Chapter CXXI: Loyalty
Pallor froze, his hands still holding her face. The weight of her words hit him like a hammer, and his heart skipped a beat. “What?” he breathed, the shock evident in his voice.
Isabella swallowed, her voice shaking. “I’m pregnant… with the Dragon King’s child. Again.”
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. Pallor’s expression wavered between disbelief and a painful understanding. He dropped his hands from her face, stepping back slightly, as if the weight of the truth was too much to bear.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was quiet and controlled, though there was an undercurrent of deep emotion. “You kept this from me.”
Isabella nodded, her tears flowing freely now. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I… I didn’t want to bring you such disgrace. You, of all men, do not deserve this.”
Pallor’s gaze lingered on Isabella, his expression one of deep concern. The room felt colder, as if the weight of the secret they now shared chilled the air around them. He stepped back slightly, studying her face before finally asking the question that had been looming in his mind since her confession.
"How many people know about this?" His voice was low, cautious.
Isabella looked away, the exhaustion evident in her features. "Only me and my handmaiden, Alicent," she replied. "No one else. No maids or midwives."
Pallor’s jaw tightened slightly as he considered this. "Can Lady Alicent be trusted?"
"Of course," Isabella answered without hesitation. "She’s been with me through everything."
Pallor nodded, though the worry in his eyes remained. "Then we keep this a secret for now. We need to figure out what to do first."
Isabella’s face hardened slightly, the burden of her situation pressing down on her. “People already know,” she said quietly. “They know about what happened during the battle a month ago. My supporters say the Dragon King raped me. My opposers…” She paused, bitterness lacing her words. “They say I gave myself to him willingly. Either way, the court knows he and I have been together. And on top of that, everyone is aware that you and I do not share a bed."
Her voice wavered, but she continued. "Once my belly begins to show, there will be no doubts about who sired this child."
Pallor’s expression darkened as he considered the reality of her words. The court would be ruthless, and the scandal would be impossible to contain once Isabella’s pregnancy became visible. He took a deep breath before offering a suggestion, though he knew it would only provide temporary relief.
“Perhaps… you should return to the Stone Keep,” Pallor said softly, his eyes searching hers. “Before your pregnancy becomes visible. We can say you’ve fallen ill, that you need time to recover away from court.”
Isabella looked at him, her gaze heavy with sorrow. "And what happens once the baby is born?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Pallor hesitated for a moment before speaking. “We could… pretend the baby belongs to your handmaiden, Alicent. The child could be raised under her care. It would give us time, keep suspicion at bay.”
Isabella closed her eyes, the weight of the plan sinking into her. “A child growing inside of me,” she murmured, “who will never get to call me ‘mother.’”
The sadness in her voice broke Pallor’s heart. He reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, my queen,” he whispered, his voice full of genuine remorse. “Truly, I am.”
Isabella shook her head, her expression tightening with guilt. “Don’t be sorry, Pallor,” she said, a harsh edge creeping into her tone. “This is my fault. It’s my fault that I fell for my enemy, even as his prisoner. I let my heart and my body betray me, and now… now there’s no going back.”
Pallor’s hand lingered on her shoulder, his thumb brushing against her arm in a gesture of comfort. “You didn’t ask for this war, my queen,” he said softly, trying to offer her some solace. “You didn’t ask for any of it.”
Isabella looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “And now I’m paying the price for it. I love him, Pallor. I loved him even when I knew I shouldn’t. I thought I could be strong enough to hate him, to fight him, to kill him… But I wasn’t.”
"We’ll find a way through this," Pallor said quietly. "Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side."
Isabella stood frozen in place, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her as the silence between them stretched. Her heart raced as she tried to put her turbulent emotions into words.
“I should go back to him,” she whispered, her voice trembling as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. “I’m carrying his child… and if he can believe that our marriage was never consummated and you never touched me, maybe—maybe he’ll spare my life.”
Pallor’s face tightened, his brows furrowing as he took a step closer. “You’re considering becoming his prisoner again?” His voice was heavy with disbelief and frustration. “You cannot be serious.”
She met his eyes, her own filled with uncertainty. “I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do,” she said quietly. “Ikkar, Zayr, Rya… This child… The war. I can’t see any way forward. How am I supposed to protect my children? How can I stop this from spiraling further out of control?”
Pallor clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists at his sides. He could see the fear in her eyes, the desperation in her words, but it only made him more determined. He wasn’t going to let her fall into the Dragon King’s hands again.
“Isabella,” he said, his voice firm but gentle, “you must remain strong. It was under your command that Allendor recovered Rosehall. It was because of you that we defeated the Fire Army in battle. You tamed one of his dragons, for the gods’ sake! You have done what no one else thought possible.”
Isabella’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but Pallor continued, his voice growing more passionate. “You balanced the scales, Isabella. You gave us a chance, where before there was only despair. You are our queen.”
She stared at him, tears glistening in her eyes as the weight of his words sank in. “But I—”
“You’re the reason we’ve come this far,” Pallor interrupted, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “Despite everything you’ve been through, despite the lies and the betrayals… you are still standing.”
Isabella swallowed hard, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach. She wanted to believe him, wanted to hold on to the strength he saw in her, but the uncertainty still gnawed at her heart. Her thoughts drifted to the Dragon King, the man who had claimed her, the father of her children, the one who still haunted her every step. The love, the hate, the betrayal—it all felt too much to bear.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
