The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 79: Pollen

Chapter 79: Pollen

Soleia’s face nearly turned as green as the various plants displayed in the flower store, their stalks rivaling her in vitality and color. She tried not to wince, merely pinching her lip while Ralph merely cleared his throat.

"I am Princess Soleia, actually," she clarified, and the storekeeper’s face quickly blanched white when she realized who the patrons were. "I am here to place an order for the various flowers needed for the ceremony."

"Yes, yes, of course," the store vendor said, quickly recovering. "I apologize for not recognizing you immediately, Your Highness. Anything that has caught your fancy? Anything I can help with?"

Soleia’s eyes glanced around the room, landing on the roses the store vendor had previously pointed out. They were very beautiful, colored in such a way that it seemed like there were diamonds hanging off the petals.

She was just about to enquire about them when she felt a tug at her dress. She looked down in time to see Reitan had a hand covering his nose, his cheeks red and puffed up.

"What’s the matter, Reitan?" Soleia asked, crouching down to his level.

"Can I wait outside, Sister?" Reitan muttered the words, his voice barely audible with the way he pinched his nose. "My nose feels funny."

"Perhaps it’s the pollen, Your Highness," Ralph suggested. "His Highness might be allergic to it."

"Oh dear," Soleia said. "In that case, let’s leave and come back another day―"

"No," Reitan said, shrugging away from his sister’s side. "Sister needs to make the purchase, or Father will be mad―"

He barely even finished the sentence when a violent sneeze ripped through the air, his snot flying. The storekeeper hissed sharply as she stepped back, desperately trying to avoid the sticky, slimy projectile, a look of disgust dashing across her face.

However, she dared not say anything, not when her disgusting guests were royalty! That didn’t mean she needed to, of course. Her expression told Soleia everything she needed to know.

Soleia’s lips twisted in pain as she looked back and forth between the storekeeper and Reitan. In the end, she turned to Ralph and said, "Sir Ralph, could I trouble you to wait outside with Reitan for just a moment?"

"Of course, Princess―"

Ralph’s sentence hadn’t even been completed when Reitan shot out of the store, sneezing the entire way. He shoved through a couple of other patrons, nearly toppling a few potted plants here and there as he pushed his way out of the store and disappeared past the front entrance.

Soleia and Ralph barely even had the chance to exchange a look before Ralph ran out as well in chase of the Prince, the door slamming shut behind him.

"I am so sorry about this," Soleia said, smiling apologetically at the storekeeper. "As for the flowers, as you can see, I’m afraid I won’t be able to take any real ones. Do you have any artificial blooms for sale? Maybe made of paper or fabrics?"

***

Rafael’s eyes scanned the busy market street, his heartbeat pounding so loudly that he could hear its reverberation in his ears. He looked again and again, but there was no sign of the small boy anywhere.

It had just been three seconds, ten at most, between the time Reitan and Rafael had exited the flower shop, but in those mere seconds, Prince Reitan had seemingly vanished in thin air. Rafael didn’t dare to yell the Prince’s name as well, for fear that it might draw attention to them.

He turned and glanced back at the store― Soleia was still talking animatedly to the storekeeper, her hands waving left and right as she described her vision to her best efforts. Once Rafael was sure that she was paying no mind to the world outside, he stepped further out and entered the nearest alleyway.

"Oliver!" Rafael hissed out, and the man appeared almost immediately.

Oliver’s head was bowed as he said, "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Did you see where the young prince went?" Rafael all but snapped, causing Oliver to jerk back in surprise.

"N-No, Your Highness," Oliver confessed. "I wasn’t paying much attention to the boy so much as you―"

"Fucking hell," Rafael cursed under his breath. "Stay here and watch over Princess Soleia. Do not leave her side. Protect her with your life if you must, you understand that?" He barked, and Oliver frantically nodded.

With that said, Rafael pulled up his hood and mask, quickly flipping up the wall to reach the roof of the building. From up above, it was easier to see the streets. The sea of people who strolled down the marketplace was only ever increasing as it neared lunchtime. More and more families were out with their children, making it difficult for Rafael to catch anything worthwhile.

His eyes scanned the road right in front of the flower shop first, just to make sure he hadn’t missed Reitan’s small figure. Once he was sure, he looked further up, carefully scaling the roof to get a better view.

But still, there was nothing. Rafael’s shoulder dropped in disappointment, frenzy slowly creeping up his body. Until...

A flash of silver caught his eye, causing Rafael’s eyes to narrow. He hid behind the chimney on the roof, his body blending just perfectly into the shadowed part of the roof. Kneeling down, he squinted at the figure until he was sure what he was looking at.

The woman looked suspiciously left and right before adjusting the hood over her head, carefully concealing her silver hair. Then, she slinked into a back alley. Rafael hastily followed after her, dropping to ground level once he got close enough, in fear she would notice if he continued to hop from one roof to another.

She stopped a few times, looking around her as though she could feel someone stalking her, only to further continue on her journey. That was when Rafael had a clearer, better view that confirmed his suspicions about the woman’s identity.

Elowyn.

But what was she doing here at the market instead of staying at the palace with Orion?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.