The year I came of age, fate led me to buy the fallen Seventh Prince Valerius at a market. His sweet words left me with child—yet when he took the throne, no royal carriage came. Only a decree condemning my family to death. I went to him, heavy with child, begging mercy. Instead, he forced me to drink crimson petals as I watched my parents executed. Lord General Kaelan saved me, trading his military honors. "I’ve loved you from afar," he swore. "Marry me, and I’ll cherish only you." I believed him. Three years later, pregnant again, I overheard his confession: "She has Lirael’s eyes… No regrets, though I’m the one who urged the king to slaughter her family." Loving the prince was my first sin. Loving Kaelan—the man who destroyed me twice—was unforgivable. 1 “If she was clever enough to seduce the Seventh Prince and carry his heir, she is no simple woman. Lirael’s heart is too pure. If Karen entered the court with a royal son, how could Lirael possibly contend with her?” “I could not let Lirael stand in harm’s way.” “But walls have ears, my lord. Sooner or later, Karen will—” “She will not,” Kaelan cut his friend off, his voice as cold as iron. “Karen will never know. I will not allow it.” “And I will spend a lifetime of devotion and fortune to make it up to her.” I bit down hard on my lip, my hand clamped over my mouth as I backed away with the dinner tray, silent as a ghost. Once inside my chambers, the door barred, I released my hand. Blood mingled with the tears that streamed down my face. When the King, Valerius, had ordered my parents’ execution, he forced me to watch. The horror made me swoon, and I collapsed into darkness. It was Kaelan who traded his loyalty and the entirety of his war honors to beg for my life. When I awoke, he held me, his voice choked with self-reproach. “The King cannot bear the memory of such a… tarnished past. Forgive me. I was useless. I could only save you.” All these years, he has openly defied the King. I thought it was because he loved me, that he was avenging me. I was so grateful, my gratitude blossoming into love. I never imagined he was the architect of my family’s doom. Thinking back, every time Kaelan had challenged the King, it had been because His Majesty had favored another court lady, neglecting Queen Lirael. Kaelan was simply fighting for the woman he truly loved. I was allowed to live only because of a passing resemblance to her. The thought of it all was like a dagger twisting in my heart. “Karen,” a voice called from the door. “The servants said you missed supper. Are you unwell?” “No… it’s nothing. I’m tired. I wish to sleep.” The door opened. I scrambled to wipe my tears and turned my back to him, but my hoarse, choked voice had already betrayed me. Kaelan’s hands were firm as he turned me to face him. The moment he saw my face, his brow furrowed. His thumb gently brushed away a tear as he spoke, his voice soft but laced with a suppressed fury. “Karen, did someone hurt you? Tell me who, and I will make them pay. Don’t cry. Every tear you shed breaks my heart.” Was it my heart he cared for? Or was he seeing Queen Lirael’s through my borrowed features? I shook my head. “You are the Lord General. Who would dare bully me? It is only… in three days, it will be the anniversary of my parents’ death. Thinking of them brings me sorrow.” Kaelan paused for a moment, his expression shifting to one of feigned grief. “Ah. It is my failing. I fear I may never be able to avenge you in this lifetime.” “It doesn’t matter. But the Autumn Moon banquet at the palace in three days… I will not accompany you. I wish to visit my parents’ graves.” The King murdered my family; I could not have my revenge. Now, discovering the true culprit was the Lord General, I still could not have my revenge. I was forced to play this charade with him, a constant betrayal to my parents’ memory. “Of course. It is not an important banquet. I will go with you. If we could have a child, I am sure it would bring comfort to your parents’ spirits in the heavens.” An involuntary shiver ran through me. After that draught of crimson petals, the royal physicians had said I would be barren. This child was a miracle from the gods themselves. I could not, would not, gamble my child’s life on the sliver of hope that Kaelan felt any true affection for me. “What is it?” Kaelan’s senses were sharp. He noticed my reaction instantly. “Karen, your monthly courses have been absent for some time. Could you be with child?” His tone was hopeful, but his eyes were filled with a wary, calculating light. I forced a brittle smile. “I wish it were so. But you know… I can never conceive again.” He handed me a small, ornate box. Inside lay a single, luminous white flower. A Silverwood Bloom. “Forgive my thoughtless words. Look, the Silverwood Bloom. I know you like it, and