The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 195: Golden Prison

Oliver wore a pained smile.

"Of course not, Your Highness," he said. He quickly clarified, "His Highness has arranged a different bedroom for you. It will, however, be connected to his own chambers."

Soleia couldn’t help but give a light snort as she rolled her eyes.

"But rest assured," Oliver continued, pretending not to hear and see Soleia’s dissatisfaction, "that the sleeping areas are separated, and you will have your own space away from his prying eyes."

"I find that very difficult to believe," Soleia muttered under her breath.

She would rather believe that pigs and dragons could procreate than believe that Rafael would ever let her do anything without his watchful eye looking from any distance away. That was the entire point her chambers were arranged to be right next to his― so that he could have easy access to her whenever he wished.

Additionally, it was probably also to make sure she couldn’t escape.

One quick scan around and Soleia could tell― the security around the Raxuvian palace wasn’t to keep anyone in. There were guards patrolling the external grounds, but there was barely any security set in place inside other than the bare minimum. In comparison, her father had arranged for more, but King Godwin was also an extremity.

"His Highness has his... reasons," Oliver said with a sigh. Even he didn’t believe his own words. "Either way, he wishes for Your Highness’s stay here to be comfortable."

She would be comfortable when she was far away from here. But now wasn’t the time. She had no skills, no inventions, no resources, and more importantly, no crystals.

While Soleia wasn’t sure whether Rafael was truthful with his statement about not using her for her abilities, she wasn’t willing to bet on it. Prince Ricard and Prince Raziel surely already knew about her nullification abilities, which meant that King Recaldo either knew as well or would soon find out. As for the rest of her powers, she wasn’t sure how much Rafael knew― or how much he would divulge to others.

To be safe, she needed to get herself some crystals― starting with a carnelian.

"Here’s your chambers, Your Highness," Oliver said once they arrived.

He held the door open and allowed Soleia to step in. She surveyed the place, raising an eyebrow. To Rafael’s credit, her new living quarters were beautifully decorated. Her bed was draped in silk sheets, and there were matching silk curtains that covered the floor-to-ceiling arched windows.

In fact, it looked a lot like their bedroom in the small estate back in the quaint little town they stayed in, except this room was much bigger, with a sitting space and an ensuite bathroom about thrice the size of the room before.

"What am I supposed to do while waiting for him?" Soleia asked, not even giving him a glance.

She made her way to the bookshelf, her eyes scanning through the titles that were displayed. Shockingly enough, most if not all of them were books that Soleia found great interest in, or had read before. There was even a nice little couch by the window, lined with fluffy pillows. A lamp was even considerately placed right next to it so that she could browse through the books at night.

"His Highness has prepared an assortment of books for you to enjoy," Oliver said, noticing the direction where Soleia turned her head. "He has also stated that parchment and ink is to be prepared, in case Your Highness would like to note any new discoveries down."

Soleia turned, making her way to the table. There was indeed a stack of parchment and a fresh bottle of ink, along with a quill. She recognized some basic equipment as well, tools she would often reach for when fiddling with new creations.

She picked one up, turning to Oliver.

"Does he expect me to invent?"

"If Your Highness so desires," Oliver responded without missing a beat.

"All of my creations make use of crystals," Soleia slowly said.

"That is a topic best discussed directly with His Highness," Oliver said before he bowed. "If there is nothing else, please excuse me, Princess Soleia. I will return later with your dinner."

With that said, Oliver exited the room and closed the door behind him. There was a soft clicking sound, which Soleia deduced came from the lock. Unsurprisingly, the lock was placed on the outside, not the inside.

She huffed before placing the tool back down on the table.

The view outside the window was marvelous. She could see most of the capital city from here, and it had a gorgeous view of the mountains in the distance. Soleia spotted the snowy caps, and she wondered if they were mountain ranges that belonged in Vramid’s territory, since the kingdoms were side by side.

Just the thought of her home kingdom had her shivering.

She needed a map. If she was to escape, she couldn’t run in the direction of Vramid, for her father and Florian would be there― it would be akin to escaping from a bear’s cave by heading into the lion’s den. There had to be other neighboring kingdoms she could go to, preferably one by the sea where she could safely leave port and sail for Nedour.

Looking at the stack of books, Soleia bit her bottom lip. She wondered if there were maps in any of these books. There had to be at least a hundred titles here lining the shelves, surely one of them would be about history or geography?

With that in mind, she reached for the first book and began to flip through the pages.

***

"You have done a surprisingly good job, Rafael," King Recaldo said as he sat upon the throne, his beady eyes focused on his youngest living son. "I thought you would’ve returned with the war veteran Orion Elsher, but the princess of Vramid is also a good choice. Your brothers have told me about her and her unique abilities."

"Of course, Father," Rafael said while on one knee. He didn’t dare look up for even a second.

"Perhaps you are indeed worthy of consideration for the position of crown prince," the King continued, and Rafael subtly stiffened. He pinched his lips and gritted his teeth, trying his best not to show any bit of excitement, in fear that his father would immediately rescind that thought. "However..."

Rafael slowly exhaled. There it was.

"What is it?" Rafael dared ask.

"I have promised the Wynslers a position in court due to the unfortunate way your engagement has ended," King Recaldo said, his words holding more meaning than what was verbally said. "But such prestigious roles will not be given away for no such reason. As such, I have decided that the daughter of the Wynsler family is to be married to the crown prince. She will be the next queen of Raxuvia."