The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 47: Blood Ring I

"Your dress!" Rafael exclaimed, horrified.

"It looks worse than it actually is," Soleia said.

Her mood had much improved once she realized Sir Ralph had managed to get her a replacement outfit. She could finally bid this torn and tattered dress goodbye. With a cheerful hum, she picked up the dress and her new undergarments and went behind the rock for added privacy.

"Keep watch for me, Sir Ralph! I would hate for another thornhound pack to ruin this dress!"

"Yes, Princess," Rafael said, his voice coming out in an undignified squawk.

Soleia was going to change? Out here? In the open? Where anyone could stumble upon her in her vulnerable state of undress and take advantage of her?!

Rafael’s eyes darkened. Not if he had anything to say about it.

No one would be able to lay their eyes on Soleia and live to tell the tale. Her lovely pale skin had shone in the weak sunlight, and when she shifted, the fabric had moved to reveal another expanse of unmarked skin. He wanted to lay kisses all over it, and then tear away the flimsy fabric―

Rafael dug his fingers into the palms of his hands. It was as though he was no better than an animal, Rafael lamented to himself. He was technically a prince, no matter how lowly born. How could he behave like a brute?

He stared at the snow intently, forcing his thoughts to be as pure as the freshly fallen flakes.

He had plans for winning the throne. He couldn’t lose to his baser urges and jeopardize his entire scheme. Princess Soleia was just a means to an end, an important piece of the puzzle, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted, even as his heart raced at the thought of spending time with her.

Meanwhile, Soleia had no idea about Sir Ralph’s mental crisis. She quickly stripped herself out of the ruined dress and put on the new one. However, she soon realized that in her haste to change outfits, she had forgotten one pivotal fact― most dresses needed an additional helping hand, and Lily was nowhere to be found.

"Sir Ralph, I need some help," Soleia said sheepishly. "Can you help me do up my laces?"

"What?" Rafael croaked out in shock.

"My laces," Soleia’s head emerged from the rock, and she gave him an apologetic look. "I can’t lace up the back of my dress."

Mentally, Rafael cursed his men. Why didn’t they buy Soleia one of those slip-on dresses? If he didn’t help Soleia, no one else in camp would.

Soleia continued to stare at him expectantly, so Rafael had no choice. He stared up at the heavens and sent out a brief prayer before he walked over.

Only to be faced with a heavenly sight. Even through the undergarments, the flush of her skin was further highlighted by the coarse black laces, and Rafael sucked in a breath. He made sure to keep his fingers firmly on the threads as he laced her up, taking care to ensure no skin was exposed to the cold.

Finally, he was done, and Rafael wanted to fling himself into the snowbank to calm his overheated face. It felt like that time he had been drugged with an aphrodisiac but now, it was Soleia’s very presence that was sending his mind into a tailspin.

"Thank you," Soleia said gratefully as she turned around and put on her new cloak.

She felt like an entirely new woman, ready to join the rest of the camp for a meal. She hadn’t wanted to join Orion and Elowyn as they ate, in her dirty, bloodstained, and torn outfit, not when they were shooting each other affectionate glances that made her stomach turn.

Her stomach let out an embarrassing growl just then, causing both Ralph and Soleia’s eyes to widen. She stepped back, horrified, while Ralph merely laughed.

"We don’t have to join them if you don’t want to," Ralph said, pulling out a sachet from his coat pocket. "I have several cured meats here."

"I’ll take it," Soleia said eagerly, grabbing the sachet and opening it, savoring the salty, spicy scent that filled the air. "It looks utterly delicious."

As the both of them settled down on the ground and helped themselves to the food, Soleia told Sir Ralph about all that had transpired with Orion earlier.

"So her proximity to Orion affects the strength of her powers. And you need me to sneak more selenite onto him?" Sir Ralph asked, a considering look on his face. "It would be difficult, with that woman hovering all over him like a leech, but not impossible."

"I came so close to freeing him from her thrall," Soleia lamented with a sigh. "If only she had not interrupted us, I could have told him my suspicions. She’ll be more guarded against me, but she can’t chase you away. You can pin Orion down if necessary and shove the selenite straight in his face."

"Let’s hope it doesn’t need to come to that," Rafael said wryly. "But this thornhound incident does make me worry for your safety. Princess, would you mind doing me a favor?"

"What is it?"

Rafael held out his hand, and then he bit the tip of his thumb so hard, that blood began to flow. Soleia’s eyes widened.

"Sir Ralph! What are you doing?!"

Rafael didn’t hurry to explain. Instead, he focused his powers on the emerging blood, and Soleia watched in awe as the red liquid slowly twisted and turned, forming a circle that eventually solidified in the cold.

"This is a ring made out of my own blood," Rafael said simply as he held it out. "Would you mind putting it on?"

Soleia choked as she stared at it. "A ring... whatever for?" She couldn’t be putting on rings from other men― not when she was married!

"It’s a way for me to ensure your safety, in case we are separated," Rafael explained. "This will act as a beacon, allowing me to find out where you are in times of danger."

"Does this mean I’ll also be able to track you?" Soleia asked curiously.

"Not exactly." Rafael smiled. "But you can use this to gauge my condition. Since this ring is tied to my powers, if anything were to happen to me, the ring might grow deformed, or shatter entirely."

"I see..." Soleia mused, her mind began to work as she stared at it. This was an ingenious idea, and she wondered how someone powerless like her could also create something similar for herself.

"Could I put it on for you?" Sir Ralph asked hopefully. "I need to make sure it fits."

"I..."

Before she could reply, Sir Ralph grabbed her arm firmly and gently pushed the ring onto her pinky finger. Soleia felt herself shudder as the blood ring seemed to tighten around her. She tried to tug it off, but it remained firmly stuck.

"Perfect," Sir Ralph said. "Now I’ll always know where you are."

Somehow, his words didn’t bode well for Soleia. However, before she could retort, there were two new visitors to their makeshift campsite.

"What is the meaning of this?"