Stolen by the Rebel King-Chapter 566: The Blue Stone III

"There’s something in the water, is there?" Nikun asked, staring at the glass he had just emptied mere seconds prior.

Then, his eyebrows furrowed as a wave of pain began to gurgle up his throat again. Nikun might not be a favored prince, but he was still one. The royal blood of Santok ran through his veins, and he had his fair share of experience with magic before it disappeared from them one fine day.

"Blue kyanite?" he deduced.

"If you know what it is, then get to it," Cordelia said. "Don’t waste my time. I have better things to do, and I am sure you have no desire to stay in this musty little dungeon if you’re truly as innocent as Daphne thinks you are."

Nikun sighed. There was no way out of this and he knew that very well. Blue kyanite would only become more and more painful the more he dragged on― he might live past his punishment if he told the truth, but he might not if he tried to suppress the effects of the kyanite he had ingested.

"It wasn’t meant to be an encouragement for murder," Nikun slowly said. "It was more of a... thought."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow and said nothing, but her meaning was clear enough.

"It’s a yes or no question," Jonah said with a deadpan.

Nikun nodded with a wry smile. This guard that had been keeping Princess Cordelia company was definitely more than a mere ordinary soldier. If he remembered correctly, he should be none other than the infamous Jonah Raycott, once dubbed as the loyal hound of King Atticus Heinvres.

What was he doing here in Nedour? Nikun wasn’t sure, but whatever the reason was, he was starting to get a clearer picture.

"Yes," Nikun then said. "In that case, I suppose I did."

Cordelia calmly followed with another question. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing much," Nikun said with a shrug. "Only that the slots for the contest were full and I was regretful that I wouldn’t get to participate. I didn’t tell her to kill anyone specifically, and definitely had not picked Yael to die."

"That is all we need to know, then," Cordelia said. She stood up and dusted her skirt. Everything else they would need to question Phari; according to the latest message from Daphne, she had already confessed to the crime.

However, Cordelia hadn’t even made it to the door before she was stopped short by Nikun’s voice.

"Yael would’ve still died either way," Nikun said. His tone was awfully leisurely and nonchalant, as though he was discussing the weather that evening.

The sound of thunder rumbled, striking outside the palace. Even in the prisons, Cordelia could hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks due to the storm that raged on.

"You just said that you didn’t instruct Phari to kill Yael," Jonah said, frowning. His hand tightened its grip on the sword that hung by his waist. "Care to elaborate?"

Had the kyanite lost its effect so quickly? Cordelia had made sure to sprinkle in a good amount, enough to theoretically last them for at least half an hour. Could human bodies perhaps build resistance against the properties of the stone?

It was unheard of, but Cordelia couldn’t completely eradicate that idea. After all, if Nikun was a bastard prince of Santok, and his mother was a rabid woman who was hungry for power, she would no doubt have many enemies. That meant that in order to survive, Nikun would have to go to the extremes. Building a tolerance against poisons and blue kyanite was totally plausible.

However, what Nikun said next made Cordelia and Jonah frown. There was nothing Cordelia wanted to do more at that moment than shove the whole kyanite down Nikun’s throat to make sure he was speaking the truth and not just out of his arse.

"I didn’t," Nikun said. "But that doesn’t mean that someone else wouldn’t."

Jonah clicked his tongue in impatience. The sharp sound of his sword being pulled from its sheath echoed across the dungeons, and within a split second, a blade was placed right next to Nikun’s neck.

Nikun didn’t even have the time to yelp before he found his body completely petrified by fear. He had been at the end of his brothers’ various weapons many times, but the look in their eyes were always filled with mockery.

They wanted him dead just to toy with him.

Jonah Raycott wanted him dead because Nikun was toying with him.

There was a difference in their eyes.

"Speak," Jonah ordered, his voice low and filled with warning. "Otherwise, I see no need for you to keep your tongue if you’re so reluctant to form useful words with it."

Nikun awkwardly laughed. He didn’t doubt for even a second that Jonah would go through with his promise if Nikun continued with his games. After all, Nikun was merely a bastard prince― no one would avenge his death.

Perhaps Phari would in Eiko’s place, but how was Phari going to fight against a powerhouse like Jonah Raycott? The tales of his battles had spread far and wide, along with King Atticus’s gory reputation.

Phari wouldn’t even last a minute, no matter how well-trained she was. They were on completely different levels.

"I overheard Lord Waylen the other day," Nikun said, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he glanced at the sword. "This was right after Yael’s death, and right after I moved into the palace. He was speaking with someone, mentioning that it was good that Yael had died, or else he would’ve done it himself."

Nikun tried to move away from the sword as it was already pressing against his skin, but no matter how far he nudged away, Jonah followed.

"I am not sure whether or not he was saying it just for the sake of it, or if he would’ve actually gone through with it, but I found something rather peculiar in his room after sneaking in for research. I am a curious man."

Nikun sighed.

"I don’t know how he got his hands on it, but Lord Waylen happens to have Santok’s royal dagger in his room."