Chapter 202: The King’s Blood
Alaric glanced at her, and something passed across his features before he lifted a hand and gently held her chin. "Hush now, my dear," he said softly as he looked into her misty eyes.
She seemed to believe that she had made such a grave mistake, that she had unknowingly shared a bed with the Crown Prince of Eryndor while she was nothing more than a common village girl.
"You did nothing wrong, and you won’t be punished," he assured her gently, wanting to ease the fear that had suddenly overtaken her.
Once he had calmed Rebecca enough for her breathing to steady, he took her hand in his and looked at her again. "I’m telling you this because I plan to return to the palace," he explained. "I will settle things there, and once I have done that, I will come back for you so that you can live with me and have a better life than this."
"You’re going to leave me?" Rebecca asked, and her eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Don’t cry, my sweet Rebecca," he said as he brushed the tears from her cheeks with the back of his thumb, a faint smile touching his lips. "I will come back for you. This is only so I can give you a good future. Trust me."
Gullible and young, she believed every word he said. She watched him pack his belongings and sling them over his shoulder before heading for the door. Her mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders, attempting to comfort her as they both stood there watching him leave, neither of them realizing that it would be the last time they would ever see him.
Several days passed, yet Alaric did not return as he had promised. Those days turned into weeks, and the weeks eventually became months. Then Rebecca discovered that she was carrying his child.
"Oh, gods," her mother had cursed upon finding out. "How can he do this? How can he leave you alone while you’re carrying his child?"
"He said he’ll come back for me," Rebecca replied quietly.
"And where exactly is he now?" her mother demanded, planting her hands firmly on her hips.
Rebecca had convinced herself that he must be occupied with matters at the palace and that was why he had not returned yet. Even when she wrote letters and sent them away, hoping they would reach him, no response ever came back.
"It seems he only used us," her mother said bitterly. "He lived in our home, ate our food, accepted our kindness, and then left you carrying his child while refusing to return and take responsibility."
Rebecca never knew what to say whenever her mother spoke like that because part of her still wanted to believe Alaric’s promises.
"I’ll tell everyone that it was the Crown Prince who did this to you," her mother declared one day. "Just imagine how our lives would change if people knew you were carrying the prince’s child. We would live like relatives of the royal family."
That had never been what Rebecca wanted, but her mother refused to listen. Determined to uncover the truth, she insisted on traveling to the palace herself.
She never returned.
At first Rebecca waited for her, believing there must have been some delay. Then whispers began spreading throughout the village. People spoke in hushed voices whenever she passed by, and eventually she overheard what they were saying.
Her mother was dead.
Some said she had been executed. Others claimed her body had been hanged publicly for everyone to see.
Rebecca tried desperately not to believe it. She told herself there had to be some mistake because surely Alaric would never do something so cruel. Yet as the months passed and no word ever came from him, the hope she had clung to slowly withered away.
Eventually she stopped writing letters.
Eventually she stopped waiting.
And eventually she stopped believing that he would ever return for her.
She gave birth to the child alone and raised him alone. Life had not been easy. The villagers whispered whenever she passed by, and many of them remembered the handsome stranger who had lived in her home. They spoke about her pregnancy without marriage as though it were something shameful, and although some of them pretended to hide their judgment, Rebecca always heard it.
At first their words hurt.
Then they became something she simply endured.
Over time, the pain transformed into resentment, and the resentment eventually became hatred toward the man who had made those promises and abandoned her. Looking back now, she could see every lie he had told her and every false hope he had planted in her heart.
Since then, she had wanted nothing to do with the palace, the royal family, or anyone connected to them.
Her life revolved around one thing only.
Her son.
Julian.
She had promised herself long ago that she would protect him and give him the best life she could, even if she had to do it alone.
And so when these noblemen suddenly appeared at her door offering promises of a better future, Rebecca could not help remembering the promises Alaric had once made. If the father of her child had deceived her so easily, then why would she trust a group of wealthy noblemen she had never met before?
"No." Rebecca rose abruptly from her seat. "There is no need to offer us anything. We’re doing fine, and we will continue to be fine. Please take your leave."
Both Minister Griswold and Minister Warren exchanged a brief glance, their expressions showing subtle confusion at her immediate refusal.
"Perhaps you need some time to think this through properly," Griswold suggested, his tone becoming tighter. "This is not an opportunity most people would willingly turn away."
"I don’t need time to think about anything," Rebecca replied, refusing to back down. "I will not allow myself to be fooled again. So while I’m still being respectful, I suggest you leave."
At that moment, the door to one of the rooms opened and a little boy stepped out rubbing his eyes. A yawn escaped him as he looked around sleepily. "Mother... what’s happening?" he asked.
Griswold’s eyes immediately settled on the child.
Black hair.
Pale blue eyes.
For a brief moment it felt as though he was staring directly at Alaric himself.
The resemblance was undeniable.
Julian blinked at the strangers in confusion, still too sleepy to understand why they were there.
"That’s alright," Minister Warren said at last as he rose to his feet. "We shall take our leave for now. However, we will return, and I suggest you do yourself a favor by seriously considering our proposal."
With that, he and Griswold made their way out of the house.
The moment they were gone, Rebecca hurried forward and shut the door firmly behind them before leaning against it and releasing a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
"Mother... are you alright?" Julian asked, looking up at her with wide, worried eyes.
Rebecca immediately forced a smile onto her face and walked over to him. "Of course," she said gently. "Mother is perfectly fine."
She crouched down to his height and leaned forward to press a kiss against his forehead, holding him a little longer than usual as she tried to steady the fear growing inside her heart.
"Why don’t you go back and get some more sleep? You still look tired," Rebecca suggested as she looked at her son.
Julian rubbed at his eyes once more before shaking his head. "Actually, Mother, I want to go outside and play with my friends. I think I’ve slept enough already," he said with a bright smile on his face.
"No."
The answer came so suddenly and sharply that Julian froze in surprise.
Rebecca immediately realized how harsh she had sounded. "I mean..." she began, forcing herself to soften her voice, "you can’t go and play with your friends right now. It’s dangerous outside, so just stay indoors like Mother says, alright?"
Julian stared at her for a moment, clearly confused by her reaction because she rarely stopped him from going out to play.
For a brief second, neither of them spoke.
"Julian," she called gently.
"Yes, Mother," he replied obediently.
Although he looked disappointed, he didn’t argue. Instead, he turned around and quietly headed back toward his room.
Rebecca watched him leave before her gaze shifted toward the window. Through the glass, she could still see the noblemen standing outside, speaking amongst themselves as though they had no intention of leaving anytime soon. Her eyes narrowed immediately and she hurried over to shut the window.
She wanted nothing to do with them.
Neither would her son.
****
Meanwhile, Rowan and Rosalind stood inside their chambers while Cedric remained nearby. Rosalind paced slowly across the room, her thoughts in complete disarray as she tried to make sense of everything she had just heard.
This couldn’t be happening.
How?
When?
The entire thing felt impossible.
Rowan stood silently, staring at the floor while his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. A headache was already beginning to form behind his eyes.
’I’ll never leave you alone’
Alaric’s voice suddenly surfaced in his mind.
His jaw tightened immediately.
Even in death, his brother somehow continued to create chaos.
