Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 95: Butterflies Fluttering & Flowers Blooming

Chapter 95: Butterflies Fluttering & Flowers Blooming

"When did you wake? How do you feel?" Atticus asked, immediately shaking himself to full alertness. He looked over Daphne with a critical eye. She was wearing a long gown that covered her torso and chest, but he could see terrible bruising on her arms, and the dark circles under her eyes belied her exhaustion.

"A few hours ago. Sirona told me you didn’t sleep for two days, so I decided to let you sleep in," Daphne whispered slowly, her voice hoarser than usual. Atticus winced; once again, he had broken one of his own mental promises to Daphne.

Out of all the times to fall asleep, he had to nod off when Daphne woke up!

"And I’m fine. I’m a lot better now, thanks to Sirona. And you came just in time. Thank you, Atticus," Daphne continued, smiling beautifully at Atticus while he gaped at her.

"I... How can you even thank me? I failed you again!"

Daphne blinked at him, confused. "How so? You came for me, as promised."

"I should have never let you go off alone, to begin with!" Atticus lamented. "Look at you, bruises and wounds everywhere, burning up from within like a piece of wood in a fireplace. If Sirona hadn’t arrived in time, I might be planning your funeral now."

Daphne fell silent. She didn’t realize that she was once again so close to death. Atticus began to rant, his words escaping in a torrent. Daphne nodded at certain moments to show she was paying attention as he continued to complain about the townspeople harboring dangerous fugitives.

"Next time, you’re not going anywhere without me, even if I have to tie myself to your dress." Atticus finished.

Daphne stifled a giggle at that mental image. The rage she normally felt at having Atticus tail her everywhere had long faded to understanding acceptance, especially after she had several hours to mull it over.

He truly cared about her. So what if he didn’t desire her? As long as he cared enough for her, she would do the same for him.

"That’s ridiculous," Daphne chided gently, lying back against the pillows as Atticus hurriedly tucked her in. "Can you call Maisie into the room now? Sirona said my throat is still healing and I shouldn’t be yelling."

Atticus’s face darkened. "Must you? I can help you with whatever you need."

While he couldn’t do hair, he could help Daphne bathe and draw her a bath and dress her wounds.

"It’s alright. I don’t want to trouble you," Daphne said simply. "You have already done so much for me. You must be exhausted."

"It’s no trouble," Atticus said, but Daphne noticed the scowl on his face.

"Are you angry about Maisie?" Daphne asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I’m not angry." Atticus smiled, but there was a sharpness in his eyes. "I’m bloody furious with her and the effects of her idiocy."

"Atticus!" Daphne exclaimed.

"She already told me all the things she did. Stealing from my own office, betraying my trust, then now endangering you by her very presence..." Atticus gritted his teeth, and Daphne could see a muscle twitching in his jaw. "By her very actions, she has become an accomplice to treason."

Daphne’s heart chilled. The earlier feelings of contentment faded away as the man in front of her was no longer Atticus, her doting husband, but rather, Atticus, the cold-hearted king.

Even the most soft-hearted kings would not have accepted treason from their servants. Daphne bit her lip, wondering how to plead her case as Atticus continued.

"I have half a mind to send her away. Either that or send her to the dungeons. At least she wouldn’t cause more trouble!"

"You can’t! Atticus! Please don’t!" Daphne panicked and instinctively raised her voice. Immediately, her throat protested at the exertion, causing her to wince in pain as she started coughing.

Atticus immediately panicked too, reverting back to the doting husband. He quickly handed Daphne a cup of specially brewed medicine, and Daphne gulped it down. When she drained the cup, she continued to speak in a calmer, slower voice.

"Atticus, please don’t send her away. I sacrificed so much to save her."

"That’s precisely why I want her gone," Atticus said heartlessly, crossing his arms, his eyes dark with displeasure. "You were willing to put your life at risk for her, to the point of death. For heaven’s sake, how can a princess die for a maid? And you’re not just a princess but also the queen of my kingdom!"

"Maisie’s my friend," Daphne argued, "how could I bear to leave her to die?"

"Exactly. You couldn’t leave her. Eugene Attonson knew it, that goddamn bastard Bram knew it. In fact, right now, this entire town knows it." Atticus pointed out, getting increasingly agitated. "Which means that whoever that wants to target you now knows just who to go after."

Atticus’s face had turned a little red from his anger but he wasn’t finished.

"This time, you were fortunate to come out of it with something that Sirona could cure. What if she causes an even bigger mess and you end up dying?"

"But doesn’t it make more sense to keep her close then?" Daphne asked. "She’s less likely to get in trouble when she’s with me."

Atticus gave her a highly doubtful look, but he didn’t start yelling.

Daphne continued, " I’ll still be worried about her no matter where she is. You know it, Atticus. I’d be worried about you too, wherever you are."

Perhaps the last part was laying it on a little thick, but she had to make sure Maisie remained with her.

She took the chance to purse her lips into a delicate pout, and delighted at the way his eyes darted to her lips for that brief moment. She then batted her eyelashes at Atticus, the same way her sisters did to charm fellow royalty and nobles. She had never had the chance to use it, since no men were ever interested in what she had to say.

But Atticus was. Atticus was listening to her with rapt attention, even if he didn’t like what she said.

It worked very well― almost too well, in fact. Daphne had to resist the urge to squirm right where she sat with the way Atticus held her gaze. It burned with the same intensity her flames did, engulfing her heart whole. She could feel butterflies fluttering about in her stomach and flowers blooming in her heart.

Everything felt messy and jumbled and the feeling was absolutely frightful. The way Atticus’s eyes never left hers made her feel all sorts of ways still, robbing her of her words.

She would have remained entranced too, if it weren’t for the sudden words he spoke next.

"Is there something in your eyes?" Atticus asked, frowning as he grabbed her by her chin. Daphne squeaked as he tilted her head up, trying to peer into her eyes. "I’ll get Sirona to take a look."