The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 163: A Room For Two

"In that case, we better get working on securing our rent," Rafael said, beaming nearly a little too brightly. Soleia merely nodded awkwardly by his side, completely unaware that the smile on his face was very much real, and his words were filled with all the sincerity and seriousness of the world.

’Duke Kinsley’ merely nodded and bade them farewell before turning to leave, whistling a merry tune under his breath as though he had not a single worry in this world. Considering the fat paycheck Rafael would soon give him, he certainly played the part of a wealthy man very well.

The moment he left, Soleia let out a loud breath of air. Her eyes were wide as she shook her head.

"Are the people in Raxuvia all this... enthusiastic about children?" she asked, slightly grimacing as she stared in the direction Oliver had gone.

Rafael merely smiled, pulling her toward the house.

"Come. How about we unpack, take a bath, and head into the village square in search of lunch?"

On command, Soleia’s stomach let out a rather unsightly grumble, and her face quickly reddened as she shielded her belly from view.

"I am a little hungry," she admitted. "But you’re right. I would like to take a bath first."

They had been on the road for far too long, and there was only so much washing in random lakes could do. Furthermore, they had left in such haste that Soleia hadn’t the time to pack any clothing, while Ralph had just escaped the dungeons before he went on the run. They weren’t prepared for travel, and the little gold that Ralph had left had to be stretched thin while journeying here.

"Let me run you a bath then," Rafael said, leading her up the stairs. "Unfortunately―" fortunately, "―there’s only one bedroom left in this estate. Every other room is taken by a different tenant, but of course, in the event you would like to kick me out, I can sleep on the couch in the parlor."

"Oh!" Soleia exclaimed. She looked down at her shoes and bit her lip. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t shared a room before, much more a bed. This would be the same thing, only a lot less shameful and sinful. "I... There’s no need to sleep in the parlor... I am fine with sharing a bed."

Rafael wasn’t able to hide the enthusiastic grin he wore on his face.

Seeing his unbridled delight only made Soleia blush even further. How strange it was to have someone so loudly attracted to her. Sir Ralph made no moves to hide his joy whenever their lives were a tad bit more intertwined than usual, and Soleia was slowly but surely intoxicated with the feeling of being admired like so.

"I was told that every bedroom comes with an ensuite bathroom," Ralph said, his hand on the doorknob. He twisted it and pushed the door open, revealing the room that would soon be their shelter for the coming days. "You can have a bath first."

"What about you?" Soleia asked.

"I’ll wait for you," he replied.

As she nodded, she turned to look away from Ralph’s face to the bedroom instead. Her lips parted to form a small ’o’ as she finally took in the decor. It was as quaint and beautifully decorated as she could ever imagine. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

The bedroom was by no means huge, but it was spacious enough to be comfortable. The walls were painted an ivory color, and the furniture was mostly pastels. Huge arching windows were littered around, allowing ample amounts of golden sunlight to stream in. There was even a balcony that overlooked the gardens outside, and Soleia quickly scuttled over to peer over the railings.

They had gotten one of the better rooms, that was for sure, for the view overlooked the mountains in the distance. The forest was right at their doorstep, and there was even a small waterfall that caught the light of the sun to create a rainbow.

"I assume that everything is to your liking?" Rafael asked, watching as Soleia walked back in, her fingers tracing over the cream-colored sheets that lined the bed. There were even fresh flowers in the room, and Soleia couldn’t resist the urge to take a whiff.

"This place is beautiful," Soleia said, her voice breathy and in awe. "I can’t believe we will be living here from now on."

"I’m glad to hear," Rafael said with a laugh. "If you like this view, then you will greatly enjoy what the village has to offer."

Soleia eagerly nodded.

Ralph ran a bath for her very quickly, and with simple instructions, he left the room all to Soleia herself.

Once she heard his footsteps echo down the corridor, Soleia removed her stuffy dress and dipped right into the bath. A sigh escaped her lips as the warm water quickly wrapped around her, working wonders for her tense and sore muscles.

As she leaned back and adjusted her position, a sharp clink sounded, and Soleia instinctively raised her hand. When her eyes landed on the source of the sound, her expression quickly fell once more. She sat up, staring at the larimar bangle on her wrist.

Placing her palm just above the water’s surface, she concentrated on the sensation she had felt days ago. That day, she could manipulate water as though it was a third arm. But now, there was no more of Nessa’s magic left in her. No matter how she twisted and moved, the bangle remained as it was. There was also no tingle of magic in her fingers.

Sighing, Soleia leaned back after trying for the umpteenth time. The water was starting to get cold, and with no progress in her attempts, Soleia quickly finished washing up. Sir Ralph still needed to bathe himself, and it wouldn’t be good to waste time like this.

It was only when she was stepping out that Soleia realized― she had no fresh change of clothes! There was a towel hanging on the rack, but even with it wrapped around her slim figure, it only covered the bare essentials.

Her dirty dress had also been left outside in the bedroom, not in the bathroom with her.

Gritting her teeth, Soleia walked out of the bathroom. She peered around, relieved to see that Sir Ralph had not returned to the room yet.

However, as soon as she reached down for her dress, the door clicked.

Soleia watched in horror as the door seemed to open in slow motion, her feet rooted to the spot. It swung open to reveal Sir Ralph, his hair still dripping water, while his torso was bare, dressed in nothing but a simple towel wrapped around his waist.