The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 150: Barely Alive

Chapter 150: Barely Alive

Soleia dropped to her knees in front of the cell in a breathy gasp. Her hands tightly gripped the iron bars, frowning as she stared intently at Orion’s body. She focused, and only when she saw the subtle rise and fall of his chest did she let out the breath that she wasn’t even aware she held.

He was breathing, and for now, that was enough.

Once she was sure that he hadn’t died before his scheduled execution, Soleia’s eyes went to Orion’s encased hands. Even though it was technically still winter and the dungeons had horrid heating, the ice should’ve melted by now― yet it didn’t.

One look and Soleia knew that this had to be her father’s handiwork, for there was a thin layer of fog surrounding the ice, almost sparkling under the light of the torches on the walls. It was forever frozen, and Orion’s lips had turned a little pale and blue due to the cold.

"Quick!" Soleia said, turning around to look at Nessa. "Could you make a key out of water? I need to get in!"

"Right, yes, of course," Nessa said.

She came forward and soon enough, her bangles began to glow. Water was pulled out of thin air and it morphed into a thin stick before it was slotted into the keyhole. After a second, there came a ticking sound and the lock sprang open.

Soleia immediately rushed in. Without care for whether or not Nessa was watching her, Soleia leaned over Orion and quickly touched the ice that had held his arms in place. Slowly, the ice turned directly into mist, quickly dissipating into the air as though it had never been there.

"Wait," Princess Nessa said, blinking her eyes rapidly. "How did you― I thought you had no magic?"

"It’s not the time," Soleia said.

She placed her hand on Orion’s, her frown deepening when the coldness of his clothing and skin burned through her palm. It had been trapped in ice for so long that his skin had started to turn blue, and a worry quickly grew in Soleia.

What if they become permanently damaged because of this?

But she hadn’t the time nor the ability to solve that. What she could solve, however, was to return Orion to a clear mind.

Soleia inched forward and reached for Orion’s eyes, prying his eyelids open. Even though his eyes were turned up, she could still see the color of his irises― a deep purple, similar to the color of amethysts. He was still under Elowyn’s spell, and by the looks of it, he would have died while being enchanted if she hadn’t ventured into the dungeons.

"Could you," she said, turning around to glance at Nessa, "perhaps turn around?"

"What, are you going to commit cannibalism?" Nessa asked with a raised eyebrow. When Soleia didn’t reply, her face blanched white. "No, wait, you’re not going to actually kill him before his execution, are you? He might’ve wronged you during the wedding ceremony but I thought we had established that he might possibly be enchanted by that no-good witch―"

"I’m not going to harm him," Soleia assured.

When she didn’t say anything more than that, Nessa huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, fine. I’m not even sure what you’re so worried about," she grumbled as she turned to face the other side. "I’ve already seen you perform magic when the rumors have claimed you are incapable."

Soleia could only nervously smile as she turned her attention back to Orion. She placed her hands directly on his skin, and slowly, she felt her earrings start to heat up ever the slightest. It tingled against the skin of her lobes, and bit by bit, magic began to flow from Orion to Soleia through her fingers.

The sensation was quite different from using the magic of others― instead of sending magic out, she could feel it entering her body before evaporating as though it was a thin layer of water on a hot stone.

With every bit of magic that flowed through into her, Soleia felt her body turning weaker and weaker. She could taste a tang of bitterness on her tongue, and her head was starting to feel light while her chest felt heavy. However, she concentrated on the sensation, the same she knew worked in removing Elowyn’s cursed magic.

Once the last slivers of the amethyst’s power had left Orion’s body, Soleia braced herself against the cold stone floor as she heavily panted. Princess Nessa, who had heard the commotion, quickly turned around and hurried over.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "My goodness, you’re heating up!"

"I’m... fine," Soleia said. Her eyes didn’t leave Orion. "I just need to catch my breath."

"What did you do?" Nessa asked. "I looked away for only a second."

"Could you check his eyes for me?" Soleia said. "I need to know what color it is."

Without a word, Nessa crouched over Orion and peeled his eyes open.

"Blue," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Nessa said. "Why would his eye color matter―"

Her eyes widened as she suddenly paused. Soleia could practically see the dots connect in her head, and Nessa’s gaze went from Soleia to Orion, before moving back to Soleia again, repeating the action a few times. Finally, it rested on her selenite earrings, which were still glowing ever the slightest.

"You’re a null―"

"Yes," Soleia quickly said, cutting her off. "I would really appreciate it if you refrained from announcing it to the rest of the world."

Nessa’s hands quickly moved to cover her own lips in surprise.

"That’s why you had me turn around," she muttered under her breath, speaking more to herself than to Soleia. Then, in a louder and firmer voice, she said, "I won’t tell a soul. Your secret is safe with me."

Before Soleia could say anything in reply, the harsh clanking of metal armor quickly echoed throughout the dungeon. Both Soleia and Nessa’s eyes widened with horror as their heads sharply spun to the door, and to their horror, came face to face with King Godwin’s soldiers, who now stood between them and the exit.