Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 399: Matter of Time

Chapter 399: Matter of Time

Atticus hadn’t been wrong after all.

He played with Daphne’s cool blonde hair, admiring the soft strands in between his fingers. When he brought the long strands closer to his nose and sniffed in, his thoughts were confirmed.

While he might’ve been drunk last night, he was way more sober than he had acted. Atticus was sure about what he had smelled last night, and it wasn’t any bath soap or the usual milky scent that clung to Daphne’s skin.

No, it was the smell of the sewage system hidden beneath the palace.

Daphne had been out at night, most probably. Atticus had a strong feeling where it was she had spent her hours before he showed up at her doorstep.

Crawling out of bed, Atticus grabbed the silk robe that had been lying on the back of an armchair. He pulled it on, slowly tying the strings into a simple knot before he turned back, taking one last glance at Daphne on the bed.

She was still sound asleep, her chest gently rising and falling as she breathed in and out. Atticus watched her sleep, his gaze softening. Even in her sleep, Daphne was the picture of innocence. How unfortunate that this all changed so quickly after coming home to Reaweth.

How could she fall asleep so peacefully next to Atticus, knowing he was capable of such heinous actions? She had always known stories of his cruelty, but never had it been so callously directed at the people she loved.

He didn’t linger much longer. Atticus’s feet padded across the room, quickly reaching the door. He hadn’t bothered to dress completely before he left, quickly finding his way to Sirona’s new makeshift office.

She wouldn’t be happy to hear that the book would need to be coughed up just to placate his wife, but oh well. Sirona’s happiness wasn’t Atticus’s top priority.

"You don’t have good news, do you?" Sirona asked the moment Atticus stepped into the infirmary, her eyes not even glancing up from her notebook as she furiously scribbled down the latest findings.

"Since when does he?" Jonah asked, lazily draped across the armchair, sulking.

He still hadn’t forgotten how Atticus had so easily thrown him under when Daphne was out there demanding explanations for the lack of security around the infirmary. It wasn’t his fault that Atticus had never planned for there to be knights in the first place!

Now, there were all sorts of weird and unsavory rumors spreading across Reaweth about his preferences in partners― some of which would get him odd stares and others that would land him in jails in some kingdoms!

Prince Nathaniel had even given him a considering look before shaking his head in disappointment, a wordless rejection if Jonah had ever seen one. Jonah didn’t know whether to be upset that Prince Nathaniel thought himself a possible candidate for his affections, or offended that Prince Nathaniel found him lacking.

"Were the bodies properly disposed of?" Atticus asked, purposely ignoring the stink eye that Jonah shot his way. He had even purposely knocked into Jonah’s knees when he walked past him, causing the latter to yelp out in surprise.

"The guards have yet to return," replied Sirona. "I am guessing you might know why?"

"His wife found out about his dirty little business, no doubt," Jonah said with a scoff.

"This time, your men did fail at their given duties," Atticus said pointedly. "As their commanding officer, shouldn’t you check in with them when they’ve not reported back from duty in time?"

"Easy for you to say," Jonah said. "You’re not the one that’s stuck here in the infirmary researching all sorts of ailments and cures that could help keep your dirty business under wraps. In fact," Jonah wrinkled his nose, "I can still smell the sex off of you. You need a bath. Immediately."

Sirona grimaced as well. "Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Please never do it again."

Atticus could only roll his eyes. He picked up the book that was sitting on Sirona’s desk, freshly placed there after he had examined it last night for the hundredth time.

"Do you still need this?" he asked.

Sirona shook her head and said, "Unless I suddenly get amnesia in the next couple of days, no. Why? Is she finally looking for it?"

The grim look on Atticus’s face was more than enough of a reply.

"I guess we know where the bodies went, at least," Sirona muttered, sighing as she shook her head. She closed her notebook before standing up, nudging Jonah up to his feet as well. "Come on. We’ve got things to do, bodies to find."

"Leave it," Atticus said. "She mustn’t know that we’re on to her."

"She already suspects us," Sirona said. "If you leave the bodies for her to examine, she will only lose even more faith in you."

"That’s fine by me."

"Atticus..."

"It’s fine," Atticus said, shooting down Jonah’s worried and pleading gaze. "Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which side she stands on. Our plan has the highest priority― nothing and no one can change that."

"I’ve not spoken to Prince Nathaniel yet," Sirona said. "I should get to it soon if we’re to reach Xahan early."

Atticus nodded. "We have no time to waste. Once we’ve left for Xahan, get someone to find the bodies and dispose of them. They’ve probably kept them in the sewage system underneath Reaweth’s royal palace."

Jonah tapped his chin. "If we time this correctly, and assuming that Prince Nathaniel has been roped in to help Daphne research, they might not have enough time to get anything useful from those bodies."

"Exactly." Atticus turned to Sirona. "So get on with it. We need him to bring the idea up, preferably by tonight, so that we can set out within the next two days."

"I’ll speak to Prince Nathaniel," Sirona said. "What about you? Are you really going to give her the book?"

Using magic, Atticus lifted the book off the table, spinning it in the air as though it were a toy. He watched the pages dance, moving as though it was a living being rather than yellowing pages that bore notes older than he was.

"There’s nothing useful left here," Atticus said. "Whatever she seeks, it will not be between these pages. And even if she is able to find the rest of the notes, there is nothing she can do to stop what is to come. It is only a matter of time."