Capítulo 27: You’re Not Too Important
Daphne flinched instinctively, expecting a blow to the face, but nothing happened.
"I don't think you succee―" Daphne's voice trailed off as a strange feeling began to creep up on her. It was as though she was getting soaked in seawater, and every part of her, from her heels to her stockings to her undergarments were wet.
"Do you really think I would aim straight at you, in full view of everyone? Princess Daphne, perhaps that might be your style, but don't lump me in with the likes of you," Cordelia murmured as she grabbed her hand, a mockery of a handhold between close friends.
Daphne felt the chill spread through her body.
"I hope you enjoy drowning on dry land," Cordelia whispered, her eyes manic with glee. "I've been told it's an experience."
Daphne was about to let loose the string of expletives that had already made their way to her lips, but they were stamped down by a gentle warmth that suddenly seeped through her clothing. As soon as they had gotten drenched, they were dry once more.
She instantly turned to look at her husband, who hadn't met her eye. However, the subtle orange glow of the sunstone in his pocket told her that it had to be his handiwork.
"Princess Cordelia," he gently called out, though his expression was everything but gentle, "do remember that while you are a guest here tonight, we are also celebrating the coronation of my queen. She isn't just the princess of Reaweth any longer but the rightful queen of Vramid."
Cordelia's face looked as though she had just chewed on a lemon peel, but her words were ever courteous. "Of course, King Atticus."
Sensing tensions rising, Lord Castillo immediately stepped in. "King Atticus, may we occupy a moment of your time?" He cast a not-very-subtle glance in Daphne's direction. "It's regarding the issue that's currently in discussions between Vramid and Nedour."
Whatever it was, Atticus didn't divulge. Instead, he pursed his lips, turning to Daphne.
"I'll get Jonah to escort you back," he said. "Don't go running out on your own."
"I am not a child." Daphne scowled, her voice low, careful not to let the Nedour princess overhear.
"Be good." Atticus's hand cupped her cheek, his thumb gently running over her skin. His hand was warm but his next words sent a chill up Daphne's spine. "Even if you run, no matter where you go, I'll find you."
Before Daphne could retort, he strode off, with Lord Castillo and Princess Cordelia trailing after him like puppies after their master.
Princess Cordelia had the nerve to turn back to give Daphne one last smirk of victory. The action was slight but Daphne definitely caught it. Her eyelid twitched in irritation, just itching to go over and hand her a piece of her mind.
Sure, Daphne wasn't at all familiar with magic, but she was pretty nifty with a sword if it meant she could cut up people like Cordelia into pieces. If she couldn't get her hands on a sword, she didn't mind using her fists either.
She would love to see Cordelia use her magic when she pulled out all her hair. Just the very thought made her smile, and Daphne busied herself by imagining how she would pay Cordelia back for her insults as she waited for Jonah to come get her.
However, minutes went by and there wasn't a sign of the king's closest aide. Daphne was just about to give up waiting when someone spoke up, catching her attention.
"Princess Daphne, what a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance."
Daphne turned only to see two young noblewomen in front of her. One had dark hair and a certain wildness in her blue eyes, while the other had red hair and a freckled face.
Their jewels and dresses were fine enough to Daphne's trained eyes, but they thankfully did not signify the presence of royalty. One Princess Cordelia was more than enough for her to deal with.
"A pleasure. May I have your names?" Daphne asked politely.
"I'm Veronica Yarrowood." The dark haired woman curtseyed.
"And I'm Penelope Huntington." The red haired woman curtseyed.
Daphne merely nodded. She didn't know enough about Vramid nobility to place their ranks, and Atticus, her beloved moronic husband, hadn't bothered to teach her.
"...Do you know who we are?" Veronica asked cautiously, as though not believingly her ears.
"My apologies. I have no idea. I am unfamiliar with Vramid nobility," Daphne honestly replied. Veronica suddenly looked like she sucked on a lemon.
"It's alright," Penelope said, clutching at her friend's arm, giving her a warning stare. "This must be very new to you. I'm sure you must have had a hard time learning."
