Chapter 18: Life In Her Belly
Flashback continued…
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend some time with my wife, alone. Would you excuse me?”
At his sudden remark, Rihannan looked at Igor with eyes of surprise. She’d only met her cousin for the first time in ages and she did not want her and Dimitri to break away so soon. Since her mother died, she’d been out of touch with her Chrichton relatives.
It was not until she’d grown of age she learned of her father deliberately interrupting their calls in the middle, afraid Rihannan would escape from his grasp and the power of her foreign family.
“…..”
However, she could not afford to refuse Igor.
Rihannan lowered her head in submission.
Dimitri immediately noticed her agitation, but there was nothing he could do against Arundell’s king. He did not have the power to go against him, at least not at the moment.
“Rhia is a good girl. Please take care of her. She’s very precious.”
Igor smiled.
“Thank you for your advice, but my wife is no longer a child. It is time that you stop calling my wife by her nickname. You should also cease close contact with her. Times have changed. I hope you’ll keep my heed in your mind at all times from now on.”
“….Of course…”
And that concluded the last of their conversation.
Rihannan was led to her quarters by Igor.
That night, he held her in the most violent act ever. The act, which would end in one round previously, continued tirelessly that night. He inserted his shaft inside her repeatedly, plundering her in a fiery passion of anger.
And then dawn rose.
Rihannan was exhausted. She could not lift her finger even. And soon she fell asleep. And Igor too was wrought with tiredness. He too had a look of desperation she’d never seen and she had no idea what it was.
When she opened her eyes in the afternoon, Igor was nowhere to be seen. The cold bed sheets next to her gave her the indication that he’d left long ago.
That was the last night they spent together.
Not long after, Rihannan finally succumbed to her father’s subtle threats to help Leticia enter the palace. It seemed like the only path to gain her father’s fake love. And so Leticia was invited to the royal ball.
The Queen’s beautiful half-sister immediately became a hot topic among the noble ladies. Though, the hottest gossip of all was the royal intrigue. The King broke all customs and danced with Leticia several times during the royal ball.
After the royal ball, rumors of the royal scandal spread like wildfire. It was bound to happen, they thought. It was widely known priori that the King had no inkling interest for the Queen, who was the late Queen’s close aide. In addition, she had not borne him a child for years.
And one thing was clear, Rihannan was nothing like her father. Since the royal ball, Count Alessin openly declared that the late Queen should give all power to the new King and step back. Therefore, if Leticia were to give birth to his child, well, no one could openly defy Count Alessin.
And above all, time was fair to everyone. As time passes, the center of power would shift from Hertia Cesca to Igor Cesca.
So their attention leaned to the King’s lack of love for his Queen. The people expected a divorce. She hadn’t borne him a child, after all.
Then one day, while the rumors continued to spread and caused Rihannan grief, she found that life was growing in her belly. The last night he spent with her, the baby he so desired, finally came to fruition.
Rihannan, reminiscing the memories of that time, quickly felt a painful ache in her chest. Although inside her lives the body of her unborn, the memory of another life wriggling inside Leticia’s belly remained vividly clear.
Not long after, she lost her child and she suffered in despair. Following her loss, she was then abandoned, abandoned by Igor.
And soon she lost any meaning and will to live.
She had no regrets drinking the poison Leticia gave her. She’d do it again given the chance. And even without it, she knew death awaited her. She’d be dragged out, tongue cut off, and head decapitated in front of the masses.
Flashback end…
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