Favorite Man

"Then tell him that, if you have the guts to." Daphne shrugged nonchalantly. "If not, as your new queen, I can have you punished even without my husband's presence."

It didn't escape her notice that these two women only confronted her when Atticus was gone from the ballroom. Compared to Cordelia who dared to threaten her right in front of Atticus, they were practically infants.

"Are you sure about that?" Veronica asked challengingly, even as she cast a quick look around the ballroom for the King.

Daphne snorted quietly, and Veronica whirled back to point an offending finger at her.

"You're the outsider who knows nothing about our land or our customs. You might be a queen, but that isn't worth much if you don't provide him with a son."

"Veronica, that's enough," Penelope chided gently, but there was a mean glint in her eyes that Daphne didn't trust. She was proven right when that girl continued, "King Atticus may not want children with her, due to her… deficiencies. He has the kingdom to think about."

"You're right, Penny. After all, it's not as though his queen is doing any thinking." Veronica sniffed haughtily. "If I were him, I wouldn't want to risk my child being useless because of his mother."

A muscle twitched in Daphne's jaw. These women were getting too comfortable with insulting her right to her face. Even if they made valid points about her not studying more about Vramid, she could hardly be faulted for that misstep.

She didn't expect to be kidnapped and crowned, after all!

"Lady Veronica seems particularly wise on the topic of useless children," Daphne said, raising an eyebrow. "But then again, you are one."

"You―"

"I don't need to know your rank to know that you are behaving deplorably in the presence of royalty." Daphne shifted, pulling herself to her full height as she stared down these two women.

"He doesn't even love you." Veronica seethed, attempting to grasp at anything she could to prod at Daphne's sore spots.

Daphne tilted her head and blinked with mock innocence. "He doesn't love you either."

Veronica's face instantly turned redder than beetroot. She took a step forward, only to get held back by her friend. Penelope was equally as mad, but it was nice to see at least one of the two had a brain still.

If these women tried anything like that stuck-up Nedish princess from before did, Daphne wouldn't shy away from throwing in a few hits of her own. These women weren't royalty and didn't seem to have much political power. The mess should be easy enough to clean up.

Seeing them momentarily shut-up, Daphne smiled coldly.

She said, "Even if I wasn't married to King Atticus, I would still be a princess in my own right. To be so ill-mannered in the face of foreign dignitaries is disgraceful. Nothing has destroyed the reputation of Vramid's nobility faster than the both of you baying like goats."

Both their mouths fell open in unison, but Daphne wasn't finished.

"I'm sure King Atticus would love to hear about your behavior. Perhaps he would find it endearing to know how two of his citizens managed to ruin Vramid's diplomatic ties with Reaweth while he was still busy working on the night of his ball."

Daphne smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. It was satisfying to watch them gulp with fear as they slowly realized a simple truth.

"And I would like to see," she continued to say, "if he would stand on the side of two random women that are evidently of no use to his kingdom or if he would be on the side of his wife."

Daphne was a princess that didn't have magic.

But even so, Daphne was still a princess. Not a scullery maid they could kick around at their whim. Even at her most powerless, she was still more highly ranked than them.

"Well-said, Your Highness. My apologies for the slight delay. There were certain issues I had to take care of," Jonah interrupted, bowing apologetically.

His sudden appearance caught the attention of all three ladies.

The leader of the royal guards was dressed in something out of the usual. Finally out of his uniform, Jonah was in a white suit, his light blue waistcoat serving as a nice contrast underneath, paired with silver cufflinks. His color scheme was the complete opposite of Atticus's, Daphne noticed, with the latter in black, red, and gold.

It was a fresh look, something that quite suited Jonah, though she was more used to seeing him in his usual uniform. Nevertheless, Jonah still had his hair let loose as usual, his golden strands tousled yet somehow still neat.

Daphne couldn't help but smile. Jonah really reminded her of a golden retriever puppy.

"And look who finally showed up," Daphne said, pretending to be mad. For a moment, she had completely forgotten about the existence of the two annoying women with her.

Jonah expertly balanced a plate of crumpets and lemon cakes in front of her, to which Daphne's eyes glistened at the sight of.

He said, "I noticed you hadn't eaten, so I took the liberty of taking some food for you."

"Since you've brought me sustenance, you're forgiven," Daphne gleefully declared, eagerly dipping a crumpet in honey and popping it into her mouth, a blissful smile crossing her face as the flavor hit her tongue. "You're truly my knight in shining armor."

"I don't know about that." Jonah shrugged, giving Lady Veronica and Lady Penelope a sidelong glance. "I doubt you were in any danger, especially from such… lovely young ladies. Good evening, Lady Yarrowood and Lady Huntington."

Daphne was probably the only one who caught the slight sarcasm in his voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Jonah!" They chorused, with stars in their eyes.

With Jonah now present, Veronica and Penelope had no choice but to swallow down whatever fight they had prepared against Daphne. Only an idiot would offend him― doing so would be the same as offending the king himself.

Jonah nodded, smiling so brightly that crinkles appeared at the corner of his eyes. However, only a fool wouldn't be able to tell that the smile wasn't heartfelt. His green eyes were dark, staring down at the two women like a predator would their prey.

He was like his master in that aspect; they were both sirens― beautiful and alluring, but dangerous once you get close.

And those women at least knew that the right-hand of the king was not a man to anger.

"Likewise, but a word of warning: an insult to Queen Daphne is an insult to King Atticus. It'll do you good to remember that. I bid you a good night."

With that, Sir Jonah stretched out a hand to escort Daphne away, leaving the shell-shocked and embarrassed women behind.

"Like I said, you're truly a knight in shining armor. My favorite man in the kingdom," Daphne said cheerfully as she continued to help herself to the food.

"Don't let your husband hear you say that," Jonah said, trying not to laugh at his new queen's cheeks stuffed with food. "I like having my head attached to my neck."

Daphne simply smiled cheekily, happily indulging in the food that Jonah had brought her. All this while, none of the two had noticed the silent pair of footsteps walking behind them, observing their every interaction.