Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 558: An Innocent Ruby

"You―!" Lord Waylen pointed a finger at Jonah but was unsuccessful in getting any other words out. He simply eyed Jonah with hatred, but the other party merely matched his gaze without flinching. "You have no right!"

"On the contrary, I have every right," Jonah said. "You have already endangered the kingdom by being rude to our guests, who, mind you, are the rulers of the most powerful kingdom in the known world. My, Lord Waylen, are you trying to make Nedour the enemy of Vramid? Might I remind you that King Atticus and Queen Daphne are the only ones in this world with magic right now?"

Jonah gestured to Atticus, who had finally made his way over. His face was now masked by thunderstorms, and when Lord Waylen looked over, his face turned so pale that Daphne wondered if he was about to wet himself.

"King Atticus has a rather... gruesome reputation. Are you planning to fight in the front lines for Nedour’s honor if the kingdom of Vramid decides to declare war against Nedour?"

Jonah stepped forward, and Lord Waylen instinctively stepped back. There was an oppressive aura wafting off of Jonah right now, and everyone could only watch wordlessly, mesmerized.

"Squashing you would be as simple as pinching a bug to death," Jonah described, pinching his fingers as he did so to reinforce the meaning. "Would you like to try?"

Atticus might cry. Jonah truly did care about him! His ego had never been so flattered, and despite the severity of the situation, he had completely tossed the matter of Nikun’s arrest to the back of his mind.

"I think you have said quite enough, Lord Waylen," Cordelia finally said, stepping forward, her voice ice-cold and her expression stoney. "We owe you no explanation."

She then turned to address the crowd. "If anyone is still in the mood, the palace kitchens have prepared a delicious supper for you to enjoy. Otherwise, feel free to leave at any time. Apologies, but there are some official matters I will have to tend to. Thank you all for coming tonight."

With that said, Cordelia turned on her heel and left, her breezy skirt flowing behind her like a scarf flying with the summer breeze. One by one, Daphne and Atticus followed after Cordelia, leaving Jonah behind. He raised an eyebrow smugly at Lord Waylen― he hated being so childish, but ever since this man showed up for the contest, he had felt an odd discomfort with the way he ogled Cordelia.

Jonah didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. Cordelia deserved so much more than a disrespectful lech!

Back in Cordelia’s office, Daphne and Atticus had quickly found their seats. Cordelia sat behind the desk, her head in her hand, while Jonah stepped in after them. He gently shut the door behind him before walking over to the small table by a corner.

Quietly, Jonah prepared a pitcher of iced citrus tea, bringing the drinks over to their guest― once he managed to get Atticus to make them some ice, of course.

"Is there any evidence you’ve found against Nikun?" Daphne asked. She fisted the fabric of her dress in her hand, watching Cordelia carefully.

She knew that her best friend would not make such hasty decisions unless there was a truly damning piece of evidence. After what Nikun had just shared with her, Daphne would at least like to make sure he wasn’t innocently arrested for someone’s murder.

"We found this in the palace wing where the contestants’ rooms are," Cordelia said, sighing. She pulled out a small ruby no bigger than the size of a pea and placed it on the desk. It sparkled, catching the light of the candle.

"A ruby?" Atticus questioned, wrinkling his nose. "You arrested a man for murder because of a stone?"

"Perhaps this would help clear the picture," Jonah offered. He walked over to the shelves and flipped through the drawers. Then, he pulled out a box from one of the many compartments, bringing it over to the table.

When he opened the lid, Daphne sucked in a cold gasp of air while Atticus clicked his tongue. This was pretty damning evidence indeed. Inside the box was a small dagger with a dragon carved on the handle. Two rubies were lodged into the dagger, one on each side. It was a beautiful work of art, but with just one look at the insignia on the blade, Atticus knew.

"Santok’s weapons," he murmured.

"There are no other Santok warriors or royalty present who can access both this weapon and Nedour’s shores," Cordelia said. "This dagger cannot be wielded by an ordinary citizen― only members of the royal family can own this, or warriors who have earned their right through military feats, most of which are dead because of said feats."

"Only Nikun," Jonah said, and the room went quiet. Atticus and Jonah were deep in thought, while Daphne felt as though someone had flung her off the ship in the middle of a storm out in the ocean.

She was too empathetic, she understood. That was Daphne’s weakness and how she fell for traps she should’ve seen coming. But having been through this before, this didn’t feel the same. Nikun felt oddly innocent. There was just something in his actions that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and she would like to believe her intuition had also been raised after receiving such tremendous powers.

"Is there no one else?" Daphne asked desperately. "What if there’s a mole in Nedour that has been hiding under everyone’s noses this entire time?"

"I’m sorry, Daphne," Cordelia said softly. "But that is highly unlikely. Santok has been on lockdown due to the internal power struggle. There’s no way any members of royalty will be here during this time unless they’ve not been recognized by the palace― which in turn wouldn’t have allowed them to own this weapon."

"Then how did Nikun get out?" Daphne pressed. "He’s from the palace. While his name isn’t broadcasted as one of the heirs, he is still an official and recognized prince. His brothers wouldn’t have set him free just like that." freewēbnoveℓ.com

"Where did you even get the news of Santok’s lockdown anyway?" Atticus asked suspiciously. "It’s not exactly public knowledge. The news has been stamped down by the royal family of Santok. Someone could have spread the news to frame our little drowning prince."