Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 500: Propriety II

"I have been informed by King Atticus on the... circumstances of your engagement," Jonah said, frowning as he thought of a better way to phrase this odd situation. "No matter what, congratulations."

"Oh, Sir Jonah, you are truly fun," Cordelia mused. She grinned wickedly, taking a step forward; she only grew more excited when Jonah took a minute step back so that the distance between them did not change. "If King Atticus told you the truth, then surely you understand as well that there’s really nothing to congratulate at all?"

"Regardless, it is only polite," Jonah replied. "Although it might not be in my place, I must warn that it might be hard to find a..." he hesitated, then said, "suitable actor in such a short period of time."

"An actor?" Cordelia echoed.

She leaned forward, and to Jonah’s dismay, when he took another step back, the heel of his foot hit the wall behind him. He hadn’t even noticed — even with all his expertise in battle and physical combat — that this coy woman had somehow cornered him within their short interaction.

Cordelia grinned when the moment realization flashed through Jonah’s eyes. He was like a cornered mouse, frantic and worried. He was truly a fun specimen to play with.

Leaning close, she whispered in his ear, "Did you mean a man who could play the part of my lover?"

When Cordelia pulled away, she had to suppress the burst of laughter that was bubbling in her throat. Poor Sir Jonah had gone beetroot red from the base of his neck all the way to his hairline. He looked as though he was suffocating, facing a fate worse than death. The blush was so obvious that it had to be at least three shades pinker than his usual skin tone, and watching the way he reacted to her was a joy.

Cordelia made up her mind then and there― she couldn’t care less what King Atticus had to say. She must have Sir Jonah one way or another. In all her life, meeting all the men her father had tried to shove her to, she had never found someone as wondrously interesting as King Atticus’s right-hand man.

"I have not indeed," she continued, watching as the cogs in Jonah’s head started to turn. However, he realized what she was about to say was too late.

She was going to say it anyway, especially now that the pesty King Atticus was too busy to guard his little pet.

"How about you play the role yourself, Sir Jonah?" Cordelia asked, dropping the figurative bomb on top of his head.

"Princess Cordelia, I couldn’t possibly―"

"Whyever not?" Cordelia asked. She placed a hand on the wall right next to Jonah’s head, and even though she was still shorter than him despite her heels, she could sense him practically cowering into himself.

"Because you are a member of Nedour’s royal family," Jonah stated, plain as day. "I am a mere knight in service to King Atticus and Vramid."

"Perhaps Daphne and King Atticus failed to mention what I am getting out of this bargain?" Cordelia hummed. "Then allow me to educate you. I want a scandal. I need something big enough that the kingdoms of the world would talk about for at least the next five years. To think: King Atticus, the most powerful man in the world, is cucked by a man who was not a royal nor a noble. Wouldn’t that make the headlines?"

"That is why it wouldn’t be proper, Your Highness," Jonah said.

His eyes darted back and forth, searching for a way out so that he wouldn’t accidentally touch Cordelia. However, she had practically shoved her bosom right under his face with no care of the revealing clothing the people of Nedour loved so much.

Finally, he noticed a blind spot. He quickly ducked under and slipped out of her cage, putting ample distance between them so that even if anyone spotted them, they wouldn’t imagine anything funny was going on.

"My loyalties are to King Atticus. It is unlikely that I would betray him in such a way by stealing his... woman."

"But that’s what makes it more scandalous, isn’t it?" Cordelia asked. "Star-crossed lovers, ready to defy the voices of the world if it meant being able to be together. That is exactly the sort of commotion I need. If you’re unagreeable to such an arrangement, then I suppose I should tell my father that the engagement is off."

Cordelia shrugged, pretending to be upset.

"After all, I have no plans on fraternizing with any random man to be found on the streets. Who knows what he might do to me?"

She dramatically placed the back of her hand against her forehead, tapping into all the drama she had suppressed for the longest time.

"What if I am ruined? Now that I no longer have powers, I cannot protect myself from harm. If it were any other random man, I wouldn’t be able to trust them to keep to their word of having it as a pretense. At least with you, Daphne has guaranteed time and time again that you are an honest man. If King Atticus is willing to keep you by his side for so long, you must indeed live up to your reputation."

Jonah’s adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He felt as though he was slowly suffocating, and instead of pulling him out of the waves, his king and queen had just high-fived him and left him to drown on his own.

"If it concerns the grand scheme of things, perhaps it’s best to discuss this directly with King Atticus," Jonah suggested, keeping his head bowed. "I cannot make decisions in place of my king."

Lies. Jonah had made plenty of decisions in Atticus’s place, especially when the latter was much too tired or busy to rule. Half of the political decisions made in Vramid were passed by Jonah himself in the name of Atticus, not that Princess Cordelia needed to know.

Nevertheless, Jonah needed a reason to escape now and he could thus only throw Atticus under to save his own hide.

Before Cordelia could say anything else, Jonah continued, "Dinner will be commencing soon. Would you require me to lead you to the banquet hall, Your Highness?"

Cordelia smiled. For now, she was done toying with the poor guy. He looked as though he was ready to combust.

"I know where it is," she said. "I’ll be there shortly." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"In that case, please excuse me, Your Highness." With that said, Jonah turned to leave, quickly scurrying away. His feet hadn’t brought him far when he heard Cordelia calling out to him once more.

"Oh, and Sir Jonah?"

He stopped in his tracks but did not turn.

She continued, "Do think over my suggestion. If you are unable to make a decision, I most certainly don’t mind speaking with Daphne about this."

Jonah turned back only to bow without a word before dashing off, this time, much faster than before. Cordelia’s eyes trailed after his disappearing figure. With how quickly he ran off, it didn’t take more than a few seconds before he completely disappeared from Cordelia’s line of sight.

That was it. Cordelia sighed, tapping the tip of her fan to her cheek.

She wanted none other than him.