I had it specially sought out for you. Are you pleased?” Every autumn, a cough would plague me. I’d once heard that a tea made from this rare bloom was the best remedy. I had mentioned it only once, in passing, but Kaelan had remembered and sent men to the frozen peaks to find it for me. This time, however, I felt none of the usual joy or gratitude. I had once mistaken this for love. But it was only compensation for the slaughter of my family. I took the box and set it aside, my expression flat. “Thank you, my lord.” Seeing none of the delight he expected, Kaelan seemed disappointed but didn’t press the matter. “You are too frail to miss meals. I have had the servants prepare a new table of all your favorite dishes. Tonight, your husband will serve you.” Later that night, as I lay in bed, a tall shadow leaned over me from behind. “Lira… Karen…” Kaelan murmured my name—or hers—his hot breath ghosting across my neck, his fingers deftly unfastening the clasps of my nightgown. I once thought he was calling for me. Now I knew he was calling for the woman who truly held his heart, Queen Lirael. I suppressed the agony in my chest and pressed his hand, stopping its downward trail. “Another time. I am tired.” But he was insistent, his hand slipping beneath my chemise. “Karen, do you not want me? It has been nearly a month since we were last together.” My eyes snapped open. “Is it because the woman you love is now a queen that you seek solace in the arms of her substitute, my lord?” Kaelan froze, his voice suddenly sharp with alarm. “What are you talking about?” 2 I shielded my belly with my arm. “It’s nothing, my lord. Let us sleep.” “Pay no mind to the gossip you hear outside these walls,” he said, his voice tight. “You are the only lady of this house. There is no substitute.” “I swore to you, for all my life, you and you alone! What is this madness that has seized you tonight?” His voice rose, though I could not tell if he was trying to convince me or himself. I closed my eyes and said nothing. Kaelan, his interest lost, rose and moved to the chaise lounge across the room. After that night, he began to give me the silent treatment. Three days passed, and he did not set foot in my chambers. My maid, Bria, was worried. “My lady, why not tell the General of your pregnancy? With a child, he would surely not bear to be angry with you.” I took Bria’s hand. “Bria, I once saved you from being sold to a brothel by slavers. You said you would repay me.” “I am asking you now. This matter, whatever happens, you must not reveal it to the General or anyone else.” Given my condition, this child was a miracle. If I lost it, a second miracle would not come. Bria knelt, her eyes resolute. “Bria swore to serve you until death, my lady. My lips are sealed.” … On the day I was to visit my parents’ graves, the carriage, halfway to its destination, suddenly turned around. I drew back the curtain to see Kaelan blocking the road, his expression one of weary resignation. “Alright, I was wrong, Karen. Please, don’t be angry anymore.” “What is it you require, my lord?” Seeing that I was not yielding, that I had reverted to the formal title, Kaelan’s face hardened in disbelief. When we had first married, I had always called him ‘Lord General.’ It was he who had coaxed me, time and again, to finally call him by his name, to call him my husband. My use of his title now was a clear sign I would not forgive him. “Karen, it was just the idle whispers of common folk, meant to drive a wedge between us! I have already admitted my fault! If you continue to cling to this, and word reaches the palace, how is the Queen to feel?” So, it was for Lirael again. A sharp pain lanced through my heart. I lowered my lashes to hide my expression. “What is it you require, my lord?” At that, Kaelan lost his patience. “The Queen has suffered a miscarriage and is lost in grief. Today is the Autumn Moon banquet. You will accompany me to the palace and comfort Her Majesty.” The King’s favor was a fleeting thing. Even Lirael, once the shining moon of his desires, had now become common as bread. Her child had been lost to the scheming of a favored concubine, and the King had done nothing. Kaelan, unaware of my own pregnancy, now wanted to use my barrenness—my pain—to soothe Lirael. But it was Lirael herself who had forced the poison down my throat. Even after hearing of his devotion to her, I never imagined he could be so cruelly absurd. I clutched my stomach, refusing to go, my heart set on visiting my parents’ graves. But Kaelan accused me of being insensible. “Your parents are dead! How can the affairs of the dead be more important than the living? Besides, they were commoners. The business of the Crown is what truly matters!” Ignoring my wishes, he ordered the driver to turn the carriage around and galloped toward