The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 82: Blood Spear

Chapter 82: Blood Spear

Elowyn frowned. "I don’t understand..."

"Cut the act," Rafael snorted. "There are only so many people in this world who know about my magical affinities. Who are you? Who are you working for?"

"Who am I―" Elowy cut herself short, her furrowed eyebrows quickly loosening. Then, she scoffed lightly under her breath before one short laugh left her lips. And another, and another, until she was eventually throwing her head back and guffawing madly.

"Oh, dear Prince!" Elowyn said with a devious chuckle. "For a second, you had me so confused! Then I realized― you have no clue who I am!"

"Should I?" Rafael asked with a raised brow. "You don’t strike me as someone particularly memorable."

That seemed to have struck a chord in Elowyn. Joy faded quickly from her face as her expression darkened. Her lips twisted into a slight sneer.

"I am a blessed citizen of Raxuvia, of course," Elowyn said. "Wouldn’t I be a horrid citizen if I couldn’t recognize my own prince?" She then gestured to the man on the floor. "Also, I do hope you have a way of clearing his memory of this conversation. Would be awful if he went around and blabbed our secrets, wouldn’t it, my prince?"

This time, it was Rafael’s turn to snort.

"If you’re not planning on spilling the beans, then I have no use for you," he said.

This was a waste of time. He had lingered here for minutes too long and had spent more tailing Elowyn, only to turn out mostly unfruitful. There was no Prince Reitan anywhere, and by the looks of the pathetic, sniveling mess of a crystal seller on the floor, he probably had no clue what Rafael was talking about as well.

Without another word, Rafael turned and headed straight for the door. He needed to find Prince Reitan before anything happened to the kid. Or worse― Soleia emerged from the store to realize they were both missing. She would be worried sick.

Clicking his tongue in irritation, he waved a hand, causing the blood that had bound the man’s arms to immediately turn into its liquid form again, spilling to the floor in a splatter of scarlet.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you!" he muttered in the background, sniffling and sobbing, causing Rafael to roll his eyes at the theatrics.

As he turned to leave, Elowyn let out a horrified screech. "What about me? You’re not going to just leave me like this, are you?"

"You’re a clever girl," Rafael said without looking back. "I’m sure you’ll find a way."

He ignored the way Elowyn grunted in a mix of frustration and agony as she tried to worm free from the handcuffs, only to remain fruitless.

But Rafael had barely even made it to the doorway when he heard the rustle of clothing behind him. His ear twitched, and his gut instincts told him to look up. When he did, his eyes went straight to the window just slightly to the right, in time to see that the man had risen to his feet.

That wouldn’t have been a source for alarm, but in his hand was a sword that bore a different family crest― that of the royal family of Raxuvia. He had raised the sword in just a mere second, and Rafael’s eyes widened when he caught sight of it.

Ducking, Rafael reached a hand out towards the line of blood on the floor, his carnelian glowing a bright red as magic flowed through his fingers. The pool of blood quickly swooped up as commanded, hardening and sharpening into a spear before it ran clean through the man’s back to his front.

Blood spurted forth from the man’s lips as he stopped his actions, his arms still holding the sword high above his head. The blood spear created by Rafael’s magic had perfectly skewered him, hitting the major organs in one movement.

To his last breath, the man’s eyes were still wide with horror and disbelief. The sword loosened from his grip and dropped to the floor, before the man fell limp, held up only by the spear.

Even Elowyn sucked in a cold breath of air a short distance away, watching with disgust as blood began to seep from the man’s wound, flowing toward her. She backed away, limping every step of the way, before holding onto the wall for support.

"A mere crystal seller?" Rafael tutted under his breath as he walked forward.

He bent down and picked up the sword, twisting it left and right to look at the familiar insignia. A cold laugh escaped his lips as he took a look at the man’s face.

"I didn’t realize my brother’s men are so poor that they have to look for a side job to make ends meet," Rafael commented.

He then coldly turned to look at Elowyn. Unfortunately, Prince Reitan would have to wait, especially since there were new developments. Forget the Wynslers― Elowyn knew a soldier who carried the royal insignia on his sword― a variation unique to the men in service to a specific prince.

Every step he took towards Elowyn was leisurely, but the oppressive aura caused Elowyn to shiver against the wall. She knew better than to be scared or to show fear, but this... this was impossible when bloodlust practically oozed from every pore of Rafael Biroumand’s body.

"Tell me," Rafael said as he closed in on Elowyn.

With the man dead, there was a fresh source of weaponry for Rafael to use. He simply held out his hand, and the blood snaked into his hold, forming the shape of a sword that scratched the wood of the floor as Rafael walked, creating a grating noise.

Maybe due to her fear, or maybe it was because of her injuries, Elowyn’s hair color flickered. It was just for a brief second, but Rafael caught it anyway, causing his smirk to deepen when he realized his guess was proven true.

He said, "Since when did the great, arrogant Lady Elinora take orders from my brother, hmm?"