Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 565: The Blue Stone II

"I have not met him at all," Phari said, her upset visible through her voice. "I only heard that he had made it to Nedour when gossip started spreading through the market about a foreign prince arriving."

"And I’m guessing you pumped your husband for more information about Nikun’s presence?" Atticus asked knowingly.

Phari gritted her teeth, but she was forced to reply. "Yes. I wanted to meet him, but he spent nearly all his time on your vessel. If I were to sneak on board, it would have been a death sentence. So I waited until he finally left for the market, before approaching him."

"I’m guessing he told you about how he couldn’t enter the contest because he arrived too late," Daphne said, the puzzle pieces slowly forming a picture. "And you, with your incredible loyalty to your princess, decided to take matters into your own hands and create an opening for him. Is that right, Phari?"

Phari nodded jerkily.

"Phari, did you kill Yael?" Atticus asked, his voice deceptively gentle.

"...Yes," Phari admitted, but there was no trace of shame on her face or in her voice. "I did what I had to do."

"Was Yael selected on purpose?" Daphne asked, feeling slightly sick at the lack of remorse in Phari’s voice.

"No. He was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time," Phari said simply. "If it were not him, it would be his neighbor. Him being ill at that time made things easier for me― I snuck in, pretending to be a maid delivering medicine, before finishing him off. Princess Cordelia would ensure his family was taken care of. I did him a favor."

Daphne highly doubted Yael’s ill mother would consider it as such. "I see. Did Nikun give you the idea to kill one of the contestants? Did he order you to kill them?"

A complicated expression crossed Phari’s face. "He did not order me to kill them. It was entirely my idea but..."

"But?"

"But he did mention that he would be ridiculously thankful if there was an opening, and he would stop at nothing to ensure he got a position at court to help Princess Eiko." Phari finished. freёnovelkiss.com

"Well, we’re done here." Atticus stretched his arms. "Phari, you’ll get to see your husband later when he personally puts you behind bars, and I pity that poor man for not realizing that he fell in love with a schemer."

Daphne winced. Arne was not going to take it well, but at least they knew the truth about what happened. However, Nikun wasn’t completely in the clear.

That would have to depend on the answers he gave during his own interrogation. For now, she activated the sodalite and proceeded to inform Cordelia about the news.

Meanwhile, Atticus reached a hand out in Phari’s direction.

"The dagger," he said.

Phari frowned, but dutifully dug through her pockets and handed it over. When Atticus took it, however, he frowned. Daphne had just ended the call with Cordelia as well, keeping the message as simple as possible as she knew that Cordelia was headed to interrogate Nikun soon.

"What is it?" Daphne asked, coming over once the sodalite call disconnected.

Atticus held out the weapon, and Daphne’s eyes widened.

***

"Nikun Anurak," Cordelia growled menacingly as she loomed over him from the other end of the table.

Nikun tried to smile, but he found that he could not muster much pleasure in light of his new circumstances. This was not how he had expected to spend time alone with Princess Cordelia. He was hoping for a light stroll in the gardens, or maybe a nice picnic at the beach, so he could impress her with his knowledge and skills.

Instead, he had been stuck in the dungeon for a night, unwashed and unshaven, as the prime suspect of a murder case. He was chained to his seat, with manacles wrapping around his ankles and wrists.

"Good morning, Princess Cordelia," Nikun said instead, because he still had some manners left inside him. "I trust this isn’t a social visit?"

"No, no it’s not," Cordelia said, but she had someone bring in food and water for him. After starving for a night, Nikun was hardly going to turn away free food and drink. But he paused, suddenly suspicious at Cordelia’s generosity.

Were the offerings poisoned? A lifetime spent in Santok’s court had given him a healthy paranoia.

Cordelia saw his hesitation and snorted. "If I wanted to kill you, I’d simply run you through with a sword or get my executioners to do it. There would be no need for such tactics."

Then, she helped herself to a piece of fish, swallowing it. Nikun, upon realizing that she had not dropped dead, decided to eat just a bit.

Flavor hit his tongue, and his bites grew bigger, more ravenous. The food was salty, and he needed a drink to wash it down. He grabbed the cup of water and downed it, before helping himself to more water from the pitcher.

Soon the plate was clear, and Cordelia began her questioning. She could have forced the kyanite down Nikun’s throat, but without magic, things might get messy. There was no harm in offering him some hospitality, in the highly unlikely event that he was innocent.

"Daphne seems to think you are innocent, but I’ll be the judge of that," Cordelia began. "Did you kill Yael?"

"No, I did not." Nikun blinked, seemingly surprised by the easy way his lips loosened to give the princess her answer. His eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion. "Wait, what did you feed me?"

"Nothing you should worry about, if you’re indeed innocent," Cordelia said smoothly. "Do you know anything about Yael’s death?"

"...Yes?" Nikun said hesitantly. "All of us knew about his death. It was public knowledge before I entered, and some of the other men told me about it."

Then he was overcome with a coughing fit so intense that it caused his entire frame to bow over, spittle gathering at the corners of his lips.

"Don’t play dumb with me," Cordelia said, barely flinching at the spit while Jonah hurriedly wiped the table clean, looking over Cordelia to see if she had been sprayed. She waved him off. "You’ll realize that the harder you try to lie, the worse things will get for you. You don’t want to return home in a coffin, do you? Princess Eiko will be devastated, after all her efforts to keep you safe."

"You..." Nikun’s face paled. "Did Daphne tell you about her?"

"No. It was her own maid, Phari, that told us all about your loving sibling relationship," Cordelia said, crossing her arms, and Nikun’s eyes practically bulged out in surprise.

"Yes, imagine my surprise when I found out one of my lieutenants actually married Princess Eiko’s personal maid and guard! Love is a wonderful, miraculous thing," Cordelia said, in a tone so dry her uncle would be proud. "Unfortunately, when it compromises my kingdom’s safety, love is left to rot."

Her gaze grew even darker than the storms raging outside.

"So, Nikun Anurak, did you encourage Phari, either in your words or actions, to get you a place in my contest by any means necessary?"