The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 55: The Truth of the Amethyst

"Besides, where was I supposed to sleep? Outside in the blizzard?" Ralph pointed out bitterly. "Orion, I might not be a titled lord, but I thought you’d at least care for me enough to make sure I had a roof over my head."

"That roof contains my wife!"

"You don’t even care about her!" Ralph snapped back without hesitation. "With all due respect, old friend, you have tried to kill her on multiple occasions ever since our return from war. If we hadn’t shared a room last night, either of us would’ve frozen to death outside― or worse, both. Unless that’s what you hoped for?"

"That is not what I meant," Orion growled out through gritted teeth. He took a step forward, coming face to face, eye to eye with Ralph. Neither of the men backed down, not until Soleia herself came between them to push them apart.

"That’s enough!" she yelled.

With a palm on each of their chests, she shoved them back, using surprisingly less effort than she assumed she needed. She glared hotly at Orion, using her body to shield Ralph from Orion― or at least, as much as she could, considering she only came up to Ralph’s shoulders.

"You’ve selected an inn with no room to house us for the night. Sir Ralph and I merely did what we needed to in order to live past the night," Soleia cooly said. "Nothing happened between us, whether you wish to believe in it or not."

She glared at Elowyn from the corner of her eyes before turning her glare back to Orion.

"Unlike you, Your Grace, I acknowledge that I am still tied together in holy matrimony. I will not share my body with another while under the binds of marriage."

"And what are you trying to imply, Duchess?" Orion narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing that isn’t true, Your Grace," Soleia replied with calm elegance. "If you had respected our marriage, you wouldn’t have ended up rolling in the sheets with a random woman from the countryside of otherwise unknown origin."

A woman? Who randomly appeared just as Orion Elsher, a famed general and newly titled duke, needed help? Likely story. Soleia had been so blinded by rage that she hadn’t realized before― Elowyn’s origins couldn’t be simple. That was something backed by her keen love for amethysts.

"There must be some sort of misunderstanding, Lady Soleia―" Elowyn tried to say, but was quickly cut off.

"Princess Soleia," Soleia corrected. "I didn’t realize that you would only get the titles right when you’re quick to pin blame on the innocent." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And there is no misunderstanding. Did you or did you not appear right when the Duke needed help?"

"He was injured!" Elowyn said, placing a hand on her chest. She reached forward and attempted to hold Soleia’s hand, but the latter quickly backed away, dodging Elowyn’s grasp. Annoyance flashed across Elowyn’s eyes, but she quickly recovered and replaced that with a look of hurt. "At that time, I had no idea that Orion― that Duke Elsher was a lord. If it were any other common man, I would’ve done the same."

"Shame," Soleia said, sarcasm coating her tongue. "He is a married man. He should’ve known better than to share a shelter with another woman who wasn’t his wife. Besides, you should have made yourself scarce the moment you found out he was married to another woman. Which honorable woman would willingly cosign themselves to being a mistress?"

Elowyn gritted her teeth, trying her hardest to stamp down the rage that boiled within her. But she quickly controlled her expression. From where she stood, Sir Ralph still had a clear view of her face and could see everything that flashed across her features.

"He had lost his memory then," Elowyn said. "He remembered not who he was, or even what had happened before that landed him with those heavy injuries. How could he possibly remember he had a wife?"

Elowyn sobbed, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She took a step forward again, causing Soleia to frown warily. free𝑤ebnovel.com

"If he had told me ahead of time that he was married, I would’ve never!" she said, clutching her chest as though she was in pain. "But... But the matters of the heart are difficult to predict. I am sure you would understand―"

"I do not understand," Soleia said. "Because I have not thrown myself at a married man before. Also, I’m pretty sure Sir Ralph had informed you about Orion’s marriage."

"Soleia!" Orion barked. "That’s enough!"

"What’s wrong?" Soleia cooed, her voice sickly sweet to mimic the tone Elowyn often used with Orion. "Had I accidentally hit the mark, Duke?"

"I wanted to leave when he regained his memories, Princess," Elowyn sobbed. "But after everything that had happened between us..."

She looked back and glanced longingly at Orion, showing him a weak smile when he furrowed his eyebrows in worry. She turned back to face Soleia, her voice softened into a whisper.

"It just wasn’t possible."

She stepped closer to Soleia, and before the latter could react, Elowyn reached forward and grabbed Soleia’s hand. Her fingers had the grip of an iron trap, holding Soleia down in place even though she tried to jerk back in response.

"Before I knew it, so much time had already passed. I had fallen in love with the Duke," Elowyn sobbed. "And even if I wanted to leave, even if I could move away and out of his sight, I had to think for the future. I... I discovered that I was already carrying Orion’s child."

Tears cascaded down Elowyn’s eyes, shimmering like diamonds caught beneath the sunlight.

"What sort of mother would I be if I let my child grow up without their father?" Elowyn said. "And what sort of woman would I be to deny the Duke of an heir?"

As she spoke, Soleia’s eyes went to Elowyn’s chest. Tucked under her dress and cape, the amethyst pendant she wore began to glow purple. It wasn’t noticeable to most, but since the two women were pressed so tightly together, it was more than obvious to Soleia.

Instantly, her line of sight moved to Elowyn’s hands. There was a faint purple mist that was gathering around Elowyn’s fingers, causing Soleia’s eyes to widen.

Elowyn was trying to enchant her!

Realization shot through Soleia. Elowyn wasn’t using crushed amethysts to poison Orion’s mind. Rather, she was a magic practitioner who had an affinity with amethysts― she was using magic to control Orion Elsher. And right now, she was trying to use magic on Soleia too!