Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 531: Lost Puppy

Daphne was proud to note that she did not immediately dissolve into undignified cackling at Cordelia’s words.

"Another magical creature?" Nikun asked, politely puzzled.

"No, he’s perfectly human. Atticus and I saved him after he lost his ship and his entire crew in a shipwreck," Daphne explained to Cordelia, while Nikun continued to look confused.

"I see..." Cordelia nodded, giving him a pitying gaze. "The waters are rough for an unseasoned sailor. It’s best to get more experience before going out to sea again."

"He’s not actually a sailor," Atticus added. "This is Prince Nikun from Santok, and he’s here to take part in your matchmaking tournament."

"A pleasure to meet you." Prince Nikun bowed politely. "I have heard many great things about you, and I hope to do my best in the upcoming contest."

Cordelia caught Daphne’s eyes and raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking her if this was a prank. Daphne could only give the most minuscule shrug in response.

Prince Nikun raised a hand, as though he wanted to reach for Cordelia’s hand to press a kiss on it.

But Cordelia merely crossed her arms and sniffed, a look of displeasure on her face. Prince Nikun’s hand hung awkwardly in the air, before he quickly tucked it back to his side, clearing his throat, an embarrassed flush decorating his face.

Daphne didn’t want him to win Cordelia’s favor, but seeing him spurned so heartlessly like this also caused her heart to twinge in sympathy.

"Another one? Do we even have room so late in the competition?" Cordelia groaned. "Registration has been closed for a week!"

"Are you telling me Nedour is so overcrowded that you have no place to house a single man?" Atticus demanded.

"A single man, sure. A participant for the matchmaking tournament, possibly not," Cordelia retorted. "While I have opened the doors for any eligible man to participate, there are still limits to the number of participants, as well as the maximum capacity of the quarters I have provided for them. What’s more, the contest starts tomorrow. I could not in good conscience let you compete."

Nikun’s face fell, and once again, Daphne was reminded of a puppy left out in the rain.

"So... I’m too late?" he asked weakly. "I can’t stay?"

"Surely you can bend the rules for him just this once. This man traveled all the way from the other end of the world to win your hand, and nearly died in the attempt! Don’t you think you’re being too heartless to send him away? He doesn’t even own a set of his own clothing!" Atticus complained, and Jonah narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Atticus’s uncharacteristic benevolence for a verifiable stranger.

Similarly, Daphne felt sorry for him. She wanted to win the bet, but it was too cruel to not even give Nikun a chance to compete.

How could Jonah prove himself to be the best match when he lacked strong opponents?

"Is there really nothing that can be done?" Daphne asked pleadingly. "Could someone drop out at the last minute?"

"Possibly?" Jonah said, cocking his head as he waited for Cordelia’s decision.

"Highly unlikely, but if there is someone, I’ll let you know," Cordelia said, sighing. She didn’t want to make any exceptions because that would just bring her trouble in the future, but she was helpless in the face of Daphne’s baby-blue eyes.

Then again, it wasn’t only Daphne’s eyes that she was weak too. She shot Jonah a look from the corner of her eyes, but he continued to watch Nikun with a frown on his face, oblivious to her glances.

Maybe she needed to introduce some competitors to spark jealousy in Jonah. She had been prodding and poking him, trying to taunt him into taking action, but so far Jonah’s control of his baser urges was nothing but iron-clad, despite her best attempts for her to bed him before marriage.

Did she need to tear off all her clothes in front of him for Jonah to make a move? Knowing him, he would probably turn redder than a cherry and hand her his cloak to cover up.

That was the reason why she even cooked up the contest, to begin with. Hopefully, with the multitude of men vying for her affection, Jonah would feel more anxious and finally make a move. She was not the most patient of women, to begin with, and Jonah’s lack of initiative was slowly going to drive her to madness.

"Thank you for your understanding and generosity!" Nikun exclaimed, the light returning to his eyes and he bowed low in gratitude. "I look forward to hearing your good news."

"Don’t get your hopes up," Cordelia cautioned. "There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to compete."

"Yes, I understand completely." Nikun nodded frantically. He then addressed Daphne and Atticus, "May I go back to the ship to prepare myself?"

"Go ahead," Daphne said, nonplussed. Atticus also nodded in agreement, and the party watched him stumble back up the gangplank, a spring in his step.

"He seems awfully cheery," Jonah said, suspicion coloring his tone. "Is he really a prince?"

"According to him, he’s a bastard son of the king," Daphne explained. "We couldn’t prove or disprove his words, but at the same time, we couldn’t leave him to die alone in the ocean. The shipwreck was real."

"He didn’t seem like a complete buffoon at the very least," Atticus said. "He has some knowledge of Nedour and its policies and information about neighboring kingdoms. If he’s a liar, he’s at least intelligent enough to do his research beforehand."

"You seem to like him," Jonah said, his lips pursed in dislike.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Atticus asked haughtily.

"Come on, let’s leave the men to their nonsense," Cordelia said, easily looping her arm through Daphne’s as she led her down the streets of Nedour, her guards forming a barrier between her and the eager townspeople who crowded the slippery stone walkways in a bid to catch sight of royalty.

"Tell me, how are things with you and your husband?"