Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Baby
The oppressive silence hung heavy in the air, causing Alaric and Kastiel to feel as though their very souls had departed their bodies, drifting aimlessly through the cosmos. Charlotte, her intellect typically sharp but momentarily lagging behind due to the shocking nature of Carlton’s accusations, took a moment to process his words before her eyes widened in horrified comprehension. She clapped a hand over her mouth as she gaped at Carlton.
Meanwhile, Empress June found herself mentally adrift, her thoughts whirling like a maelstrom as she grappled with Carlton’s astonishing claims - it was as if she were confronted with an array of complex mathematical equations demanding solution, but even more confounding than any formula devised by mortal minds.
After a beat, during which she managed to compose herself with an almost imperceptible smile and voice quavering slightly with barely restrained emotion, the Empress addressed Carlton:
"My dear Carlton," she began delicately. "What on earth are you implying? Men do not possess wombs from which babies can be miscarried. And furthermore," here Empress June’s tone grew firmer still as she leveled an accusing glare at Carlton, "how dare you slander Lady Charlotte’s good name in such a manner! Your baseless accusations risk tarnishing the reputation of all decent women!"
Carlton leapt to his feet, slamming his palms down upon the table with such force that crockery rattled precariously. His voice rang out like a clap of thunder:
"Mother! You cannot be so easily deceived by that vile woman’s angelic visage! She laced my meals with abortifacients until I suffered miscarriage after miscarriage! And when I carried your grandchild for the six time, she deliberately collided with me until I was thrown to the ground and lost our babie once more!"
The tension in the air was so thick one could have cut it with a knife. Alaric, despite his best efforts to maintain an air of calm, found himself increasingly unnerved by the unfolding drama. Seeking to diffuse the situation, he quickly addressed his mother:
"Mother, do not heed Carlton’s words," he began urgently. "He is merely-"
"Do not patronize me with your feeble excuses, my love! I have already made clear that there is nothing wrong with my mind - yet you persist in doubting me!"
Carlton interjected fiercely, cutting off Alaric mid-sentence and startling him with the intensity of his outburst. Typically, Carlton reserved such vehemence for those around Alaric; it was rare indeed for him to direct such fervor towards the crown prince himself.
Meanwhile, Charlotte had scarcely paid any attention to Carlton’s accusations - her focus entirely consumed by the revelation of ’six pregnancies’. She gaped in astonishment at the sheer volume of gestations unfolding within Carlton’s imagination. One thing was certain: Charlotte found herself positively electrified by this turn of events!
Charlotte had long harbored suspicions about Alaric and Carlton’s relationship, observing the closeness between them since childhood. Both handsome and unattached, unlike many of their noble peers who casually dallied with women, Alaric and Carlton had always seemed to share a unique bond. Charlotte could never quite put her finger on it - until now.
The current scandalous situation sent Charlotte’s imagination into overdrive. If she were transported to the modern world, she would undoubtedly find herself among the most fervent fans of Alaric and Carlton fanfiction!
Charlotte sat serenely, a picture of composure amidst the chaos - yet her mind raced with scandalous scenarios involving Alaric and Carlton, along with a plethora of pregnancies. In truth, Charlotte harbored a secret preference: she envisioned Alaric in the maternal role rather than Carlton.
While Carlton possessed an undeniably masculine aura, Alaric’s ethereal beauty making him seem more suited to such a role. However, when Charlotte contemplated the inverse dynamic, she found herself also inexplicably drawn to the notion of Alaric impregnating Carlton! It seemed to fit somehow! The more she dwelled on it, the more convinced she became that this was indeed the ideal arrangement.
Lost in her salacious daydreams, Charlotte maintained an outward calm even as explicit fantasies consumed her thoughts. Beside her, Empress June appeared on the verge of cardiac arrest. The revelation that had haunted her suspicions was now confirmed by Carlton’s impassioned outburst - and it filled Empress June with despair.
How can this be? My son... in love with another man? And what madness is this about pregnancy? Carlton is male!
The Empress turned to Alaric with desperation etched upon her face. "Alaric, please tell me the truth. Do you and Carlton truly have a relationship? And what is the meaning of his bizarre claims about pregnancy and miscarriage?"
Alaric felt utterly flummoxed by this absurd turn of events. How could he possibly impregnate Carlton when they had never even engaged in sexual congress? And the most pressing issue was that Carlton was undoubtedly male. The only logical explanation was that Carlton must be delusional - but how to explain that to his mother without causing further distress?
Carlton, undeterred by Alaric’s attempts to salvage the situation, seized the initiative once more. With a swift motion, he lifted his garments to expose the scars adorning his abdomen.
"If you doubt my words, then behold these marks upon my flesh!" Carlton declared with fervor. "They bear witness to the trials I endured in birthing our beloved children! Mother, I beseech you - do not betroth my darling Alaric to that woman!"
Empress June felt her consciousness wavering as various shocks assailed her senses. She struggled valiantly against impending faintness and fixed Carlton with an expressionless stare.
"Carlton," she began firmly, "Cease this charade at once. If you truly have a relationship with Crown Prince Alaric and object to his arranged marriage with Lady Charlotte, there are far better ways to express your grievance than slandering an innocent woman or fabricating such outrageous tales of pregnancy and miscarriage! You must remember - you are a man! It is physiologically impossible for you to become pregnant!"
Alaric clutched his head in despair as another headache consumed him. His mother was now fully convinced that he and Carlton were lovers! Yet every word from Carlton’s mouth, though clearly delusional, carried an uncanny persuasiveness that drew others into his web of deceit.
Carlton, for his part, refused to accept this turn of events. Initially content to remain silent, he could no longer abide the thought of Alaric marrying another - especially Charlotte! The very notion filled him with jealous rage and burning resentment that threatened to consume all reason.
