"What are we going to do about these?" Jonah asked, staring cautiously at the bag of toys.
From afar, they were harmless little toys. But with those crystals in them, there was no saying what could be done if it landed in the hands of someone more sinister than a child. While it was true only nobility had the ability to wield magic, there were also many abandoned children conceived from romps, some led astray.
"Let's see if that man returns for his stones," Atticus said, scratching his chin.
"Alright." Jonah nodded. "I will also send a couple of men to look into this."
"Be discreet. We can't have it attract too much attention."
Jonah scoffed. "Who do you take me for?" Crossing his arms, he continued, "With all due respect, my liege, I am not you. I know the necessary steps of precaution and will make sure to take them."
"Oh, drop it, won't you." Atticus playfully swatted the back of Jonah's head, to which caused Jonah to scowl, rolling his eyes.
"Not until you've learned to keep your word," he quipped. Then, he pointed to the children's toys on the table. "What do we do with these, then? Should I have someone process it and leave it in the treasury?"
The king's eyes followed the direction Jonah pointed at, his line of sight falling on the toys. Immediately, the image of Daphne cradling the toy in her hands with a delighted smile lit up in his mind. Even the toy that had initially caught her attention had been added to the batch. In the end, it was all confiscated as part of an investigation.
Yet, something itched in Atticus's heart.
"Actually, leave it," he said. "I… I have some use for it."
Jonah raised an eyebrow. "What use?"
"Bugger off." Atticus scowled. "Why do I have to report back to you on everything? Am I the king or are you?"
Jonah rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself then, Your Majesty."
If it weren't for the fact that Jonah had slipped out of the room and escaped quickly, he might've been met with a toy thrown right in his face. Instead, the ammo merely hit the door that closed just a tad second prior, shielding Jonah from the impact. Even through the wooden door, Atticus could hear Jonah's laughter from the other side, slowly softening as he walked away.
***
It had been a total of five days since Daphne and Atticus had run off to the winter fair on their own. That also meant that it had been five days since Daphne had seen Atticus, much less spoken to him.
Ever since he had gallivanted off into the sunset with Jonah hot on his heels when they returned, Daphne hadn't even caught sight of the king's shadow. Daphne had tried asking Maisie a couple of times where the king was but the maid could never give more than a clueless shrug.
Oddly enough, the days were too silent for her liking. This was exactly how life was like for her back in Reaweth's royal palace. And yet, the last couple of days were so eventful that it had already shattered the routine she had spent her entire life doing.
Nonetheless, just because her life was quiet now didn't mean that it was a bad thing. The lack of a significantly annoying husband also meant that she now had much more freedom to do what she wanted. Her time was now in her hands, not in the control of her captor.
Time meant she could attempt her great escape once more.
"If you need anything else, Your Highness, please let me know," Maisie said, scuttling to the door. She had just entered Daphne's room to serve breakfast and was already running off. The poor girl hadn't even the time to stay and chat anymore.
"Are you busy with something?" Daphne asked, piercing her fork through a plump cherry tomato. It was wondrous how Vramid had such fresh fruits and vegetables even though the land was filled with everlasting cold.
"I apologize for having to rush off so soon. It's not just me that's busy these days," Maisie answered, sheepish. "The entire castle is currently preparing for the Winter Ball. It's to be held in a couple of days' time. It's usually an event that is held alongside the fair; one for the common folk and one for the noble circle."
Daphne's eyes went wide.
"A ball?" she echoed. "So soon?"
"Did… Did His Majesty not mention it?" Maisie asked. Her face then paled several shades. "Oh no…. Was I not supposed to say it?"
The cogs in Daphne's head started to turn. There was no better time to make an escape than when everyone was distracted by dancing and music. Atticus would be too busy entertaining his guests and the rest of the staff would all be bustling around the castle making sure everything went well.
"I'm sure it's fine, Maisie." Daphne waved the maid's worry off with a smile. "I am his wife, after all. I would eventually know these things."
"That's true…" Maisie muttered under her breath. "Oh well, I best be off, Your Highness. Do let me know if you need me for anything."
With that said, she hurried off, the door closing gently behind her.
Daphne's lips slowly curved into a smile once she was sure Maisie was gone. Poor thing. She was definitely way too naive for her own good. However, Daphne did not have the luxury to look out for others when she could barely care for herself.
If she was to escape, she would need proper tools and a proper outfit.
Jumping off her bed, Daphne trotted over to the wardrobe, pulling the doors open. There were a bunch of different gowns, all beautiful, vibrant, and way too extravagant to be discreet. Now, Daphne had two options. She could either dress up and attend the ball before eventually sneaking out, disguised as a member of the crowd. Or, she could return to her maid's attire and leave through the back.
She had been shown the way once. It wouldn't be too hard to find the exit this time, as compared to the last. Furthermore, Atticus surely wouldn't expect her to make use of the same method twice in a row, would he?
With her decision made, Daphne pulled out the maid's attire she had hidden behind the piles of dresses, admiring the plain fabric.
Freedom was just within reach now.
