Return of the Crowned Heiress novel Chapter 519

As soon as Stephan finished speaking, Felicia felt a sharp smack on her backside.

It wasn't playful. It had real force behind it.

She yelped, jumping up in pain. She nearly lost her balance on the massive boulder. Before she could tumble off, Stephan quickly caught her.

Fuming, Felicia snapped, "Fine! Don't marry me, then! Who cares about marrying you anyway? And now, you're even hitting me!"

Stephan's expression darkened. His arm was still around her waist as he fixed her with an intense gaze, his usually charming eyes devoid of warmth. His deep, magnetic voice carried a hint of coarseness as he enunciated each syllable of her name, "Felicia!"

He added, "You sure are brave, huh? Wandering alone through the rainforest at night? Do you have any idea what could've happened to you?"

Beneath his angry tone lay an unmistakable undercurrent of fear.

When he saw her nearly entangled in the python's deadly coil earlier, his heart had all but stopped. Without a second thought, he leaped from a cliff over 60 feet high. The palms of his hands had nearly caught fire from the friction against the jagged rocks as he scrambled to reach her in time.

His fury was palpable, his expression terrifyingly grim.

Felicia was equally pissed, retorting without a second thought, "And why did I come here in the first place? It's because I was worried about you! Your men said you were seriously injured and missing. I was afraid that something might happen to you, so I ran over here without thinking!

"I haven't had a proper meal or a good night's sleep, and my feet are covered in blisters from walking non-stop! I'm exhausted! Instead of being grateful, you're scolding me and hitting me?"

Her voice cracked as she spoke. Her frustration surfaced, and along with it was perhaps a touch of grievance. For some reason, her nose tingled, and her eyes began watering.

She glared at Stephan and then turned to leave, only to stop short. The boulder was too high to jump down from safely, and below them lay the python's corpse. There was no way down.

Hearing her words, Stephan felt his frustration melt away. His anger had never truly been directed at her. It was the thought of her risking her life that had left him shaken.

She had knowingly put herself in danger, all for his sake.