Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 556: Santok’s Royal Family

Daphne felt a shiver run down her spine. Bad, horrid memories that she had desperately tried so hard to forget were quickly resurfacing, and this time, she couldn’t help but empathize with what Nikun was going through.

Unlike Daphne, who had a marriage that could bail her out from Reaweth, Nikun had none. No royalty would offer to wed a bastard prince. He had to fight for the opportunity to leave Santok alive, or he would have been left as a corpse, especially during such a tumultuous time.

Of course, it couldn’t completely excuse the fact that he could’ve possibly murdered someone — an innocent man — just to get that opportunity, but she could at least understand Nikun’s desperation.

"That must be rough..." Daphne muttered, looking down to her toes. "I of all people know what that feels like."

"I heard," Nikun said, forcing a small chuckle from his lips. "You are somewhat of an idol to me, Queen Daphne."

Daphne looked up, surprised. "Me? Surely you jest."

Nikun shook his head. "I would never lie about this. The tales of how you had taken Reaweth from the hands of your brother and returned the kingdom to a state of glory had been spread far and wide, all the way to Santok. Everyone, no matter man, woman, or child, admires you for what you’ve done. Especially my half-sisters. You’ve given them hope that they might one day follow in your footsteps."

"Oh!" A small scarlet blush had bloomed across Daphne’s cheeks at those words of flattery. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled. She hadn’t realized that her deeds had become so renowned. "But wouldn’t that make things worse if your sisters are also vying for the throne?"

"Their chances are as good as mine," Nikun confessed frankly. "But at least they won’t be murdered if they fail. Last I heard from Eiko, my siblings have formed multiple factions. The princesses can’t sit out of this power struggle, and I cannot sit idly by and hope for the best."

Daphne nodded, suddenly getting a clearer picture of Nikun’s motivations. "Pardon me for asking, is that why you’ve decided to take part in this competition?"

"Yes," Nikun answered grimly. "If I was only looking out for myself, I could just as easily just flee somewhere else and never return to Santok, but my sister..." He paused and sighed heavily. "If I am not king, or at least hold a high rank in another kingdom’s court, my sister could be wedded off to some sleazy bastard by the time one of my half-brothers becomes the king."

He huffed, the look in his eyes darkening as he thought of his tattered family. "I don’t put it past any of them to marry my sisters off for their personal interests. In their eyes, that’s all women in the family are worth."

Daphne suddenly felt intense sympathy for the bevy of faceless princesses in Santok’s royal family.

"And they won’t spare Eiko a single lick of consideration― if they could wed her to a wifebeater twice her age, they would consider it a good deal and wash their hands off her. I would rather die than let it happen― no, I would kill the man myself."

Daphne’s blood froze. It wasn’t a confession, but it proved that Nikun was not above getting his hands dirty.

"It sounds like you’re pretty close to Princess Eiko if you’re willing to do so much to keep her safe," Daphne commented, trying to steer the conversation away from something so dark. She was curious, yes, but there had to be subtler means to extract this delicate information.

"I am," Nikun said. At the mention of his older sister, he smiled, all earlier vehemence gone. "Eiko took care of me when I was younger. Unlike some of my father’s illegitimate children, I was born within the palace, which meant there was no way the rest of my half-siblings wouldn’t know about my existence."

"It must have been tough," Daphne said commiseratingly, hearing the unsaid words.

Nikun let out a breathy laugh. "My mother made sure no one could forget my existence. She was a noble lady who caught the king’s eyes for a night, and she was determined to claw herself into the royal family by any means necessary. According to the palace gossip, my mother rode on a horse even when she was heavily pregnant so that she could give birth right in front of the king."

"Oh my..." Daphne’s mouth fell open. "That certainly would have made an impression."

"I don’t know how much of it is true, but I cannot deny that my life is a lot better than a lot of bastard children outside of the castle walls," Nikun said. "My older brothers weren’t very happy about my birth, but my mother fought for me to remain. And now here I am."

"Here you are," Daphne repeated with a sigh. Nikun wasn’t completely in the clear, but Daphne found herself hoping that there would be an alternative explanation for Yael’s death. "Thank you for sharing this much with me, Nikun. I know this must have been hard for you."

"No, I should be the one thanking you," Nikun said, shaking his head earnestly. "You’re the only one in this entire kingdom who is willing to listen to me sincerely, without judging me for my birth. I’m really happy I’ve met you."

Now, Daphne had to stamp down the swelling of guilt inside her. But before she could say anything else, Cordelia and her guards stormed into the ballroom, attracting everyone’s attention.

"Daphne, step away from him," Cordelia ordered, and while Daphne was still reeling from confusion, Cordelia reached out her hand and all but hauled her to her side as though she was a wayward child.

"Cordelia?" Daphne asked. "What on earth is the matter?"

"We’ve got a wolf in our midst, pretending to be a hapless little lamb," Cordelia replied evenly, but there was no denying the savagery in her eyes as she stared down Nikun as if she wanted to sink her claws into him and rend him to pieces.

The guards circled Nikun, leaving him with no way to escape.

"Guards, send Nikun Anurak to the dungeons!"