Check out the prequel: The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
In the days leading up to the ball, Daphne played her part as the dutiful princess. It wasn't hard to slip back into the skin of her past self, and it helped that somehow, every servant seemed to hold her opinion in high regard.
If Daphne made an off-hand comment about the color of the tablecloths not suiting the ambiance, the tablecloths were changed without question. She didn't even have this much power at home!
Hence she grew very careful about using her words. Instead, she decided to ask Maisie more questions about the ball; who was invited, what food was served, how long would it last, and if she needed to prepare anything special to avoid shaming Atticus.
Maisie was beside herself with happiness, pleased that the princess was taking an interest in her husband's affairs. She eagerly answered all the questions to the best of her ability, all while getting Maisie to prepare a variety of jewelry for her to choose from.
Meanwhile, Daphne plotted her escape with the details she had gathered.
When the big day arrived, Daphne insisted on dressing alone. Maisie was too busy, anyway, and didn't push further when Daphne had shooed her off.
"I'll be back later in the day to help you lace up!" Maisie had said before rushing off, heaps and bounds of fabric in her hands.
The moment Daphne was sure that Maisie was gone, she slipped out of her clothes and into the maid's attire that she had kept hidden all this while. Having worn it once before, it wasn't difficult for Daphne to quickly figure out the odds and ends. She quickly changed, this time, adding a plain scarf to cover up her hair and shield her face.
With the start of the ball soon approaching, the castle help were all busying back and forth, too preoccupied with their tasks at hand to care about a lone maid. To help her blend in, she tried her best to act like Maisie― a basket in hand with bundles of fabric in it.
Huffing and puffing, Daphne was much smarter this time and her journey proceeded much smoother than previously. She easily and quickly located the stables, stealthily heading over to the horse she had picked beforehand.
"Here… here… it's me," Daphne murmured to Sable, feeding her an apple she had saved from earlier.
Sable was the horse she had chosen to accompany her. She was a sweet-tempered mare with a coat darker than midnight, but she had a white stripe running through her forehead. Daphne had adored her from the first time she visited the stables.
The grooms were horrified at the thought of a princess potentially stepping in the muck of the stables, but she waved them off.
When they left, Daphne hurriedly stowed away a tiny bag of jewels under the haystack, along with some clothes she could change into and food that wouldn't go bad quickly. With the cold weather, they stayed in fairly good condition since she had left them there.
Thankfully, Sable didn't eat them either. They would help tide her over a good couple of days if not weeks.
Quickly strapping in all that was needed, Daphne led Sable out of the stables and quickly climbed on. Her actions were fluid enough and she silently thanked the practice she had when she had run off to the fair with Atticus a few days back. That was a good warm-up.
"Let's go, Sable," Daphne quietly said, urging the horse to move.
The horse neighed, following her heed. Yet, it lasted not more than a couple of steps when it suddenly gave a violent shake. Daphne tried to hold on as best as she could, but every couple of steps, Sable would repeat her movements until eventually, Daphne's hand slipped.
She fell off the horse, a silent scream escaping her lips. Surprisingly, the fall wasn't as painful as she thought it would be. However, a mouthful of sand definitely stuck onto her lips.
"Oh, come on." Daphne hissed.
She didn't give up. Again and again, she climbed onto the horse. Again and again, Sable threw her down. Even though the impact of landing didn't hurt, it still wasn't comfortable to land on the same spot every couple of minutes. She had barely even left the castle compound when Daphne was thrown down for the sixth time in a row.
"Now you're just doing it on purpose," Daphne said through gritted teeth, fuming. The horse merely softly neighed in reply, its tail flicking. Even without saying a word, Daphne felt that Sable was mocking her.
The princess took in a deep breath before she placed her hand on the saddle again, taking a moment to breathe before her next attempt in hoisting herself back on. Truthfully, the repeated action of climbing up the horse was starting to get tiring. Her movements had turned sluggish and she wasn't sure how many times more she could repeat this.
Yet, right before she had the chance to pull herself up, she felt her body turn weightless. She was lifted in the air like magic, her limbs moving on their own accord. Daphne's eyes widened with surprise as her legs maneuvered themselves, along with her arms and her body, positioning so that she was now back on the horse in an upright position as if she had never fallen down in the first place.
Daphne's eyes narrowed. She hadn't missed the telltale glimpse of purple that had surrounded her for a brief second before fading away into nothingness.
"Shit."
"Shit indeed," came the familiar voice. "And that refers to what an utterly shitty escape artist you are, sunshine."
Like a predator, Daphne caught sight of Atticus's golden eyes first. They were like two orbs of sunlight, glowing in the dark. Then slowly, the silvery moonlight illuminated his face, slowly showing his features as he leisurely walked out of the shadows.
Daphne's body went rigid. She didn't miss the sight of his lips, curved into a sinister grin.
"Funny thing," Atticus said with a chuckle. "I keep seeing a certain blonde woman attempting to escape via horseback. Yet, the horse she picked didn't seem to be too… persuaded, causing her to fall off with depressing regularity. I wonder why."
Check out the prequel: The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
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