"In more ways than one," Veronica added waspishly, now giving Daphne a disparaging look. "How can you not know anything about the kingdom you're marrying into? What do you do all day?"
"Nonnie!" Penelope scolded, aghast. "You can't say that!"
Meanwhile Daphne hastily stifled a snort. They were troublemakers, but at least they were blunt about it. She'd take outright confrontation over Cordelia's fake sympathy any day. And she was still feeling pretty rankled over Cordelia's insults…
"You thought so too, Penny!" Veronica retorted, and then she glared at Daphne. "So, not only do you know no magic, you also have no knowledge of our kingdom, and you're not even pretty enough to make up for these flaws… How did someone like you become his bride? Did your father beg for him to take you?"
"Believe me, I ask myself that every day," Daphne replied dryly, before adding. "And my husband does tell me about people important to him. I guess both of you are simply not important enough to be mentioned by my husband's own mouth."
Penelope's jaw dropped a little but she recovered quickly, albeit still stunned speechless.
Daphne continued, "And if you care so much for my husband, you're welcome to have him. Remember to feed him three times a day and take him out for walks. "
Veronica got even angrier at her words. Her face was practically steaming. Next to her, her friend looked appalled at the words from Daphne's lips.
"That's disrespectful of you," Penelope said, her eyes glinting with anger. "King Atticus is the best man Vramid has to offer, and he has offered you his love and protection. If he wasn't there, you would have died at the hands of Princess Cordelia. How could you say this? Treat him like a burden?"
Next to her, Veronica looked fit to burst. She declared hotly, attracting the attention of the ballroom, "If you have no skill in magic, then you should at least study to make up for it! He honored you with multiple dances, and you repaid that honor by stomping on his feet. So you have no grace, no magic, no brains… his regard is wasted on you!"
Prequel Available!
Check out the prequel: The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Capítulo 28: Favorite Man
"Then tell him that, if you have the guts to." Daphne shrugged nonchalantly. "If not, as your new queen, I can have you punished even without my husband's presence."
It didn't escape her notice that these two women only confronted her when Atticus was gone from the ballroom. Compared to Cordelia who dared to threaten her right in front of Atticus, they were practically infants.
"Are you sure about that?" Veronica asked challengingly, even as she cast a quick look around the ballroom for the King.
Daphne snorted quietly, and Veronica whirled back to point an offending finger at her.
"You're the outsider who knows nothing about our land or our customs. You might be a queen, but that isn't worth much if you don't provide him with a son."
"Veronica, that's enough," Penelope chided gently, but there was a mean glint in her eyes that Daphne didn't trust. She was proven right when that girl continued, "King Atticus may not want children with her, due to her… deficiencies. He has the kingdom to think about."
"You're right, Penny. After all, it's not as though his queen is doing any thinking." Veronica sniffed haughtily. "If I were him, I wouldn't want to risk my child being useless because of his mother."
A muscle twitched in Daphne's jaw. These women were getting too comfortable with insulting her right to her face. Even if they made valid points about her not studying more about Vramid, she could hardly be faulted for that misstep.
She didn't expect to be kidnapped and crowned, after all!
"Lady Veronica seems particularly wise on the topic of useless children," Daphne said, raising an eyebrow. "But then again, you are one."
"You―"
"I don't need to know your rank to know that you are behaving deplorably in the presence of royalty." Daphne shifted, pulling herself to her full height as she stared down these two women.
"He doesn't even love you." Veronica seethed, attempting to grasp at anything she could to prod at Daphne's sore spots.
Daphne tilted her head and blinked with mock innocence. "He doesn't love you either."
Veronica's face instantly turned redder than beetroot. She took a step forward, only to get held back by her friend. Penelope was equally as mad, but it was nice to see at least one of the two had a brain still.
If these women tried anything like that stuck-up Nedish princess from before did, Daphne wouldn't shy away from throwing in a few hits of her own. These women weren't royalty and didn't seem to have much political power. The mess should be easy enough to clean up.
