Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 377: Returning the Ring

Chapter 377: Returning the Ring

"The carpets are going to get worn right through with your pacing," Atticus gently reminded, a hint of teasing in his voice in his poor attempt to lighten up the mood. "The chicken will be fine. Don’t worry too much about it."

The joke, however, wasn’t appreciated. Daphne threw her husband a hard glare, returning to chewing at her bottom lip. Her pacing only increased after, and Atticus had to make sure Daphne’s earrings weren’t glowing in fear that she might accidentally set the carpets on fire with her frantic steps.

"How could I not?" she cried out, exasperated. "He’s only been getting worse and worse and no one knows what is going on with him. I doubt even Alistair would know since he was roped into this mess only because of Jean Nott!"

Worry had absolutely destroyed Daphne’s body over the course of the last few weeks. Her eye bags had gotten worse, laced with a dark layer that sagged beneath her eyelids. Due to the sleepless nights taking care of Zephyr, Daphne’s skin had turned dull and her posture seemed to be in a perpetual slouch due to how tired she was.

Atticus could only pull her into his arms, running his hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her. This time, thankfully, it worked. He could feel Daphne relaxing bit by bit in his arms, melting into his embrace.

He sighed in relief, burrowing his face in her hair as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"Zephyr is a griffin," Atticus said. "He won’t die so easily. They’re notoriously difficult to slay."

"Says the one who casually slain one not too long ago," Daphne murmured into his chest. She stayed quiet for a moment before sighing. "What if he never recovers?"

"Have some faith," Atticus said. "They’re known as experts in the field. Even if that dumb prince isn’t able to find a solution, at least trust that Sirona eventually will."

Gently, Atticus pulled away, still holding Daphne by her upper arms. Her eyes were a little red, a mix of her exhaustion and the never-ending tears. She sniffed, and when a trail of tears ran down the apples of her cheeks, Atticus’s hand reached up to swipe them away.

"This might not be a good time, but I have something for you," he said.

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a small velvet box. Pulling the lid open, it revealed the Symphony, this time, the aquamarines in perfect condition. The stones were most likely replaced and the ring looked as good as new.

"Jonah managed to find aquamarines that were perfect replacements for your wedding ring," Atticus said.

He held Daphne’s finger in place before removing the replacement that he bought her not long after the Symphony was taken for repair. In its place, Atticus slipped on the Symphony, returning it to its rightful owner. As for the temporary replacement, Atticus placed it back into the box before placing it into Daphne’s open palm.

It wasn’t anything special, just a simple ring made of devil aquamarine. While it was beautiful as well, it felt better to have her original wedding ring back.

Daphne raised her hand, a small smile rising to her face. It was a rare sight these days and was one of the first few times she truly smiled since Zephyr’s condition worsened. She admired the ring, moving her hand back and forth as she watched the moonstone slowly gain a rainbow sheen.

While beautiful, there was something that just didn’t feel right about this ring.

"The rainbow sheen isn’t as bright anymore," Daphne noted softly.

She could still remember the day she had last seen her ring― the sheen was a brilliant rainbow, as evident from all the times she and Atticus had participated in their lovemaking sessions. However, even though this sheen was definitely not blue alone, it was nowhere as vivid and vibrant.

"The moonstone wasn’t replaced, was it?" Daphne asked.

"Of course not," Atticus replied instantly, seemingly appalled. "Would it still be the Symphony if all the gems were changed? I assure you, the same moonstone still sits on the Symphony."

Daphne began to chew on her bottom lip again, a habit that she hadn’t even realized she gained until recently. Perhaps she was overthinking it. It had been a while since she and Atticus had last spent the night together, after all― and it didn’t even account for the lack of adult bedroom activities.

In general, she hadn’t even slept on the same bed as her husband most nights in recent weeks due to the fact that she would be busy looking after Zephyr. Maybe the moonstone was able to pick up the distance between their relationship.

Daphne’s chest tightened painfully. She had been so busy recently, her mind preoccupied only with Zephyr’s wellbeing that she had completely neglected her husband, the man with whom she was married to. Guiltily, she turned to look at him.

Atticus, who had caught her frown, smiled gently and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"We’ve not spent much time together recently, have we?" she said. While it was a question, she knew the answer better than anyone else.

"You’re busy recuperating, and now, you’re busy looking after the damned chicken," Atticus said. He placed a hand on Daphne’s head, pulling her close to land a kiss on her temple. "There’s no need to look like that. I completely understand."

Immediately, Daphne’s heart was filled with warmth. It was wonderful to have such an understanding husband. She knew that Atticus didn’t like Zephyr too much, and yet, he kept quiet nevertheless due to how much Daphne treasured her friend.

"I love you," she said. She stood on the tip of her toes, pressing a chaste peck on Atticus’s lips.

He instantly leaned down, deepening the kiss before she could pull away. How he longed for her taste. There was no way he could be satiated with something so fleeting.

When they finally pulled apart, Daphne could catch waves of desire dancing across Atticus’s gaze. She saw how his eyes darted over to look at her lips for a second longer than normal before returning to meet her line of sight. Her heart fluttered, skipping a beat.

"I love you more," he murmured.

This moment was perfect. If only they could stay like this forever.

However, their little bubble quickly popped when the door to the infirmary opened, and out stepped Nathaniel. His expression was grim and he sighed heavily, eyes downcast.

Just one look alone and Daphne could feel her heart drop. She was on cloud nine just now. With this, she was sent plummeting back down to hell.

"We had to do it," Nathaniel said. "There was no other way."