Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 552: Force A Path

Chapter 552: Force A Path

Nedour was a cursed land, he was sure of it. What reason did life have for constantly stopping him from spending time with his wife?

"She’s ruining my life," Atticus lamented grievously to Daphne as if he had been struck by countless bolts of misfortune. They made their way through the palace hallways, searching for the meeting room Cordelia had pointed out would be their meeting place.

"You’re being dramatic," Daphne said, clutching the paper bag a little tighter in her hand as Atticus dragged their bags behind them.

Daphne considered stopping by their room first to put down their purchases, but it was a little further than the meeting point― it seemed a little counterintuitive to make the trip there and back, especially when she promised to show Cordelia her newest buys.

She might even want to model them in front of Cordelia!

"How long has it been since our last proper date?" Atticus asked, his voice close to sobbing, though Daphne would bet all ten of her fingers he was nowhere near actually crying. Her husband was meant for the theater.

"Right before we left Vramid," Daphne reminded him. "Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?"

And for their extremely busy schedules, that was already considered a luxury. She couldn’t remember if she had ever seen her parents out on a date before. But then again, they weren’t a loving couple, and Daphne herself wasn’t a beloved child who would see her parents much.

"I didn’t even get to eat!"

On command, a low growl rippled through the air, the source of it coming from Atticus’s starved belly. He had been so busy guarding Daphne like a dragon would its treasure that he didn’t even properly look at the menu, much less order from it.

Daphne sighed and reached into the paper bag. She knew this would come in handy.

"Here," she said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a fish stick.

There was no sauce coated on it, unfortunately for Atticus, as it would be a hassle to eat while walking. However, his face still lit up nevertheless as though she had just offered him every single kingdom’s royal treasure.

No, actually, this was better than any treasure Atticus could ever ask for. This time, he thought he might actually shed some legitimate tears.

He loved his wife. And with the fact that she was willingly putting food into his belly without asking, he thought he loved her a little more than he did yesterday if that was even possible. Truly, the fastest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

Atticus made quick work of the fish sticks, and just in time, they arrived at the meeting room.

"What took you so long?" Cordelia asked, frowning. Her nose wrinkled as she eyed the crumbs on Atticus’s lips, sneering in disgust. "Wipe your lips before coming in. I don’t want any crumbs on the couches."

Atticus rolled his eyes, but he did as he was told. With a wave of his hand, he condensed air into liquid, pulling water out of thin air before using it to wipe his lips. He then promptly tossed the small string of water out of the window before plopping down on the couches.

"What is it that is so important that you decided to disturb our date?" Atticus asked, tossing a glare at Jonah, who merely maintained a breezy smile, unaffected by Atticus’s bad mood. In fact, the nastier the glare, the happier his smile.

That was something that Cordelia reflected as well. After all, Atticus had made such a big fuss about her being alone with Jonah, that she thought it was appropriate to take some revenge.

However, it wasn’t the time for petty games. They were here for business, and while it would’ve been a fun prank to ruin their date for mere gags, they were gathered here today with concern for a murder that had occurred under their noses.

"A shipment of―" Jonah began to say but was promptly interrupted by Daphne.

"One second," she said, and she waved her hand at the door.

A silencing spell was cast, making sure that no one outside could listen to their conversation. It could just be her imagination, but Daphne thought she heard someone outside. It could’ve been a passing palace staff, but Daphne wasn’t about to risk it.

"Alright," she said, gesturing for Jonah to continue.

He smiled. "As I was saying," he continued, "a shipment of Santok wares was found washed up on the beach. It included standard provisions like food, but also a large import of weapons."

"No merchant record has documented expecting any imports within the last couple of weeks from Santok," Cordelia said. "Besides, the kingdom is currently on a lockdown."

"Civil war," Jonah explained when met with Daphne’s questioning expression. "Santok has many princes, and it seems like the old king is about to pass sooner than later. The different factions have risen, all in favor of the prince of their choice."

"There are three princes in Santok," Atticus piped in. "Other than..."

"Nikun," Cordelia supplied. "The fourth prince."

"But he isn’t a son of the queen of Santok," Atticus reminded. "He isn’t in the running for the next king."

The room fell into silence.

"If one of his brothers becomes king, no matter which brother it is, the others will definitely die one way or another," Atticus continued. "Santok is ruthless in such a way. Familial ties mean nothing to them when a throne and a crown are in question. Their sisters might live, but even so, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are all married off for political moves."

"The only way for Nikun to escape death is to move somewhere else," Daphne slowly said, the gears clicking into place. "And what better way to do that than..."

"Marry into royalty?" Cordelia finished, laughing coldly at the end of her sentence. The expression in her eyes grew dark as she clenched her hand into a fist.

"Nikun needed a slot in your competition. He was already on the way here before he was shipwrecked," Atticus said, folding his arms as he leaned back in the seat, his posture lazy and relaxed.

Jonah said, "But because of the storm, there was no space left for him."

"But it isn’t a problem, is it?" Atticus coldly laughed. "He could easily just make a free space for himself. After all, how hard can it be to kill a man?"

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