The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 32: Filled Pockets

"Princess, if all these gems somehow explode and I lose my manhood, will you divorce Orion to marry me instead? I can’t live on as an impotent man... no woman will want to marry me!" Ralph whined piteously as Soleia handed him yet another piece of crystal to stuff into his pants as if he were a walking trunk.

The pockets of his coat and pants were bulging, stuffed fuller than a Yuletide turkey, but Princess Soleia was nothing but determined to make the most out of him. And he couldn’t even complain much, because Princess Soleia had already stuffed her own dress with the jewels, despite the negative effect they had on her well-being.

Thankfully, there was at least enough selenite to help her feel well enough that she could at least walk on her own. She made sure to keep them as far away as possible from the other precious stones― just in case they reacted.

Her own pockets were full to the brim, and Ralph nearly choked when he realized that the princess was lining the front of her corset with the jewels, tucking them into every layer of her dress. He had a feeling if they weren’t stuck in a dingy sewer, she would have taken off her dress to stick crystals into the back laces of her corset.

At least the princess wasn’t ordering him to store the longer crystals in his... nether orifice. That would be too big a sacrifice to make for royalty.

Still, he had to applaud her stubbornness and her ingenuity.

Princess Soleia only rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Death is always an option if you find living too hard."

Sir Ralph shot her a pathetic look that made her feel like she had just kicked a puppy, so she sighed and added.

"But I guess I wouldn’t mind marrying you if you’re willing to marry someone who would most likely turn to dust thanks to all these jewels," Soleia said, holding out her arms. She tried to twirl and frowned when her figure made clinking noises, as though she was stuffing cutlery in her dress.

"Stealth is out of the question for both of us then," Ralph said with a sigh. "I doubt I could sneak around with my pants twice as tight. A sudden drop might cause them to split for good."

That mental image caused Soleia to snort. "I might have been...overzealous," she admitted, slightly embarrassed. They haven’t even emptied half the shelf. "Is it truly causing you that much distress?"

"Nothing a good mug of ale can’t cure after," Ralph said, eyeing the remaining jewels. "Princess, might I suggest hiding the rest of the jewels first? We can always come back at a later time to pick them up― by we, I mean me, because I cannot in good conscience let you come down here again. This is no place for a princess to be."

"You’re very mistaken about what I should or should not be," Soleia said with a raised eyebrow. "But I shall be magnanimous and forgive you since you were bleeding out not long ago. Since you know the sewers better than I do, do you have any suggestions on where we could hide them?"

"There are several dead ends through the tunnels," Ralph said, "Some parts of them were abandoned when the town grew smaller. Now, they are houses for generations of vermin. I highly doubt anyone would go there. I could go over and deposit them there."

Soleia paused. She trusted Ralph, but she didn’t like the thought of him possibly making off with priceless jewels.

"I can’t promise you’ll be perfectly safe, but you can hide in that corner first, " Ralph said, pointing to an area where the stones were angled enough for a small cover. "Of course, if what you’re actually afraid of is me running off with the gems, then you’ll simply have to trust me on this since you have no way out without me either."

"How did you―" Soleia was startled. She was sure that none of her suspicions had shown on her face.

Ralph shrugged easily and smiled. "It’s what I would think too. We’re surprisingly alike."

Soleia could only smile at the fervent belief in his eyes and wave him off as he began to hide the jewels. She didn’t see the need to deflate his enthusiasm.

If they were so alike, Orion would have not treated Ralph as his best friend, and her as the bane of his existence. Soleia would have liked to blame whatever crystal Elowyn had fed him for his attitude, but Orion had already disliked her from the moment he met her.

It had been two long years since they had wed, and even now, she could still remember the look of disdain Orion wore on his face. It was so much so that when he was called to war, he looked almost gleeful that he could be away from his new wife.

Now that Soleia thought about it, it was rather ridiculous that she ever thought they could coexist as a peaceful couple upon his return to raise Drakenmire from dust to gold.

Even the soldier who was with Orion looked at her with more kindness than he did.

Soleia’s eyes widened with realization. She turned her head sharply and watched as Ralph’s figure disappeared past the corner to hide the stones as he said he would. That man who was the only one to offer her that sympathetic gaze was none other than the man she was stuck in the underground catacombs with.

She swallowed the bile in her throat, the last bits of distrust she had in her quickly evaporating. For all the times Ralph Byrone stood up for her, she could not in good faith continue to suspect the man of anything else.

"It’s done," Ralph said, quickly returning. The stones stuffed into his clothing jingled as he walked back to her side, an assured smile on his lips. "Shall we?"

"Where do we go?" Soleia asked.

"The tunnels lead back to the store," Ralph replied. "The only way out would be―"

Soleia gulped. "Through the store again."