The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 231: Demon in Disguise

"That’s why she’s crying, you fool," Raziel pointed out dryly. He strode over to Orion’s limp figure and examined him. A frown crossed his forehead. "You could have done better with cushioning his fall. I prefer him alive." frёewebnoѵēl.com

"You can heal him just fine," Ricard retorted grouchily before turning his attention back to Soleia. "Orion Elsher will be joining us in the palace― he had just volunteered to be Raziel’s latest lab rat."

Soleia’s face paled immediately. She couldn’t help but make another desperate attempt to free herself from the ropes. Ricard laughed indulgently.

"How adorable," he cooed lovingly at Soleia as he cupped her cheek tenderly. "Get used to the ropes, sweetheart. You’ll be experiencing them in our marital bed soon enough."

Soleia responded by spitting in his face. Ricard’s face darkened immediately, and he backhanded her. Soleia coughed out a mouthful of blood as her face planted on the floor of the hardwood deck, but she couldn’t stop a sardonic smile from blooming on her face.

In the grand scheme of things, perhaps her little action had done more harm than good, but the satisfaction of spitting in Ricard’s smarmy face far outweighed whatever pain she had to endure. If he was out there taking pleasure in making her life a living hell, then he ought to be prepared to face retaliation.

"Your temper needs work," Raziel noted with a huff. He walked over to Soleia’s side and pulled her up, tutting at her swollen cheek and her dishevelled hair.

Soleia responded by baring her teeth in a mockery of her smile. Blood had stained her teeth and gathered at the sides of her lips, but she still stared defiantly at Raziel.

Raziel felt himself sigh regretfully. To saddle such an incredible woman with Ricard seemed nothing more than a travesty. His brother would not appreciate her wits. His carnelian earstuds began to glow, and he started to heal Soleia’s wounds, starting with that nasty bruise on her face.

Soleia closed her eyes and leaned closer, as though she was slumping over with exhaustion. If Raziel was willing to transfer his powers to her, she’d be a fool not to take advantage of it. At the very least, she needed to be able to heal Orion. It was easier to hide the glow of her selenite earrings with the bulk of her hair hanging in front of her. And since it wasn’t Raziel’s first time healing her, she’d already known what to expect from him.

He would notice if she stole all his powers at once, so Soleia tried her best to steal slowly, little by little, as though she was a hungry maid skimming off the top of the milk. Raziel frowned, wondering why his healing wasn’t working as fast as he liked. He was getting tired already.

Could it be...

He flicked Soleia’s hair aside. Her earrings remained resolutely dim. Soleia purposely coughed and slumped further, fluttering her eyelashes weakly, deliberately portraying herself as someone frail and pitiful. She was grateful that she had at least predicted the right time to stop stealing his powers.

However, Raziel was still suspicious. He knew his own abilities best― and with Soleia’s current injuries, he should have healed her easily. She should have been more injured after the encounter with the howlers than with Ricard.

Did Ricard hit her so badly? Unless there was something else he was missing.

He narrowed his eyes. There was one thing that would make healing Soleia so much more difficult.

Pregnancy. His hands went to Soleia’s belly. He pressed onto it softly, and he focused on his powers around that area, trying to improve blood flow in that area. Unbidden, Soleia let out a soft, pained whimper at the sudden cramp she felt. It took Soleia every bit of restraint in her to remain relaxed instead of twitching away.

She wondered what Raziel could be planning.

"Brother, you hit her too hard," Raziel scolded him. "She’s pregnant."

Soleia froze, her eyes widening in shock as she remained pressed against his shoulder. Pregnant. No, no, this could not be. Perhaps Raziel had made a misdiagnosis.

"Pregnant? Are you serious?" Ricard squawked loudly. He couldn’t believe his ears. "How did this happen?"

"If you still don’t know how babies are made, you are not ready for kingship," Raziel said drolly, shooting his brother a disdainful glance. "Were you merely playing the harp with the women at the brothel? I would’ve thought someone who was married four times prior would’ve more experience."

"I know how babies are made," Ricard hissed. He merely couldn’t believe that Rafael would actually manage it.

His younger brother had lost his right to the throne, but he still managed to get an edge over Ricard. Thankfully, Raziel had found out. If not, he might have really thought Soleia was pregnant with his child.

Assuming she even survived the month with him. But no matter what, he would never accept the fact that his new wife was currently carrying another man’s child. Ricard scowled at Raziel.

"Well, can you get rid of it?"

Soleia tensed instinctively. She wanted to hold her belly to protect her unborn child, but with her arms bound by the ropes, it was nearly impossible.

She wouldn’t be able to save the baby. That realization made her heart sink all the way to her toes, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry. It was strange― she had spent so much energy hoping that she wasn’t pregnant, but now that she knew that she was carrying Rafael’s child, she wanted nothing more than to keep it.

It would be nice to have something precious to remember him by. But even that tiny wish was slipping through her fingers.

"Of course I can," Raziel said. His hand reached out to touch her stomach with surprisingly tenderness. "But frankly, I would rather she keep the baby."

Ricard spluttered. "You want me cucked?"

"I want to know if the child could carry her nullification abilities and whether or not Rafael’s abilities might influence it," Raziel said simply. "It’s too wasteful to simply abort the child now when the baby could offer us much insight regarding the development of magical abilities."

Goodness. Soleia felt herself growing colder at Raziel’s words. This madman wanted to experiment on her baby?

"So you want me to marry a woman knowing full well she’s not carrying my child?" Ricard demanded angrily. "All for the sake of your research?"

"It’s not as though anyone will know. Or care," Raziel said firmly, ignoring Ricard’s tantrum with expert ease. "If you find the thought of being cucked too much, then I shall gladly marry Princess Soleia in your stead. I will have no qualms in making sure she is well taken care of throughout her pregnancy."

And after that, she and her baby would be sent to the gallows. Soleia had no doubt they would die a slow, painful death with Raziel’s experiments. The very thought made her shiver.