The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 211: All For Science II

"Gladly," Rafael said, grabbing her hand protectively.

However, much to Rafael’s disappointment, they hadn’t even taken a step when Raziel stopped them.

"Hold on just a minute, Your Highness," Raziel said, his tone calm and his voice unraised. It was as though he was discussing the weather outside― and it was a beautifully sunny day at that. "If all you need is a person who is alive and kicking, you need only ask."

With that said, Raziel unlocked the heavy metal door and stepped in. Soleia watched, her eyebrows knitted tightly together as she stood there in silence, observing what Raziel wanted to do. He merely kneeled down next to the frail woman, and slowly but surely, his carnelian ear studs began to glow.

"What are you―" Soleia’s words were quickly cut off in her throat when she noticed the bright red glow that emanated from Raziel’s hand. The glow quickly wrapped around Anastasia, and the seconds seemed to stretch on for hours as the red light flickered and spread across the entire expanse of the dungeon.

Slowly but surely, the woman began to stir. She first shivered at the cold of the stone floors, but her eyes began to blink open, still heavy with exhaustion. Her lips slightly parted, opening and closing a few times without making a sound, but she definitely looked infinitely more alive than before.

Meanwhile, Raziel had a thin layer of perspiration across his forehead. He pursed his lips, and when he finally stepped away, his lips were a little pale as well. A soft exhale left his mouth, and once he stood to his full height, he turned and looked at Soleia.

"As long as they aren’t dead, we have plenty of ways to bring them back from the hands of death," Raziel said as though he hadn’t just performed a medical miracle.

He walked out of the cell and approached the locked cabinet. Then, with a small key, he twisted it open and withdrew a garnet. With the item retrieved, he returned back into the cell and placed the stone right next to the woman where she could reach for it easily.

The woman was missing half a liver and a spleen, but she slowly got up from the ground as though all she suffered was a bad fall and had sprained her ankle.

Soleia watched with a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity as Anastasia pushed herself upright, moaning in discomfort the entire time. Her voice was broken and hoarse, barely able to vocalize even a single proper word, but her eyes were clear when her gaze fell upon the garnet placed on the stone floor.

She reached for it like a starving man would reach for bread, and her fingers rubbed against the smooth surface of the high-quality gemstone a few times in disbelief. Tears welled in her eyes, and the stone pulsed with a faint light.

Then, she raised her head, as though suddenly remembering that she wasn’t alone.

A look of confusion filled her face as she glanced at Rafael and Soleia, but when her gaze landed on Raziel, the look in her eyes sharpened instantly. Her eyebrows drew together before anger crept across her features, and her lips contorted to let rip a snarl of hatred.

"You!" Anastasia yelled, her voice filled with gravel.

With the stone in her hand, she immediately held out a palm, and out shot a fireball. Soleia yelped in surprise as Rafael tugged her away from Raziel. The other man, however, merely stepped to one side without even flinching. He maintained a calm expression as he looked at Soleia.

"It seems like her magic is still intact, despite the lack of one and a half organs," he said.

Another ball of fire was tossed his way, and Raziel ducked. It didn’t even singe his hair, but it certainly did hit the other end of the room. One of the dead bodies in the opposite cell quickly ignited into flames, and the smell of burning flesh quickly filled the room.

Even though she was still wobbly, Anastasia had managed to push herself onto her feet with the support of the wall. She gripped the rough walls, her blackened nails digging into the stone as she held on for dear life. Yet, it did not distract her from the hatred in her eyes.

"Best start as soon as you can," Raziel said. "I am unsure how much her body can take―"

His words were cut off by a blast of fire. This time, it was a constant onslaught, forcing Raziel to step toward Soleia instead.

"What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!" Rafael barked. "She’s aiming for you! Get the fuck away from us!"

"Exactly," Raziel calmly replied. Then, he looked at Soleia and said, "Please pardon me for this."

Without further warning, he ripped Soleia from Rafael’s arms, making use of their temporary surprise, and placed her right in front of him as a human shield. Soleia’s eyes widened with alarm when she was met with Anastasia’s furious gaze, and that was when she understood.

Anastasia couldn’t give a rat’s ass about who else she hurt, as long as Prince Raziel was burnt to a crisp by the flames of her hatred.

The fire in her eyes was quickly replaced by the fire that burst forth from Anastasia’s hands, and Soleia instinctively placed her hands up. Her ears began to tingle, and so did her fingertips. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but it never came.

There was a feeling of warmth that bled into Soleia’s hands, and it grew in heat until it felt as though she was touching a heated pot directly. But that sort of sizzling pain only lasted for a fraction of a second before it quickly disappeared. Instead, Soleia’s entire body felt as though it was filled with a light buzz.

Once all of the flames were gone, Soleia staggered back and into Rafael’s awaiting arms. He roughly shoved Raziel out of the way before catching Soleia, holding her much tighter this time.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, to which Soleia merely nodded.

Anastasia, on the other hand, looked down at her hands in surprise. Her fingers shook, and her lips wobbled as she stared at her palms, unsure of what had just happened.

Her magic was gone as soon as it was returned to her.

Rendered without power, Anastasia was left with no other choice. She gritted her teeth and let out a battle cry, charging straight for Raziel.

However, she hadn’t even made it close before a splatter of blood was slashed onto the stone wall. Soleia gasped and jumped in fright, curling deeper into Rafael’s arms when a thud sounded in the room, a head rolling to her feet.