The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 203: Gold of the Throne

That was a question Soleia could not answer. Rationally, she knew it would be better for her escape attempt if Rafael stayed with Elinora to become the king. However, a sharp pang in her heart claimed otherwise.

If Rafael truly stayed with Elinora instead of chasing after her, it simply meant that she was nothing to him in the grand scheme of things. The gold of her hair could not compete with the gold of his crown.

But she’d be damned if she let Prince Ricard know about her inner turmoil, even if he most likely guessed it. She merely raised an eyebrow.

"And I suppose you would be hoping for the former to happen? Since it would leave the throne nice and empty for you to sit on."

"You wound me with your cynicism. Who hurt you?" Prince Ricard lamented with a dramatic sigh. "I am choosing to root for the former choice because I believe in the power of love. Do you want to make a friendly wager? I believe he would chase after you like a bloodhound, leaving Elinora destroyed. Of course, this is assuming Elinora is alive to begin with."

"And you call me a cynic. From personal experience, it is highly unlikely for Elinora to die," Soleia said firmly. She had met cockroaches that were less hardy. "If this is all you want to ask me, I’m leaving. I need to rest after seeing your father slit his own palm in front of me."

She didn’t think Rafael’s father would be so determined to test her that he turned his blade on himself. If it was her father, he would have squealed like an infant if he was forced to inflict a flesh wound.

She began to walk back to her room. Of course, both Prince Ricard’s legs and his mouth did not stop moving.

"God, he hasn’t done that in a long time," Prince Ricard said wistfully. "But that little stunt allowed Raziel to show off." Then, he continued to talk about his younger brother.

Soleia could see her bedroom door ahead. She quickened her footsteps, but when she was about to open the door, she turned to ask Prince Ricard an important question.

"Just to satisfy my curiosity," Soleia said. "If it came down to it, could you slaughter Raziel for the crown?"

Prince Ricard stared at her with deliberate nonchalance. "That is an awfully loaded question to ask, Princess Soleia."

"I am simply returning the favor," Soleia said evenly. "Well? Do you think he will sit idly by while you kill him, or perhaps he might finish you off first?"

Prince Ricard scoffed. "Impossible. My brother has no offensive capabilities. I could kill him in my sleep. You are trying to sow discord between us."

"I’m just being practical," Soleia said easily. "There is only one crown. Even if Rafael is gone, that still leaves him as your biggest competition. He can marry Elinora as well as you can. How do you know he’s not plotting to get rid of you in secret after using you to get rid of Rafael?"

She continued, "After all, I’m sure he too knows you could kill him easily. If it were me, I would not be able to rest easy knowing that someone could easily dispose of me."

Then, as if she had not said anything groundbreaking, she opened the door and entered her room. With one final smile, she bowed her head lightly.

"Thank you for escorting me. Have a good night, Prince Ricard."

The door slammed shut in his face. Prince Ricard could only stare open-mouthed at the wooden door, incredulous at what had transpired.

This little minx! He could almost understand why his illegitimate brother was so obsessed with her. He let out a breathy laugh. Outrageous. She was utterly outrageous! He made a mental note to provide her with more gems the next day.

But she had brought up a good point. The throne was a seat meant for one, and Ricard had never been one to share. His gaze darkened as he spotted the person standing at the edge of the corridor.

The bright green of Raziel’s eyes glinted ominously in the candlelight.

***

"I’m back," Rafael said, rushing to her side. He looked over at her anxiously. "How are you feeling? Did my brother say anything untoward to you?"

"I’m fine. There was nothing he could do to me after your father’s earlier pronouncement," Soleia carefully put the book she was reading back on the tiny coffee table and raised her arms to embrace Rafael in a hug. "I should be asking after you instead. How was dealing with Elinora?"

"Unbearable," Rafael confessed, pressing a gentle kiss to Soleia’s palm. He stared into her eyes and felt a rare serenity flood through his body. "All I wanted to do was return by your side."

"That makes both of us," Soleia said. "I would turn in, but part of me is worried about tomorrow’s training. If I don’t make good progress..."

"You will," Rafael said reassuringly. "I’ll gather the best crystals for you to use first thing in the morning. Not just the topazes you mentioned before― the sky’s the limit," Rafael promised.

"I know you will. But I’m more worried that Elinora might sabotage me," Soleia confessed, biting her lower lip on purpose. "Even till now, I have not figured out how she managed to keep her true hair color hidden for so long. Not even you saw through her disguise... and it wasn’t affected by my nullification powers either. It honestly terrifies me."

It did not, but the fear of being trapped in this palace, to be used as a weapon of war, was greater than anything else.

"You believe she might disguise herself to ruin your efforts?" Rafael asked, a frown on his face as he considered this new development. It wasn’t out of the question. Elinora had already shown signs of unhinged possessiveness when they first met, and he doubted the years would have improved matters.

Also, he wasn’t blind. He saw her furious expression when Soleia buried herself in his hold. A jealous woman was a dangerous one.

"I might have some ideas about that," Rafael said. "I did dabble in something similar, but it’s nowhere as advanced as hers." He then led Soleia back to the table and pulled out a few sheets of parchment.

"I used veilpetal and mirrorweed for the base since Elinora’s disguise was more long-lasting, she might have used chamelis root or shadeblooms instead..."

Soleia listened carefully with her head bowed, taking notes. Her eyes shone as the gears of her head began to spin.

Soon, she would be out of here for good.