Royally Bounded

Chapter 44

Clara

Maisie kept sobbing as she sharpened her eyes at me. Her face was drained to white, and I bit the inside of my cheek. The tension in the atmosphere was terrifying to me. I didn't know what was happening, but it wasn't what I needed at the moment.

"What's going on?" I broke the silence, looking at Hayden.

He didn't speak. His eyes darkened as he stared at me. I could feel my heart dropped when his expression changed into a cold, hard face. It wasn't the one that I often see. It was a reaction that had never appeared until now.

"Clara," my father-in-law spoke, no emotion in his voice. "In Nascadia, we don't tolerate anyone who commits crimes. This includes people in the royal family."

I swallowed hard, completely unknown about the whole situation. Hayden kept a far distance from me, and I had no comfort or assurance. Josephine and Ivor both remained still as they tried to listen. It seemed as if they were as unknown as I was.

"Crimes?" I questioned, furrowing my brow. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Maisie had a miscarriage," he replied slowly.

"What?"

My heart sunk immediately at the news. I stood frozen like my muscles were paralyzed. I couldn't move an inch, and the lump was forming in the back of my throat. Maisie started sobbing louder in the room.

A miscarriage was serious, and she had no reason to lie about it. Not to mention, a mother could never sacrifice her own child for revenge. Even if Maisie was terrible in her ways, it didn't mean she would use her child against me. It's not just her child either. The baby belonged to Hayden too.

I was pregnant. I could feel how painful it would be if I lost my child one day. It would hurt me to death to know that my child was gone.

"Don't pretend that you don't know," Hayden suddenly muttered. His voice was so cold that my chest felt empty at his tone. It was worse to hear him accuse me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, tilting my head. I breathed heavily as the pain and sorrow ached my chest. "How could I know that Maisie had a miscarriage?"

"I can't believe you would do this, Clara," my mother-in-law stood up and stepped in. She had full disappointment on her face while she scolded me. "When Dr. Hill came in last week, she said that the baby was healthy. Maisie went to the bathroom today and saw blood. It was a miscarriage."

"Why the fuck did you kill the baby?" Hayden snarled. "Have you ever thought about it was my kid too? You can't be fucking serious."

"You think I killed the baby?" I pointed at myself. I was in disbelief as I stared over at them. No one appeared to be on my side. "I didn't kill the baby. Why would I kill the baby?"

"You have every intention to kill the baby," my mother-in-law added. "You're jealous that Maisie has Hayden. You wanted to kill the heir because you're scared that she will take over your role as the queen."

"It's a life that we are talking about. Even if I don't like Maisie, I would never do that."

My father-in-law came forward, and he settled my mother-in-law down. She sat beside Maisie to comfort her. I looked over at Hayden who didn't even look at me. My heart clenched at how he could think I would hurt anyone. He should be the one who knew me better than anyone else his entire family.

"Clara," my father-in-law spoke sternly. "Hayden did an investigation around the palace. The soup had diclofenac. Dr. Hill said it's a medication that will lead to miscarriages and can kill the mother."