The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 115: Magic Research

Chapter 115: Magic Research

Rafael’s eyes widened as his sight locked right onto the blue mist, his lips slightly parting as he sucked in a cold gasp of air. He had heard of it, even theorized about it, but to see this happening with his own two eyes wasn’t quite the same.

Magic gathered at Soleia’s fingertips, just the same way as Rafael had always seen on other magic practitioners, himself included. It danced so naturally, thin sparkles mixed with the mist catching the light whenever she moved even just the slightest.

"Your notes," Rafael said, his eyebrows raised slightly in realization. "You saved them from the ice."

Soleia could only look at Rafael silently, her lips pressed tightly together in a straight line as she warily, slowly, hesitantly nodded. The aquamarine she wore pulsed. It was a faint light, but it glowed all the same.

"I am not sure if I can control it, so you may wish to stand a little further back," Soleia said.

"No, this is fascinating," Rafael immediately replied. "A little bit of ice wouldn’t hurt. Probably." He sniffed. "It can’t be worse than sleeping out in the cold during war."

Soleia’s lips merely twisted into a wayward smile before she steadied her hand again. Her eyes locked onto the bed, trying to feel the tingle of magic at her fingertips like before. In her mind’s eye, she pictured the ice melting away, the fabric turning soft again, and the frost receding.

It happened just like she had always dreamed it would.

The layer of ice that encased the bed quickly disappeared. It didn’t melt into a puddle, but simply seemingly evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace that it was ever there other than the fact that it was still cold to the touch when Rafael went forward and pressed his palm against the bed frame.

His eyes were wide with surprise, his breath caught in his throat as he breathed out shakily. Oliver hadn’t been lying when he relayed what he saw. Princess Soleia was capable of cryomancy.

"You..." Rafael trailed off, finding himself at a loss for words. "You can perform cryomancy."

"Maybe not," Soleia confessed, her voice so light that Rafael might’ve missed it if he hadn’t been actively waiting for her response.

He turned away from the bed to look at her properly.

"Why do you say that, Princess?"

"Because," Soleia said, raising her hand. When Rafael looked, he realized why she sounded so downcast. "It seems like there’s a limit on my magic."

There was no more blue mist surrounding Soleia’s hands, and her aquamarine had all but lost its shine. It sat nicely above her chest now, beautiful as always, but as simple and ordinary as a piece of rock that was picked up from the side of the road.

"A limit?" Rafael echoed. "I do not understand."

"I... I wasn’t sure if I should share this," Soleia said. "But I think I have done enough research on this."

Soleia reached for her notes and handed them to Ralph, who slowly began to flip through them. One by one he read, and slowly, the furrow of his eyebrows grew.

Her penmanship was neat at times, messy at others, but every segment was detailed carefully. Rafael read on, engrossed with the experiment notes she had documented down.

"I have tried multiple times to use this power after that time against Florian, but I have not succeeded even once," Soleia said. "I’ve tried all sorts of things― from using Florian’s ring to swapping for another aquamarine, and even experimented with other crystals that are known to resonate with cryomancy. Nothing worked."

"Until today," Ralph said.

"Until today," Soleia repeated with a nod. "And it wasn’t with Florian’s ring, so it rules out the possibility of having to use a specific stone."

"But your results are still inconclusive," Ralph said, handing her the notes back. "There are too many variables that have not been tested."

"Yes, but I now have a new theory I think I can head towards, and I may require your help."

Soleia took a step closer to Ralph, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

This might just be the biggest breakthrough of her studies yet. She had been tinkering all her life, dependent on her experiments in hopes of standing out among her magical siblings, only to be snubbed by her mortal smarts. But this gave her joy like no other. After all these years, her inventions and research have extended beyond normal creations― she began to fiddle with crystals and magic, and right now, that base knowledge could be used to develop her own brand of magic.

"But before I tell you this, I need you to promise to keep this a secret," Soleia said, her voice lowered. Even her expression turned serious, her smile disappeared as she looked straight into Ralph’s eyes.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, nervous with the way she stared at him. Soleia was so close― close enough that Rafael could smell the faint scent of perfume wafting off her body, mixed with her natural fragrance.

She was intoxicating, and he found his throat dry and his head light just with this beauty standing so close. For all he had cursed at his brothers internally, in the end, Rafael was no better than them. He, too, was unable to withstand her beguiling charms.

"Can I trust you, Ralph?" she asked. His name rolled off his tongue so fluidly that Rafael felt a pang of guilt shoot through his heart.

But ultimately, he didn’t show. He simply nodded, his expression grave and somber. "Of course," he said.

"Good," Soleia said. "Because I will require your help, and there is no one else I can turn to. Not my sisters, and certainly not Orion."

"Whyever not?" Rafael asked. "If there’s any chance that it might be cryomancy, your sisters would be your best source of information, if you do not wish to inform your father about this."

"Because," Soleia said, inhaling and exhaling deeply, "I have reason to believe that it’s not cryomancy I am performing."

She paused for just a second before she clarified, "At least, it’s none of my own."