Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Miscarriage
But then Carlton was taken aback by this revelation, his brow furrowing as he pondered the peculiarity of his own nature shifting so drastically. Even if it’s in the future, it seemed strange that someone who once found certain things like physical contact disgusting and trivial, could become so clingy and needy when it came to Alaric.
"Release me at once," Carlton commanded in an icy tone, despite the warmth of Alaric’s embrace.
Alaric reluctantly loosened his embrace after only a brief moment, clearly unsatisfied with the brevity of their physical connection. "Darling," he began softly, "do you truly not recall our shared history or the children we’ve brought into this world together?"
Carlton felt irked by Alaric’s saccharine voice but endeavored to maintain composure for the sake of their seven young spectators.
"I only recall the day we returned from the two-year war..." Carlton replied tersely.
"Aha... it appears your recollections end before our wedding," Alaric remarked with a gentle smile, tenderly caressing Carlton’s cheek. "We exchanged vows just a few months after our triumphant return."
"Malcolm, our firstborn son, came into the world a year after we wed," Alaric continued with a fond smile. "He’s now ten years old and has been named crown prince."
Malcolm simply smiled serenely at his father’s explanation, clearly content to let events unfold.
"And then there’s Helena," Alaric added warmly. "Our sweet daughter was born not long after Malcolm. She is now nine years of age."
Like her brother, Helena merely flashed a sweet smile in response to her father’s words. The eldest siblings possessed an air of maturity and gentleness that was evident in their demeanors - though Helena tended to be more loquacious and assertive than Malcolm.
"The third in line is Austin," Alaric explained, "who will inherit the dukedom from you when he comes of age. He’s seven years old now."
Austin beamed with pride at his father’s words, clearly relishing the prospect of one day succeeding Carlton as duke.
"Next we have Nikolai, our fourth child and a sweet boy who just turned five," Alaric added fondly.
Nikolai smiled shyly while holding tightly to Carlton’s hand for comfort and reassurance.
"And finally, our three two-year-old triplets - Cristyn, Cristina, and Cristian." The emperor pointed out each child in turn as they clung affectionately to their daddy’s legs.
The trio simply grinned up at their parents adoringly without uttering a word.
As Carlton prepared to question Alaric about the miraculous circumstances of his parenthood, the emperor continued speaking.
Alaric’s voice grew somber as he revealed a tragic truth. "Though we initially bore ten children together, sadly three were lost through miscarriage - cruelly stolen from us by those who sought to harm our innocent offspring."
Alaric grasped Carlton’s hand tightly as sorrow etched lines upon his face. "My love," he began earnestly, "though you often feel remorse for not properly nurturing your pregnancies... but it is I who have failed you..." he confessed mournfully. "I bear the weight of guilt for not providing you with adequate care during your pregnancies. I have failed in my duties as both husband and father, and worse yet, I have proven myself an inadequate emperor unable to shield my family from such atrocities."
Carlton may have harbored little affection for children in general but one principle guided him: that even small and weak beings deserved protection rather than harm at others’ hands. Upon learning that someone had dared to target his unborn heirs, a frigid fury ignited in Carlton’s eyes.
"How dare any wretch lay hands upon the blood of House Hawthorne and the Emperor’s own children?" Carlton growled through gritted teeth.
Alaric sought to soothe his husband’s wrath. "Fear not, my love. The perpetrators have already met their demise at our hands. It is only that you refused to countenance executing the primary mastermind behind this heinous scheme; instead, you imprisoned her within these very walls."
"And every day since, by your command alone, she has been subjected to ceaseless torture at the hands of our prison guards." Alaric continued gravely, "Her once-sterling reputation as a noblewoman and her family’s good name have both been utterly ruined in retribution for her treachery..."
"...for not only did she mastermind one miscarriage suffered by you, my love - but all of them. The very blood of your unborn children stains her hands."
This revelation only stoked Carlton’s anger anew as visions of some vile woman suffering filled his mind - yet also sparked a perverse curiosity. Who was this woman who had dared to cross him so grievously?
Alaric’s hand gently cupped Carlton’s cheek, his emerald eyes filled with remorse as he gazed upon the anguished face of his beloved husband. "Perhaps it was hubris that led her to believe she could commit such a vile act without consequence," Alaric mused darkly. "After all, her reputation among the nobility was indeed impeccable - a paragon of virtue and grace."
"Yet when she glimpsed your already swelling belly at Malcolm’s coronation ceremony," Alaric continued grimly, "her façade crumbled like cheap plaster - revealing the serpent lurking beneath. And so during the celebratory feast that followed..."
"...she staged an ’accident’, pretending to stumble in order to send you sprawling violently across the floor."
Carlton’s brow furrowed in confusion as he pondered this revelation. What noblewoman possessed such immense strength and stature that she could fell a man of his own considerable size with such ease? He had never before encountered a woman capable of such an act.
Suddenly, Carlton recalled Lady Charlotte - the Marquis’ daughter who was known for her gentleness, kindness, and sharp intellect. Among all the noblewomen at court, it was Lady Charlotte whom Carlton respected most; her warmth and wisdom set her apart from those arrogant shrews who delighted in cruelty...
Carlton muttered wistfully, "If only all noble ladies could be as delightful as Lady Charlotte..."
Meanwhile, Alaric spoke up simultaneously with a shocking revelation: "...And the culprit who perpetrated this heinous act was none other than...Lady Charlotte."
An awkward silence descended upon them both. Carlton’s stoic facade cracked slightly as he blinked in disbelief at this revelation that seemed to defy all reason and logic.
"Pardon? I beg your pardon?" he stammered incredulously.
This strange new life that Carlton found himself inhabiting had already proven to be absurd beyond belief - but even he hadn’t anticipated just how utterly bonkers things would get. How on earth could a petite woman standing barely 153 cm tall manage to topple him like a felled oak with his nearly 190 cm frame and muscular physique?
Was little Charlotte secretly some sort of buffalo in disguise?
