The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 75: A Generic Face

Chapter 75: A Generic Face

"Alright," Soleia said agreeably, holding out her hand for him. He eagerly took her hand, childish joy on his face as he tugged her away. Soleia hurriedly bowed to her sisters and relatives for leaving early.

Sir Ralph stood up to follow, but Reitan narrowed his eyes.

"Not you! I want to spend time with Soleia only!" He stomped his feet irritably, and Soleia could only shoot Ralph an apologetic look as she was dragged away by her younger brother.

Celestina and Bellaflor laughed good-naturedly at the surprised expression on Rafael’s face. He was torn between following them at a safe distance, or just sitting back down to finish the delicious meatloaf on his plate.

"Don’t feel bad, Sir Ralph. Reitan means no harm. He just has his favorites," Bellaflor said with a teasing smile.

"You will get used to it. Eventually," Celestina said with a shrug as she picked up her cup and sipped at the tea. In a softer voice, she leaned into her older sister and said, "Especially if he plans to marry Soleia."

Bellaflor looked scathingly at Celestina, as though she was aghast by such a suggestion. But it took no more than a mere second before the two exchanged a knowing smile and turned back to their plates.

Rafael could only smile as naturally as he could, his toes practically digging into the carpets.

"Say," Prince Gilbert suddenly said, offering his wife a brief confused glance. He then turned his gaze back to Ralph. "Sir Ralph, where are you from?"

"What a silly question," Celestina said with a giggle. "Sir Ralph is from Vramid, of course. He serves the army and is one of the best knights in the history of the kingdom. Isn’t that right, Sir Ralph?"

Before Rafael had the chance to reply, Prince Gilbert rubbed his chin and leaned back in his seat.

"Is that so?" he asked. "I just thought... Sir Ralph looks rather familiar. I am sure I’ve seen him before."

"Maybe in the local paper from this morning, Your Highness," Rafael said with a cheeky smile, gesturing to the newspaper on the table where his face was indeed printed, alongside Soleia, Orion, and Elowyn’s photos. "I also have a rather generic face, and it seems like Vramid’s press is still rather enraptured by the General’s success story."

"He who slain a dragon with his bare hands," Prince Gilbert said with a nod. "I suppose that is indeed a man who will sell papers with just his face plastered on the front pages."

"Right, and his next wedding is already spread across the lands," Bellaflor said with a huff under her breath. It was no more than a small grumble, but the entire table fell silent, mostly in pity for the dear Princess Soleia who had become a laughingstock in the eyes of the people.

"Please excuse me, Your Highnesses," Rafael said, bowing his head slightly. "I need to check on Princess Soleia."

Without waiting for anyone else to reply, he turned and left in the direction where he saw Soleia and Reitan disappear. Only after he was gone did Celestina look at Gilbert, raising an eyebrow of hers.

"What is it, my love?" she asked. "Is something bothering you?"

"Yes," Gilbert replied directly. "I swear, Sir Ralph truly looks like someone I know. But I just can’t put my finger on who it is."

"He reminds me of Ricard," Prince Deacon finally said, breaking his otherwise well-maintained silence throughout the conversation. "Cocky bastard."

"Right, Prince Ricard!" Prince Gilbert said, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand as his eyes brightened. "He does resemble the Raxuvians, now that you’ve mentioned it, Prince Deacon."

Deacon made a sound under his breath but otherwise said nothing else. That was the best reaction Gilbert was going to get out of him, but it was enough to scratch that itch.

"Oh, he does, actually," Bellaflor said thoughtfully. "The Raxuvian royal family are among those invited to the wedding."

Celestina chuckled. "Wouldn’t it be funny to see them all in the same venue?"

***

"What is it that you wanted to show me, Reitan?" Soleia patiently asked, watching as her little brother tugged her in the direction of the bedchambers.

Reitan was a sensitive child who loved to paint, but King Godwin disapproved of such a hobby. Back then, Soleia would help Reitan hide his drawings. Hopefully, Reitan had managed to keep his love for the arts. Soleia wondered if this was what he wanted to show her.

Thinking about it, she had been gone for two long years. His skills must have considerably improved during this time, and if he had been painting regularly, he would’ve amassed a rather large collection of paintings by now.

Once they were a good distance away from the dining hall, Reitan’s steps finally began to slow down. He still held Soleia’s hand, but he refused to turn and meet her eyes. This buried a seed of worry in Soleia’s heart as she frowned. She walked forward and bent down to Reitan’s height as she gently held his shoulder.

"What’s wrong, Reitan?" she said. "Why are you pouting?"

"I am not pouting," the young boy replied, but the furious tilt of his lips and the tears that welled in his eyes told Soleia otherwise. "Princes don’t pout."

She smiled, using her thumbs to wipe his tears away.

"You’re right, princes do not pout," Soleia said, using her index finger to tap his bottom lip, which coaxed a small watery giggle out of him. "But my little brother can. So what is it that’s making you frown like that?"

"I saw a bad man leaving your room last night," he finally said softly, his fingers tugging at the bottom seams of his shirt. "Where is the General, Sister? Why isn’t he protecting you from that bad man?"

"What bad man?" Soleia asked, genuinely confused.

Was there someone in her room last night? She frowned as she tried to think back. It had just been her and Sir Ralph, working on her inventions...

Her eyes widened.

"Did you mean Sir Ralph?" she asked. "Is that why you don’t want him following us?"

Reitan weakly nodded, his eyes watery.

"I don’t like him, Sister," Reitan softly mumbled under his breath. "His eyes change color. It’s scary."