The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 154: Come With Me

Chapter 154: Come With Me

"To... what?" Princess Nessa asked with a raised eyebrow, shaking her head in disbelief of what she had just heard.

She stopped halfway, the water raft nearly completely bursting like a popped bubble with how surprised she was. Orion’s body shifted in the air, bobbing up and down, but thankfully didn’t fall to the ground.

She continued incredulously, "Why would we go there?"

"Raxuvia has the best healers in all of the neighboring lands," Ralph explained without batting an eyelid. He folded his hands across his chest as he stared down at Nessa, his expression mildly challenging. "With the state of Orion’s current physical condition, he needs medical attention as soon as possible. I can help with that. But in the long run, he will require extensive, intensive healthcare to make sure there are no permanent damages."

"And you think that Raxuvia can help with that?" Nessa asked, hissing in a harsh whisper. "Nedour too boasts stellar medical advances that can help with Duke― no, General Elsher’s condition."

"I don’t know how good your geography is, but that’s going to take weeks to reach Nedour. Much more, the only way to even reach your god-forsaken kingdom is through the most dangerous stretch of waters known for its storms and rough weather," Ralph said, resisting the urge to snort.

Making it there might not even be guaranteed. If the ship capsized in the waves, they could all be lost to the sea.

"Yes, because it’s meant to keep intruders and unwanted visitors out of our seas and oceans," Nessa said through gritted teeth. "There is no sea journey that will be too rough when you have a hydromancer on board, much more the princess of Nedour."

"Raxuvia is a much shorter travel," Ralph insisted.

"Which means it’s also easier for the lot of you to get caught," Nessa retorted without missing a beat.

"If Vramidian authorities were to arrest someone on Raxuvian grounds, it would be as good as a declaration of war," Ralph replied. "We will be safe there. The kingdom will protect us."

"Every kingdom will protect its citizens," Nessa said with narrowed eyes. "But last I checked, Sir Ralph, you are a knight in service to Vramid, not Raxuvia. Why should the kingdom of Raxuvia extend its hands to help you, a nobody? Unless..."

She trailed off, leaving her words hanging. Princess Nessa’s expression turned cool as she started to form a wild assumption in her head. With his skillset and his sudden fervent adoration for this foreign kingdom, she had a guess in mind. He may look different, but who was to say this wasn’t a magical tool at play?

"Hold on," Soleia said, stepping in between them.

Lightning pretty much shot out from both Nessa and Ralph’s eyes, and just looking at their intense glaring contest made Soleia fret. She took a glance at the sky and sighed.

"Princess Nessa, could we trouble you by bringing Orion back to Nedour with you?" Soleia sweetly suggested.

"Princess!" Ralph cried out, but Soleia promptly placed a finger on his lip to shush him.

"You are right," she said to Nessa, ignoring Ralph’s protests. "Nedour is a longer journey away and a much safer place for Orion to recuperate. Even if my father’s men venture to Nedour in search of him, by then, he should have already recovered and will be capable of protecting himself."

"Exactly," Nessa said before looking triumphantly at Ralph. Her nose was in the air, smiling in satisfaction.

"Harboring a wanted criminal will be as good as declaring war against Vramid," Ralph pointed out.

"With what army?" Nessa asked, rolling her eyes. "King Godwin has sentenced his strongest soldiers to death by hanging―" Soleia winced at the mention of the fate of those men, "―and the other third of soldiers he had were all easily slaughtered by General Elsher before his arrest and... you."

"Nonetheless, as the crown princess of Nedour, you should be thinking about your people," Ralph said. "Instead, you’re putting your kingdom in unnecessary trouble."

"Oh, but I think both you and I know the real reason why you want Orion Elsher in Raxuvia, Sir Ralph," Nessa said, emphasizing his name.

The glint in her eyes deeply unsettled Rafael. He matched her gaze for only a mere second before he caved, choosing to make a tactical retreat.

"Fine," he said, raising his palms up in surrender. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

"It is much appreciated," Nessa said with a tight, forced smile. "I will make arrangements with my husband to return to Nedour at once. You can rest assured that Orion Elsher will be fine with me."

They crept out of the palace grounds and hid in the forest before Nessa stepped aside to make a call. As she walked away with the sodalite stone in her hand, Soleia and Ralph huddled around Orion. The former watched as Ralph’s carnelian began to glow.

The same stone that had been used for killing was now used to restore life to a man. One by one, Orion’s wounds began to stitch themselves back up. The scratches and bruises were quickly erased, and the bigger wounds were closed up significantly. It was hasty work, but at least with this, Orion wouldn’t die while at sea.

Probably.

Hopefully.

As he worked, Soleia stared at his hands, her eyebrows slowly knitting themselves together to form a frown. Memories of watching Prince Raziel perform such similar feats of healing quickly overlapped with what she currently saw, and for a second, she couldn’t help but notice the similarities in their features.

Especially when paired with Nessa’s suspicions and what she had implied, Soleia couldn’t help but wonder.

’Why should the kingdom of Raxuvia extend its hands to help you, a nobody?’

Unless he wasn’t a nobody at all.

"We’re ready."

Nessa’s voice broke Soleia’s train of thought, and she hurriedly looked up to see the blue-haired princess walk over. Her bangles glowed once more, and just like before, water was pulled out of her surroundings to form a raft that carried Orion.

"Seems like you’re not too bad with healing," Nessa commented aloofly, glancing up and down Orion’s body.

Ralph said nothing. Instead, he stood up and offered a hand out to Soleia for her to take. When she placed her hand in the warmth of his palm, he smiled down upon her.

"And you?" Ralph asked. "Will you come to Raxuvia with me?"