"So it is true?" A court official asked after a while of silence.

"What is true?" Another asked, the rest facing the one who had spoken first with questioning expressions on their faces.

"That Her Majesty is pregnant!" He said. The rest looked at each other with confused gazes. Disbelief was written all over their faces.

"Pregnant?" Roeslyn, who had been silent all the while, asked. "Who fed you such lies?" She asked an angry tone in her voice. What the hell were these brats talking about? How could Victoria be pregnant when her husband had been bedridden many months ago? If that were so, then everyone would have known a long time ago. The pregnancy would be visible by now. So what nonsense were these Lords spitting?

"Apologies... Your Highness. I didn’t know you were still here but what I said is purely based on what I’ve heard. At first, I thought it was just but a rumor. But now that this has happened..." He said shrugging his shoulders.

Roselyn was pissed by the fact that the Lord hesitated to call her Her Highness but he had every right to. What name would be fit for a disowned princess? Her Highness? My lady? Certainly not! Anyways, she was not going to let them spread bad rumors about Victoria based solely on rumors.

"And where did you learn about this, My Lord? These rumors that I myself have not heard?" She asked.

"Well... It is all over the place, Your Highness. With the knights, the maids, everyone. If you don’t believe me, go ask the chief physician. He’s the one who assessed her condition." The Lord said, scratching his back nervously. Roselyn just gave him a cold stare before she also left the room, headed for the chief physician’s office. She had to get the truth from the horse’s mouth.

"So it was true! I also heard the rumors but assumed it was a lie," another Lord said after Roselyn had left.

"But whose child is this? If my memory serves me right, the late king was bedridden for almost 4 months. How comes Her Majesty is pregnant after such a long time? Come on my fellow Lords. You know what I mean. His Majesty was too weak to even walk, let alone impregnate a woman."

"Could it be that she is carrying a bastard child?"

"Who is the father of that child then? He must face the full force of the law."

********

Victoria wiped her mouth with the back of her hand after throwing up in the garden. Alexander offered her a handkerchief which she gladly took with a meek smile on her face followed by a ’thank you’.

"Are you alright now? Should I call the chief physician?" Alexander asked once she was done.

"No! No need. I am fine now, thank you," she offered a smile at Alexander before she walked out of the place after saying another thank you to Alexander. He just watched his mother’s silhouette with a concerned look on his face. Was she alright?

Well, she had said she was alright so what was he even worrying about? He decided to take a walk around the palace to kill time. The council had not even mentioned when he was to be crowned king. But they had given their consent so he would take the matters in hand from now onwards. Tomorrow would be the day he would be crowned. More delays meant that they would be late in mobilizing their forces to face Crescia. He had given his word to the Lords of the council and he had to commit to it. Crescia would feel his power now!

He halted in this familiar hallway and a memory flashed across his mind. That day when he had caught Isadora and other maids eavesdropping on his and Roselyn’s conversation. Yes, he knew she was not a part of it but he chose to punish her, differently. A smile curved on his face at that.

But his face turned sour when he remembered what Roselyn did to Isadora after that. And here he was, foolishly consenting to a marriage he didn’t even remember how it came to be. Had he gone mad by accepting Roselyn as his wife’s consort? What the hell had gotten into him that day?

Still, what help would Roselyn offer to Valoria now that she was the crown princess consort? A disowned princess would provide no support to Valoria. It was as good as staying single. Alexander didn’t know how but he found himself standing on this familiar door. This was Isadora’s previous room back when she was a maid.

He heard a feminine sound coming from inside. No, they were two sounds, two feminine sounds. They were talking about something related to the queen and Alexander could tell they were maids from the tone and language they were using.

"Today Her Majesty was holding a meeting with the court officials. I just hope that our kingdom will be safe," one of them said. Her voice was as smooth as silk reminding Alexander of Isadora. That first time when she said her name, like a naïve young woman. It brought a warm feeling to his heart.

"Yes. I heard that they’ll be determining the fate of Valoria today. If we go to war, the probability that we’ll win is nearly zero. We will become Crescian slaves forever. Why can’t they just give in to Crescia’s demands?" The other asked and let out a sigh.

"Hey. Have you heard about Her Majesty?" The first woman asked, adopting a softer tone now.

"No. What about her?" The other asked with a curiosity-filled tone.

"Rumor has it that Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, is pregnant. Can you believe it?" She asked in exhilaration.

"Wow! I didn’t know about it. I can only congratulate Her Majesty," the other replied.

"Congratulate her? For what? Carrying a bastard child?" The first woman asked with a sneer.

Alexander, who had been listening to the whole conversation all the while was now confused. But it made sense now. That explained why his mother had acted that way earlier on. And with his new powers, he had sensed another heartbeat when he touched her, a different heartbeat, but he had ignored the feeling. It made sense now!