Chapter 213

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 213. A Normal Human (2)

He couldn’t move.

Desperately, Raphael bit his tongue to try to stay conscious. But as the King’s drugged needle plunged into his veins, he couldn’t hold on any longer. His consciousness sank deep into a swamp.

Expressionless, the King kicked his son, but Raphael didn’t move an inch. A smirk spread over his face as Selgratis laid his foot on Raphael’s head, stepping on him lightly with his shoe. A ghost of a laugh burst from his wrinkled lips.

“Just wait a little longer,” he said. “It’s not your turn. Yet.”

He had already finished this task. Raphael might be the guest of honor at today’s banquet, but the busiest man was the King. Wasn’t that as it should be, though? Shouldn’t a father pave the way for his children? He had to make way for the weak Crown Prince.

Selgratis left the room without remorse, and without a backward glance at his other son. It would take at least a day for him to wake up, and by then it would already be over.

* * *

Fortunately, Raphael had an assistant.

Or rather, he had Annette’s assistant.

He came through the window like a cat, prowling for his target. Approaching Raphael, Railin suddenly frowned.

What was that smell?

The parlor was filled with a heady scent, one that Railin, master of the underworld, quickly identified. With a wave of his hand, he immediately purified the air, inhaling the fresh air with appreciation.

Slowly, he approached Raphael, lowering his eyes. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the blood trailing from the corner of his mouth down his sharp jaw.

Had he bitten his tongue?

Oh, if only. A small smile flickered at Railin’s lips. He was an observant man, and he had noticed the shift in Annette’s attitude. She no longer showed any interest in leaving for Osland. Nor was she making any other plans for her new life.

He was alive. Lifting Raphael’s eyelid, Railin clicked his tongue. The King was so determined to put him down, he had nearly administered a lethal dose of the soporific. Raphael wouldn’t rouse no matter what happened outside.

Railin patted him, and a strange smoke began to rise from Raphael’s body.

Raphael’s chest heaved in a violent cough, as if all the drugged smoke left his body at once. With a flicker of magic, Railin plucked the rest of the poison from his body, and Raphael’s eyelids finally opened.

Weak though he was, he immediately tried to rise. At first, his limbs refused to obey him, but Raphael was a Master of Swords. It wasn’t long before he regained his strength.

“Rather a dirty method for a King, don’t you think?” Railin chuckled, sitting back with his arms crossed. Raphael stared at him, befuddled. At first, he didn’t recognize him, but then suddenly it struck him.

“You’re that pervert,” he said grimly.

Railin laughed out loud. It was true that he had been dressed as a maid the first time they met, a sight that had shocked Raphael, and made it even stranger to see him now, dressed formally for the banquet. So long as he kept his mouth shut, Railin might have been mistaken for a nobleman. It gave Raphael goosebumps.

But it had been a long time before someone had called Railin a pervert to his face, and though normally he would have turned Raphael into a toad, today was not the day. Raphael still had work to do.

“Are you ready to go see her yet?” Railin taunted.

“What?”

“My client is in danger. If we don’t go now, it will be too late.”

Raphael’s breath stopped. His blue eyes sharpened, a ferocious beast with hackles rising. It made even bold Railin feel a sudden chill in his heart.

“Where is she?”