The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 62: An Impossible Task

Chapter 62: An Impossible Task

Soleia barely remembered how she responded to her father before she was banished out of the room, her legs trembling with anxiety and the sudden plunge in temperature. She couldn’t help but recall her past experiences with her father, and her old memories were causing her nausea to grow.

She clenched her hands into fists, willing herself to calm down. Soleia tried to tell herself that she wasn’t that scared little girl any longer, but it was hard to remember in the face of her father’s high expectations.

King Godwin was awfully fond of punishing his children for any perceived slight by forcing them to endure freezing temperatures caused by his powers, and Soleia was one of his favorite targets since she was entirely powerless.

To make matters worse, her other sisters had awakened their powers in response to their father’s treatment!

As such, King Godwin redoubled his efforts, forcing Soleia to touch icicles, to walk on ice with her bare feet. It was only after she nearly died with no powers on the horizon, and her sisters pleaded for her life, that he was forced to give up his attempts to awaken Soleia’s powers.

After that, he basically treated Soleia as though she didn’t exist. Her powerless existence was a stain on his reputation as a powerful ruler. Her allowance was meager compared to her other siblings, and she only had a retinue of a single maid.

And then she got packed off to marry Orion, a man born a commoner, while her siblings got spouses from other powerful royal families.

Her mind whirled and her temples ached with exhaustion. Orion. What a headache.

"Princess Soleia, are you alright? You look awfully pale― you’re shivering!" Sir Ralph exclaimed, quickly offering her his cloak. Soleia raised a shaky hand to stop him.

"It’s fine... just give me a minute," Soleia said wearily. Sir Ralph continued to gaze at her in concern, and that nearly made her eyes water.

Why couldn’t she have been arranged to marry Sir Ralph instead?

Eventually, Soleia calmed down enough to tell Sir Ralph about her father’s decision, and the ultimatum he had given her. Rafael’s expression twisted incredulously. He had a feeling Soleia wasn’t telling him everything, but whatever he heard was enough to make him wonder if King Godwin was a few eggs short of a full basket.

"I say, Princess, how many children has His Majesty fathered in all his years?" Rafael asked.

"At least four that I know of," Soleia said, referring to her and her siblings. If her father had illegitimate children running around in the slums of Vramid, she had no clue.

"Then why does he expect you to give birth to an heir before Elowyn when she’s already pregnant?" Rafael exclaimed. "That’s literally impossible, unless―"

"Unless she is suddenly no longer with child," Soleia said, voicing out the terrible thought. Her father would see it as a necessary action. To him, the unborn child might not even count as a sacrifice. It was mere collateral damage at most.

Rafael hissed. "That’s..."

"A line I refuse to cross," Soleia said, shooting Ralph a reassuring glance. "No matter how much I dislike Elowyn, I will not do anything to her child."

"Never doubted you," Rafael said with a smile, but deep inside, he could only curse the circumstances. If Soleia was truly pregnant with Orion’s child, there’s no way his kingdom would accept her as their new queen.

But he had a more pressing issue to worry about. Since Soleia had to give birth to an heir before Elowyn in order to live past this year, Rafael had no qualms about nipping the issue in the bud. Why stop at getting rid of her unborn child, when one could aim to get rid of the mother as well?

Without Elowyn, Soleia would not face an impossible deadline. Without Elowyn, Rafael could keep his real identity under wraps for a little longer. As far as Rafael was concerned, this course of action only brought about advantages.

Of course, he knew Soleia would be utterly aghast if she heard his thoughts, which meant that he would have to do it secretly.

Both of them began to make their way back to their assigned rooms, each busy with their own thoughts.

"Soleia!" A woman’s voice echoed through the corridor. Soleia turned her head and saw two older women staring at her, both with her familiar shade of blonde hair.

"Bellaflor! Celestina!" Soleia gasped in surprise.

Her older sisters were actually here in person! She had not seen them in years. Excited, Soleia picked up her skirts and ran towards them. Rafael raised an eyebrow and followed her at a more sedate pace.

Soleia noted that time had treated her sisters a lot kinder than it did her; Bellaflor’s complexion was ruddy, and beside her was a young child clinging to her skirts. Her other sister Celestina also boasted a swelling belly and a radiant complexion.

Or maybe it was simply their marriages. Clearly, their marriages were a lot more fruitful than Soleia’s own.

Bellaflor, her oldest sister, had married Prince Deacon from Crosest three years before Soleia’s wedding. Meanwhile, Celestina had married a year before to Prince Gilbert from Golcrest, leaving Soleia completely alone without guidance and only her sickly three-year-old brother for company.

Poor Reitan. Soleia made a mental note to pay him a visit later. For now, her attention was on her older sisters. They eagerly hugged Soleia, rubbing her back tenderly.

"Oh, you’re still such a crybaby..." Bellaflor tutted with mock disapproval. "I thought you’d grow up a bit after getting married!"

"I’m not a crybaby," Soleia sniffled as she hastily wiped tears from her eyes. "I just missed the both of you so much! Why are the both of you here?"

"We’re here for you, silly." Bellaflor adjusted Soleia’s dress with a sigh. "All neighboring royalty have received news of Duke Elsher’s upcoming wedding and have been invited to attend. About time too, since we missed your first wedding to him. I can’t wait to see your husband― I heard he decapitated a dragon with one blow!"

Soleia’s face paled. Her father had to be out to humiliate her. "I― That’s not―"