The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 84: Strange Instinct I

Chapter 84: Strange Instinct I

"Sister!" Reitan cried out when Soleia landed on top of him.

She had stretched out her hand at the very last second, the palm of her hand scraping against the rough stone ground, causing her skin to tear and blood to flow. However, that at least stopped her from slamming her entire weight on the already injured child.

"Don’t forget," Florian continued, speaking to the men he had brought with him, "her little guard dog isn’t present. The Princess is alone. Who is she going to cry to? Her father? The King favors me more than he cares about her."

Kneeling down, Florian grabbed a fistful of Soleia’s hair, causing her to yelp in pain. Her hands automatically reached up to hold down her scalp, but Florian had used so much force that she had no choice but to tilt her head upward along with his movements.

"I am the man who will soon be king," Florian hissed into Soleia’s ear. "And when the time comes, I will make you my concubine whether you and your little pet dog likes it or not. You will have no choice but to serve me all the same, and no one will be there to stop me."

Soleia gritted her teeth, wrinkling her nose as she tried her hardest not to cry out in pain. Florian had used way more force than needed, and the tug on her hair felt like he was about to rip a chunk of her hair clean off her scalp.

Her surroundings quickly grew cold as Florian formed a dagger made of ice, pointing the sharp tip of it right next to Soleia’s cheek. She stilled. It wasn’t pressed into her flesh enough to draw blood, but she wasn’t going to doubt his capabilities to do so if he was pushed any further.

"Grab the kid!" Florian barked at his men, and they quickly secured Reitan right as he was about to crawl up to his feet. The little boy yelled and kicked, but they were in an area too far from the crowd for his voice to capture substantial attention.

Soleia watched with horror as a sickening crunch came from Reitan― one of the men had used so much force that Reitan’s shoulder was dislocated, twisting at an odd angle as he struggled to break free.

"Reitan!" She glowered at the men, her jaw trembling with rage. "Let go of him! He’s just a child!"

Her breath halted when the dagger pressed harder into her cheek, this time, drawing blood. A sharp pain bloomed on her face as the tip of the dagger punctured her skin. Florian’s laughter merely echoed in the dark corner.

"Or what?" Florian mocked. "What will you do, Princess?"

"Reitan is still my father’s son," Soleia lowly warned. "If anything happens to him, you will have to answer to him. He will strip you of your chance to become the next heir to the throne."

"If I am not the heir, who will be?" Florian snorted. "If this brat is disposed of, I will be the only eligible candidate to become the crown prince. Besides, you will not be able to say anything for poor little Reitan, especially if..."

The ice dagger slowly scratched against Soleia’s skin, thankfully, more ticklish than harmful. It left a slightly red line, but her skin did not break. It came to a stop right next to her throat.

"If your voice just so happens to be broken, and your hands too crippled to hold a quill ever again," Florian said.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Oh, Princess," Florian said with a laugh. "I am merely telling you the facts. Sacrifice your brother, and I can guarantee you a life of luxury. You can return to the palace as my concubine, rather than serve as the second wife of a peasant general. Better a king than a common man, don’t you agree?"

Soleia said nothing. She merely lifted her feet, throwing her life on a bet that she could move faster than Florian. Without warning, she slammed the heel of her foot down on her toes, causing his hand to drop the ice dagger instantly, releasing her hair at the same time.

Profanities flew from his lips as he grabbed at his feet, the ice dagger dropping to the floor, shattering into small ice fragments the moment it made contact with the ground.

"You little bitch!" Florian yelled as the aquamarine on his ring glowed once more.

Magic gathered at his fingertips, and he shot out a wave of frost at Soleia. She ducked just in time; the ice hit the wall right behind her, causing icicles to immediately crawl up the stone as though it were an icy cavern. If she had been hit, she would’ve turned into an ice statue no doubt.

Grunting in frustration that he had missed, Florian raised his hand again, but Soleia lurched forward. Her eyes narrowed in on the ring he wore, and without hesitation, her fingers reached for the ring and tugged right as magic was about to blast forth from Florian’s hand a second time.

A burning sensation came from Soleia’s earlobes, and the ring slid off his finger a little too easily, causing Soleia to stumble back. Her fingers were tingling as she held firmly onto Florian’s ring, clutching it firmly against her chest as he stared at his hand in disbelief.

What was the use of magic without its conduit? With no crystal on his body — or at least, not one that resonated with his ice magic — there was nothing Florian could do, no matter if he was a magical prodigy or not.

He could only point frantically at her as he screamed at the men. "Get her!"

One man stayed back to restrain Reitan while the other lunged forward, his huge hands grabbing for Soleia, but she easily swerved out of the way. Then, she felt the same sensation. Her fingers grew so cold that they felt hot, and when she looked down, the tips of her fingers had already turned blue, with frost creeping down her fingers and reaching for her palm.

A strange instinct took over her as she slipped Florian’s ring on. Without a second thought, she threw her hand out in the same way Florian had done just now. A flash of silver and blue shot through the air, followed by gasps of disbelief. The air turned even colder than before.