𝒯𝒽ℯ ℛ𝒾𝓈ℯ 𝒪𝒻 𝒜 𝒬𝓊ℯℯ𝓃

Chapter |10| The Former King

H A R D I N ' S P.O.V

72. 72 hours. That's how long my father has been missing.

I was sitting in the same leather arm chair that I had been for hours now, my eyes meticulously scanning the map of Silene, as though it would make any difference.

These past few days had been a blur. After Wyatt had informed me about my father's kidnapping, I immediately jumped out of bed and pulled on a shirt, before rushing straight to my office, forgetting all about my naked Queen.

Arabella was quick to follow me, wearing her satin nightgown. Normally I would appreciate the way the gown accentuated all her natural curves and highlighted her raw beauty but all I could think about was my father and the danger he was in.

Arabella made the announcement to the public, pleading them to join in on the effort to find him. However, I think what she did only hindered our efforts. She practically informed the attackers that we knew and had no leads.

Of course I couldn't tell her that, I was angry and emotional, and I knew the slightest argument would cause me to snap so I left it alone.

Wyatt and I ordered the royal guard to search every part of Silene, paying extra attention to known criminal areas. Despite being King, I couldn't just sit by and watch my men search for my father whilst I sat by and did nothing, so I joined them, even spending one of the nights camped out on the edge of the border.

We found nothing. Not a single piece of evidence, not a single witness.

I know it shouldn't affect me so much, the man is a bastard but at the end of the day he's my father. The man who raised me, the man who used to play catch with me and taught me all about our royal history.

I only had one parent left and I wasn't willing to lose him.

Standing up, the leather chair scraped against the floor, and the table shifted slightly. I sighed, staring down at the map once more, and then trudged back to my room in defeat.

As I clicked open the door, I caught sight of my beloved wife zipping up her night wear, and instinctively a smile broke out on my face. However it dropped when I caught sight of Clarissa perched on our bed, again.

Even though it was now proved that she was Arabella's birth mother, in my eyes that didn't meant much. I had been willing to try, but gave up once I realised that in reality she only ever wanted Arabella to herself. I understood that, really, but taking away Arabella during our time was not something I liked.

We had a sparse amount of time together throughout the day as it is and with Clarissa in the mix, I barely even see my wife.

Call me possessive, but she is my wife. Before she was ever her daughter. And besides, Clarissa hates me but the feeling is mutual I guess.

She wasn't there, she never had been and until recently didn't make much of an effort. I suppose knowing the whole story behind her abandonment of Arabella would help to settle my nerves but apparently she can't even say that.

Why? I have no fucking clue! Clarissa says she can't tell me and Arabella evades the questions every time I ask her.

I loved that Arabella was happy but Clarissa had somehow used my father's disappearance to take advantage of the fact that Arabella and I were more frequently separated.