the palace, not forgetting to toss a few placating words my way. “After the banquet, I will come back with you to pay respects to your parents.” I was powerless to stop him. The carriage swayed and jolted. By the time we arrived at the palace, I stumbled out and could not help but retch a few times. “The carriage was a little fast, that’s all. Why are you so delicate? Hurry now, we mustn’t keep the Queen waiting.” Kaelan’s thoughts were already with Lirael. He urged me on impatiently. My face was pale, my body trembling with discomfort. Leaning on Bria, I forced myself through the palace gates. The banquet was split in two, the Queen and the ladies of the court on one side, the King and his lords on the other. The dishes were exquisite, and at the forefront was a platter of golden-scale trout. “This trout was a gift from the Duke of the Southern Shires. You must all try some,” the Queen announced. The fish before me was tender and succulent, but the smell was overwhelming. I retched again, unable to stop myself. Heads turned in my direction. “Lady Karen,” one of the ladies near me whispered, “could you be with child?” “Of course not,” I said, picking up a piece of fish to prove my point. But the scent hit me again, and I began to vomit uncontrollably. Now, everyone was staring. “Guards! Summon the royal physician for me!” the Queen commanded, her eyes boring into me. She muttered to herself, “Impossible! I poured the whole draught down your throat myself. How could you possibly be pregnant?” The physician arrived with terrifying speed. Before I could think of an escape, my pregnancy was exposed. I cursed my own frail body, unable to even conceal the sickness of early motherhood. “Why?” the Queen hissed, her gaze fixed venomously on my belly. “Why is my child gone, while you are allowed to have one?” “Lady Karen’s condition is a joyous occasion,” she said, her voice turning syrupy sweet. “Someone, bring that bowl of chilled crab soup and present it to Lady Karen as a gift.” 3 I couldn’t drink it. Even without a physician’s knowledge, I knew that cold-water crabs were chilling to the womb. To drink it would mean losing my child. Everyone else knew it too, but the Queen had spoken, and no one dared to intervene. Bria threw herself in front of me, a fragile shield against the inevitable. I was held down by several guards, their grips like iron, while a lady-in-waiting tried to pry my mouth open. “My lady is with child and her health is fragile! She cannot drink the soup! I beg Your Majesty, have mercy on my lady!” Bria pleaded, knocking her head against the stone floor until it bled. “Insolent slave! If you interfere again, you will be beaten to death,” the Queen declared. My strength was fading. Bria looked at me, her jaw set, and then with a sudden burst of strength, she broke free from her captors. She ran, screaming, to the other side of the feast, begging Lord Kaelan to save me. A procession of men strode over. Bria rushed to my side, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The situation was clear to all. Before the King could even speak, Kaelan stepped forward, knelt, and shifted the blame onto me. “Your Majesty, the Queen is kind and generous. This soup, made from the roe of a dozen prized crabs, is a rare delicacy. To offer it was a sign of her great favor. It is Karen who is ungrateful and spurns the Queen’s kindness.” The King’s eyes were dark pools of ink. “Oh? Then in your opinion, Lord General, should Lady Karen drink this soup, or not?” Kaelan glanced at me, his face a mask of conflict. He hesitated, saying nothing. “No matter,” the Queen said with a sigh. “Lady Karen is with child now, a precious state. I have lost my own child and have no heir to comfort me. If my humble gift is to be wasted, then so be it.” “Karen,” Kaelan said, picking up the bowl. “You always loved crab. It is a gift from the Queen. You should at least have a taste.” He brought the bowl to my lips. “The soup is cold. If I drink it all, the child will be lost. Kaelan, this is your child too,” I pleaded, my voice breaking, each word a drop of blood from my heart. “You were not raised in fragile luxury,” he said, his voice low. “You are strong. And the palace physicians are the best in the land. A single bowl of soup will do no harm.” The slaughter of my family, the poisoned draught… my body was a ruin of its former self. Kaelan’s eyes were filled with guilt, but the spoon he held to my mouth was steady. I knew then that nothing I said would matter. The affection I thought we shared had evaporated like mist. I wiped away my useless tears, took the bowl, and drank every last drop. As I drank, I knew that everything was finally coming to an end.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "393107", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel