Beatrice smiled and nodded her head at the princess in front of her. Something about her name rang familiar in her mind, but her combination of drinks wasn't helping to think properly. "Princess Lauren. Thank you for coming, I'm sure Tobias appreciates it."
Lauren laughed slightly. "I'm not so sure about that, but I appreciate your hospitality. Does Tobias talk about me?"
She furrowed her brows. "No. Or maybe he has. I'm terribly sorry, we just came back from our honeymoon and the past week I haven't been feeling all that great."
"You look a little pale, and nauseous. I hope what I have to say next doesn't make you even more...upset."
Beatrice tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry, I'm confused."
Lauren nodded. "I think it's best we continue this conversation elsewhere, somewhere more private."
The both of them left the ballroom and walked into an empty room. Beatrice closed the door behind them and faced the other princess in the room. "You might want to sit down for this," Lauren advised as they went to be seated on the couches.
Tobias, still in the ballroom, was finishing up the conversation with his mother and uncle. He shook hands and looked around for Beatrice, who was nowhere to be seen. He took a couple of steps to go and look for her but he was continuously interrupted by people applauding him. He tried to rush out of conversations but the crowds increased and he was eventually trapped.
In the midst of all the commotion and music and voices, Tobias found his mother strolling his way. He quickly excused himself and met her halfway. He took her hands and said in an exasperated tone, "Where's Beatrice?"
Evelyn furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry, darling, I haven't seen her all night. I'm sure she's fine, though. Come, I want you to meet kings from other nearby kingdoms who have come to see you crowned. Be polite and introduce yourself."
"I have to find my wife." He said more aggressively than he intended.
Evelyn opened her mouth and sighed. "Marcus is locked away. He's not here anymore."
Tobias looked away, his eyes burning with tears. He blinked them away and took a deep breath, returning to look at his mother. Not only could he not show in a room full of royals and guests that his emotions were running high, but his mind couldn't stop wandering to the fact that Beatrice could have been taken.
Kidnapped.
"Marcus is locked away," Evelyn repeated.
He opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. He took another deep breath and straightened himself. "Please, go get a guard to find her location. If she's not found in ten minutes, I'm canceling the party and I'm leaving to find my wife."
"You need to stop this paranoia. Marcus is gone, and Beatrice is safe." Evelyn said.
"You don't understand!" Tobias said angrily, looking in his mother's eyes. "I haven't slept in months. I lie awake since our wedding night because not only am I more tied to her by marriage, but since I got her back I can't handle losing her again. You know I was broken during that time...Beatrice and I were talking about children during our honeymoon. She was happy and excited at the idea of them, but I...I can't. I can't have children."
"Tobias, yes you can-"
"-I can't. She wanted to start trying, and I convinced her I did too. But I don't. I don't want children...not while Marcus is still alive. I used protection...my wife thinks she's going to be pregnant soon, but she won't. There will not be any heirs soon, not while Marcus is still alive."
"You can't let him ruin your life, Tobias. Forget about this, I'll...I'll have a guard look for her. Forget and go greet your guests, and start acting like a king."
Tobias pursed his lips and watched Evelyn walk away. He blinked away the tears and walked towards his uncle, who was talking to other kings. They brought him into the conversation and, soon enough, were laughing and talking. Servants brought drinks and some of the kings in the circle were getting tipsy. Tobias took the opportunity and joined as well, not counting how many drinks he was swallowing.
One of the kings, King Max, looked at Tobias attentively. He was the only one careful with his drinks, and now that they were in Tobias' kingdom, he was enjoying how the King was practically getting drunk on his coronation night.
"So, King Tobias," King Max smiled. "You seem awfully young to be king. How old are you?"
Julian, Tobias' uncle, interrupted with a drunken laugh. "Max, age is just a number." Julian extended his hand and placed it on his nephew's shoulder. "My nephew will be an incredible King!" he stepped out and raised his drink. "To Tobias!"
The guests stopped their conversations and turned to the circle of Kings. Those who had drinks rose their glasses and cheered, "To Tobias!" together.
Tobias, instead of smiling, downed another drink.
"Easy on the drinks, King Tobias," Max sneered.
Julian rolled his eyes and groaned. "Max, let the kid be. It's his coronation day! Let him have fun before the responsibilities settle in."
Max squinted his eyes. "Kid? I wouldn't want a kid ruling a kingdom I've been doing business with for years. Do you, men?"
The other kings, too drunk to understand, laughed and bobbed their heads. Tobias chuckled sarcastically as he set his drink down on the table and approached Max. "Stop with your pointless remarks or I'll have you escorted out of my ballroom."
King Max gulped and backed away. Julian laughed as Evelyn walked over. She scrunched her nose at the smell of alcohol reached her nose. "Tobias, we found Beatrice if you'd like."
Tobias seemed as though he had suddenly became sober as he followed his mother to a guard standing at the door. "Where's my wife?"
