The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 102: Walls Were Built

Chapter 102: Walls Were Built

In her chest, Soleia’s traitorous heart skipped a beat. Her ears were ringing, and she felt her throat run dry. All she could do was stare at Orion’s face, not sure what she should say to that.

Orion Elsher was a handsome man, yes. And when he wasn’t a murderous, psychotic tyrant who only had eyes for Elowyn, he was a decent man to get along with, all grudges placed aside.

But those grudges were everything, and placing them aside was easier said than done. Soleia’s walls were built and it wasn’t going to come down with simple honeyed words and longing gazes. Time and time again, Orion Elsher had proved that promises could be broken, and she couldn’t trust that he would fulfill the things they agreed on.

She placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. For a man with such great strength, he easily backed off, allowing her to place the distance between them as she wished.

"You must be feeling under the weather," Soleia said. "I can’t imagine it would be easy to have been under a spell for such a long period of time. Your false affections for Elowyn have simply been translated into a sense of guilt and the need to repay what you owe me when we’re already long past that."

"Soleia―"

"Elowyn doesn’t have an amethyst now. Or at least, I don’t think she does," Soleia said. "But that doesn’t mean that you should let your guard down. Maybe you should still pretend you’re under her spell."

"Our wedding―"

"And to properly convince her that you are," Soleia said, cutting between Orion’s words once more, "your wedding must go on."

Slowly, she exhaled. Her heart felt heavy. On one hand, what Orion was promising was everything she had ever wanted before he had returned to Drakenmire. But on the other hand, it was too late. After everything that had happened, they weren’t at a place for that any longer.

And Ralph...

Soleia shook her head. She just needed a safe place to stay, along with Lily. It would be best if it’s a position of decent power. That way, she could look after Reitan as well, especially now that Florian had grown a rather personal grudge against them.

In order to accomplish all of that, she would need to remain as Orion Elsher’s wife, duchess or not. At least like this, she could maintain a fairly peaceful life. When she had saved enough money, and when she could find a way out for Reitan, she would then leave, and Elowyn could keep Orion Elsher all to herself.

Everybody would have a happy ending, and more importantly, Soleia wouldn’t die at the hands of the many people who wanted her dead.

"If Elowyn had been using magic to control me all this while, she cannot run off scot-free," Orion said with a frown. "She will need to be punished. And I plan on exposing her to His Majesty."

"We have no evidence," Soleia reminded.

"Then we will continue to pretend until we do," Orion said.

"What about her child?" Soleia pointed out. She wrapped her arms around herself. "You said so yourself. That child is innocent. They deserve a home despite the sins of their mother."

"And they will," Orion said, slightly frowning as though he was confused. "After the child is born, they will stay in Drakenmire. With us."

Soleia blinked a few times, confusion filling her.

"You’re not telling me... that you want me to raise Elowyn’s child in her place?" Soleia asked, shocked at what she was hearing.

What insanity was this man suggesting? It wasn’t unheard of, of course, but had he not put her through enough? More importantly, if there was a child she had to raise, Soleia would never be able to leave. She would be trapped by Orion Elsher’s side as the Duchess of Drakenmire forever.

That was no longer a title she deeply desired, especially if she could live far far away from that horrible fief and its horrible rulers.

"If... you don’t mind," Orion said, albeit a little more hesitantly now that he heard mortification in Soleia’s voice. "Or I will hire a nanny to raise the child."

"Your mother will throw a fit," Soleia reminded. "So will Lucinda and the rest of your relatives who are living in the manor. No thanks to you, they hate me. Elowyn on the other hand, is the daughter-in-law your mother probably has always wanted."

And Soleia hated them just as equally so, but she wasn’t about to tell Orion Elsher that out loud. He should already have guessed anyway, and Soleia would rather hide under the pretense of angelic generosity than turn into the rampaging monster her in-laws thought she was.

"I will handle Elowyn’s situation," Orion said again, his gaze as firm as his words.

Soleia pursed her lips. Without Elowyn’s influence, this man spoke a lot more sense than Soleia had ever heard him. But until Elowyn was behind bars and properly punished for casting magic on a noble with the intention to harmfully manipulate, Soleia would simply take everything that Orion Elsher said with a pinch of salt.

"We will see," she said, her grip on the doorknob tightening significantly. She couldn’t wait to return to her room. "We will talk about the future when the future happens. Until then, I have a wedding to plan, unless you wish to pass it to Elowyn to handle?"

Soleia could do with the rest. Her head was absolutely pounding. Besides, she had done so much magic in the last few days that she needed to know what was going on. Nullifier or not, she knew she could do more than just do away with another magic practitioner’s spells.

She shot ice out of her hands! That needed to be thoroughly researched!

"I will speak with His Majesty," Orion said.

"Good night, then, Your Grace," Soleia said.

Before Orion had the chance to reply, she quickly slipped out of the room and darted straight for hers. Surprisingly, she didn’t encounter even a single palace staff or guard her entire journey back, and once she returned to her room, she locked the door shut and flung herself onto the bed.

This was much better. She needed rest, especially after the nonsense she just encountered in the form of Orion Elsher. With that as her last thought, Soleia drifted off to sleep.

***

Soleia woke up to the sound of pounding on her door. She peeled her eyes open, squinting as the sunlight blinded her temporarily.

"Your Highness!" someone said from outside, a voice she vaguely recognized as Sir Penrose’s. "Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence at breakfast."

His Majesty?

Soleia sat up a little straighter, her eyebrows knitted tightly together as she glanced at the door. Climbing off the bed, she threw the door open to come face to face with Sir Penrose, whose hand was raised in the air, mid-knock.

"Sir Penrose?" Soleia asked, prompting him to repeat himself.

"His Majesty requests your presence at the breakfast table, Your Highness," Sir Penrose said, his hand falling back down to his side. "He said it’s urgent. It has something to do with the upcoming wedding ceremony."

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