Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 245: Woman Scorned II

Chapter 245: Woman Scorned II

Daphne paused, "I beg your pardon?"

"Of course, you don’t know anything," Hazelle said, her voice laced with mocking pity, "since you’re still here reading old books."

Daphne tucked the book closer to her chest, grateful that she had the foresight to hide the title from view. Thankfully, it seemed that Hazelle wasn’t so well-read; she didn’t manage to identify the book from the cover alone.

"If you’re merely intending on giving me cryptic comments, stop wasting my time and let go of my arm," Daphne said warningly. "I have a book to finish and a husband to love. We promised to go on a walk later. Perhaps you could ask my brother to accompany you if you have so much time to spare?"

She had made no such promise with Atticus, but Hazelle wouldn’t know anyway. Instead, Daphne witnessed the sight of Hazelle narrowing her deep green eyes as she tried to restrain herself from slapping Daphne.

Back then, it was common knowledge that Alistair never bothered to spend any more time with her than what was necessary. Daphne had felt sorry for Hazelle then and offered her her friendship, partly to apologize for her brother’s behavior, only for Hazelle to turn her nose up at Daphne.

How things have changed!

Now, Daphne said those words as a taunt, almost hoping that Hazelle would do something drastic so that she would have a good excuse to strike back.

Unfortunately, Hazelle merely smiled, venom dripping off the edges of her lips. "A walk sounds lovely. But are you sure he would be going on one with you, and not your sweet sister Drusilla?"

"Drusilla? He would never," Daphne scoffed, "Atticus is not an unfaithful man."

Unlike Hazelle’s husband.

"He might not have a choice," Hazelle said smugly. "After all, who can refuse King Cyrus when he makes a request?"

Daphne nearly rolled her eyes. "A walk will not ruin my marriage. I am not that insecure to think that Drusilla could snatch my man from me."

Assuming Atticus even agreed to spend time with Drusilla. Atticus had told Daphne what happened back in the maze, how he all but eliminated her himself.

"It’s not just a walk. You’ll find yourself sharing your husband soon enough," Hazelle said, relishing in the thought of Daphne’s crumbling marriage. "Because I’m a kind and considerate woman, I’m telling you this so you don’t crumble during breakfast tomorrow."

Her sister-in-law leaned in just a little, her smile growing. It only amplified Daphne’s disgust for her.

"King Cyrus and Lady Josephine plan for Drusilla to marry Atticus as a concubine."

Daphne’s earrings glowed a bright red the moment she registered Hazelle’s words; her nostrils flaring in outrage at the very thought of sharing Atticus with her scheming snake of a sister.

Unknowingly, Hazelle took a step back, the tiniest bubble of fear forming beneath her skin. The look of ferocity on Daphne’s face was a stark contrast to the meek, powerless girl she had known from before.

"Worried now? Why do you think King Cyrus wanted to speak to your husband alone? He must be trying to convince him about the benefits of having a concubine."

Hazelle collected herself and continued to speak. She needed to drive a wedge between this happy couple.

"King Cyrus has the experience in juggling two women in his household, he’ll be a valuable role model for Atticus to emulate. After all, look at how well you get along with Drusilla! Weren’t both of you the best of friends before? Surely sharing a husband isn’t too difficult. It’s not as though you are strangers," Hazelle finished mockingly.

"Atticus will marry her over my dead body," Daphne snarled, pulling her arm free from Hazelle.

She had heard enough nonsense for the day. She was going to stow away this book and ask Atticus about the issue.

Storming away from Hazelle, Daphne failed to notice the smirk on her face.

"Over your dead body? Princess Daphne, you shouldn’t have said that..." Hazelle mused to herself, "Since that’s what they are going to do to you."

With her ambitions, Drusilla would never be content with being a concubine. The moment she stepped inside the household, she would definitely plot to get rid of Daphne. When King Atticus was overcome with grief, she would then take her place in her kingdom and in his heart.

Hazelle desperately hoped the situation would end up with both women dead. If she wasn’t happy in her marriage, no one should be!

***

The encounter with Hazelle had all but wiped Nereus’s cryptic words from Daphne’s mind. Who cared about long-lost memories when her present and future were in jeopardy?

Right now, nothing was more important than safeguarding her marriage and her husband from the claws of Drusilla and her mother, Lady Josephine.

Daphne threw the book into the trunk and started to pace the floor of Atticus’s room, gnashing her teeth. The more she thought about it, the more her blood boiled. Zephyr, sensing her anger, immediately started to chirp and shake his head.

Whatever that made her angry, it wasn’t his fault!

"I’m not angry at you," Daphne said, flinging herself onto the bed. She screamed into the pillow.

Her father’s favoritism was too much! After meeting Prince Nathaniel, Daphne guessed that he must have purposely chosen her as his bride because of her inability to do magic back then.

It definitely wasn’t because King Cyrus, her own father, lifted a finger to secure this advantageous match for her!

If anything, Daphne suspected that King Cyrus wanted Drusilla to marry Prince Nathaniel instead, but Raxuvia’s court probably saw it as an insult and rejected the offer. Her father had only reluctantly allowed Daphne to marry Prince Nathaniel because she was the only candidate who wouldn’t offend Raxuvia’s standards for a bride.

Leonora was too obstinate, Blanche was too young, and Drusilla was a bastard daughter.

Now that Daphne was happy with Atticus and no longer powerless, her father, the esteemed king he was, was peddling his precious bastard daughter in front of Atticus, as though he was a matchmaker and not royalty.

Having one daughter tied to Vramid was already enough. Logic dictated that he didn’t need another daughter marrying the same man! If anything, daughters should be married to different kingdoms for more alliances!

But of course, logic didn’t apply to her father when it came to Drusilla. His love for her was truly unfathomable, and it made Daphne’s stomach curl up in disgust and envy.

So much effort was spared for Drusilla, while Daphne didn’t even get the minimum of his regard. If not for the fire coursing through her body and her mother’s looks, Daphne might have suspected that she was the bastard instead!

Zephyr, sensing Daphne’s distress, decided to sit on her head.

"Thanks a lot," Daphne mumbled into the pillow.

She raised a hand, gently combing through Zephyr’s feathers. The baby griffin had grown too much and it was beginning to grow difficult to hide it in random rooms indoors. It could barely even fit in Daphne’s bed now.

"Whatever shall I do?" she asked Zephyr, watching as the beast blinked back wordlessly at her. "Do you think he will marry her?"

"Who’s marrying who?"