The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 217: Savior II

"Return?" Oliver echoed, his eyes wide with confusion. "To the palace? Now?!"

"But Sire," Landon tried to say. "We’ve already traveled thus far―"

"Thankfully, not far enough," Rafael said, cutting Landon’s words off before he could continue. The man dutifully kept his lips pinched shut and shrunk back, his head lowered.

Rafael then turned to Oliver, his eyebrows crumpled tightly together and his expression grave. He said, "Lead the men towards our destination. We will rendezvous there. Do not attack or expose your position until I return. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Oliver immediately said.

"Good."

Without sparing his men the luxury of another word, Rafael tugged at his horse’s reins, urging the stallion to turn back. It neighed loudly, its front legs rising into the air for a split second before it turned sharply. Then, in a cloud of dust, Oliver and the rest of the party could only watch as Rafael’s horse went galloping back the way they came.

They hadn’t ventured far, thankfully. They had barely even left the capital, and it should take no time for Rafael to return to the palace. However, every ticking second could be the difference between life and death.

Rafael clenched his jaw hard as he further urged his horse to go faster. He prayed he had mistaken the feeling that the ring had relayed to him. There was a rush of fear, followed by panic and hopelessness. But that wasn’t what frightened Rafael.

No.

It was the sense of relief that he clearly felt rushing through Soleia. There was only one way that would happen, and that would be her last moment before death. He highly doubted his brothers would be so kind as to offer her their assistance, especially since they were most likely the reason why she was in danger― at least, not without coming at a cost.

"Fuck," Rafael cursed under his breath as he soared through the forest, the stray branches and twigs leaving cuts in his skin, drawing blood. Yet, he didn’t stop to heal, nor did he feel any pain from it in the slightest.

All that was in his mind was Soleia’s face, twisted in fear and helplessness, her lips pale and cold.

He needed to hurry.

***

"Come on, quickly," Orion urged. "I hope you don’t need to grab anything."

"No," Soleia said.

She touched her finger where her newest invention was, her fingers running over the garnet stone that she had just fixed into the gold. Then, she patted her pockets where she had kept the two pouches, one containing money and the other containing all the crystals she would ever need.

"I’ve got everything I need here," she said.

Then, she sucked in a cold gasp of air when her fingers touched the other ring she wore. The red band sat snugly on her ring finger, almost glittering like a thousand bloodied stars under the light. It seemed to almost pulse with life.

Gritting her teeth, Soleia pinched the ring and tugged hard. However, it didn’t move a single inch.

"What is it?" Orion asked. "Why have you stopped―" His eyes widened with alarm before he tugged Soleia down to the ground. Then, he rolled into the bushes to hide, pulling her along with him.

She barely even had the time to yelp before she was on the grass, hiding behind leaves and twigs. Soon enough, two soldiers on patrol walked by, their paces in synchrony. Orion’s hand slapped across Soleia’s lips, and her breathing naturally halted as her eyes widened.

They waited until the soldiers’ footsteps had completely disappeared before Orion peeped through the bushes. Once he was sure they were gone, he let go of her.

The moment Orion’s hand left her lips, Soleia’s face went up in flames. She hadn’t realized that she was basically sitting on his lap now, and she pinched her lips tightly together before crawling out of his arms in haste.

"Sorry," he muttered in apology. "I didn’t realize―"

"It’s fine," Soleia said, clearing her throat. Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip before she said, "Where should we find a boat? Or anyone who is willing to sail us?"

Her fingers subconsciously went back to the red ring, spinning it around her finger. Even though she couldn’t move it when she actively tried to remove it, toying with it brought her no difficulty. It was as if it knew.

"We will need disguises," Orion said. "Good ones. Your father has sent men covertly into Raxuvia. The town is littered with them now, ready to bring you back as soon as you step out of the palace."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Soleia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Good question," Orion said.

His smile was a little crooked as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out something small, barely even the size of his hand, and Soleia raised an eyebrow. Only when he had held it out for her to see did her eyes widen.

"How did you get your hands on this?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat.

She hurriedly grabbed it from Orion’s hands, flipping it back and forth to see if her eyes were deceiving her. When she had confirmed that it was exactly what she thought it was, she let out a shaky breath.

"This... You shouldn’t have it... How?!" she muttered, incredulous.

"I’ll explain it to you later," Orion said. "Can you make it work?"

"I... T-This is merely a design, not even a prototype," Soleia answered. "I’ve not finished calibrating the specifics yet, and it will take some time before I can even tweak the details―" Her breath shook with excitement. "I... I thought I left this in the palace," she murmured.

Her eyes were a little watery as she turned and looked at Orion. She had left so hastily that a good chunk of her notes and drafts were left in the palace, a lot more back in Drakenmire. She thought that this mock-up for the mask she had designed would be lost to her father or the rubbish, and not here safely in her hands again.

"Thank you," she earnestly said.

"Thank me later," Orion said. "Come on. The guards won’t come by for another fifteen minutes. We need to go."

He stood up and held a hand out for Soleia to take. Soleia stared at it for a split second, but in the end, chose to stand to her own two feet herself. She briefly dusted the soil off her dress, and Orion’s hand dropped back to his side without a change in his expression.

Quickly, they crossed the palace garden, hiding from the patrolling guards whenever they ran into them.

"The small entrance I used is just up ahead," Orion said. "This way―"

His words were cut short when he suddenly stiffened. Then, without another word of warning, he grabbed Soleia by her waist and pulled her behind him. Orion stood in front and withdrew his sword faster than Soleia could even blink, and a loud clang echoed through the air.

Orion gritted his teeth, his muscles flexing as he warded the attacker off. Specks of red danced through the air before raining down on the grass, and Soleia’s heart stopped in her chest as she finally realized who it was that had attacked them.

There was no mistaking the familiar, coppery scent of blood, paired with the look of fury on her should-be husband’s face.