Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 510: Regaining What’s Lost I

"Will you be alright?" Daphne asked, holding Cordelia tightly in her embrace as they stood at the gates of the royal palace.

After the disaster of a wedding, none of the guests stayed for long. Most of them departed for their homes after the banquet ended the night before, and as for those who traveled far to attend — such as King Calarian and Queen Lavinia — they stayed for the night and left Vramid in the wee hours of the dawn.

Cordelia and King Marinus were the last ones to leave, along with their entourage. Yet, the time still came for them to bid their goodbyes.

King Marinus had been reluctant to say much. He had apologized personally to Atticus for his daughter’s actions before retreating into his carriage without a word more. Later on, Daphne found out the reason for it from Cordelia herself.

"The elders of the high court have been trying to remove my father from the throne for years," Cordelia said. "I simply showed no interest in ruling, and thus it was delayed for so long. Once we return, I will inform them that I have changed my mind. My father will have no say after that. He has no royal blood flowing in him, and if the council decides to have him step down, he will have no choice but to follow, especially since I am a present heir ready to take his place."

"Does that mean that the next time we meet, you will be Queen Cordelia instead of Princess?" Daphne teased.

Light sparkled in Cordelia’s green eyes. "Perhaps," she said. "We’ll see each other soon, Daphne. I hope everything goes alright with the pearl and Nereus’s eye."

Daphne nodded and said her thanks before Cordelia made her way to her carriage. It didn’t escape Daphne’s notice, however, that she chose to travel separately from her father. The talk last night had probably caused a rift between the father-daughter duo, not to Daphne’s surprise. She could imagine that it was a difficult conversation to have.

Cordelia stopped right in front of her carriage before turning to stare in the direction of Vramid’s palace. She said nothing, but even from a distance, Daphne knew that she was searching for someone. Unfortunately, Cordelia failed to find the person she was looking for, and soon stepped into the carriage and closed the door.

Only after the Nedish entourage had disappeared down the road and out of view did Daphne finally return to the inner palace.

"She was waiting for you," Daphne said when she found Jonah sitting alone in the gardens. "You didn’t come to say goodbye."

"King Marinus might just strangle me then and there," Jonah teasingly said. "I am not taking that risk."

"As if you can’t fight a graying old man," Daphne said with a laugh. However, her tone soon became serious. "Atticus will be announcing your retirement later this afternoon. Have you decided where you wish to go?"

"Not quite," Jonah said, leaning back against the backrest of the bench. "Probably just around."

"You can always just stay in Reaweth," Daphne offered. "I might need some help governing the land since I am not around half the time. I am sure my mother would appreciate your expertise."

"That is actually a decent offer," Jonah said, scratching his chin. "I’ll think it through, but I just might take you up on that."

"I hope you do," a new voice chimed in. Jonah and Daphne turned just in time to see Atticus approaching, a gruff scowl across his face. "That will make it much easier for me to find you in case of an emergency."

"You say that as if you have no magic," Jonah scoffed.

"Is it ready?" Daphne asked, ignoring the boys’ banter. Her fingers clutched the backrest tightly, the pads of it going white from the pressure.

Atticus met her gaze and nodded. "Nereus and Zephyr are already in the room. We’re just waiting for you now, assuming you want to be there."

Daphne didn’t need to be told twice. She jolted out of her seat and dashed to Atticus’s side.

"Well, lead the way, then!"

The three of them arrived at the infirmary in mere minutes. True enough, Zephyr and Nereus were already present, along with Sirona. Even Prince Nathaniel was present via Atticus’s magic, the silhouette of the crown prince of Raxuvia explaining the details of the procedure to the kelpie, who sat on the edge of one of the infirmary beds.

"Daphne!" Zephyr excitedly chirped, coming over to her side when she appeared. His feathers fluffed up behind him, and a smile quickly came to Daphne’s face.

Day by day, Zephyr’s mental condition seemed much better. More than ever, he seemed to have regained his previous carefree cheeriness and abhorrent disdain for Atticus, one which wasn’t coated by a thick layer of fear.

"Has it started?" Daphne asked, craning her neck to look.

"It’s about to," Zephyr said. "Prince Nathaniel is just explaining the possible side effects now to confirm whether or not Nereus wishes to proceed."

"Side effects?" Daphne echoed with a frown. "What side effects?"

"If Nereus’s body doesn’t accept the pearl as a replacement, he might experience some bodily discomfort; nothing too serious," Prince Nathaniel said, raising his voice. He cast his glance at Daphne and nodded with a smile. "It’s been a while, Your Highness. Have you been well?"

Daphne’s reply was rudely interrupted by the sound of Atticus clearing his throat.

"If the horse is ready, then shall we proceed?" Atticus said, huffing. "The image projection isn’t going to last forever. It’s better to have Prince Nathaniel around after the procedure than before, just in case anything happens."

"Of course," Prince Nathaniel said, smiling serenely. Yet, everyone in the room had spent enough time with the crown prince of Raxuvia to know exactly what was hidden behind that smile― perfectly concealed irritation. "Well, Nereus?"

The subject in question merely nodded. Nereus’s reply was simple. "I’m ready."

"Very well then," said Prince Nathaniel. He nodded at Sirona, signaling her.

The pearl looked a lot more different than when Atticus had first seen it. Prince Nathaniel and Sirona had spent hours upon hours pouring over the details and properties of this sacred treasure, experimenting with different ways that could enhance its capabilities and alter its healing benefits to match the biology of a kelpie.

Now, the pearl was a pale purple in color rather than the lustrous pink from before. It still shimmered with a pale, silvery iridescence akin to moonlight, but at certain angles, there were blue lines refracted on the surface, resembling ripples in a pond.

Nereus lay down, his hands placed on his stomach as he stared directly at the ceiling.

"Let us begin."