The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 86: More to Study

Chapter 86: More to Study

Soleia recounted the entire story as best as she could, from how she left the florist unable to find both Ralph and Reitan, to her finding Reitan bloodied and bruised by Florian and his men. As she spoke, Ralph kneeled in front of Reitan, his carnelian glowing as he hovered his hand over Reitan’s injuries.

One by one, the bruises slowly faded in color, and pain quickly fled from Reitan’s face. He no longer winced and cowered, and instead, looked much more at peace. Finally, Ralph got to the young boy’s shoulder. He held it firmly and looked the boy in the eyes.

"This will hurt," he told Reitan. The latter pursed his lips but nodded.

With a push and a twist, a crack sounded through the air. No magic was needed― Ralph popped Reitan’s dislocated shoulder back into place. A short yelp of pain left his lips, but as soon as it did, his face brightened. The pain had disappeared as quickly as it came, and with it went the ache.

Ralph smiled as he looked at his handiwork. Then, he turned to Soleia.

"How did you manage to get away from Prince Florian?" he asked curiously.

"I―" Soleia stopped herself short, her voice clogged in her throat.

Should she tell Sir Ralph what had happened? After all, she had gone two decades of her life thinking she had no power. It wasn’t just her― the entire kingdom of Vramid and the kingdom’s allies knew that their third princess was born without magic. What an odd thing it would be to suddenly say she had awakened something.

Soleia shook her head. No, she mustn’t be hasty. Experiments would need to be done regarding this matter on why she had no powers before and why she suddenly could do so much. Until then, no one could and should know other than herself. Florian would not say a word as it could threaten his position in court, while Reitan would be easy to convince.

Unfortunately, that meant even Sir Ralph mustn’t know.

When she flexed her fingers, Soleia could still feel the cold gathering at the tips. She looked down at her hand.

Prince Florian’s aquamarine ring was still there. It was loose on her fingers and sat a little lopsidedly, but it did not dull the glitter and shine of the beautiful gemstone. As a prince, Florian had access to the best of the best. Naturally, the stone was of one of the best quality Soleia had ever seen before.

After a moment of silence, she finally said, "I stepped on Prince Florian’s foot. When he wasn’t paying attention, I stole his ring."

"What a smart girl," Ralph cheekily commented, reaching over to pat the top of Soleia’s head. "No crystal, no magic. That’s brilliant."

At the third pat, he suddenly stopped and his eyes widened with realization.

What was he doing?!

Princess Soleia was a princess! He was treating her as though she was his beloved pet.

Likewise, Soleia’s eyes were wide as she stared at Ralph. He had leaned in a little closer, his large hand still resting at the top of her head. She could feel the warmth of his palm, and this close, she could even see each individual eyelash that clung to his eyelid. When Ralph blinked, they fluttered like a set of butterfly wings.

Her heart skipped a beat. All of a sudden, she was reminded of the sudden inebriating realization she had just earlier in the morning, and her traitorous cheeks flushed a brilliant scarlet.

Soleia stiffened under his touch as a result, and Ralph quickly drew his hand back. Internally, she cursed herself. He must’ve noticed her reaction, and as a result, moved away.

She wasn’t sure if she should be embarrassed her feelings were caught, or if she should resent the fact that she had such little time to enjoy this moment before she was ripped back to reality.

"Ahem," Ralph cleared his throat, taking a step back. "I mean, good job, Princess. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any less from the smartest woman in the kingdom."

"Y-You flatter me, Sir Ralph," Soleia shyly said. She wasn’t sure why she was stammering and stuttering like a pre-teen discovering the first blossoms of love― actually, she did, considering she was indeed discovering those said blossoms, albeit no longer a pre-teen. "It was just... common sense. I have no magic of my own to fight him with, so the next best thing is to make our fight on fair terms."

Ralph nodded, a proud smile on his face.

"In any case, we should return to the palace as soon as possible," he said. "The King needs to know what sort of man he’s planning to put on the throne after his inevitable retirement. If he’s capable of attempting murder to get rid of competition, he can do the same to speed up the process. I have a feeling your father will not like that."

Soleia nodded. Ralph was right. King Godwin needed to know what his precious heir was capable of. And they needed to return before Florian could. If he reached the King first, he could easily spin the tale in his favor.

The trio set out to return to the palace, Reitan in Ralph’s arms. The young boy quickly fell asleep, the day’s events enough to tire him out. But as they neared the palace gates, Rafael stopped. He raised his head and looked around, a small frown setting upon his face.

"Sir Ralph?" Soleia asked, stopping to turn back and look at him when she realized the man had stopped walking. "Is there something wrong?"

"Could you hold onto Prince Reitan?" Ralph asked, smiling sheepishly. "There is something I must see to. I will come find you as soon as I am done."

"Of course," Soleia said, coming forward to take Reitan into her arms. The boy stirred a little in his sleep but otherwise did not wake. "Will you be alright on your own?"

A cheeky smile crossed Ralph’s cheeks, and he resisted the urge to reach forward to stroke Soleia’s cheek. Her wide-eyed innocence would truly be the death of him.

"I should say that to you, Princess," Ralph said with a laugh. But his expression turned a little serious as he continued, "Be careful."

Soleia nodded before she turned and headed through the palace gates. Rafael watched her the entire way until she eventually disappeared past the doors and into the palace where his eyes could no longer follow. Then, he turned on his heel and headed straight for the forest that surrounded the palace.

"What is it?" he snapped. "I thought I told you to look after the Princess? Why didn’t you step in?"

"I was about to, Your Highness," Oliver hurriedly said, appearing from behind the trees. He dropped to his knees. "But before I could, the Princess herself acted! She... Princess Soleia is capable of cryomancy, Your Highness!"

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