Seeing them momentarily shut-up, Daphne smiled coldly.
She said, "Even if I wasn't married to King Atticus, I would still be a princess in my own right. To be so ill-mannered in the face of foreign dignitaries is disgraceful. Nothing has destroyed the reputation of Vramid's nobility faster than the both of you baying like goats."
Both their mouths fell open in unison, but Daphne wasn't finished.
"I'm sure King Atticus would love to hear about your behavior. Perhaps he would find it endearing to know how two of his citizens managed to ruin Vramid's diplomatic ties with Reaweth while he was still busy working on the night of his ball."
Daphne smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. It was satisfying to watch them gulp with fear as they slowly realized a simple truth.
"And I would like to see," she continued to say, "if he would stand on the side of two random women that are evidently of no use to his kingdom or if he would be on the side of his wife."
Daphne was a princess that didn't have magic.
But even so, Daphne was still a princess. Not a scullery maid they could kick around at their whim. Even at her most powerless, she was still more highly ranked than them.
"Well-said, Your Highness. My apologies for the slight delay. There were certain issues I had to take care of," Jonah interrupted, bowing apologetically.
His sudden appearance caught the attention of all three ladies.
The leader of the royal guards was dressed in something out of the usual. Finally out of his uniform, Jonah was in a white suit, his light blue waistcoat serving as a nice contrast underneath, paired with silver cufflinks. His color scheme was the complete opposite of Atticus's, Daphne noticed, with the latter in black, red, and gold.
It was a fresh look, something that quite suited Jonah, though she was more used to seeing him in his usual uniform. Nevertheless, Jonah still had his hair let loose as usual, his golden strands tousled yet somehow still neat.
Daphne couldn't help but smile. Jonah really reminded her of a golden retriever puppy.
"And look who finally showed up," Daphne said, pretending to be mad. For a moment, she had completely forgotten about the existence of the two annoying women with her.
Jonah expertly balanced a plate of crumpets and lemon cakes in front of her, to which Daphne's eyes glistened at the sight of.
He said, "I noticed you hadn't eaten, so I took the liberty of taking some food for you."
"Since you've brought me sustenance, you're forgiven," Daphne gleefully declared, eagerly dipping a crumpet in honey and popping it into her mouth, a blissful smile crossing her face as the flavor hit her tongue. "You're truly my knight in shining armor."
"I don't know about that." Jonah shrugged, giving Lady Veronica and Lady Penelope a sidelong glance. "I doubt you were in any danger, especially from such… lovely young ladies. Good evening, Lady Yarrowood and Lady Huntington."
Daphne was probably the only one who caught the slight sarcasm in his voice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Jonah!" They chorused, with stars in their eyes.
With Jonah now present, Veronica and Penelope had no choice but to swallow down whatever fight they had prepared against Daphne. Only an idiot would offend him― doing so would be the same as offending the king himself.
Jonah nodded, smiling so brightly that crinkles appeared at the corner of his eyes. However, only a fool wouldn't be able to tell that the smile wasn't heartfelt. His green eyes were dark, staring down at the two women like a predator would their prey.
He was like his master in that aspect; they were both sirens― beautiful and alluring, but dangerous once you get close.
And those women at least knew that the right-hand of the king was not a man to anger.
"Likewise, but a word of warning: an insult to Queen Daphne is an insult to King Atticus. It'll do you good to remember that. I bid you a good night."
With that, Sir Jonah stretched out a hand to escort Daphne away, leaving the shell-shocked and embarrassed women behind.
"Like I said, you're truly a knight in shining armor. My favorite man in the kingdom," Daphne said cheerfully as she continued to help herself to the food.
"Don't let your husband hear you say that," Jonah said, trying not to laugh at his new queen's cheeks stuffed with food. "I like having my head attached to my neck."
Daphne simply smiled cheekily, happily indulging in the food that Jonah had brought her. All this while, none of the two had noticed the silent pair of footsteps walking behind them, observing their every interaction.
Prequel Available!
Check out the prequel: The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
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