Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 46: Slums

Chapter 46: Slums

As the newest price slammed through the crowd, the patrons of the auction went into a frenzy. The previously hushed murmurs had turned into boisterous gossip, all looking back and forth as their discussions with their companions reverberated loudly throughout the auditorium.

Daphne all but had her head in her hands, holding it as though it would burst into smithereens if she had dared to let go.

A million!

To think that the toys stuffed with crystals that she and Atticus had encountered at the fair only cost 8 gold coins. She was a princess that had seen her fair share of beautiful items littered around the royal palace where she grew up as if they were no more than junk. Yet, even so, she still couldn’t fathom how a person could have so much money if they were just an ordinary Vramidian nobleman.

Or was he?

Daphne squinted, looking down at the man with the enchanted looking glass. She couldn’t make out his features since he ― like everyone else ― had the mask on. As he was looking forward, Daphne couldn’t see the color of his eyes either. Nevertheless, he definitely had one thing that she was looking for.

Hair as black as coal.

"This is a very exciting night for us, ladies and gentlemen!" The auctioneer’s smile was so bright that it could rival the lights hanging above him. "We might have a record-breaking price tonight. One million gold going once, going twice―"

The auditorium hung in a profound stillness, devoid of even the faintest whisper or rustle. Seeing that no one was stupid enough to refute that price, the auctioneer slammed his gavel down.

"Sold to the gentleman over there! Congratulations."

"I feel poor," Daphne muttered, breathless. She felt as though she had just run several rounds around the kingdom’s borders.

"Believe me, I know exactly how you feel." Eugene’s tone matched hers. He ruffled his hair as he sucked in a deep breath. "And that doesn’t happen very often."

The both of them settled back down to their seats. The auction hall still had a few items left to sell away but none of them captivated Daphne like the ring displayed earlier. The announcer had gamely tried to encourage the audience to take a closer look at the other artifacts, but most of them were still awed by the ring displayed earlier, and even more enchanted by the price paid for it.

Daphne personally couldn’t get the thought out of her mind. One million gold pieces for a ring! If that stranger bought it for his lover, they would be the most blessed person in the world.

This ring was a tough act to follow, and the announcer, sensing that he had lost his audience, simply decided to end the auction early.

"If the fates are kind to you, we shall meet again! Farewell!"

Daphne snorted. "More like if Lady Fortune is kind to us. I can’t believe there’s someone that can spare a million on a ring. I’m a princess and I still wouldn’t be able to scrounge up that amount even if I were to sell myself."

"Don’t say such dangerous things in public." Eugene glanced around; thankfully, everyone was too wrapped up in leaving to bother eavesdropping on them. He faked a shudder. "If your husband gets a whiff of this, I’ll be attending the next auction as an artifact."

Daphne couldn’t help it; she laughed.

"Yes, yes, laugh at my imminent demise," Eugene said. His mask was still on but Daphne could sense that he was rolling his eyes. "Come to think of it, we should leave now before we draw more attention to ourselves by staying back."

True enough, the crowd was already leaving in droves. Daphne wanted to join the horde trailing out from the front door, but Eugene tugged on her arm, stopping her.

"I’ll take you to a secret exit. It’ll give us more privacy when you remove your mask."

Daphne raised her eyebrow. A secret exit? "You really do think of everything."

"I’ve been around," he said vaguely, and true enough, he led her through a series of corridors. Eugene moved with the confidence of someone that had been here too many times to count. They avoided the workers with expert precision, and soon Daphne found herself in a darkened deserted foyer, far from the crowd.

Eugene pulled off his own mask easily, tucking it into his pocket. "You can remove your mask here and we can exit from that door."

Daphne blinked, she didn’t even realize there was a door until he pointed it out. It was painted in the same shade as the wall, and it didn’t even have a handle. She took off her mask and Eugene pushed the door open. They then walked back into a busy marketplace, easily blending in with the townspeople going about their errands.

"How did we get here?" Daphne asked, blinking in confusion as they walked.

