The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 118: Hold My Hand

Chapter 118: Hold My Hand

Orion’s face had turned into the color of beetroot, and he was looking anywhere but at her. In fact, he wasn’t just actively avoiding Soleia’s gaze― he was also shying away from Rafael’s incredulous expression.

The latter stared at him, flabbergasted. He had never seen Orion Elsher act quite like this before, as though he was a young maiden experiencing the first blooms of love. In fact, even with Elowyn, Orion had always acted as befitting of his status― a mighty duke who was also the general of an army.

This... this was an entirely new image that Rafael was inexperienced with.

When Soleia was a little too quiet for a little too long, Orion quickly cleared his throat.

"It’s fine if you don’t wish to," he hastily said before adding, "I was worried you would be cold after remaining in this room for such a long time." Then, he gestured to their frozen surroundings.

"I-I’ll need to pull my luggage," Soleia said, looking back and forth between Orion and her trunk. For some reason, she found her eyes darting to Ralph and observing his expression.

When Orion caught it, his expression darkened and his shoulders dropped.

"I understand."

His tone seemed so down that Soleia found herself pursing her lips.

"If you could help me pull my trunk, I would have a free hand..." she said, trailing off.

Instantly, Orion lit up like the first rays of dawn spilling across the sky. He nodded and immediately reached for Soleia’s belongings so that her other hand could carry a small bag of personal belongings — her notes and smaller inventions she couldn’t part with — with a free hand to spare so as to hold his.

With the trunk in one hand, Orion reached out his other and waited for Soleia to take it. She hesitantly reached forward, and once her hand was close enough, Orion closed the distance between them. His larger hands wrapped around hers, and they were warm, as promised.

Their fingers were intertwined, and Orion even gave her a light squeeze before leading her out of the room.

Rafael could do nothing as he stood there and watched Orion lead Soleia away. He clenched his fists at his sides, his teeth gritted together so tightly that his jaw started to hurt. When they were fully gone, he looked down at the carnelian that rested right at his chest.

Maybe there was a fault in Soleia’s theory. Whatever it was, Rafael would have to speak with her again in due time, perhaps after she had rested enough and she had regained her strength. Until then, he would need to make sure his brothers stayed away from her.

Jealousy burned through Rafael’s chest, peppered with a bit of panic. This wedding was bringing about more trouble than he initially thought. But perhaps, there might be a need for him to have yet another talk with a certain fellow imposter.

***

On the other hand, the journey to Orion’s room was filled with silence. Soleia wasn’t sure what she should say to Orion, and it wasn’t after she had walked several doors away from her original chambers had she finally remembered she hadn’t yet wished Sir Ralph goodnight. But it was too late, and it didn’t seem right to have Orion turn back just for this.

Instead, she kept quiet and followed Orion, her mind reeling. Worst of all, her hand was starting to get clammy― not due to the warmth of Orion’s hand, but because her heart was furiously pounding with nervousness in her chest.

"Is there something on your mind?" Orion asked, the first to break the silence between them, and Soleia’s head sharply jerked up to look at him. He turned to look at her, his expression wary but soft, as if afraid of her answer.

Soleia’s throat felt dry. "I was just wondering..."

Orion raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue.

"About where Elowyn is currently staying," Soleia finished. "I am surprised she isn’t kicking up a fuss."

"There is no fuss to kick up if she knows what’s right for her," Orion fairly replied. "Our wedding has been blessed by the King. If she wishes to stay here rather than return to Drakenmire on her own, she needs to suck it up."

"Has she looked for you much?" Soleia wondered.

"Not for the lack of trying," Orion replied.

But before he could say more, a familiar voice caused shivers to roll down his spine. Even with all his years spent on the battlefield, and all the blood he had spilled, the sound of Elowyn’s voice still caused him to inhale sharply, cursing beneath his breath.

"Orion!" Elowyn called out from behind. "Orion, wait!"

Her voice was so loud that several palace staff who were walking by turned and looked in their direction. Orion couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t heard her, and was thus forced to stop.

"Orion," she said, panting slightly when she finally caught up with Orion and Soleia. But her gaze suddenly fell upon Soleia and their connected hands, and the eager smile on her face quickly fell.

"Oh..." Elowyn said, "I... Did I disturb?"

"We were about to turn in for the night," Orion said, drawing Elowyn’s attention back. His hand tightened its grip on Soleia’s hand, squeezing tightly but not painfully. "Is there something you need?"

"It’s just that I have not seen you much of late, Or― I mean, Your Grace," Elowyn said, her voice much softer than before. She tucked her chin meekly, bashfully smiling, albeit a little awkward. "I’ve missed you and I was wondering if you would like to have a stroll with me tonight in the gardens."

Orion frowned. "It’s already late, Elowyn," he said. "You should be heading to bed soon."

"I know, but..." she trailed off, staring indignantly at Soleia. Tears quickly welled in her eyes and she bit her bottom lip, desperately trying to hold them back and refrain from crying. "We’ve barely spoken to each other in the past weeks. The baby and I―" She reached for her stomach, where a small bump could already be seen. It had grown a little bigger than before. "We’ve missed you."

Orion sighed, furrowing his eyebrows.

"All the more reason you should be resting early, don’t you think?" he said. "The wedding will just be in a few days. That means we will be heading back to Drakenmire very soon. You will need all the rest you can get before the strenuous journey back to the fief."

"But..."

The tears that Elowyn had been holding back previously quickly fell, and to Soleia’s surprise, Orion let go of her hand. He took a step forward, closing the distance between himself and Elowyn.