Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 559: From Foreign Land

Everyone turned to look at him; Daphne was heartened that Atticus seemed to at least be willing to entertain the possibility that Nikun could be innocent.

Meanwhile, Cordelia had a less charitable view of events. Of course King Atticus would wish for Nikun to be innocent― while it would make Daphne happy, it would also keep him in the contest and hence, possibly allow him to snatch his best friend back.

Well, King Atticus would simply have to endure disappointment on both fronts.

"King Atticus, I assure you, I’m not accusing your pet project without proof," Cordelia argued. "We have found pivotal information that directly implicates him in this case."

Atticus waited, but Cordelia stared back at him, refusing to elaborate further. She wasn’t about to spill her sources just to anyone, especially the ruler of another kingdom, even if he was married to her best friend.

However, when met with Daphne’s puppy eyes and her trembling lip, Cordelia sighed and caved, deciding to explain further.

"There are Santok citizens who have traveled far and wide at the first signs of the civil war, before the lockdown went into place," she said. "Some have settled here in Nedour and married to Nedish citizens. Arne’s wife is one of them."

"Arne?"

"One of my commanders," Cordelia said. "They still have ties back to their kinsmen in Santok, and she was able to get a letter from her family, telling her about the impending civil war. By the time the letter arrived, I assumed the war would be brewing already. Arne’s wife had not been able to receive further letters from her family. Now that we know there’s a lockdown, this explains things."

"Oh. Then did they say anything about Nikun?" Daphne asked worriedly. "Was his behavior similar to how it was in Santok?"

"Only one way to find out," Cordelia said. "Jonah, get the guards to invite Santok citizens back into the palace. I wish to question them regarding Nikun Anurak’s presence and the missing ruby. Sorry Jonah, but you’re going to have to work extra hard these few days."

Cordelia added apologetically, but Jonah was unfazed. "It’s alright Cordelia, it’s nothing I’m not used to. But isn’t it dangerous to invite all of them here? The killer could be one of them!"

Atticus cleared his throat, affronted by the implication that he worked Jonah like a pack horse. "Excuse me? I did not work you that hard! Jonah? Jonah! Don’t pretend you’re deaf now!"

"I’m hoping for it," Cordelia said evenly, completely ignoring Atticus. "If they are indeed working for or against Nikun, they’ll be very interested to learn about this latest update."

Jonah nodded, turning around to leave. He pretended he could not hear a word from Atticus’s lips as he walked away to fulfill Cordelia’s orders. The faster he secured the witnesses, the faster they could put this unpleasant business behind them. In fact, with the sizable population of Santok immigrants, Cordelia might not even have time to go on dates with the other contestants.

Unknowingly, that thought made him smile to himself. He wouldn’t want Cordelia to waste her time on undeserving men like Lord Waylen.

"Princess Cordelia, are you ill-treating Jonah?" Atticus demanded when Jonah had all but fled the room. "Do you expect him to dig through the streets in the middle of the night to bring in those people for questioning?"

"Nonsense, he knows full well where they are. We did a lot of good work in the past few months when he was here. I don’t know about you, but I do keep track of where my kingdom’s residents actually reside," Cordelia said loftily.

Atticus gritted his teeth at the implication that Vramid wasn’t as well-run as Nedour, and at the thought of Jonah being sent out as an errand boy for doing something as menial as cataloging citizens.

"Go and rest, Daphne. You had a long day," Cordelia said instead, turning to her best friend.

Daphne gave her a worried look and shook her head.

"But what about you? I noticed you said you were going to question the people from Santok yourself. You still have a long day tomorrow with the rest of the contestants," Daphne said, fretting at Cordelia.

Cordelia shrugged. "I’ll live. It’s either me or Jonah, and he already has his hands full with doing the legwork." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

There was a knock on the door, and a male voice spoke from the other side. "Princess Cordelia, this is Arne. I’ve brought my wife over."

Cordelia called out, "Come in, both of you."

Arne was a commander, so Daphne was greeted with a swath of girthy muscle as he entered the room, the tanned skin on display as he wore a loose-fitting shirt, possibly due to the late hour. Next to him, his wife was a lot smaller in stature, almost a delicate waif in comparison despite her muscled arms that spoke of years of hard labor. In her hand was a huge wooden box.

"Princess Cordelia," they bowed to her, and then they bowed to Daphne and Atticus as well. "Your Highnesses."

"Dispense with ceremony, I’m the one that has ordered the both of you here so late," Cordelia said, quickly going to her cabinet. To Daphne’s surprise, Cordelia pulled out a bottle of wine and several wine glasses and offered it to Arne and his wife, and Atticus and Daphne too.

Both pairs of husband and wife stared at her, befuddled as their hands cradled the delicate glasses carefully.

"It’s not poisoned, I swear," Cordelia said, taking a huge gulp of her own wine. Daphne smothered a laugh behind her hand; Cordelia must have simply wanted a reason to drink after such a long day, and she decided to use this opportunity to hit two birds with one stone.

Everyone took careful sips.

"You’re Phari, right?" Cordelia addressed Arne’s wife, who nodded. "Can you tell me everything you know about Santok and their situation?"

"I’ll do my best," Phari said, "I also brought all the letters from my friends and family. I hope they come useful."

A genuine smile broke out on Cordelia’s face. "That is very thoughtful of you. I’m sure they would be illuminating."

Phari then began to speak, detailing her life in Santok. Things had started out idyllic enough; her family was lucky enough to be working for the royal family as cleaners. They kept their heads down, and in turn, enjoyed more prosperity than most people outside. They got to eat warm food twice a day and sleep in soft beds at night, and they had a free day every three months in return for their service.

Then her voice wavered as she began to speak about Nikun’s arrival.