Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 492: An Unwanted Engagement II

"The engagement?" Daphne dumbly echoed. "My apologies, I’m afraid I’m a little lost. What engagement?"

Did she mean a wedding engagement? Since when was Cordelia getting married? Besides,why would Atticus know about it, and even if he did, why would he care? This seemed to be Cordelia’s personal affairs and if Cordelia didn’t wish to share it, it was highly unlikely that Atticus would know. He was never one to pry, especially when he held no interest for these particular people.

Queen Lavinia merely sighed, shaking her head.

"This child..." she mumbled under her breath, "Cordelia truly is never one to share her woes. It seems like her father, King Marinus, has arranged a marriage for her. He wishes for the groom to be none other than King Atticus."

"What?!"

Daphne’s eyes damn near bulged out from her sockets with how wide she was opening them. Her voice had been raised due to her surprise — and horror — causing the attendees in the vicinity to turn around and stare at her in confusion and curiosity. Daphne could only offer them sheepish smiles before clearing her throat and turning her attention back to Queen Lavinia.

"I am a little confused right now," Daphne said, trying not to choke on her own breath as she spoke. "Why would Atticus be the groom? He is already married."

Married to her, Daphne wanted to emphasize. According to her mother, King Atticus had even announced that the only person who could rival him would be none other than Daphne herself. That should’ve made it very clear to the leaders of the world that Daphne was the rightful queen of Vramid, the only woman who could stand by Atticus’s side.

Now, King Marinus was trying to wed his daughter off to her best friend’s husband while she was still alive and kicking? What sort of sick joke was this?

"That is the brief gist of what I’ve heard," Queen Lavinia said.

She exhaled loudly, bouncing Bianca up and down when the baby started to stir in her arms. Thankfully, Daphne’s small shout of surprise had not woken the baby up. If it did, it would’ve been troublesome.

"It seems like Cordelia’s father believes it prosperous for the kingdom of Nedour to have her married to King Atticus. After all, I am sure you are aware of the ancient myths about the first users of magic, yes? Only King Rowan Verimandi and Queen Bethany-Anne could use magic. They were a married couple, husband and wife. And now that magic has been erased from the humans of the world, only King Atticus and his wife — which happens to be you — have this magic."

She continued, "In King Marinus’s eyes, the key to obtaining magic is by becoming King Atticus’s wife. That is why he wishes for Cordelia to marry King Atticus."

Daphne spluttered. King Marinus’s plans had more holes in them than actual fishing nets.

"And they... agreed to this?" Daphne asked in disbelief. Even as she said it, she logically knew that had to be impossible. Atticus had all but declared his feelings for her, and Cordelia hated coming second place to anyone. If a marriage actually happened, both Atticus and Cordelia would be miserable.

Of course, the one who would be most miserable at this turn of events would be Daphne herself.

She cast a quick glance at Atticus and Cordelia, who were speaking on the balcony. From such a distance, she could not hear anything they were saying. They were too far away for Daphne to even attempt lip-reading their conversation, not that she was any fluent in it.

The insecurities she had from age-old brewed and bubbled in her chest. How strange it was that everything had come full circle― the first time Daphne and Cordelia met, it was also because Cordelia was trying to catch Atticus’s attention.

While she had later on made it very clear that Cordelia had not been in love with Atticus in any bit and had only wished to marry him due to power and pressure, Daphne’s heart had still harbored a little bit of doubt. She had only eventually dropped it when Cordelia and her became good friends, with the former insisting that King Atticus would never be someone she wished to marry ever again, even if Atticus and Daphne theoretically one day separated for whatever reasons.

"If she marries Atticus, Cordelia can still never be queen," Daphne said, her expression darkening. How could Cordelia’s own father ruin his daughter’s social standing by denying her the respect she deserved? freeweɓnovel.cѳm

She believed in Cordelia, and even though they were in the midst of a rift, Daphne still trusted Atticus to remain loyal to only her, especially after all his recent proclamations of love. Nevertheless, it was a sour feeling to even imagine for just a second the image of her best friend and her husband together as a loving pair.

Daphne’s stomach churned in distaste, though she tried her hardest not to let it show.

"That is what Cordelia has been telling her father," Lavinia said. "As far as I know, she has been protesting it ever since her father even suggested such a ludicrous idea. The engagement was pitched to King Atticus, but from what Cordelia mentioned, he rejected it immediately."

Queen Lavinia must’ve noticed the nasty expression hanging on Daphne’s face― she looked sick to the stomach, easily comparable to the expression Lavinia imagined Daphne might make if someone told her that her beloved had died.

Thus, Lavinia continued to explain, trying her best to ease whatever tension Daphne might have.

"There isn’t much for you to worry about, Queen Daphne, but Marinus has always been one sly bastard," she said. "While Cordelia is fervently against the idea, I would not put it past Marinus to pull certain strings to ensure that he gets the result he wants. My brother-in-law had always been a slippery little eel, and age has made him even more cunning. Cordelia might not have the foresight to handle his machinations."