Rezette clutched his throbbing head, voice hoarse. “Until I left, there was no special news, you were so confident about it. That was just a week ago.”
Freya, oblivious to the storm brewing, chirped, “It was too early then. Even blood tests showed nothing significant. But His Highness ordered a retest a few days ago, and the latest sample just reacted… three, maybe four weeks by my estimation.”
Rezette’s mind reeled. Vivid memories of a few weeks prior flooded back. Counting the days of her solitude, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment. It had to be around the time she hugged him halfway up the stairs. The day he first glimpsed the raw love and possessive yearning clawing at him from within.
The echo of his own words haunted him. “You just have to want me. Continuously, endlessly.”
The child was conceived at that precise moment, a product of his cruelty masquerading as affection.
A child… Why then?
There was no joy, only a hollow ache where her embrace used to be. Did his words wound her so deeply? Was this cruel punishment for his recklessness? No, Elise was more than that.
“Early pregnancy is notoriously difficult to detect, Your Highness,” Lady Petisson cautiously voiced, sensing Rezette’s silence. “Blaming the doctor won’t help. We need her back immediately. A proper examination for Her Highness is crucial.”
Freya chimed in, her voice trembling. “Absolutely! And Her Highness must rest! Early pregnancy carries a high risk of miscarriage, especially given her current condition. If the baby leeches all her magic, it could be fatal. The first trimester is critical. Even a speck of blood…” Her voice trailed off, heavy with unspoken dread.
Miscarriage. Bleeding. The words echoed in Rezette’s skull. He scrubbed his face with a groan, curses choking in his throat.
No. It couldn’t be so dire. It had to be a mistake. The fetus drew from the mother’s magic, and while Elise wasn’t healthy, her reserves far surpassed any ordinary woman’s. Besides, the child wasn’t visibly developed yet, surely the danger wasn’t so immediate?
But then, shame coiled in his gut as he remembered his treatment of her the previous night. He’d been ruthless. Elise’s face, a flickering white under his relentless assault, now haunted him like a specter.
Elise found herself utterly powerless in his grasp, her screams echoing fruitlessly as she struggled against him. Despite her best efforts, her slender legs convulsed, unable to maintain a firm hold on Rezette’s waist, slipping helplessly. The intensity of their union proved overwhelming, delving too deeply.
Reflecting on the encounter, Elise’s complexion appeared particularly wan. She had occasionally mentioned discomfort, but in the throes of passion, even that was swiftly disregarded. It was a night where Rezette indulged every desire, seeking to delve ever deeper into Elise. He savored the sensation of watching the subtle movements ripple across her delicate, pale abdomen.
Yet, unbeknownst to him, within that slender frame, a new life had begun to take root.
A heavy sigh escaped him. “Oh, damn it.”
The image of Elise, brows furrowed in discomfort, breathless and spent, lingered in his thoughts. While Rezette had longed for her pregnancy, it was always with the assumption that he would be there, by her side. The idea of her carrying their child without him present filled him with a restless unease.
Where should I even begin to search? Should I overturn everything?
These questions swirled in his mind, his anxiety mounting with each passing moment.
Freya, picking up on the tension in the air, blanched.
“Her Highness hasn’t been feeling well recently,” she explained. “It seems these are early pregnancy symptoms. You see, she’s quite sensitive, and with a non-human fetus, the signs can be very different, even manifesting from the very beginning.”
Rezette slammed on the brakes, metaphorically screeching to a halt. “Wait a minute,” he interrupted, eyes darting back to a passage he’d just skimmed. “Did Elise know something was wrong with her body beforehand?”
“Well,” Freya hedged, “Her Highness knows her own body best. She’d been expressing worry for a while.”
“Worry?” Rezette echoed, eyebrows furrowed.
“Yes. She never complained outright, but she called me privately, seeming quite distraught.”
“So, she might have known she was pregnant?”
“It’s hard to say. A few days later, morning sickness started, and she seemed relieved. Since then, she hasn’t contacted me again.”
Rezette’s mind reeled. Was it possible Elise knew she was pregnant when she left? The thought was staggering. But even if she didn’t, the doctor’s words—”She seemed to think it fortunate that she wasn’t pregnant”—gnawed at him.
