Chapter 2
864 Words
At four months of pregnancy, I started to show and my father discovered I was pregnant. When I couldn’t tell him who the father was out of fear of inciting Prince Ambrose’s rage, my father was disappointed and kicked me out in the middle of the night.
He felt I had disgraced him by w*****g around and not knowing who the baby’s father was. I had nothing with me because I ran out to avoid my father’s screaming.
As a final attempt, I sought Prince Ambrose’s audience to ask him for help to avoid becoming homeless.
I was on my way to the castle when a messenger stopped me in the street and asked me to follow him to an inn nearby. To my surprise, Ambrose’s brother and King Leon’s youngest son, Prince Oliver, was the one who had sent the messenger after me.
“I can sense one formed of my own blood growing inside you,” Prince Oliver asked once the messenger had left me alone in the bedroom he had bought for the night.
I studied his face carefully. Prince Oliver may have appeared to be guileless and timid when he was around his brothers, but I was fortunately informed enough to know that he was the one who was most vain, egotistical and conniving.
“Which one of my brothers is the father?” He asked after he motioned for me to sit in a chair across the room.
I subconsciously rubbed my stomach over my shirt.
As though he could read minds, his face brightened with a smile.
“It’s Ambrose’s, isn’t it? I witnessed the two of you sneaking around the castle.”
He stood up and I thought to do so without a thought. He instantly appeared in front of me and rested his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to sit down again. He crouched down in front of me and placed his hands on my stomach.
His touch was cold even through my shirt. It sent a shiver down my spine.
“I know my father was poisoned…” he started. On cue, my heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked into my eyes. I knew right then that I had fallen into his trap.
He ran his hands through his auburn hair.
That simple motion created a tingle between my legs. Each of those brothers was more handsome than the last.
“He’ll be dead in a few days, that poor bastard,” he said next, “Report Ambrose to the council and I promise you’ll have everything you need.”
“I’d be incriminating myself!” I said without another thought. It may have been Ambrose’s idea but I was the one who literally poisoned the king.
“There’s no one else they’d believe if not you; the one who poisoned him. Tell them the truth and nothing but the truth. Ambrose will be exiled for treason and I’ll be one to succeed the throne. I’ll make sure you and the baby are safe.”
There was no way I could trust his promise after Ambrose had betrayed me. And Oliver could see that I no longer had any trust left to give.
He took my hand in his and rubbed it gently and reassuringly.
“I’ll hold true to my promise. In the morning, I’ll tell the council, the Queen and my father that you’re pregnant with my child. The news will spread like wildfire. Think of it as assurance. I’ll have no choice but to marry you.”
His offer was very tempting, however, even though it seemed I would benefit much from his lie, it was simply another ploy. Initially, the first to get married would inherit the throne, but having an heir on the way guaranteed he’d become king. In the end, he’d be using me and the baby his older brother rejected.
I was in no position to complain. I had to make sure I wouldn’t be homeless and pregnant at the same time.
As anticipated, the news of an heir did spread very fast, and it overshadowed the death of the king, which happened later that day. There was no time to mourn when there was need to crown a new king who was about to have an heir.
To uphold my end of the deal, I reported everything to the council, safe for the part about Ambrose and I having s*x and me being pregnant with his child.
The council was mot pleased with either me nor Ambrose. Ambrose was exiled for treason and a successful conspiracy to kill the king, as Oliver said he would.
As for me, since Oliver ‘confessed’ I was carrying his child, I would face no punishment, and my conduct was kept secret by the council to avoid arousing nation-wide outrage.
Princes Sebastian and Roman declared their allegiance to Prince Ambrose and left with him because there was nothing left for them. Oliver won and none of them wanted to live under his rule.
At eight months pregnancy, the day finally came for Prince Oliver to marry me and claim the throne and his rightful title as ‘King’.
- Writer
