The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 171: Relief or Annoyance

The expression in Ralph’s eyes only made Soleia’s stomach curl even further. Desire and arousal twisted and bred in the depths of her lower body, and she soon felt her throat dry and parched, desperate for a taste of him on her tongue.

The kisses that were shared between them had scorched a mark on Soleia’s skin, and every inch of her itched for more. How had she been so shy and skittish before, and so scandalous now, she had no clue. All Soleia knew was that Ralph had moved a switch from within her, poisoned her with thoughts of him, and all she wanted to do was to fall further and further into his control.

"Ralph..." she murmured, his name dancing on her tongue.

On the other hand, Ralph was as much entranced by the devil’s song and dance put up by Soleia. Sinful thoughts ran their course in his head, and a certain body part of his twitched when his name bled from her lips.

He rested his hand against her cheek, his thumb gently running across her smooth and supple skin. She shivered at his touch, the coolness of his hand greatly soothing against the heat that came from within her body.

Soleia so badly craved for his hand to move elsewhere― preferably down south. She had never felt such an unquenchable lust for anyone before. Her mind no longer felt like hers, and her body had turned so promiscuous that she was probably no better than a harlot in the red-light districts, vying for the male gaze.

She arched forward, their lips brushing together once more― but only that. They barely even connected when a knock echoed against the door and into the house, causing Ralph and Soleia to dart away from each other.

An expletive slipped from Rafael’s lips as he tumbled to the ground in surprise, while Soleia immediately bolted upright when the knocks failed to cease.

Rafael gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath through his nostrils to calm himself down. He didn’t know which it was he felt more― relief that the knock had interrupted them before it went too far past the point of no return, or annoyance that it had ruined quite possibly the greatest moment of his life up until this point.

Either way, the knocks weren’t stopping, and Soleia and Ralph were forced to greet their persistent guest. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Or rather, homeowner.

"Duke Kinsley!" Soleia greeted when she pulled open the door to see Oliver’s face. He had been crouched on the floor, tickling Coco’s chin when Soleia finally answered. His other hand was still in the air, mid-knock from where he squatted. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Behind her, where Soleia couldn’t see, Rafael approached the door with a death glare. He had decided that it was more annoyance than relief, and when he heard Soleia greeting ’Duke Kinsley’ at the door, he approached them like a dragon protecting its gold.

His eyes practically glowed from behind her in the darkness of the unlit house, and Oliver nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed his prince standing behind his beloved. Immediately, he bolted upright, Coco scuttering away as it was shocked by his sudden movement, but he paid the cat no mind.

"O-Oh my," Oliver said, his eyes darting back and forth between Rafael and Soleia. The cogs in his brain turned desperately in search of an excuse for his visit, or he could soon kiss his job — and possibly life — goodbye. "I... heard you sent a letter abroad recently, Mrs. Byrone?"

Soleia’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes, a letter to Nedour. Has it... Is there a reply already?"

"U-Unfortunately not," Oliver replied sheepishly. "It will take much longer than that for the letter to reach Nedour and the reply to return here to Raxuvia. I was just wondering if there was anything you needed. Oh, and also, the preparations for the upcoming festivities. I wanted to check if you two would be free to discuss the event."

"Oh," Soleia said, her shoulders instantly drooping in disappointment. "No, not really. There was just something I wished to check with a... friend."

"I see." Oliver’s tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip before glancing at Rafael. "Am I... Did I interrupt anything?"

"No, of course not," Soleia said. "Please come in. I’ll prepare some tea while we discuss."

With that said, Soleia stepped aside and held the door open for Oliver to enter. He did, but as he did so, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Oliver tried his best not to make eye contact with Rafael, but he felt his boss’s cold gaze glaring down the back of his neck the entire time, and he resisted the urge to shiver.

Rigidly, Oliver waddled to the couches in the parlor before choosing an armchair to sit down.

"I’ll be back," Soleia said. Then, to Ralph, she whispered, "Keep him entertained, won’t you?"

As though she was escaping a beast, Soleia darted away into the kitchen, her figure quickly disappearing.

Once Rafael was sure she was gone, his head immediately snapped over to Oliver. Now that they were left alone, just one look sent Oliver to his knees. He dropped down to the floor with a solid thud, his hands clasped together in prayer.

Meanwhile, Rafael’s expression was completely blank while he approached his subordinate. Yet, it didn’t manage to conceal the frost that had gathered in his eyes.

"There is news, Your Highness," Oliver whispered quickly once Rafael neared, afraid that if he was a second slower, his neck would feel very breezy and his shoulders would feel light. "A letter has arrived from Nedour."

"And?" Rafael asked, stopping in front of Oliver.

"Our spies have sent word," Oliver continued. He glanced in the direction of the kitchen to make sure that Soleia hadn’t returned before speaking again. "There have been rumors in the capital that the Princess has returned. With her is the Prince Consort and two others― a foreign man and a child. They’ve all been brought to the royal palace of Nedour."