The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 139: Sunk Her Claws

Chapter 139: Sunk Her Claws

It was a tiny thing, but the thud it made as it clattered to the floor seemed to echo through the church. Soleia winced.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence as the pastor spluttered, wondering if he should pause the ceremony for Soleia to pick up the fallen accessory, but Soleia remained standing, motionless, simply because she highly doubted she could gracefully pick up something so small with her obscured vision.

Not to mention her hands were occupied with that heavy bouquet. It wasn’t as though she could shove it into Orion’s arms.

Speaking of Orion, he hadn’t moved an inch to offer his help. Soleia narrowed her eyes. This was... strange.

Reitan hurriedly rushed over, intent on helping her pick it up before the ceremony could be delayed further, but it was Sir Ralph who bent low and picked up the fallen earring. He now stood closer to her than before, taking his place in between the gap that existed between Soleia and Orion. Even through the hazy veil, Soleia sensed that his eyes were full of countless unsaid words.

It seemed like Sir Ralph was warring with himself.

"Princess," Sir Ralph said in a low quiet voice that seemed to reverberate in her ears. "Since your hands are occupied, I’ll keep this for now."

With one last wry, pained grin, he stepped back to stand behind Orion, leaving Soleia feeling strangely bereft. Her hands trembled, causing the bouquet to shift.

The pastor cleared his throat loudly, and as if nothing was wrong, he continued his spiel, but he decided to cut out some parts in the middle to hasten the process since the King’s face was looking blacker by the minute.

He didn’t want to even think about why the groom hadn’t moved a single finger for his bride, and why it was his best friend that stepped forward in his place to help the princess. He didn’t want to see the lovelorn expression on Sir Ralph’s face as he stepped away.

He could only hope the princess and her groom would stick to the unspoken script. He wanted to keep his head!

"Do you, Princess Soleia Rosev, take Duke Orion Elsher to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and be faithful to him through sickness and adversity, as well as health and prosperity, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?"

Princess Soleia breathed in deeply, and the priest nearly twitched when he caught sight of her eyes darting toward Duke Elsher’s best man before she focused her attention on her husband. But whatever the distraction, Princess Soleia’s voice was firm and clear.

"I do." Soleia was proud of how calm her voice was. She would be happy with Orion. She still had many years ahead of her. She had to believe that.

The priest let out a small sigh of relief. He had nothing to worry about now.

"And do you, Duke Orion Elsher, take Princess Soleia Rosev to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and be faithful to him through sickness and adversity, as well as health and prosperity, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?"

Duke Elsher stared stonily at Soleia. The hall fell into an expectant silence. Everyone was waiting for him to spit out the words so they could leap up with joy and cheer to celebrate the union of a happy couple. The servants had their baskets of confetti prepared, ready to fling them at the signal. The orchestra readied themselves to play a romantic tune.

"I do... not."

Soleia stared blankly at Orion, her bouquet falling from her hands, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Petals scattered and fell through the air. She couldn’t believe her ears.

Shocked gasps echoed through the air. The cheers that were starting to form were hastily aborted, as though someone had strangled them in their throats. A violin string screeched as one of the musicians got too eager to start. The priest nearly dropped his holy cross.

Yet, throughout all this commotion, Soleia could only stare at Ralph. Somehow, he didn’t seem surprised at all.

How could this be?

"Excuse me? We must have misheard―" The priest coughed loudly, praying that Orion Elsher had a slip of the tongue, or that he had chosen this time to play a particularly unfunny joke.

"You did not mishear me," Orion Elsher said and he raised his voice. "I do not wish to marry Princess Soleia. I never wished to."

"You... don’t want to marry me," Soleia’s words fell from her lips in a shaky breath, as though saying it herself made it real. She chanced a quick look at her father, only to stumble back in fear.

King Godwin’s face was apoplectic with rage, and beside him, her sisters weren’t better. If not for decorum, they would have marched down the aisle to wring Orion Elsher’s neck.

She didn’t have the guts to see what the other members of royalty thought of this.

"But why?" Reitan’s high, young voice rose through the upheaval, attracting everyone’s attention. His eyes were wet with tears, and he shot Orion a betrayed glance.

Soleia had to do a double-take; she had never seen Reitan look so furious. He looked as though he wanted to jump up and punch Orion in the face.

"Why do you not want to marry my sister? How is my sister not good enough for you?"

"That’s what I want to know too!" King Godwin slammed his hand against the wooden pew, causing it to crack. Everyone secretly gave him a wide berth, in fear of attracting his wrath. "What is the meaning of this, Duke Elsher?"

"I only have one woman in my heart," Orion Elsher said. "And that is Elowyn."

Soleia had heard enough. She flipped off her own veil to confirm her suspicions― and true enough, Orion’s cerulean blue eyes were clouded over. Elowyn had sunk her claws into him again!

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.