The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 69: Unknown Royal

Chapter 69: Unknown Royal

The man impatiently clicked his tongue when Soleia didn’t reply, and he pushed his weight off the archway column. Crossing the room, he didn’t allow her any time to react before pulling her closer.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" he barked, his grip tightening around her upper arm. "What do you think you’re doing, ignoring royalty like that?"

"I..." Soleia’s lips parted in shock. It took her a second before she collected her thoughts and calmly responded. "I am not a palace staff."

"Yeah, right," the man said with a scoff. "Then I am sure your father is the King?"

"Yes―"

She was abruptly cut off when the man straight up laughed in her face, his spittle landing on her cheek. Soleia winced, her head jolting back as she squeezed her eyes shut in disgust. Raising her hand, she was about to wipe the saliva off her face when her other hand was quickly pulled away.

"Are you wiping off the saliva I have so graciously given you?" the man asked, sneering at Soleia. Fine lines appeared in between his eyebrows as he pulled Soleia closer, and she merely veered her head away in disgust.

All of a sudden, his scowl turned into a sleazy grin as his eyes scanned her up and down, lingering a little longer than Soleia would’ve liked.

"Well," he said, "I suppose I can forgive you. After all, I am a rather generous ruler. If you can provide me enough pleasure tonight, I can consider closing one eye about your horrendous disrespect."

Contrary to the reply he expected, she sneered. "Let go of me!"

"How dare you talk back to me― Ow!"

Not waiting for him to finish his sentence, Soleia gritted her teeth and stomped her heel into the man’s toes. Originally, she had wanted to keep her identity hidden if the man hadn’t recognized her, but this was a little more than what she could tolerate. He was a complete sleazebag!

Grabbing the washed clothes and cloths on the table, Soleia threw it in the man’s face as he grabbed onto his foot, before hurriedly sprinting off. As she dashed up the stairs, she heard the roar of anger, followed by the familiar, crackling sound of ice, followed by the bitter cold that seemed to nip at her heels.

"Come back here, you wench!" the man hollered, his voice echoing behind Soleia as she sprinted for her dear life in the direction of her room.

At the same time, Soleia’s hands dug into her pockets, searching haphazardly for the small sodalite piece that Ralph had handed to her. She hadn’t wanted to disturb him from his rest and had thought she would be able to change a few bedsheets by herself. But now, she regretted not asking for his help.

Her brain ran through all the possibilities. She was gone for just two years, and somehow, there was another royalty about her age who boasted the same skill sets as her father and sisters.

Did she have a missing half-brother she had never met before? Soleia wouldn’t be surprised if her father had some illegitimate children outside the palace walls. Maybe this was one of them― it would certainly explain why Soleia couldn’t recognize him, and vice versa.

Soleia didn’t have the time to think it through properly when her fingers brushed against the stone. She quickly pulled it out of her pockets, eager to speak into it, when the floor beneath her feet suddenly turned into a sheet of ice, causing her to slip.

In panic, Soleia grabbed the side table that was placed along the corridor, causing the vase on it to wobble as she threw her weight on it. But because of that, the sodalite slipped out of her fingers and was thrown a distance away, sliding against the ice. Fortunately, it stayed in one piece.

"Oh no," Soleia muttered under her breath before lowering herself onto her knees. Pushing forward to slide on her knees, her fingers were just about to graze the stone when it was picked up by someone else.

"Sodalite?" the man from before said, clicking his tongue. "So you are a thief as well?"

"That is mine," Soleia said, pushing herself to her feet.

Well, the stone was technically stolen from the old storekeeper, but this man didn’t need to know that.

Unfortunately, with how slippery the ice was, it was difficult to maintain her balance. She wobbled back and forth like a newborn foal trying to stand for the first time, and the man merely laughed.

"Likely story!" he sneered. "As if a servant like you can afford a crystal, even if it’s something of such... paltry quality."

He reached his hand forward and the oval-shaped aquamarine embedded into his ring began to glow. In the blink of an eye, two ice pillars sprouted from the ground, one appearing at each side of Soleia to hold her in place. She was on her feet at least, but with the ice holding her in place, there was no way she could move.

Soleia gritted her teeth in pain. The cold bit her skin and a hiss of discomfort quickly left her lips.

"I am not a servant," Soleia tried to say as nicely as she could despite her anger boiling her blood. "I am Princess Soleia, the daughter of King Godwin. Unhand me this instant!"

"Sure thing," the man sarcastically said. He reached forward, his hand gripping Soleia’s cheek roughly, squeezing them together as he leaned in close. "Princess Soleia is a duchess. If you’re planning to lie, you could at least choose a more presentable set of clothes."

The aquamarine glowed once more. In his other hand, a small dagger of ice had materialized in his hand. He aimed it against Soleia’s neck, wanting to use it to threaten her, but the moment it made contact with her skin, the ice crumbled into snow, its flakes falling pathetically to the ground.

In fact, the ice that encased Soleia’s hands was also quickly melting. She could feel her sleeves turning wet, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough yet for her to wriggle free.

The man’s eyes widened as he stared at his now empty hand, still wet with traces of snow. If it weren’t for that, he would’ve wondered if he had even created the dagger at all.

"What the hell just happened...?" he trailed off, staring cluelessly at his own palm.

Unbeknownst to him, a man stood behind him a short distance away. The sudden smell of blood permeated the air.