The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 265: Chains of Flesh I

Orion, to his credit, barely flinched as the bloody blade stabbed right into his palms. He stood his ground and clenched his fingers around the blade, splintering it into pieces.

Pain was temporary, but if he failed to protect Soleia now, the guilt and shame would haunt him for the rest of his days.

He darted quickly and grabbed a sword from the dead soldier who was closest to him and armed himself, ready to parry a second blow.

King Recaldo snarled and immediately reformed his weapon, but he couldn’t fail to notice how slow it took. That bastard commoner even had time to steal a sword off one of his own men! If this were a mere day ago, Orion Elsher would have been skewered like a kebab straight through his spine the moment he dared to turn his back on him.

This was all Princess Soleia’s fault. She must have known that this was a possible side-effect, but she didn’t warn him. No matter― he will use her again and again as long as her body drew breath.

If only that infernal guard dog would get the hell out of his way.

King Recaldo gnashed his teeth. He had to make his strike count, and he only had one weapon he could trust for this― he transformed the sword back into a long whip with multiple blades at the end, in an attempt to get better reach and more momentum with his weapon.

All he needed to do was land one good hit on Orion Elsher, and that man would bleed out in a matter of minutes. The serrated blades would dig into his skin and tear apart his flesh as his whip turned, and with the distance, Orion Elsher would not be able to harm him in time.

Orion’s eyes widened as he saw the whip fly in his direction, faster than before. He reached and used the sword in an attempt to cut it in the middle, but it was impossible for him to stop the end of the whip from coiling around him like a snake, their blades digging into his back. Orion let out a hiss of pain as he felt the back of his tunic get drenched in his blood.

The sword clattered to the floor.

Soleia’s ears caught the sound, but she was helpless to pick it up. She couldn’t even get up. It felt like her limbs were made of lead, and she was swimming in a sea of molasses. Her head was heavy and groggy, and she wanted nothing more than to wake from her nightmare. Her eyelids fluttered open, and all she could see was the broad expanse of Orion’s back quickly turning red.

A mere distance away, King Recaldo laughed mockingly as he felt Orion Elsher struggle. A commoner could never defeat a king, no matter how blessed with magic he was.

Perhaps he wouldn’t kill him so quickly. He could take his blood and see if it would allow him to create more individuals with such obscene strength.

Orion felt himself weaken, but he knew he had to buy enough time for Rafael to arrive. He reached out and grabbed the whip in the middle, ignoring the way the spikes dug more deeply into him with every movement.

He focused his energy and smashed it into pieces. The grip around him loosened, but the bloody blades continued to stick against his back, as though he were a porcupine. Orion swayed on his feet, and his knees slammed against the floor. But he barely felt any pain― only supreme weakness. Every part of him felt like it belonged to someone else. His vision was getting woozy, most likely due to the blood loss, but he made sure to keep his body in front of Soleia.

"Hmph. It’s a pity you’ve chosen to give your loyalty to someone so unworthy," King Recaldo mused as he marched closer to both of them.

He wanted to pry the bloody stakes away from Orion Elsher’s back, but it was too much effort on his part. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had gotten so weak, even if his only audience was an unconscious princess and a soon-to-be-dead guard.

"Raxuvia could use someone like you in our ranks. If you’re willing to change loyalties, I might just let you live."

"...Fuck off," Orion wheezed out through gritted teeth as his eyes caught sight of King Recaldo’s blood-soaked boots. Said boots kicked him down on the ground and stomped on his back, purposely pushing one of the bloody stakes more deeply through his body. Orion’s mouth filled with blood, and he choked.

King Recaldo snorted. In the end, he turned Orion Elsher into a kebab all the same. He had wasted enough time due to that interruption, and his attention returned to the woman of the hour. Princess Soleia’s face was deathly pale, and her lips were blue. But the slight shift of her chest proved that she was still alive, and that was all King Recaldo needed of her.

He grabbed her by the hand and hauled her up to his throne. She barely made a stir. He pressed his bloody hand on her cheek.

"Give me more!" King Recaldo demanded, but Princess Soleia did not stir. He also did not feel the same rise of power as before. Enraged, he shook her furiously, only for Princess Soleia to barely open her eyes.

But there was no mistaking the look of disdain she gave him. Soleia wanted nothing more than to curse out this foul man, but sounds were simply too hard for her throat to produce. As such, she made sure to pronounce her words more clearly with her lips.

’Eat shit.’ Soleia mouthed out. She had a lot to say to him, but most of them were her wishes for him to have a very terrible life and an equally terrible death. She hoped Rafael would come to finish him off painfully. ’Go to hell.’

"I care not for your words," King Recaldo hissed. "I only need your power. Give it to me, or I will take what I need by force!"

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the air, and King Recaldo turned his head only to see his wayward son swinging into the throne room via a rope of blood, and an army of blood swords behind his back.