"The back door faces a different street," Eugene said cheerfully, which didn’t explain much. "Are you hungry? I can recommend a few restaurants."

"Really? Thank you!" Daphne beamed at Eugene, who smiled in return. She nearly forgot how nice it was to spend time with a man that didn’t vex her.

As they walked and chatted, they failed to notice the shadow trailing them. What they did notice was a boy with bright red hair bumping into Eugene before running off without even an apology.

"Kids these days have no manners." Eugene shook his head. Then he patted his pocket and cursed.

"Eugene?"

"Huh. It seems like I just got pickpocketed," Eugene said, his face paling at the realization. "I’m sorry Daphne, but our meal plans must wait. I’ll escort you back to the castle first!"

"No need. By the time you escort me back to the palace, the child and your money will be long gone." Daphne shook her head, feeling bad when she saw how stressed Eugene was. He must have lost a hefty sum. "I’ll go with you to chase down the boy."

"I can’t possibly ask you to―" Eugene spluttered, his face turning red, but Daphne simply grabbed his hand and tugged him in the direction where that boy ran towards. There were still a lot of people milling around.

"Where could he possibly be?"

"There!" Daphne pointed as she saw a similar shade of red.

The boy turned around. The moment he caught sight of them, he fled and they gave chase. This strange game of tag continued until Daphne found herself getting increasingly out of breath, sweat beading around her temples. She was a princess, she had never done so much physical activity before!

In the end, the child got away.

"I’m truly, very sorry about this, Daphne," Eugene said, hanging his head like a sad dog. He offered his handkerchief so Daphne could clean herself up. "This incident has caused you to endure unnecessary trouble for my sake."

"It’s alright," Daphne said consolingly as she wheezed. "Let’s just... try to go back now. Wait... where are we?"

Eugene sighed. "We’d best get out of here quickly. We’re near the slums. It’s not safe."

Now that Eugene mentioned it, Daphne took a closer look at her surroundings. The buildings were more dilapidated than usual and she could smell the sewers. She instinctively huddled behind Eugene, but she accidentally made eye contact with one of the local women.

Said woman glared at her with barely concealed jealousy and hostility as she eyed Daphne’s dress, as though longing to pull it off her.

"Let’s go," Eugene whispered quietly, grabbing her hand to lead her out.

"Not so fast." They whirled around as masked men began to appear, slinking out from the shadows as though they were lying in wait.

"You’ve led us on a merry chase, but this is as far as you go," their leader said, cracking their knuckles menacingly. "Now, hand us the woman and no one gets hurt... much."

"Over my dead body!" Eugene declared, raising his fists. He gave Daphne a quick look.

"Daphne, run back to the townsquare! I’ll hold them off!"

"You and what army?" The men mockingly laughed as they began to fight Eugene. Although, to call it a fight was too generous. It was practically a massacre.

Daphne screamed as the men rained blow after blow all over Eugene’s body, causing him to groan in pain. Blood was on his temples and his arms were practically blue.

Eugene tried his best to fight, but he wasn’t like Atticus who could slay men without blinking. Instead, he was only able to hold his own for a short while and Eugene eventually found himself on the floor, being treated like a punching bag by the gang of rowdy men.

"Stop it! All of you!" Daphne cried out, tears forming in her eyes. Her feet were rooted to the floor in terror.

"Go!" Eugene choked out weakly as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"But―" Daphne wanted to stay, but she could help Eugene more if she ran away to get help.

Atticus. She needed Atticus. He could help her.

She fled, her legs shaky with terror. She didn’t even make it down the street before she was shoved to the ground.

"This is just pathetic," the ringleader said, a finger digging into his ear. He caught up to Daphne without any effort, twisting her arm behind her back.

Daphne screamed in pain, writhing as she tried to escape.

"Let me go! You fiend! You will pay for this!"

The ringleader smirked nastily. "Goodnight, Princess. Sweet dreams."

The last thing Daphne felt was a blow to her head, and she knew nothing more.