The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 81: Old Acquaintances

Chapter 81: Old Acquaintances

A secretive family based in the North of Raxuvia, the Wynslers ruled over the islands off the coast. They did not welcome visitors, and when Rafael had spurned their marriage offer, they had screamed all sorts of insults at him before leaving, claiming that he was already marrying far beyond his station with their offer.

As far as he knew, there was no woman with silver hair in the family. But that didn’t mean anything. If Rafael could have found a way to disguise his eye color, this woman could have easily disguised her hair.

So Elowyn could have been working on the orders of his ex-fiancée, Lady Elinora Wynsler! That thought caused a shiver to travel down his spine. But that would explain how quickly Elowyn had pieced together his identity when no one else was wiser.

After all, Elinora knew he could use his magic to control blood. That was why she was so insistent on marrying him. She was very interested, almost obscenely obsessively so, in pushing the extent of his abilities. That was why he could not bring himself to marry her. He didn’t feel comfortable marrying someone that looked at him as though he was nothing more than a powerful chess piece, to be used and discarded at will.

Rafael heard footsteps from behind him, and he hurriedly tucked the urn inside his pocket and whirled around. The footsteps belonged to none other than Elowyn, who was limping fiercely as she made her way to him. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of her supplier prostrating on the floor, frantically begging for dear life.

"Please let me go..." The man continued to plead for his life on the floor. Once he saw Elowyn, he redoubled his efforts. "Miss! Please tell this man the truth! I didn’t kidnap anyone! I’m only selling you the amethysts!"

Elowyn pursed her lips. "Where’s the amethyst I was promised?"

"He took it!" The man pointed a limp wrist in Rafael’s direction. Rafael only raised an eyebrow.

"Hand it over to me this instance," Elowyn demanded, her face turning a furious red.

"Why do you want an amethyst? Isn’t Orion deep in your thrall?" Rafael asked.

However, his simple question infuriated Elowyn further. She twisted her hands in the cuffs in an effort to break loose. They held firm, so she was only left with reddened skin.

"Stop trying to escape," Rafael said, sounding bored.

"I’m not. Pull up my sleeves, and I’ll show you how much your best friend loves me," Elowyn spat out.

Rafael stared at her for a moment, before flicking his fingers. The cuffs on Elowyn’s wrists flew upwards, causing her to let out a pained wince at the sudden movement.

"Just making sure you’re not up to any tricks," Rafael said.

Elowyn’s dress was long and form-fitting, so the fabric clung tightly to her shoulders and arms, highlighting her lean figure. Logically, it would be impossible for her to hide a crystal inside that part of her dress.

But Rafael was a man prone to caution, and he had seen Soleia stuff crystals in areas that he thought were impossible. He wasn’t going to take the risk of Elowyn attacking him with something from her pockets while his attention was diverted.

He pulled down her sleeves, revealing a plethora of nasty bruises all over Elowyn’s arms. The purples and greens painted an ugly picture over her originally pristine skin, causing a sense of revulsion to course through him.

He frowned. The man on the floor was similarly shocked, his mouth falling open.

Just as the faintest sense of sympathy began to form, Rafael remembered how much trouble this woman caused Soleia and him, and his feelings vanished like dew in the afternoon sun.

"So how on earth did this happen?" Rafael asked. "Did you trip and roll down a flight of stairs?"

Elowyn let out a disdainful scoff.

"You happened. You and your stupid blood needles! I don’t know exactly how you did what you did, but the Orion that I knew is no longer the same man as before. He is suspicious of my every action with men, and never allows me to leave his sight. Either you hand me the amethyst, or you undo this mess immediately!"

Rafael couldn’t help the small sense of smug satisfaction that coursed through him. So his hypothesis was right after all. Jabbing those needles at certain concentrated spots on the face could cause heavier blood flow, which in turn messed up the effects of Elowyn’s enchantment.

"How is it my fault? You reap what you sow," Rafael replied cavalierly. It didn’t escape his notice that he had seen less of Orion and Elowyn so far, something that could only be seen as an improvement. "Isn’t this what you wanted all this while? For him to be so possessive of you that everything else falls by the wayside? Why are you complaining?"

"It’s not as though he has stopped loving you," Rafael added, his false support practically dripping off every syllable that rolled off his tongue. "Your marriage will be fruitful and blessed."

Elowyn’s face darkened and she struggled further in her cuffs. But this time, it was because she wanted to lunge forward to strangle him. It was a pity that Rafael did not give her this chance.

"The wedding wouldn’t happen if he killed me before that," Elowyn hissed out. "In that case, Princess Soleia would be his only wife, leaving you with nothing!"

"I will be Princess Soleia’s second and last husband," Rafael retorted, smiling coldly at Elowyn’s panicked face. "Are you hoping I would feel sorry for you after you attempted to blackmail me? You should be on your knees, begging for a chance at survival. What can you offer me in return for sparing your life?"

Elowyn’s face paled further when she realized Rafael was unmoved by her plight.

"What do you want from me?!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear.

"Information, of course," Rafael said, his eyes glinting victoriously as he stared down at his prey. "Who are you working for?"