Leah had a dream.
Someone was chasing her. She ran as fast as she could, but she came to a huge iron door, wrapped in chains and locked with a lock that had no key.
Desperately, she pounded on it. She tried to open it, but the solid iron wouldn't budge. Her hands were red and swollen as she frantically yanked at the chain. Then, from the other side of the door, she heard a voice.
—You don't have the key.
Leah gasped. That voice sounded like her own.
—You have to find the key, Leah.
The other Leah commanded. She froze for a moment.
"Where is it?" Leah asked, shocked.
—Hurry! There's no time. Hurry, before Cerdina finds out!
"What do you mean? What is it that she can't find out?"
But there was no answer. No matter how many times she asked, the other Leah continued,
—If she finds out...
The voice spoke an ominous warning.
—She will kill him.
With a cry, Leah opened her eyes.
"...Ah!"
She woke from the nightmare, but it was not a relief. Her stomach ached, and she clutched it in her hands.
"Ahh, ah..."
Curling up into a ball, she drew deep breaths, exhaling slowly. When the stabbing pain finally subsided, her whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
Looking around dizzily, she realized she was in a familiar place. Her bedroom in her palace, with the dim morning light filtering through the windows. Lying in bed, she shivered for a moment, and then placed her hands resolutely on her belly again. Her face was rigid.
"......"
Inside her, something twisted. It was a faint movement, but it was real. Then it disappeared as if it had never happened.
What was that?
A shiver ran through her. For a while, she was paralyzed, but she gathered herself and rose from the bed. Too much was happening too fast.
At first, she thought of calling a doctor, but something in her mind immediately protested. She shouldn't do that. And she couldn't help thinking of another man, the first man who sprang to her mind when she wondered who she could talk to about what was happening to her body.
The events of the previous night whirled through her mind. Baroness Cinael. That bill of sale for a small farm. Many moments that had not been at all unpleasant. The places where that man had bit and sucked were still hot, tingling with sensations she couldn't erase. All of it reminded her of last night.
She lifted her hands to her cheeks. She had done something unimaginable, but strangely, she didn't feel guilt or regret. Looking down at her left hand, she saw the engagement ring was back on her finger, and closed her eyes at the urge to rip it off and fling it away.
She should be thinking of her wedding. But she couldn't control her fluttering heart.
What was it about him? Why did she feel such a strong attraction to him? It worried her, but remembering how sweet it had been to sleep in his arms made her stumble. Catching herself on a table, she poured herself a glass of water and sipped it, trying to untangle the conflicts in her mind one at a time.
First, she had to find out what was happening to her body. It would be best to find Ishakan first, and ask him to get a doctor they could trust. She also had questions about some of the things that had happened the other day.
She was sure that something was terribly wrong, but she didn't have enough information to come to any conclusion.
Leah bit her lip. She had been trying to calm the chaos in her mind, but suddenly the room felt stifling. She couldn't stand it, she wanted to run, so badly that she grabbed the doorknob to fly out into the garden.
"......!"
It didn't open.
Desperately, she yanked at the door, panicking.
"Princess!"
Countess Melissa's voice came from the other side of the door, and Leah had never been so glad to hear it.
"Countess! Please open the door!"
But the answer was disturbing.
"I'm sorry. I can't."
"...What?"
"His Majesty has ordered that you shall remain locked in your room, starting today," the Countess said seriously. "You will not be allowed to leave."
Lady Mirael hummed happily as she lifted the new gown she would wear. Standing before a mirror, currently only an expensive necklace and earrings adorned her naked body. She was proud of her voluptuous figure and struck several poses in the mirror, thinking of Cerdina. Though she had made some mistakes in her efforts to do her best, Cerdina had always affectionately comforted her.
"After all, the Queen Mother is on my side."
It was Cerdina that had called Mirael to the palace. She had even met with her personally and ordered Mirael to give herself to His Majesty with all her heart. And her efforts had been rewarded. Only Lady Mirael had kept her place at Blain's side, though he replaced his other consorts almost every day.
But as a result, she had become greedy.
Looking in the mirror, Lady Mirael admired her own s3xual charms, especially compared to the skinny body of Princess Leah. That woman looked as if she would blow over with the breeze. There was no way that body could handle pregnancy and childbirth. Morning sickness alone would make her collapse.
Mirael wanted to take the place of the Queen. But if she couldn't, if she could only have the Crown Prince in her belly...her life would change completely.
But as she remembered how the princess had insulted her, Mirael frowned. Princess Leah hadn't liked her from the first moment they met. She was always so rude when she watched Blain having s3x with Mirael, as if it were something disgusting. But Blain was always considerate of the princess, so Mirael had done nothing to correct that behavior.
She knew how to handle those bitches. After they had been properly chastised, they were tame and obedient.
Smiling, Lady Mirael slipped into her dress. Behind her, a man stealthily approached and grabbed her bottom, smiling mischievously at her surprise. At first, she was sulky, but smiled as soon as he did.
He was a knight that worked in the princess's palace. Initially Lady Mirael had established the relationship just because she believed it was necessary, but she was actually taking advantage of the benefits.
"What are you going to do tonight?" she asked him, smiling.
"Oh, I want to spend time with you..." He shook his head regretfully. "But not tonight. We're all on standby while the princess is confined.
"Confined?" She asked in surprise.
"Yes, she is being taken to a villa outside the palace. They'll probably bring her back before the wedding. I'll be going there today."
The knight eyed her cautiously as he spoke. He seemed to be concerned that this might upset her, but her mind was on other things.
"In the villa, security will be weaker than in the palace, right?" she asked, after some thought.
"I suppose."
"Hmm...I see." Lady Mirael smiled meaningfully.
***
Leah knew Blain was mentally unstable. But she never thought he would do anything like this.
A little while after she had been imprisoned, Blain came to her palace.
She thought she could have a sensible conversation with him. She hoped that there would be some explanation that would resolve the strange situation. But those small hopes were cruelly crushed.
"Follow me."
As soon as he arrived, Blain grabbed her wrist, making her stagger as he dragged her toward the door.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty...!" She cried repeatedly, but Blain ignored her. Her eyes widened as he dragged her out of the palace. A carriage was waiting outside.
"I have bought a villa, so you will stay in that place until the wedding," he said as he hauled her toward the carriage. "I bought it in a hurry and no remodeling has been done, so it may have some shortcomings..."
"Your Majesty!" Finally, she was able to break loose and push him away. Her body stiffened as soon as their eyes made contact. His blue gaze was filled with madness.
"You love me, Leah." He pressed her shoulders in his hands. "You have to do what I tell you."
He was gasping. Leah looked up at him.
"Doesn't His Majesty love me too?" She asked.
"......"
"Why do you always make me do things I don't like? I don't understand..."
Suddenly, a smile appeared on his expressionless face. It made Leah very uncomfortable.
"Leah."