"The Queen Consort left with Princess Lauren into another room," the guard told him. "Would you like me to request her majesty's presence?"
Tobias' breath hitched and he suddenly was at loss of words. He quickly shook his head and walked away from his mother without another word. He walked down the hallway, his hands shaking, and approached the room where his wife and his guilty secret were
alone.
As he placed a hand on the knob and prepared to turn it, the door flung open and there stood Lauren. Her lips formed a large grin, almost evil-like.
"Tobias," She smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. He stayed there, frozen. "I just had the most pleasant conversation with your wife," she covered her mouth and faltered, smiling connivingly. "Oh, my apologies. I meant, with the Queen Consort. What a lovely title she has," she moved past him and chuckled, looking over her shoulder. "No wonder you were so torn about her the last time I saw you - she really is a sweetheart."
He clenched his fists and almost grabbed her, but restrained his hands to his side. "What did you tell her? What did you do, Lauren?"
"It's not my fault, I thought she already knew. I didn't know I had to be the one to tell her."
"You didn't."
Lauren shrugged and looked back. "Goodbye, your majesty."
Beatrice stood from the couch and walked over. She avoided Tobias' gaze and looked at Lauren. "Goodbye, Princess Lauren."
Lauren smiled. "Good luck to both of you." She left the room, giving one last glance in Tobias' direction.
Tobias quickly closed the doors and thought what he could say to Beatrice to make her understand his side of the story. He was certain Lauren had told Beatrice about what happened on her funeral night. He was certain, and Beatrice's body language confirmed it all.
"Beatrice, I was looking all over for you," he finally said.
She crossed her arms and scrunched her nose when she smelled the scotch from his breath. "It doesn't smell like you have. Besides, I was here with Lauren the whole time," she sighed and hugged herself further. "I think I need some time by myself."
"Beatrice," he repeated her name, his voice slightly cracking. "You have to hear my side of the story." Her mouth opened to answer but he interrupted. "It was a moment of weakness, it didn't mean anything to me. What she said was the truth, but I need to explain myself."
Beatrice looked at her husband incredulously. "You don't know what you're saying. There's nothing to explain."
"I can, Beatrice. Let me tell you my side of the story."
"You're drunk, you need to stop."
"No, please, listen to me. It was your funeral night, I was upset and my mind wasn't thinking of straight. I didn't know what I was doing until it was too late. Lauren found me crying, she comforted me, and we kissed. I take responsibility for that. I took her to my bedroom and we kissed, but that's all."
Beatrice's mind was spiraling out of control. She gripped on the table nearest to her for support, and her hand flew to her stomach. Tears started to spill out of her eyes. She blinked hard but they wouldn't stop. Tobias watched in guilt as he tried to approach her but she pushed him away. Hard.
Her name finally rang clear in her mind - the princess he'd been betrothed to. How could she have ever forgotten?
Had she truly been swept away in their supposed fairytale life?
"Lauren noticed how sick I looked in the ballroom, and she pulled me aside to tell me I might...that I might..." she choked on her words and covered her mouth with her hand, preventing a huge sob from coming out. She looks at the fingers on her right hand and pulls the wedding ring off, staring at it. Without another word, she threw it violently at Tobias, hitting him right in the cheek.
The ring rolled on the floor. Tobias rose his hands and touched his cheek. When he looked down on his fingers, he saw blood. "She didn't tell you?"
"You were the one that was supposed to tell me!" Beatrice said in a voice that rattled him. "Your guilty secret had to come so you could fess up about cheating?"
"I thought you were dead!"
"It was my funeral night!" She said, her voice cracked. "You jumped to the next girl you could find? Was that all I was to you? The next girl? When Nita, your old servant, left - whom you and her had a relationship together - you jumped to me. You can't say the truth on your own, you need to be afraid it was already told to say anything!"
"You are so much more than any of them. You know that," he fell to his knees in front of her. "I'm sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it! You lied to me. You married me, you took me, and you lied. I understand you thought I was dead, but I asked you if anything happened between you and Lauren, and you said no." She straightened herself and walked to the doors. "Stay the hell away from me."
Beatrice left the room and ran down the hallway. She ran up the stairs and knocked on Christina's door. She and Will had been moved into one of the guest bedrooms. Christina opened the door and gasped at her best friend, who had one hand on her stomach and the other covering her mouth. She was crying, hard.
Christina didn't say anything as she led her in and let her sit on the bed. Beatrice finally calmed down and took a deep shaky breath. "I need to see a doctor."
Somehow, Christina knew why. "I'll tell Will to call him."
They waited fifteen minutes before Will came back with the doctor at his side. The doctor stepped inside and walked to Beatrice. Silently, he performed an exam and stood several minutes later.
"Congratulations your highness, you're pregnant."
Those words brought no joy to Beatrice in that moment. Instead, she let out the sob she was keeping in all night.