Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 553: Find the Mole

The room turned quiet as the weight of Atticus’s words came crashing down from above. Truth hung on every syllable, and it was an undeniable fact that Nikun was now the top suspect, especially considering his surprising display during the second event.

"If it was him," Jonah said slowly, "did he randomly select a man to kill?"

"Perhaps the wrong place at the wrong time," Cordelia said. "He has never been to Nedour, and our palace doesn’t exactly have the simplest layout. It’s a miracle he was even able to find the dorms for the contestants, kill one of them, and return back to his staying quarters without anyone discovering him missing or Yael dead."

"But that’s the thing," Daphne suddenly said.

Everyone turned their eyes to her, who had been awfully quiet the entire time. She knew the least of this case, after all, and she wasn’t quick to make guesses that might be wrong, especially when she was the one who brought the fox into the chicken coop. If she hadn’t rescued Nikun from the tumultuous seas, would it mean that Yael would still be alive today?

"How did Nikun know where to go if he has never been to the royal palace of Nedour before?" she asked. "He shouldn’t have been able to make such a big move on his first night here."

"Unless he isn’t operating alone," Atticus pointed out. "Or someone could’ve passed him a map."

"The dorms for the contestants weren’t finalized until recently," Jonah said. "Whoever passed him the map clearly labeled out where they would be staying. So, it wasn’t any innocent help. They knew what they would be doing, leaking out information like that."

This was common information among the staff members within the palace. After all, they needed to prepare the rooms for their new guests. However, to the public, it might not be information that they would easily get their hands on, even up until now; not unless there was an insider who could hand them this information.

It could be a palace staff, it could be another contestant. Whoever it was, they played a role in Yael’s demise.

"But we cannot pin the blame without any evidence," Cordelia said. "We’ve looked at the scene of the crime― there was nothing worthwhile that could be found. Whoever had killed Yael, they did a clean job."

Then came the question, was a prince capable of doing such a feat? However, Nikun wasn’t an ordinary prince. He was a bastard son of the king of Santok, not legally recognized as a possible heir candidate for the throne even after his father’s death. Even if he was considered as one, he would have three older brothers ahead of him vying for the throne.

He was the runt of the litter, and for someone like Nikun, Daphne only imagined that he would have to claw his way up like a rat from the sewers just to embrace the light of day.

It was nearly conclusive now― Nikun had more skill than they initially thought, and infinitely more cunning. They couldn’t label him as a murderer just yet as they had no stone-cold evidence that could make their case impossible to refute, but he was most definitely at the top of the list of suspects.

"We’ll need to observe him secretly then," Daphne said with a sigh. "If he has an accomplice in the games, he would definitely still remain in contact with that person, whether it’s through writing or visits. But..."

It would certainly be tricky. Nikun was no fool after all, and if someone as ruthless as him realized that he might be suspected, Daphne would not put it past him to pin the entire affair on someone else.

Of course, this was assuming he was indeed the killer. After the debacle with Jean Nott, Daphne found herself a lot less trusting of potential killers.

Daphne could not help but recall how Jean Nott managed to contact Alistair back when he was taking part in the Crown Conquest. He had snuck through all of Raxuvia’s defensive measures and made a mockery of their attempts to establish a fair contest.

Hopefully, Cordelia’s matchmaking tournament would proceed more smoothly, since Nikun, no matter how skilled, was still bound to the limitations of a mere mortal without magic.

"I got just the idea," Cordelia said. "I’ll distract Nikun, while the rest of you go on and investigate his relationships."

"You’ll what?" Jonah exclaimed, staring at her in unabashed horror. "Cordelia, it’s too dangerous! That man is a highly skilled killer!"

"He’s hardly going to try anything in public, in full view of my guards," Cordelia retorted, "And that is where I intend to be. Besides, it’s time to start on the third task. I’ll have to spend one-on-one time with the candidates to see how suitable they are for the position of Nedour’s king."

Cordelia’s lip curled in mild derision; her earlier words were ridiculous to her own ears. After all, there was only one person she had in mind for that position, and he was staring at her with beautiful wide eyes as he tried to formulate his response, his lips quivering while he formed words.

Such a darling man. She wanted to haul him into her bedroom chambers and scandalize him further, but his overprotective best friend was still hovering around, seemingly delighted with this turn of events.

"We’ll be counting on you then," Atticus said. "Use whatever feminine willies you possess to dig your claws into him for information."

"I don’t need you to tell me that." Cordelia rolled her eyes. "I’ll make the announcement during dinner tonight. If he has an accomplice, it’s highly likely he would make contact after such this particular development. He would want information about my likes and dislikes, and only my close staff can answer his questions. Your best window of action would be tonight, and tomorrow, when I keep him busy."

She glanced at Jonah from the corner of her eyes. "Jonah, you’ll be working with Atticus and Daphne this time, using the excuse that Atticus wants to catch up with his old friend. No one should bat an eyelash over your absence."

Jonah seemed incredibly pained at her words. He shook his head.

"No, I’m not leaving you unguarded, especially after we saw what he’s capable of. We also don’t know who is the traitor in your midst."

"So you’re going to watch me go on dates with him?" Cordelia asked with a raised eyebrow. "How interesting. Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable for you?"

"Cordelia, no amount of discomfort is worth you risking your safety!" Jonah exclaimed loudly, and a small flush bloomed on Cordelia’s cheekbones.

Daphne was fiercely proud of herself for having the foresight to use magic to conceal their words. If not, the entire palace would hear about Jonah’s impassioned declaration, rendering this entire tournament moot and possibly sending hordes of assassins in Jonah’s direction.

She also wanted to squeal into her hands, but she used every bit of decorum to restrain herself.

Jonah had come so far. He wasn’t even calling Cordelia by her title anymore― and Daphne doubted he even noticed this change. Which meant that he had already been addressing Cordelia without her title in his mind.

And Cordelia was, of course, receptive to such a change.

Excellent progress!