The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 114: I Can Fix It

Chapter 114: I Can Fix It

"It seems like I’ve touched a nerve," Prince Ricard said with a genial laugh. His smile did not reach his eyes. "I apologize."

Prince Raziel added, "He was often dropped on his head as a child."

"Apology accepted," Soleia said. Her smile turned genuine when she saw their room doors. "And here we are, Prince Ricard, your room is on the left, while Prince Raziel’s is on the right. If you require any existence, do ring the bell next to the bed for the servants."

She made a move to leave, but Prince Ricard held out his arm, blocking her escape.

"And what if I want to see you?" Prince Ricard asked. "Will you come running to me if I ring the bell?"

Sir Ralph bristled and he stood forward, blocking Soleia from his brother’s hungry gaze.

"The Princess is a married woman. You are here to attend her wedding. This is highly inappropriate," he said with gritted teeth.

Soleia laughed awkwardly. "Sir Ralph took the words right out of my mouth." This man certainly had some nerve to court a married woman! "If you wish to see me, you’ll see me with my husband."

"What a pity," Prince Ricard drawled out, and he finally entered his room. "Raziel, come in for a drink, we need to reminisce about our dearest brother."

Raziel rolled his eyes but followed suit, giving Soleia a polite nod of thanks. The moment the door slammed shut, Soleia let out a long weary sigh. She wanted to sag against the wall, but since the princes were just a door away, she made herself walk back to the main corridor.

Sir Ralph followed her faithfully, keeping a careful eye on the closed door. His hackles were raised, and he looked like he was about to start growling and snapping.

"Ralph, relax," Soleia said in a low voice. "I don’t think they’re coming out anytime soon."

"I don’t trust them," Ralph said as he hurriedly ushered her back to her rooms, a stony glare on his face. "They are a pair of slimy bastards, and you just know Prince Ricard is trying to get into your knickers."

Soleia sighed. "So he’s a lech. Sadly, he’s not the first man to say such things and not the last." After all, her own cousin had spat out more obscene words at her. "Prince Ricard is going to get himself slapped one day with that big mouth of his. I’ve never met such a man that couldn’t take a hint to shut up!" Soleia exclaimed, hoping to make Sir Ralph smile.

Such a solemn expression did not suit him.

But Sir Ralph remained deadly serious as he addressed Soleia.

"Promise me that you’ll never meet with them alone, if at all. Even servants will not be enough to protect you if things get ugly."

Soleia nodded, bemused and pleased at Ralph’s protectiveness. "Sure. I have no intention of ever spending more time with them."

They arrived at her room to find it empty. Orion surprisingly didn’t visit, but Rafael’s eyes were drawn to the half-frozen room. The drop in temperature was obvious, and a chill enveloped him at the display of power.

"What on earth happened here? Did Florian come to take revenge?" Ralph demanded. "I’ll rearrange his face until his own mother can’t recognize him!"

"Like he would dare. Orion also sleeps here." Soleia shook her head and explained, "This was an accident caused by my sister. Celestina wanted to demonstrate to me how to conjure ice. She heard about what happened when I fought off Florian."

"By turning it into a winter wonderland?" Ralph raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the icicles hanging from the chandelier.

"She just... lost control," Soleia said.

She trusted Celestina, and with how prideful her older sister was, she would never have dared to demonstrate her abilities if she didn’t believe she had complete mastery to begin with. Perhaps Celestina had merely been over-enthusiastic.

"She also gifted me her own aquamarine pendant. Look." Soleia lifted the chain of the necklace to better show Ralph. "She hopes that this will help me in my attempt to master cyromancy."

"Ah," Rafael said, trying his best to focus on the pendant instead of the vast expanse of skin. Soleia’s neck was delicate and swan-like, subconsciously tempting men to press kisses and nip at the sensitive juncture of exposed skin.

His face darkened. That was probably what his sick brothers were thinking too.

Soleia saw the change in his expressions and misunderstood. "It’s a real crystal! She didn’t give me a fake." She still hadn’t managed to conjure up an ice cube since that fateful incident, but Soleia believed she would get the hang of it soon.

Her eyes went to her untouched notes that were unhindered by ice. More accurately, she would know how to fake having cyromancy soon enough.

"I believe you," Rafael said hurriedly. He highly doubted Princess Celestina had such poor control of her abilities. However, if Soleia had accidentally amplified her abilities, it would be no surprise that Celestina lost control, causing this spectacle before him.

But he doubted Soleia knew about that particular ability. His eyes were drawn to the desk, where the only spot free of ice was Soleia’s notes.

How interesting. How deliberate. How characteristic of Soleia to save her notes instead of her bed or her wardrobe. Rafael wanted — needed — to know how she did it.

"Should we get your sister to come back and fix this? It’s too cold to sleep here comfortably, and if you’re going to wait until the ice melts, you’d be here all night. Not to mention the entire room would be damp..." Rafael said, his voice trailing off on purpose.

"My sister tried, but she couldn’t fix it..." Soleia bit the inside of her mouth, wondering if she should confide in Sir Ralph. He had always been firmly on her side, even when the odds were against them.

"Then do you want to shift to another room?" Rafael asked.

"No," Soleia decided. She raised a hand up to the bed. Blue mist began to gather at her fingertips. "I... I can fix it."