Chapter 262: Chapter 262 Weight of Royal Truth
Perry’s POV
The crushing weight of truth settled between us as I delivered the words that had been eating at me for weeks. "She can’t get pregnant." The confession cut through the silence like a blade, leaving Timothy stunned into speechlessness. My gamma hadn’t expected such brutal honesty from me, and I could see the shock rippling across his features.
Timothy’s forehead creased as he struggled to process what he’d just heard. "I think I heard you wrong," he finally managed, his voice shaky. "Could you say that again? Just to be sure I’m not imagining things?"
I didn’t hesitate to repeat myself, knowing the gravity of what I was sharing. "Phoebe can’t get pregnant. The trauma she went through damaged her body, and now she can’t carry a baby to full term."
The reality was more complex than my simple explanation; Phoebe could still conceive, but her body couldn’t handle a pregnancy for the entire duration without putting her health—and her life—at serious risk.
I watched Timothy carefully, knowing this news would spread eventually, and I needed to see how he’d handle it.
Timothy rubbed his face hard, blinking rapidly as if he could somehow erase my words. "You’re not messing with me, are you?" he asked, his voice caught between hope and despair.
I shook my head, keeping my expression stone-cold. "Do you really think I’d joke about Phoebe’s health?"
Timothy saw the severity in my eyes. He knew I wasn’t the type to make light of something like this, but if what I said was true, we were facing a massive problem.
"Good thing you cut ties with the council of elders," Timothy said, his mind already racing through the implications.
Those old bastards would have hounded us relentlessly about producing an heir—it was practically expected in our world.
My choice to eliminate their influence had been smart. With treason charges hanging over their heads, I had every reason to crush their ambitions for good.
The heir issue was just one of many reasons I was determined to restructure the kingdom’s power, aiming for complete control where I could set the laws and rules of the Mya Kingdom.
"What’s your next move?" Timothy asked, stroking his chin, tension crackling in the air.
A hint of relief flickered across my face as I thought about our current position, which had improved significantly since we’d captured the Ashford Pack’s alpha.
"You’re the last royal in your bloodline," Timothy pressed, his voice steady but worried.
I drew a deep breath, feeling the burden of responsibility crushing down on me. "I’m still weighing my options," I said thoughtfully, heading toward the hut with Timothy close behind.
Timothy was scrambling for solutions; the stakes were astronomical, and every path seemed dangerous, threatening harm to either me or Phoebe.
As we walked, Timothy glanced at me, and before he could voice the question brewing in his mind, I cut him off.
"I won’t take another woman just to produce an heir," I stated firmly, staring straight ahead. "Drop that idea right now."
Timothy threw up his hands defensively, startled by my perception. "I didn’t say anything!" he protested, confused that I could read him so easily. Had he accidentally shared his thoughts through our mindlink?
The rest of our walk passed in heavy silence, with Timothy still processing the bombshell news.
"What about Phoebe? Does she know?" Timothy asked, curiosity mixing with concern. He wondered how she’d handle such devastating information, especially since he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about her behavior during their recent reunion.
"She’s shattered," I admitted, pain threading through my voice. Despite her efforts to act normal and cheerful, Phoebe was barely holding it together under the harsh reality of our situation.
I’d noticed subtle shifts in her behavior; she’d become obsessively focused on pleasing me, putting my comfort above everything else. It was like she felt she had to make up for what she thought she couldn’t give me.
But this desperate attempt to make me happy didn’t bring me any joy. Instead, it hurt to watch her try so hard when she didn’t need to. She already owned my heart completely, and that should have been enough.
Still, I held back from addressing this with her, sensing that Phoebe wasn’t ready to face the full weight of our problem. I didn’t want to add to her burden, knowing the conversation would be brutal and emotionally draining.
Yet, beneath our increased physical intimacy, I could feel an emotional gap widening between us. We’d grown more affectionate, but something was wrong, a crack I couldn’t quite define.
"Did she... blame you?" Timothy asked carefully, his voice barely audible.
As king, I carried the heavy duty of producing an heir, and as the final member of my royal line, I understood the consequences if I failed.
I saw the pressure of the situation weighing on him; he looked like he was getting a headache.
"I wish she did," I said, stopping briefly before pushing open the door. I turned to face Timothy, deep sorrow carved into my features. "Instead, she blames herself."
I saw the shock on Timothy’s face as he took in my raw emotion, something he’d never seen before. To him, the usually controlled and unbreakable king now seemed vulnerable, completely different from the ruthless leader he’d known.
Even after my brutal rise to power, when I’d mercilessly eliminated my family and the previous king, I had never shown such depth of feeling. I had accepted my role as the last royal with cold indifference.
But now...
I felt exhausted, as if the weight of my kingdom was too much to carry.
"Everything will work out," Timothy said gently, forcing a smile to cut through the tension. "You’ll figure it out. You always do."
