Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 84: One After Another

Chapter 84: One After Another

Morning dawned bright and early, and Daphne woke up alone in her bed after a night of restless sleep. The other side was still faintly warm, proof that Atticus had at least spent the night with her, even if he was gone before she woke up.

Daphne could only sigh and huddle under her blanket. She didn’t want to wake up and face a new day, knowing that Atticus didn’t want to touch her. But her stomach grumbled in protest, and gnawing pains in her gut made her make her way to the dining hall for breakfast.

The dining hall was packed with people, filled to the brim with excited chatter. Daphne could spot the guards sitting with various civilian families, wrapped up in their scarves and cloaks as they inhaled their meals. Meanwhile, waitresses darted around like busy ants, clearing plates and cutlery without prompting.

In the midst of such chaos, Daphne spotted Atticus and Jonah, with their heads bowed towards each other, conversing in low voices so as to not be overheard. Their bowls were empty.

So her husband had decided to get breakfast without her. How lovely. Daphne felt her heart ache again as she stared at them. Should she even sit with Atticus?

Before she could decide, Jonah caught sight of her and stood up, waving in her direction. The townspeople turned to stare at him and several women tittered behind their hands. He was clearly a sight for sore eyes!

Daphne hurried over to them. They were attracting too much attention for her liking.

"Good morning, Daphne! You can sit here, I’ll go get you some food." Jonah grinned and gave Atticus a meaningful look.

"No, there’s really no need," Daphne protested, but Jonah had already gotten up with his own empty plate, giving her his seat. Daphne found herself facing her husband.

"Good morning," Atticus said. "How did you sleep?"

Daphne could only give him a flat look. "Very well, thank you."

"...I see," Atticus said, and they sat in silence until Jonah returned with two plates full of bread and soup, with one plate that was nearly overflowing. He set one plate in front of Daphne with a grin, and elbowed Atticus to make room for himself.

Atticus reluctantly allowed it.

"How many portions is this already?" Atticus complained, even as he helped himself to a bun. "At this rate, your horse won’t be able to carry you. We’ll have to roll you to the royal hunt. Or maybe they’ll hunt you as the prey. You’ll certainly be stuffed enough to feed an army."

Jonah snorted. "Like you didn’t eat three portions already, you hypocrite. Go get your own refills."

"Why, when you’ve gotten them for me?"

"You―"

As they squabbled like schoolboys, Daphne ate her food silently. For a small inn, the food was more delicious than expected. The bread was fluffy and warm and there were even trace amounts of butter inside. The soup was hearty and went a long way to warming up her body.

If only she had more of an appetite. Her stomach felt like it was filled with lead and her heart felt cold. Atticus had not made any attempts to engage her in conversation, choosing to speak with Jonah. Jonah tried to draw her in conversation, but her mood was low and she merely responded with one-word answers.

Eventually, Jonah also stopped trying and Daphne left for her room to pack for the journey ahead.

She hadn’t noticed but Jonah’s eyes trailed after her figure as she left for upstairs, a frown slowly slipping on his face. Once he was sure that she had completely disappeared, he whipped his head to face Atticus, roughly slapping him on the upper arm, earning him a sharp yelp from Atticus.

"Out with it, what did you do?" Jonah asked in a hissed whisper. The atmosphere at their table was colder than the winter wind blowing outside. Even the townspeople detected it; they steered clear of their table. "Why is she angry with you again?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Atticus asked through a mouthful of bread. He drank a swig of milk.

"We had this exact conversation before, and back then it was also your fault. So I’m working on a precedent here," Jonah said simply. He lowered his voice, "What did you do after she grabbed your cock?"

Atticus frowned and shook his head. "Nothing. I was a perfect gentleman! I told her there was nothing to worry about and I even let her sleep first so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. If you were a woman, what would you think?"

Jonah thought Atticus had a good point. "Maybe she’s just embarrassed. Not many women would take it well."

A realization dawned in Atticus’s eyes. "Oh god. I think I know why. Daphne doesn’t like men at all."

"I don’t think―" Jonah tried to interrupt but Atticus was on a roll. Daphne didn’t like to touch his manhood. She was not interested in sleeping with him, but she thought he was interested in her. This was her way of sending him a signal!

"I got it! That’s why she was so worried about Maisie."

Another realization entered his mind. Maisie was Daphne’s true love. He felt his heart sink, but he knew he had to do the right thing. Atticus said. He was going to be a complete gentleman to his wife, even if it meant never touching her again.

"Don’t worry, I’ll set things right. I will honor her every wish and make her happy."

"I hope so," Jonah said wearily, "If I have to sit between the two of you when you’re arguing, I’d rather throw myself on my own sword. Make sure Sirona knows that I do not wish to be saved."

***

In the end, Jonah wasn’t sitting in between Atticus and Daphne. As a matter of fact, no one was sitting anywhere, simply because when the three of them made their way to the carriage, they found it standing lopsided, nearly sliding to the floor.

"Oh my." Daphne gasped as she saw the carnage. Two of their carriage wheels were destroyed, as though someone had taken an ax to hack at the wheels, while one wheel was completely missing.

"What on earth happened?" Atticus demanded, running a hand through his hair in irritation. "Isn’t this place supposed to be safe?"

The poor innkeeper looked close to tears, and she kept her head low. "I’m so sorry! It could be due to ruffians in town. They’ve been going around harassing people recently."

A muscle twitched in Atticus’s jaw. Ruffians dared to harass him?

"They probably wanted to sell the jewels on the wheel. We should have traveled in an uglier carriage," Jonah said, trying to lighten the mood. "I’m sure we can replace the wheels in a day or two, yes?"

"Yes, of course!" The innkeeper nodded frantically. "We have a forge here and metalworkers. A wheel shouldn’t be hard to replace."

"Fine, then let’s get on with it," Atticus said, growling in irritation. "Jonah, take the horses and scout for a path ahead."

"Sir Jonah!" One of the knights ran towards them in a panic, his face paler than the snow outside. "Bad news!"

"What is it?"

"The horses... the horses are sick!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.