Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 507: Burned

Cordelia had nearly worn down the fibers of the rug in the room when she finally heard a knock on her door.

She perked up almost immediately, taking in a deep breath before looking in the mirror. While she was sure it was just Sir Jonah outside, she wasn’t about to take any chances. No one could catch her slipping up, or else she might be thrown back into the matchmaking ring by her father.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance and the mastery over her facial expressions, she walked over to the door and opened it herself. Thankfully, true to her initial guess, it was none other than Jonah.

He wasn’t in his uniform tonight. Instead, he had on an off-white suit that was accented with bits of gold. A pink rose was tucked into his coat pocket while matching white gloves covered his hands. His hair, which was let loose and wavy the last few times Cordelia had seen him, was now gelled up neatly and styled to perfection.

"Princess Cordelia?" he asked, though she ignored him.

Cordelia quickly glanced left and right before yanking him into her room and slamming the door shut behind him. Pulled by the sudden force, Jonah fell forward, nearly losing his footing if it weren’t for how he had caught himself against the wall at the last second.

However, that meant that the roles were reversed― now, it was Jonah who had cornered Cordelia against the wall.

Of course, Jonah didn’t stay in such a position for long. He quickly scrambled away, pushing himself upright to create some distance between them. Nonetheless, there was an undeniable hue of red that tinted Cordelia’s cheeks.

Jonah cleared his throat, adjusting his collar. For some reason, it felt oddly difficult to breathe.

"You were looking for me, Your Highness?" he asked, finding it increasingly difficult to meet Cordelia’s eye.

Things had turned a little weird between them. Ever since Jonah brought Cordelia around Frostholm for a tour, he had been trying to avoid her like the plague. He couldn’t understand why, but seeing her made him feel warm all over.

It felt as though she had drugged or cursed him, and if it weren’t for the fact that he had been present the very day Atticus erased natural magic from humanity, he would’ve truly believed that Princess Cordelia had indeed been up to some funny business.

"I didn’t think you would show up, honestly," she said just as she took a bold step forward. "Are you not afraid of the rumors?"

"Rumors?"

"Yes," Cordelia said. She reached forward, adjusting Jonah’s lapel, which had been left crooked when he tried to loosen his collar previously. "A lone man and a lone woman in a room together, away from prying eyes. Much more, you’re in the bride’s room while you are not the groom."

Jonah’s Adam’s apple rolled when he swallowed, the movement catching Cordelia’s eye.

"Isn’t this exactly what you want, Princess?" Jonah asked, his eyes not once leaving hers. "I seem to recall your proposal just a mere few days ago to help you stage a scandal. Wouldn’t this be perfect?"

"It would," Cordelia said with a nod.

Even though they were already inches apart, she continued to move closer, eventually forcing Jonah all the way to the side of the bed. His heel hit the bed frame, and he barely even had the chance to turn back to look at what it was he had hit when Cordelia gently pushed him back. Without the foresight to brace himself, Jonah easily fell, bouncing against the mattress just in time for Cordelia to hover over him.

She placed her hands on the mattress, one on each side of his shoulders, propping herself up so that she wasn’t completely lying on him. However, she had also crawled on to straddle him.

Sir Jonah was a strong man and a skilled soldier. If this wasn’t something he wanted, Cordelia knew that he had the ability to push her off, both violently or gently, depending on his temperament. Yet, he stayed perfectly still, simply staring right into her eyes, holding her gaze.

"But weren’t you afraid of the scandal, Sir Jonah?" Cordelia teased, her voice a little softer this time. "You seemed pretty adamant about not accepting my offer the last few times I’ve proposed it."

"It’s just ’Jonah’," he muttered instead, ignoring her question. "There’s really no need for such titles, Princess."

"And yet you refuse to call me by my name," Cordelia pointed out.

"It feels a little too intimate," Jonah confessed. "You are of royal blood, while I am a mere common man."

Cordelia laughed. "Look at us," she said, sitting up a little. She gestured to her body then his. "Is this not considered intimate?"

Jonah said nothing at first, simply staring up at Cordelia. No matter how hard she stared, she couldn’t guess what might be on the man’s mind. Yet, when he spoke again, she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Perhaps I am just a little too close to the fire in my attempt to seek warmth," Jonah uttered the words so softly that Cordelia wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating it.

"So am I," Cordelia replied. "The only difference is that I am not afraid of getting burned. Are you, Jonah?"

Unfortunately, Cordelia never got the chance to catch Jonah’s reply. The door was blasted right open the next second. She barely even had the time to scream in shock when Jonah had flipped them over so that he now used his body as a human meatshield, protecting her from the wooden shards that flew across the room due to the sudden impact.

With one swift swipe, he used the covers to hide their bodies from the blast, though Cordelia quickly smelled the familiar scent of blood mixed with the dust that flew up from the shattered door.

Cordelia sat up, prying herself free from the safety of Jonah’s arms to have a look. What she found was the sheets coated in red, flowing from the bits of Jonah’s back which were stabbed by the sharp pieces of wood.

"What the fuck is going on here?!"