Carlton, his voice heavy with solemnity, proclaimed to the astonished Empress June: "Mother, I assure you - I am capable of bearing children! I have already given birth to seven of Alaric’s offspring!"
He gestured dramatically towards Kastiel, drawing him into the fray. "And it is not just me - Kastiel too can conceive and carry young! He has borne three children for Rowan as well!"
Kastiel, who had thus far remained silent but was now gripped by a rising panic, widened his eyes in alarm at being dragged into Carlton’s absurd theatrics. He immediately began shaking his head and waving his hands in emphatic denial.
"No! No!" Kastiel stammered desperately. "I never gave birth! Rowan and I... we never did anything like that!"
Carlton pounced on this statement with alacrity. "But you two kissed yesterday..."
"We kissed," Kastiel retorted quickly, "but we didn’t do anything else!" In his haste to refute Carlton’s claims, however, he unwittingly confirmed the existence of a relationship with Rowan.
Alaric, who had already been harboring suspicions about Kastiel’s peculiar behavior, was now struck by the revelation. "Kastiel... you and Rowan..." he murmured in shock.
Empress June’s eyes shrank to mere pinpricks as she trembled, scarcely able to believe that so many of those closest to her - including the Crown Prince himself, the Duke, and their most trusted confidants - were all involved in same-sex relationships. The sheer enormity of this revelation threatened to overwhelm her senses.
Meanwhile, Charlotte still maintained a stoic facade even as her heart leapt with glee at this newfound source of entertainment. Kastiel and Rowan as a coupling? With such a delicious rival-to-lover dynamic? It was positively scintillating!
Kastiel, his eyes welling with tears of distress, waved his hands frantically at Alaric. "Your Highness, please don’t misunderstand! It’s not what you’re thinking!" he pleaded desperately.
Alaric longed to believe Kastiel’s assurances, but the events unfolding around him seemed to confirm Carlton’s outrageous claims at every turn. This left him feeling unsettled and anxious about the future.
Empress June finally intervened, her voice ringing out with authority amidst the chaos. "Enough, Carlton! You’ve crossed a line this time," she declared sternly, her tone heavy with disappointment. "Not only are you spreading lies and slander, but you’re also dragging innocent people into your web of deceit!"
The Empress massaged her temples wearily as she contemplated the gravity of the situation. "I have made my decision regarding Alaric and Charlotte’s marriage," she proclaimed firmly. "And I will not tolerate any further interference from you in this matter. If it is true that you and Alaric are involved romantically, then I demand that you end this relationship at once! Otherwise..."
Carlton, enraged by empress June’s ultimatum, leapt to his feet with such force that he nearly overturned the table. "Mother!!! You cannot do this!"
Suddenly, Carlton’s tirade was interrupted as he staggered and collapsed unconscious to the ground, leaving everyone present stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
Alaric quickly instructed Kastiel to summon the guards posthaste. "Quickly send for Lucas!" he commanded urgently.
Kastiel nodded vigorously and sprinted off to alert the guards and have them fetch the royal physician without delay.
Lucas arrived on the scene swiftly, immediately setting to work examining the unconscious Carlton. However, after a thorough inspection, he found no apparent cause for Carlton’s collapse. As Lucas continued his examination, Carlton slowly regained consciousness.
In a hushed whisper, Carlton shared something with Lucas. The royal physician’s eyes widened in disbelief at what he heard; he opened his mouth to respond but then recalled the event from the yesterday’s morning, causing him to clamp his jaws shut once more. Instead, he did precisely as Carlton had instructed him.
But then, Lucas stood there stunned for a moment before launching into another frenzied round of examinations on Carlton. His voice quavered as much as his body shook while delivering the astounding revelation: "Duke...Carlton...he is...pregnant..."
"......"
An eerie hush fell over the garden as this bombshell hung heavy in the air - until it was shattered by a cacophony of incredulous screams:
"WHAAAATTT???!!! That can’t be possible!!!"
Empress June looked like she wanted to shake Lucas bodily, if only she hadn’t been constrained by her regal bearing. "Lucas, don’t jest...Carlton is a man! How could this be?"
"I...I don’t comprehend it myself," Lucas stammered out. "But after examining Duke Carlton thoroughly, I am certain he is with child. We could summon another royal physician for a second opinion if you wish."
"No need," Carlton interjected calmly before fixing Empress June with a smug grin. "I know my own body well enough to confirm it’s a pregnancy."
The Empress gaped at him in utter disbelief and dismay as Carlton delivered the final blow: "I told you so, Mother. I wasn’t lying after all."
"If...if you’re truly pregnant..." Empress June sputtered, her mind reeling from this impossible revelation. "That child...that baby..."
Alaric who had rushed to Carlton’s side out of concern for his best friend, found himself rooted to the spot with a dawning sense of horror. His eyes widened as he met Carlton’s penetrating gaze.
Carlton, still woozy from his collapse but with a wicked gleam in his eye, leaned heavily against Alaric and wrapped an arm around the prince’s waist. "Oh darling," he purred, nuzzling into Alaric’s belly. "We’re going to have another little one...you really are too wild when it comes to ravishing me~♡"
The weight of Carlton’s words hit Empress June like a sledgehammer; she slumped back in her chair and promptly fainted dead away. Alaric felt his own knees weakening at this latest bombshell revelation; if not for Carlton clinging to him so tightly, he might well have succumbed to the overwhelming urge to faint himself.
Little did he know that even more shocking events were yet to come later that very night - incident that would shatter his worldview utterly and irrevocably alter the course of his life...and perhaps even his heart..
