Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 520: Recovery

Many months had passed since the dust settled, and the next thing Daphne knew, it was already winter once more.

Winters in Vramid, as she had come to realize, was forevermore the most beautiful month in this kingdom. She and Atticus had spent the majority of their time rebuilding the broken and tattered pieces of the kingdom, journeying across towns to offer aid to those in need.

Now that the weather was cold and the days were short, their people could at least spend the freezing winter nights in warm homes. Food was no longer a concern for them, especially those of the impoverished parts of town.

In the beginning, Daphne wondered why Atticus and Jonah hadn’t worked to establish proper food sources for the underprivileged in the past. She hadn’t realized how difficult it was — even with the power and wealth of the royal family — to provide aid to so many people across their lands.

Vramid was much bigger than they had expected, and in a land with longer winter months than its neighboring kingdoms, crops were difficult to grow even during the warmer months. It had taken months of meticulously planning and sleepless nights for things to turn out just right.

"Are you still looking through the documents?" Atticus asked, leaning against the door of his own office― a room Daphne had commandeered for herself after Jonah’s departure.

"It’s forecasted to be the coldest day of the year tomorrow," Daphne said. "I want to make sure that everyone will get what they need."

"We’ve handed out enough short-term crystals to last them," Atticus said. "They will be warm enough for the next few months."

Speaking of warmth, Daphne couldn’t help but shiver when a gust of cold wind entered the room through the open window. She sucked in a breath of air through her teeth, wrapping her arms around her just as the wind snuffed out the candle on the desk. Instantly, the room was plunged into darkness.

Atticus wasted no time. He crossed the room and made his way over to Daphne, and even in the dark, Daphne could see him raise a hand at the windows to shut it using his magic, which glimmered in the dark. The moon illuminated his figure as he made his way over, but Atticus was in no rush to light the put-out flame.

Instead, he removed the coat that he had been wearing, gently placing it upon Daphne’s shoulders instead. Instantly, her body began to heat up with warmth.

"Imbued with sunstones?" she asked, watching the small semi-precious stones sparkle along the designs of the fabric. "How brilliant."

"Our new seamstresses came up with that idea," Atticus said. "You truly have an eye for talent."

Give a man a fish, he would be fed for the day. Teach the man to fish, and he would be fed for life.

While repairing life for the townsfolk, the King and Queen made sure to hand out more job opportunities to those who were willing. Many capable talents were found in the slums, while the children who hadn’t come of age were sent to school. Those who were older were sent to specialty schools of their choice where they could learn some basic knowledge as well as pick up useful skills that could better their lives upon graduation.

This was all Atticus’s idea. Now that both of them had full command of magic in this world, it made things a lot simpler. Defenses could solely be maintained by Atticus alone, while Daphne used her energy to repair and build new buildings seemingly overnight. Practice truly made perfect, and now as Atticus watched Daphne raise buildings with just a wave of her hand, he could only secretly rejoice allowing her practice back in Xahan.

Did he feel bad for it? Nah. King Calarian got what he wanted, and it was only right — in Atticus’s and Atticus’s opinion only — for them to get something useful from it as well.

"Of course," Daphne replied, raising her nose a little at the compliment. "There were so many brilliant minds hidden right under your nose. It’s a miracle that you and Jonah―"

Crap. Daphne stopped herself short. She watched as Atticus’s playful expression melted away like snow in spring, replaced with a dark look that matched the night outside. Internally, she winced. She shouldn’t have mentioned Jonah.

"That fucking bastard," Atticus cursed, and Daphne instantly groaned internally. Curse her loose lips. She should’ve thought of her words much more carefully than just spewing them out without a thought. "I don’t wish to ever hear of him again."

"Oh really?" Daphne mused sadly. "And yet you sit by the heap of letters and wait to see if there is one from Jonah every time the mail gets delivered."

"I’ve made some additional orders," Atticus gritted out. "It’s for the repairs and is needed before winter’s coldest nights. So you can imagine why I am in urgent need of it."

"Sure," Daphne mused. "Then what about the sodalite?"

"What about the sodalite?" Atticus parroted with a raised eyebrow. Had Daphne caught him staring at it every couple of nights as well? He had made sure to keep himself tucked far away from Daphne whenever he peeped.

"Jonah would be the only one to call using the sodalite, wouldn’t he?" Daphne pointed out, to which Atticus immediately cursed. She continued, rubbing salt right into his wound. "After all, you have no other friends outside this palace."

Crap. Truly, what could escape her eyes within this palace? It no longer felt like his domain, but rather, hers. To think that some time ago, she was the mouse in the trap. Now, it felt like things had been toppled the other way around. fгeewebnovёl.com

"Atticus..." Daphne trailed off, standing to her feet. "Why don’t you try reaching out first? We can all tell how much you miss him."

Not just that. Atticus didn’t need to know the insane amount of money Sirona had placed in as bets with the other castle staff on how long it would take for Atticus to crack and call Jonah first.

Right now, as things went, it seemed like Sirona would be losing a lot of gold if she didn’t take matters into her own hands― and by taking matters into her own hands, she had resorted to begging Daphne for help. Sirona would be damned if she was forced to listen to Atticus yap about Jonah for another three hours.

However, unfortunately for Daphne, Atticus wasn’t nearly as daft as she had been fooled to think. For the last few months, he had been like an obedient puppy, willing to listen to every word and command she had to offer. As things were, she had almost forgotten about the rough patches in the early stages of their relationship.

Not the pain, no. Those were still raw and real. But the general way Atticus acted wasn’t nearly as tyrannical as when they first met.

Atticus raised an eyebrow. "Did Sirona put you up to this?"

"What?!" Daphne gasped, feigning cluelessness. "No, of course not! Why would you ever think that?"

Atticus’s hands snaked forward, and without warning, pulled Daphne in by the waist. She yelped in surprise, and after a bit of tumbling, she found herself locked in Atticus’s embrace, her face just a hair’s breadth away from his.

"Making bets at my expense, sunshine?" Atticus asked. "How cruel. Perhaps you ought to be taught a lesson."