The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 120: Insufferable Prince

Chapter 120: Insufferable Prince

Two days flew by faster than Soleia would’ve liked. In those two days, more and more guests had arrived earlier than scheduled.

Most of these two days had been spent cooped up in her room if not hosting, tirelessly researching the source of her magic. However, she had yet to make further developments, and with Orion breathing down her neck, there was only so much she could do before he started to suspect what was going on.

Soleia had considered seeking Sir Ralph’s help again, but whenever she brought up Ralph’s name, Orion turned oddly protective. He didn’t stop her from seeing his best friend, but rather, the downcast expression Orion wore quickly dissuaded Soleia from pressing the topic any further.

Her sister’s words quickly chimed in her mind every time Orion Elsher looked disappointedly out the windows.

Tongues will wag.

With the two Raxuvian princes staying in Vramid’s royal palace, Soleia ought to watch herself even more so than before.

There came a knock on the door, and Soleia straightened. She peered curiously; Orion had declared that he would leave early so as to prepare.

He, as the star of the show, was an important contestant in the hunting event and had to reach the hunting grounds ahead of time. On the other hand, Soleia and the other ladies could arrive an hour later, and most spent the hour preparing themselves in fur and jewels.

"Who is it?" Soleia called out when no one announced themselves, raising an eyebrow in wariness.

"Pardon my disturbance, Princess Soleia," came a male voice from outside, one in which Soleia couldn’t quite recognize. "But I heard that you might be in need of an escort to the event. I was wondering if I may have the honor."

Her eyes merely narrowed further. She couldn’t put a name to that voice, and the more he spoke, the more Soleia felt the hair on her body stand. Straightening her clothes and keeping her notes in a locked drawer, Soleia headed for the door and cautiously opened a small crack.

"Prince Ricard," Soleia said, her eyes wide with surprise. "Forgive me, but I didn’t realize..."

"That I would be here?" Prince Ricard finished. He wore a charming smile, but no matter how handsome he appeared to be, that smile failed to bring Soleia any bit of comfort.

"Yes," she said, opening the door just the tiniest bit more out of mere respect. He was still a prince, after all. "I assumed that you might already be at the event."

As if to prove her point, Soleia heard the faint blare of the trumpets in the distance.

"Raziel headed there early in our place," Ricard explained. "I had an emergency that I had to tend to, which resulted in my tardiness. Then I heard from the maids that you’re still here, and thought to look for you."

He tried to peer past Soleia and into the room, but his prying action merely caused Soleia to tighten her grip on the door.

When he realized she was hiding from him, Ricard pulled back and beamed.

"Is Duke Elsher not with you?" he asked.

"He went ahead, along with the rest of the participants," Soleia said. "I am about to head over soon."

"Perfect," Ricard said. "Shall we head there together, then?"

Soleia looked down at the arm he held out, but she didn’t make a move to take it.

It would be rude to refuse his invitation to head there together. After all, she was the host, and Prince Ricard hailed from Raxuvia, one of Vramid’s strongest allies. It would be good to establish a good relationship with Prince Ricard, especially when the rumors spoke of him as the most possible future crown prince of the kingdom.

But... Soleia winced. There was no need to hold hands.

She stepped out of her chambers and promptly shut the door behind her. However, Soleia made sure to keep a safe distance away from Ricard the entire time, keeping an arm’s length away. Ricard didn’t seem to take offense as well, his smile merely brightening as he dropped his arm back down to his side.

"I heard that this isn’t your first marriage," Prince Ricard said the moment they started to make their way down the hallway. "Are the rumors true, Your Highness?"

"This isn’t my first wedding," Soleia corrected. "But I have always been married to the same man, the same who is my current husband."

"’Current’ implies there will be another in the future," Ricard said, causing Soleia’s eyes to twitch in annoyance. "Would Your Highness be interested in becoming a princess consort of Raxuvia? You will be the wife of a prince, just like your elder sisters."

"What are you implying, Prince Ricard?" Soleia asked.

Her words caused Ricard to stop in his tracks. His smile from before had never faded, and it remained just as bright and cheery. However, there was an underlying malevolence tucked beneath that smile that made Soleia’s skin crawl.

"Orion Elsher may be a brilliant general and a duke, but he is still but a commoner," Ricard said. "Are you not upset, even in the slightest, that your sisters have married good, noble men, while you have been thrust upon a peasant with a bankrupt fief? I heard that Drakenmire’s recent prosperity is thanks to your efforts, not the Duke’s."

Soleia’s lips pinched tightly together. She did resent the fact that her father had arranged such a horrible union for her, especially when compared to her sisters, but she would never admit it out loud. Besides, Orion Elsher wouldn’t be a horrible husband if Elowyn never entered their lives. In another world, they could’ve been a happy couple.

Now that Orion had regained his clarity, that was the goal Soleia wished to work towards.

"I have no intention of leaving my husband if that’s what you’re implying, Prince Ricard," Soleia said, trying her best to suppress the annoyance that threatened to overflow. "I am content with how my life is now."

"Even if you have to share your husband with another woman?"

"That implies that a prince will definitely not take a concubine just because I am married to him," Soleia said. "We all know that that might not be true."

Raising her chin, she began to walk, eager to reach the hunting grounds. It was arranged to be in the forest right behind the royal palace, and they were almost there. The faster they reached, the less time she would need to spend with this insufferable, arrogant, incorrigible―

"I heard some rumors, Princess Soleia, before I had arrived at the palace," Prince Ricard said. "Is it true that you have fallen for a common man, someone who isn’t Orion Elsher?"