The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 29: Underground

It felt as though a hammer had been plunged down hard against Soleia’s skull by the time she woke up. Her eyelids felt heavy as she struggled to peel them open, and when she did, Soleia wondered for a second to herself if she even opened her eyes at all.

For one thing, her surroundings were immensely dark, and for another, everything smelt like the horrible sewage water that trickled under the town’s stone paths.

She strained her ears. In the distance, Soleia could hear the sound of water dripping. However, there was nothing much else she could catch― not even the squeaks of rats or mice.

Soleia’s lips parted, prepared to call out for help, but she paused. The word remained choked in her throat as she furrowed her eyebrow.

Perhaps it would be best to stay quiet. She wasn’t sure what the old storekeeper wanted with her, and if she knew that Soleia was awake, she might be served yet another cup of lavender tea to send her off to sleep.

Thus instead, Soleia slowly crawled to her feet before she walked forward. With every step she took, she could hear the crinkle of a metal chain, prompting her to look down.

Even though there was barely any light available, when she squinted, Soleia still caught sight of the reflective metal. Now that she had attempted to take a step, she could feel the difference as well― one of her legs had a new chain attached to it!

"That looks awfully nasty," someone said, causing Soleia’s ears to perk as she instantly looked up.

She instinctively reached into her pocket to find a self-defense weapon, only to find none. Panic instantly flared through her chest. However, it was quickly dispelled when she heard a familiar laughter.

"Calm down, Your Highness," the man said. A small light flickered before gently illuminating the speaker’s face, causing Soleia’s shoulders to drop, relaxed. "It’s just me." ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Sir Ralph!"

In the palm of his hand was a small piece of clear quartz, its glow pulsing on and off.

As he walked closer to Soleia, she stared at him with wide, incredulous eyes.

"How did you― I mean... How... Why..." she stuttered, unable to find her words due to her surprise.

In the meantime, Ralph Byrone had bent down to one knee, gently taking hold of Soleia’s leg. His fingers wrapped around her ankle, causing heat to bloom across her face. Then, she watched as he reached for his pocket and pulled out a small knife, using the blade to slice a thin welt across his thumb.

Soleia gasped in surprise, dropping to her knees so that she was now the same height as him. She grabbed his hand, the urge to scream flooding her body.

"What do you think you’re doing?!" she hissed. "Use the knife to pick the lock! Not on yourself!"

"The blade won’t fit into the lock, Princess," Ralph calmly said.

He met her eyes, his fawn brown eyes almost glittering despite the dark. Specks of green were blurred into the bronze of his eyes, resembling the leaves growing on the tree’s branches at the first warmth of spring. It quickly crept over the brown of his irises, overwhelming most of its dull bronze in a brilliant emerald.

"But blood will."

Soleia watched with a gaped jaw as the small droplets of blood that flowed freely from Ralph’s injury started to curl into the air like tendrils of smoke. It danced and weaved, moving straight for the keyhole before the scarlet trail inserted itself into said-hole.

There was a faint glow of red originating from Ralph’s chest, but before Soleia could get a better look, a soft clicking sound resonated through the air and the shackles on her leg fell free.

"There," Ralph said, a hint of smug satisfaction in his tone. He grinned broadly as he looked at Soleia. "What did I say? Works like a charm."

Soleia blinked once, then twice. In her mind’s eye, she could see the blood that was splattered on the floor of the Duke’s estate, along with the garish red line that was present on Ralph’s palm when Orion tried to cut her down where she stood.

This was Ralph’s affinity― blood. The more he bled, the more equipped he was for battle. That was what he meant when he said that his carnelian’s powers were used for offense rather than defense.

"But your hand..." she trailed off, staring at the small red line that stood contrastingly against his skin.

"The small cut will go away in time," Ralph said. His smile dimmed slightly as he continued to stare into Soleia’s eyes. He gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "But I can’t let you do the same."

Soleia’s lips widened in surprise, her lips gently parted as she stared into Ralph’s eyes. Their gazes remained on each other for a brief second before she quickly blinked and turned away. Ralph’s hand was still on her ankle, and the longer it stayed, the more her skin felt as though it was being licked by the flames of hell.

She pulled back before standing up, dusting the imaginary dirt off her skirt as Ralph stood to his feet as well.

"I..." She exhaled. "I meant to ask," she said, turning to look at Ralph again. "How did you manage to find me?"

"Right. That." Ralph sheepishly reached for the back of his head, scratching. "I was worried about you."

"You tailed me―?!" Soleia asked, her voice slightly raised. In an instant, a warm palm was pressed against her lips, silencing her from speaking any further.

"Shush, not so loud. Besides, I would like to think of it as a... delayed protective entourage, Your Highness," Ralph said with a playful pout. "Lily was beside herself with worry when you rushed off, and how could I let that poor girl suffer? Before you throw stones at me, think about it― if I wasn’t here, you might be sold off, or worse!"

Soleia’s eyebrow twitched at his words. She didn’t like to admit it, but Ralph had a good point― and he was still blocking her face with his hand.

She opened her mouth and nipped at his palm, causing him to wince. The salty tang of his skin filled her mouth, and she coughed.

Ralph immediately pulled away, as though he had been burned.

"My apologies Princess, I didn’t know what I was thinking," Ralph said, half-amused at the audacity of his actions. He cleared his throat and took a step away from her, sheepishly holding his hands in front of him where she could see them.

Soleia’s face burned when she caught sight of her teeth marks. How could she have bitten him like an animal?

"My behavior was out of line. If you’re mad at me, I understand and accept all punishment," Ralph said.

"I wasn’t entirely innocent," Soleia muttered quietly. "Sorry for biting you. Does it hurt?"

"Not in the least," Ralph said with a winning smile. "But from personal experience, I’m told that my arm is a nicer chew toy than the rest of me."

"Who said this?" Soleia asked, incredulous. "Do you let yourself get bitten so often that people rank your flesh?"

"Only if they are beautiful ladies," Ralph confessed glibly, and Soleia groaned.

"Well, when you’re done reminiscing about your days as a human meal, can you lead us out of here?"