enough to remember it when morning came the next day.

"It hurts," he continued, completely not realizing the stiff look on Daphne’s face. "It hurts when you’re ignoring me. I didn’t mean to... I..."

Daphne’s heart felt like it was putty in Atticus’s hands. He could shape and mold her however he wished, and she hated how pliable she was in his hands. Her husband truly had a way with her.

Damn.

She ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the soft strands in between her fingertips. It was a rare indulgence, one she wasn’t sure if she would get too many chances of in the future, with how everything was headed.

This moment of affection and intimacy was such a common thing before this royal mess descended on them. It was utterly heartbreaking to think one day might come when he would no longer be by her side like so.

"What do I have to do for your forgiveness?" he quietly asked.

"Atticus, I... I can forgive you," she said.

"You can?" He jolted up, the redness of his cheeks heightening when his eyes trailed down to the way Daphne was poised.

Skirts rode up, collar a mess, hair disheveled sensually as she stared right into his eyes. Atticus’s heart skipped a beat.

"But I need something from you," she said. Daphne swallowed, taking in a deep breath. "I... I want to know more about magic and how you can control it without a crystal. And..."

Her eyes darted around the room. She wondered if it was too straightforward to ask directly for the book, but Atticus might not even remember it tomorrow. It was better to ask now than when he was sober and more wary.

"The book. The History of Magic. Where is it?"

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