The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 225: Horrible Mother-in-Law

"Me," Soleia replied flatly, looking no less pleased to see Elisa than she was to see her.

The once proud matriarch of the Elsher family had fallen on tough times― her red hair that was once peppered with gray was now completely ash gray, and tough lines decorated her face. Her cheeks were sunken, and the dark circles under her eyes were highlighted by her dark gray dress. It seemed to resemble a sack more than any proper outfit, as though she had simply picked it off the ground and fashioned it into an outfit out of a lack of options.

It was such a far cry from what she was used to wearing that Soleia was stunned.

Elisa noticed Soleia’s eyes scrutinizing her outfit, and her cheeks reddened in humiliation and anger.

"What are you looking at? Are you here to gloat? We’re in this state because of you! You and your foolish insistence on being my son’s wife that resulted in the accursed wedding that ruined our lives―"

"She’s not the one to blame for this," Orion said firmly, cutting off his mother’s tirade while Soleia merely let Elisa’s words enter through one ear and out the other, as though she was nothing more than a buzzing fly. He pulled Lucinda up with his hand, and Lucinda let out a soft cry of pain.

"Mother, this mess was entirely my own doing. I was hoodwinked by Elinora― I mean Elowyn, and I ended up hurting Soleia and all of you with my own incompetence."

Elisa stomped her foot, outraged at her son’s apology.

"Orion, you did nothing wrong. It’s this woman’s fault! If you had just married Elowyn from the very beginning in the palace like it was planned, our entire family wouldn’t be in such a state! Living in a slum! We’re worse off now than when we were commoners!"

"Your son would be nothing more than a mind-addled fool within three years of his marriage, assuming he even lives that long," Soleia retorted easily. "That woman’s aim was Raxuvia’s crown, and Orion’s death would be nothing more than a stepping stone for her to achieve her goals."

Elisa bristled at Soleia’s comment before turning back to her son with a huff. "I don’t care. I want her out of here. Orion, tie her up and send her back to the palace."

A greedy light entered her eyes.

"They’ll give us a reward, won’t they? I saw the posters all around town― it’s at least a thousand gold pieces for her! And a title! Orion, we can be nobles again!"

"Mother, I’m not giving up Soleia," Orion said tiredly, as though they had had this argument many times before. "And we’ll be gone by tonight."

"More importantly, you’ll only get the title if your precious son dies too," Soleia added helpfully. "Did you not take a closer look at the wanted posters? Or is your son only worth the extravagant lifestyle he provides you with?"

Elisa spluttered, upset. "Stop trying to drive a wedge between me and my son, you vixen!" Her eyes finally noticed Lucinda’s swollen cheek and the blood on her lips, and she hurriedly checked on her niece in a panic. "Whatever happened to you?"

"She hit me!" Lucinda cried out weakly. Her annunciation was garbled, but the finger she pointed to Soleia wasn’t difficult to decipher. She opened her mouth wide to let Elisa see the gaps in her teeth, where her gums were still bleeding.

Soleia stared back down at her hands, surprised. She might have accidentally used Orion’s strength on Lucinda. But she definitely wasn’t going to explain this to Orion’s family― the less they knew about her abilities, the better. In fact...

A quick sidelong glance at Orion proved that he, too, had no idea what actually transpired.

Meanwhile, Elisa could only gasp in horror as she caught sight of the full extent of Lucinda’s injury. "Oh dear, what happened to your teeth? Poor thing..." She turned to Soleia and screamed into her face. "How could you hit her so hard?!"

"I didn’t." Soleia shook her head, insistent. "The teeth must have fallen out when she hit the floor. I’m guessing malnutrition must have weakened your bodies to this point."

Orion nodded in agreement. It wasn’t as though he didn’t know his family wasn’t eating well in the slums. Food was scarce enough to begin with. In this ramshackle house, he could only spot a small basket of weeds.

"It is not possible for Soleia to have that much strength; she’s a woman like you," Orion said patiently. "Your teeth must have weakened due to the lack of proper food."

"You― You―" Lucinda could only sulk, aggrieved. She badly wanted to contest Soleia’s words, as she knew full well that blood began to flood her mouth before her body had even hit the floor.

But she caught sight of her cousin’s warning glance and reluctantly swallowed her comments with the blood in her mouth. Orion was somehow Soleia’s staunch defender, and she couldn’t risk upsetting him. Her cousin was their only ticket out of this place!

Meanwhile, Orion bent down to pick up the broken furniture, feeling guilty. If he had known this was where his family had been hiding, he would have asked Princess Nessa for money before leaving. He couldn’t, in good conscience, ask Soleia to provide for his family, especially after the sacrifices she had made years ago while doing the very same thing.

Orion had had a lot to think about when he sailed to Raxuvia. The debt he owed Soleia was simply too big for him to pay. He could only devote his life to ensuring she remained safe, healthy, and happy. If Soleia decided to find it in her heart to forgive him and accept him as her husband, he would live up to that trust and love her with every fibre of his being.

"You’re defending her?" While Lucinda quietened, Elisa gawked loudly, her gaze darting between the both of them. "Orion, don’t tell me you have feelings for her!"

"So what if I do?" Orion shrugged as he tried to fix a chair, uncaring of the way his words had struck dumb a house of women.

Soleia suddenly felt her stomach churn. Orion could not be serious. She had barely just escaped from Rafael; she did not need to be involved in another relationship.

As if to remind her of his presence, the ring on her hand began to tighten imperceptibly. Soleia frowned, watching it carefully. That was... odd. It had never behaved in such a manner before. She touched it with her fingers, only to flinch when she felt it heat up. It felt almost like a living thing...

Her eyes widened in horror.

"Orion, we need to leave right now. Rafael is tracking us."