Impertinent!” King
istair slammed the scroll, “Since when do you presume to question your king?”
Lord Chamberlain quickly raised a hand to silence himself, “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”
Elvira returned to her quarters, applying some ointment to her face in front of the copper mirror. The medicinal ointment sent from the provinces worked wonders; within just a day or two, the bruises on her face had greatly improved.
Taking advantage of her rare free time, she started organizing some items she planned to take with her, swapping out unnecessary jewelry for silver
coins.
Then, one day, the Queen Mother summoned the King, Isabeau, and the Fourth Prince. Elvira was also summoned by Alistair and brought along.
After lunch, the Queen Mother began to speak earnestly, “Three years with no royal consort, Alistair. The succession must be secured.” Alistair casually played with his teacup, “The realm remains unstable. I’ve no time for marital affairs.”
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother sighed deeply. For three years, he had used this excuse to dismiss her, and she had nothing more to say. She knew well whom he was truly preoccupied with, so she shifted the conversation towards Isabeau.
“Your Highness, it is time for you and the Fourth Prince to bear a child.”
Crack…
Alistair’s teacup suddenly shattered, and blood began to drip from his palm. Without hesitation, he pulled Elvira, who was serving tea, onto his lap and barked, “Treat my wound.”
The smell of blood was overpowering, and Elvira suddenly felt nauseous.
“Ugh…” She hurriedly knelt, offering an apology. But the Queen Mother, misunderstanding, joyfully exclaimed, “Are you with child? Send for the royal physician at once!”
Alistair’s face grew dark, and Isabeau’s eyes welled up with grievance.
After the physician confirmed the pregnancy, Elvira felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss.
She was truly pregnant with Alistair’s child.
“She is unwell; I will take her back to rest.” Alistair, his face icy, dragged Elvira away.
Back in the palace, a bowl of dark abortion medicine was handed to Elvira.
“Drink it.”
41
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Trembling, Elvira accepted the bowl, and under the maids‘ restraining hands, she was forced to drink it.
The intense pain coursed through her body, and she curled nearly lost consciousness.
d up on the ground, blood flowing from between her legs, the pain so overwhelming that she
In the haze, she thought she saw a fleeting look of
Bret in Alistair’s
eyes.
It must have been an illusion, right?
How could he possibly feel sorry for her?
He had always only cared for Isabeau…
It wasn’t until the physician confirmed the miscarriage the
Alistair finally left with his
entourage.
As soon as the palace doors closed behind them, Isabeau burst in, her entourage in tow.
“Lock the door,” she coldly ordered.
Before Elvira could react, Isabeau kicked her forcefully in the abdomen.
“Ah!”
The searing pain spread through her body, and she curled up, cold sweat soaking her clothes.
“You gutter–born whore!” Isabeau grabbed her hair, forcing her to look up, “Has the last lesson not been enough? How dare you carry His Majesty’s child!”
Chapter 4
When she woke, the room was empty.
Elvira shakily touched her flat abdomen, silent tears falling.
Perhaps it was for the best…
The child, who should never have existed, was gone, and with that, everything was clean.
For several days, Elvira did not attend to the royal court. Surprisingly, Alistair never inquired about her, as if she had never existed.
Until one day, Alistair suddenly entered her quarters.
His gaze swept across the desk, filled with countless pages of the word “leave,” his expression turning dark.
“You want to leave?” He seized the papers and ripped them to shreds, “Elvira, you must be dreaming! No matter where you run, I will find you and bring you back!”
