Chapter 150
They all paused and looked at each other wearily. What was Rowan saying?! I thought as my heart beat wildly in my chest.
I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it was because of me he would lose his position as Alpha King.
Rowan was risking it all because of me and I felt so guilty.
"I wonder who would rule next. Would it be my brother Lucian who is currently languishing in prison? The one who betrayed us. Or maybe the runaway Prince Reagan who can't even have the decency to fight. Or maybe we'd just hand over the kingdom to Braam then."
"Since you're all hell bent on deposing me. I'll happily hand over the reins to the next person."
The silence was deafening.
They weren't happy. They weren't accepting. But there was nothing they could do.
Not unless they were willing to lose their king.
"Ariadne stays as my wife any my queen. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be standing here. I'm not going to let her go."
**********
By nightfall, the castle had changed.
I could feel it in the air, in the way people whispered when I passed. In the way they refused to meet my eyes.
At first, I tried to ignore it. But then the first sneer came.
"She is an abomination! How did we miss this!"
I kept walking, my heart hammering.
Later, in the corridor, two maids I had once spoken to daily stopped talking the moment I stepped near. They lowered their heads and turned away as if I were something tainted.
The stares followed me everywhere.
I clenched my hands into fists, my nails digging into my palms.
So this was what it felt like.
To be hated.
To be seen as an enemy in my own home.
By the time I reached our chambers, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I slammed the door behind me, pressing my back against it.
Rowan was already inside.
He took one look at me and sighed. "Ariadne—"
"They hate me. I told you this would happen." I whispered.
He ran a hand through his hair. "They don't hate you."
I let out a hollow laugh. "Yes, they do."
He crossed the room in two steps, pulling me into his arms. "They will get used to it."
I squeezed my eyes shut. "And if they don't?"
His grip tightened. "Then they will learn to live with it."
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that time would change things.
But I wasn't sure it would.
.....................
I sat on the edge of the examination table, my hands resting on my stomach as the royal physician, prepared his instruments. His chambers smelled of dried herbs and something faintly metallic, the scent of old remedies and timeworn knowledge.
Unlike the others in the castle who had changed since hearing that I was an otsayak, the physician didn't hesitate when he spoke to me. He didn't flinch at my presence or offer me wary, sidelong glances. He treated me the same way he always had, and for that, I was grateful.
"How have you been feeling?" he asked as he unrolled a thin sheet of parchment, preparing to take notes.
I sighed. "Tired, but I suppose that's expected. I seem to get tired very easily these days."
He nodded. "Any nausea? Dizziness?"
"Not as much as before," I admitted. "But I feel heavier now, and I wake up feeling... even more tired. It must be everything that's going on. It would be strange for it not to have an effect on me."
"Strange how?" His sharp eyes flicked to mine.
I hesitated. I wasn't sure how to describe it.
"A lot of things have been going on.... I have barely had the time to enjoy this pregnancy. And with the invasion in the castle and how I was injured a few days ago, I'm a bit worried about the baby. That's all."
The physician hummed thoughtfully, then gestured for me to lie back. "Let's check on the child first."
I did as he asked, my heart pounding slightly as he pressed his hands over my abdomen, feeling for movement. A slow smile spread across his face.
"The child is strong," he murmured. "You will have a healthy birth, my queen."
Relief flooded me. "Are you certain?"
He chuckled. "I wouldn't say it if I weren't."
I exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from my body. "That's good. I'm grateful for that."
The physician stepped back, wiping his hands with a cloth. He studied me for a moment, then said, "You seem troubled. Is all well? Deep thoughts aren't good for the wellbeing of the baby."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Should I not be? The entire castle looks at me like I'm an abomination. Even the ones who don't speak their hatred out loud, I can feel it in their silence. I don't think I can stand any more of it."
The physician folded his arms. "And yet you carry their future."
I scoffed. "They don't see it that way. They see me as something unnatural. A danger."
He tilted his head slightly. "And do you believe that?"
I hesitated. "I don't know what I believe anymore. And you, you're the only one who has treated me nicely since this news came out. Why is that?"
He was silent for a moment, then he said, "You ask why I treat you normally, despite what everyone else whispers?"
I nodded.
"It's because I have always known."
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