The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 200: Blood Spilled

"Father, Princess Soleia is here," Ricard announced as the servants opened the door to let them stride through.

Soleia walked into the dining hall with her heart in her throat, only to be faced with King Recaldo’s impassive expression. Prince Raziel was already sitting in his seat, and he nodded when he saw them arrive. There were also a few women she did not recognize at the same table, all of them shooting her various degrees of curious looks.

Unfortunately, Elinora was also seated at the table. Soleia swallowed the sigh that was threatening to emerge. She had bigger concerns, and one of them just opened his mouth to address her.

"Princess Soleia." King Recaldo’s face broke into a smile the moment he met her eyes, and Soleia had to pause. With his smile, he suddenly seemed more genial and less imposing. She realized this man would probably be how Rafael looked once he hit middle age and beyond.

But she knew better than to mistake his pleasant attitude for trustworthiness. She felt Rafael squeeze her hand in warning, and she squeezed back, understanding his signal.

"King Recaldo," Soleia said with a smile, giving a polite curtsy in response to his greeting. Rafael also bowed before he escorted her to her seat.

To her dismay, Elinora was sitting next to Rafael. Soleia made sure to give Rafael an irritable glance before she settled in her seat. Rafael swallowed and sat in the middle of the two women. Soleia sat closer to his father than Elinora did, which was a small mercy. He didn’t want to be accused of disrespecting his father just because he didn’t want to look in Elinora’s general direction.

His two brothers sat on the other side. Ricard had a smug, shit-eating grin on his face, while Raziel looked like he couldn’t wait for dinner to be over. His other half-sisters, Rinnas and Ramona, were also there, not even bothering to hide their interest in the new guest.

The first course hadn’t even been served, and Rafael was tired already.

King Recaldo continued to smile at Soleia. "How is my son treating you?"

Soleia blinked, wondering if this was a trick question. She smiled demurely. "Rafael treats me very well."

"As he should," King Recaldo said. "You are a very special guest in Raxuvia. If there is anything you require, feel free to make your requests known."

"You are very kind, thank you," Soleia said politely. She wasn’t born yesterday; clearly, Rafael’s father had plans with her in mind. She took a sip of her wine.

"If my illegitimate son fails to please you, or makes you unhappy in any way, you might want to consider my oldest or my fourth son," King Recaldo continued, nearly causing her to choke. Next to her, Rafael had frozen into a block of wood, staring uncomprehendingly at his father’s face.

"If you wish for the company of women, my daughters Rinnas and Ramona would also be willing to offer their hands in friendship," King Recaldo added.

Rafael stiffened further. Not only was his father pimping out his brothers, he was also pushing his sisters to befriend and bed Soleia?

"That’s... not necessary at the moment," Soleia said, purposely reaching out a hand to squeeze Rafael’s own in full view of everyone present. She would have to be blind to miss the way Rafael was so close to losing his cool at the dining table. "I am quite happy now."

"You will not be if you become Rafael’s concubine," Ricard pointed out, acting like he was concerned about her well-being. "I urge you to think twice. No woman would like to share her husband with someone else."

"You are one to talk," Rafael scowled. "If Soleia married you, she’d have to deal with multiple mistresses knocking on your doorstep."

Elinora covered her mouth, but her tinkling laughter still rang through the room. "Besides, Princess Soleia and I are practically kindred spirits. We have shared the same men once, and we can do it again. In the past, I was the concubine while she was the main wife. Now, our roles are reversed."

Soleia smiled and gripped her cutlery knife tightly, but to her surprise, it was King Recaldo who spoke next.

"Princess Soleia, Rafael has told me much about your abilities. Would you mind demonstrating for us?"

Soleia gulped. Everyone turned back to stare at her with barely concealed anticipation, as though she was a magician who could pull a rabbit out of a hat. She let out an awkward giggle, refusing to look any of them in the eye.

Rafael leaped up in shock. "Father! You cannot be serious!" What was his father planning?

King Recaldo gave his son a dismissive glance. "I was talking to Princess Soleia, not you. Sit back down."

"King Recaldo, with all due respect, I don’t understand what you mean," Soleia said hesitantly as she tugged Rafael back down. "What... am I supposed to do?"

"You can nullify magic," King Recaldo said. He wasn’t asking for Soleia’s opinion. He clapped his hands, and a servant came carrying a tray with a selenite tower on it, along with a short golden knife. King Recaldo took the knife, and the servant placed the tray in front of Soleia as though it was her main course.

"What... do you wish for me to nullify?" Soleia asked, exchanging a worried glance with Rafael.

"My powers," King Recaldo said. And that was all the warning he gave before he slit his own palm, causing blood to spew out.

The air became filled with the coppery scent of blood. His children had various expressions of surprise and panic on their faces, but King Recaldo was unfazed. He easily made that bloodstream whip at Soleia’s face. Instinctively, she raised her hands to shield herself, catching the bloody stream with her palms. It was wet and sticky, but her earrings began to heat up.

So did the carnelian jewel in her pocket, but no one noticed that.

The bloody whip lost its shape and scattered in the form of a blood splatter on the dining table.

"Clean this up," King Recaldo ordered the servant, who hastily used a cloth to wipe up the fallen blood. He gave Soleia a nod of approval.

"I see the reports are true."

Soleia stared down at her bloody hands dumbly and nodded. King Recaldo had straight up revealed her identity as a nullifier to the entire Raxuvian royal family.

"How much can you nullify?" King Recaldo asked, and Soleia blinked.

"My apologies, Your Majesty, I do not understand," Soleia said slowly. She had the feeling she was standing on the verge of a ravine, and one wrong word could send her plummeting down to the abyss.

"I’ll put it more simply. What is the level of magic you can nullify with your powers?"