The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 41: Shared Shelter

"Are... Are you sure?" Ralph asked, his eyes nearly bulging out with surprise.

Soleia’s cheeks were already slightly red in color due to the cold, but their sleeping accommodations merely made her face even brighter in color. She nodded slowly, helping him to lie down more comfortably. Sir Ralph was so tall that he had to curl his body slightly to fit himself into the shelter.

He closed his eyes with a mighty groan of exhaustion.

Soleia stared down at him and gently adjusted his mussed collar.

Of course, that meant that Soleia had less space to lie down. With her face burning in embarrassment, she slowly lowered herself next to him. This close, the dark curtain of his eyelashes entranced her like none other.

"See something you like, Princess?" Sir Ralph asked, his voice hoarse. His tone was filled with weariness, and Soleia quickly caught the first signs of an oncoming cold, which caused her to frown.

Sir Ralph had barely just recovered from his previous illness. Now that they had been tossed and turned in the underground sewage system, then chucked to ride through the snow, his health must’ve taken an even harder blow.

"You’re sick," Soleia said.

"Come now, Princess," Ralph said, chuckling weakly. "I would’ve left and built another hut for myself if you’re uncomfortable. There’s no need to call names―"

"No," Soleia said, cutting his ramblings off. "I mean, you sound sick. Is your throat unwell, Sir Ralph? Or a blocked nose, perhaps?"

She reached up for his forehead — not a great feat, considering how they were squeezed together — and mumbled a quick apology before pressing the back of her hand against his smooth skin.

"P-Princess?" Ralph said, surprised when he felt her cold hand press against his forehead, but he was quickly shushed by her.

"There doesn’t seem to be a fever..." she muttered to herself.

Then, she frowned when her eyes landed on a particularly large bulge in his pants. However, no matter how uneducated she was in the specific biology of a man, she was still sure this bulge shouldn’t be here.

"I am flattered by your attention, Princess," Ralph said, raising an amused eyebrow when he noticed her gaze. "But I don’t think tumbling through the snow would be good for either of our health. I don’t fancy traveling to the capital with a cold."

"Sir Ralph, would you like to remove the crystals?" Soleia suggested, completely ignoring whatever he was implying. "We could bury them in the snow temporarily, just in case someone comes in to check on us while we’re asleep."

"Oh," Ralph said, sounding almost disappointed if Soleia hadn’t known better. "I suppose that would be better than potentially blasting my crown jewels off in the event of a nightmare."

A nightmare was the least of Soleia’s worries. Her life, especially the recent few days, seemed like one already, so much so that whatever sleep she could get would surely be nothing short of a peaceful dream.

Facing two separate directions, Soleia and Ralph began to pull out the various crystals that were hidden in their clothing. They would need to wake up a little earlier to hide them again tomorrow when morning comes, but this would at least allow them some peaceful rest. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Once the crystals were buried in the snow, Soleia finally rested her head down. The small sunstone she had in her hands pulsed with warmth, and she brought the crystal closer to her chest. It was as though she was curled up next to the fireplace― everything was so much warmer and cozier with this stone.

But she knew the feeling wouldn’t last. Its magic would eventually run out and she would be cold again before the sun could even rise.

As if he could read her mind, Ralph’s hand quickly covered Soleia’s. She could feel magic pulsing through his hands and into the stone, passing through her in a trail that she could only describe as stars. Her eyes widened with surprise as she looked at him in awe.

"There," Ralph softly murmured. "Now it should last till morning."

Once he was done, he pulled away. But the back of Soleia’s hands still tingled with the warmth that was left by Ralph’s palm, not the warmth of the sunstone. She curled in a little more, using the collar of her clothes to hide the redness of her cheeks.

"Thank you," she mumbled under her breath.

"Have some sleep, Your Highness," Ralph said. As if his words carried magic as well, Soleia’s eyes felt heavier and heavier, until they eventually slowly fluttered shut.

***

Soleia awoke with a gasp.

Beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead as she breathed heavily. She jolted upright, clutching at her chest as she tried her hardest to calm down her labored breathing.

There was a flash of red in her dream. Blood, she was sure. There was also a giant tree, along with cheering crowds. However, no matter how jovial the scene was, all she felt was a strong sense of despair.

She couldn’t recall why.

As she tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear, Soleia turned and looked around. The mound of crystals was still untouched, the snow looking exactly like how she remembered they were left before she fell asleep. That eased the weight on her chest.

But when her gaze fell on the spot Ralph was supposed to be asleep, her eyebrows quickly furrowed together.

It was empty.

Soleia quickly crawled out of the hut, poking her head out as she looked left and right. She could spot the carriage in the distance, along with some of the guards that stood on duty to protect the sleeping Duke and his new lady love. However, none of those men on duty were Sir Ralph.

Gritting her teeth, Soleia decided to crawl out fully and headed towards one of the men.

"Excuse me," she called out as she approached the man. "Have you seen Sir Ralph?"

The man eyed her warily, displaying no hostility, but definitely no warmth as well.

"No," he curtly said. "Isn’t he in the hut with you?"

Soleia pursed her lips.

Sir Ralph was missing.