bChapter /bb217 /b

    ra’s POV

    I felt ba /brush of cold panic sweep over me. My mind went nk, the room around me distorting. This was real.

    b(/bb+20/bb) /b

    I had known it wasing, but knowing and facing it were two entirely different things. There was a life inside me–r

    -my life, and yet, I couldn’t protect it.

    How could this happen?

    I hadn’t prepared for this moment.

    I could already imagine how Dorian would react. He would explode. He loathed Thorne with a passion; this child would be just as much of a curse in his

    eyes.

    I stared at my trembling hand resting against my stomach. No one could know about this. Not now. Not yet.

    The moment I started showing, it would be toote. I had to move. I needed to get away before the world found out.

    A sharp knock at the door snapped me from my spiraling thoughts.

    “Everything okay in there?” Dario’s voice carried through the wood.

    I swallowed hard, fighting the lump in my throat.

    “…Yeah.” My voice sounded strange to my own ears.

    “The dinner’s ready,” he added, his tone casual.

    “Okay, just a sec,” I managed, looking down at the pregnancy test in

    my

    hand.

    What the hell do I do with this?

    I couldn’t just toss it in the trash. Dario was already suspicious. He’d followed me to the pharmacy. He was watching me now. If he went through the

    trash…

    I slid the test stick into my pocket, silently praying I would find a way to get rid of it soon.

    now here.

    As I stepped out of the bathroom, my mind raced. There was no real chance to dispose of the test in the following days–Dario was always there. He

    didn’t leave me alone for a second.

    It was suffocating. He even slept in the armchair beside my bed at night, like a constant shadow. His eyes–cold and unreadable–made my skin crawl.

    Sometimes, I almost wished I could disappear.

    But there was something else gnawing at me. Something unsettling.

    Who was Dario really doing this for?

    Dorian just told him to protect me, not to stalk my every move. And he didn’t exactly get along with Elder Briar. So why was he watching me this way? Who was pulling his strings?

    That thought stuck with me, even as I tried to distract myself with what was happening around me.

    Dorian was busy making preparations for the ceremony. I overheard him on the phone with a party nner, fine–tuning the details. The Mating Ceremony was in a week. After that, he’d force me to acknowledge the bond.

    I had no more time left.

    But, just as my heart sank, a familiar voice cut through my thoughts.

    “ra!” Belle came rushing down the hallway, arms wide open, ready to throw herself at me.

    I stood up instinctively, but then, I remembered. I’m pregnant.

    Quickly, I shifted, one hand protecting my belly. I weed Belle with the other, giving her a tight hug.

    “How are you?” I asked softly, trying to keep my voice steady.

    “I’m good!” Belle grinned. “Exhausted, though. Tutors are driving us crazy.”

    Wells appeared behind her, rolling his eyes. “I swear, they’re drowning us in homework,” he said with a dramatic sigh.

    Iughed, relieved by their banter, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dario’s eyes fixed on me. On my hand. The one I had ced on my belly.

    A chill ran down my spine, and without thinking, I jerked my hand back into my pocket. Too close.

    “Do you want to take a walk around thewn?” I asked, trying to distract them.

    “Yes!” Both twins beamed.

    We stepped outside, and the fresh air hit me, the sun warming my skin. Thewn stretched out, the mountains rising majestically in the distance.

    But as I gazed at the peaks, my heart felt heavy. I couldn’t shake the question in my mind. Where was Thorne? Was he safe? Was he thinking about the baby?

    “ra, what are you looking at?” Wells asked, his voice pulling me from my thoughts.

    “The mountains,” I said with a forced smile. “I was just wondering… on a day like this, do you think the mist in the forest still blocks the path out?”

    Belle answered without hesitation. “Of course! The mist has nothing to do with the weather. It’s magical, protecting the kingdom 24/7.”

    She paused for a second before giggling. “Kind of like Dario!”

    Wells rolled his eyes. “I don’t get why Dorian sent him. He’s creepy–like a sociopath.”

    Belle shot her brother an amused look. “You’re just jealous because Dorian likes him more. Dario’s like the little brother Dorian never had.”

    “Then what am I?” Wells barked, affronted.

    Belle smirked. “A rtive, maybe?”

    Wells flushed red. “I’m not jealous! That guy’s seriously off.”

    I smiled faintly, trying to ease the tension. “Dario seems… nice. Though I’d admit it’d be nice if he gave me some space.”

    “Of course!” Wells turned to Dario, who was walking behind us, just a few meters away. “Hey, Dario! Can you go do something else? Leave us alone for a bit!”

    “Ouch!” Belle pinched him, hard.

    Dario didn’t react. But Belle sweetly added, “Dario, can you bring us some lemonade?”

    He nodded silently and walked back toward the castle.

    I watched him go, and as soon as his figure disappeared from view, I let out a quiet breath of relief. Finally.

    This was my chance.

    b3/2 /b

    b07:38 /bMon, b1 /bbSept /bIT T

    I nced around—no one was nearby. There were no trash bins, but I saw a few gardeners by the rose bushes. They were gathering fallen leaves and twigs into a sack. Perfect.

    1 approached them with a smile. “The roses look beautiful,” Iplimented, trying to

    em casual. “You’re doing a great job.”

    The gardeners beamed, ttered. “Thank you, mydy. If you’d like, we could make a bouquet for you.”

    “Oh, that would be lovely!” Belle piped up, grinning.

    As the gardeners turned to select a few blooms, I let my arm fall loosely to my side. In a swift movement, I let the pregnancy test fall from my pocket, discreetly dropping it into the sack of twigs.

    No one noticed a thing.

    “ra, you should take a bouquet back to your room,” Belle said, clearly delighted with the idea.

    “Yeah, great idea,” I said, my heart lightening a little.

    I had done it. It was over.

    And yet, as we moved to thewn, the pressure that had been weighing on me for days felt a little lighter. The test was gone, and I was free to breathe for the first time in days.

    Half an hourter, Dario returned with the lemonade. He walked across thewn toward us, and as he passed the gardeners, bI /bheard their voices behind

    him.

    “That’s the King’s fiancée, right?”

    “She’s lovely. Came over,plimented us on the roses. She’ll be a great match for the King.”

    Dario halted in his tracks, his face tightening. “You ispoke /iwith Lady ra?”

    One gardener stammered, “Y–Yes, General Dario. Lady ra and the prince and princess came over before. She just said they liked the roses.”

    Dario’s gaze shifted to the sack they were carrying. He watched it for a long moment before he spoke. “Leave the sack. You can go now.”

    “But, General, it’s just dirt and leaves-”

    “Leave it.”

    The gardeners exchanged confused nces but dropped the sack, walking away.

    Dario set the lemonade down and stared at the sack. Slowly, he turned it upside down, emptying its contents onto the ground.

    And there, among the dirt and leaves, was the pregnancy test.

    He picked it up, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes locked onto the word “Positive.”

    And

    AD

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