𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕(𝙰𝙲𝙾𝚃𝙰𝚁)

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔴𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔶-𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔯

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

age: 30

Everyone was staring at me during breakfast. I wondered if it had to do with the bruise on my cheek. My hand flew to my face self consciously. Or maybe they'd found out about me and Eden.

"What is it?" I demanded impatiently. Elio cleared his throat, and I turned to him.

"You're pregnant, my dear."

My heart fell to my stomach. I glanced around at everyone else, who must've been able to sense it. I placed a hand on my stomach.

"Are you sure?" I demanded. He nodded, as did the others at the table.

"Congratulations," Eden said to me.

I didn't feel very happy about the matter. I knew I should've been relieved. Now Beron couldn't berate me anymore. But I was terrified.

     I went through breakfast in silence, flinching away from Elio's touch when he tried to rub my shoulder.

     When I was excused to do my chores, I locked myself in my bedroom and began writing to my brother.

Rhysie,

I've been informed that I'm pregnant. I'm absolutely terrified. In this court, I have no choice but to go through with it. I have been tormented by Beron for not getting pregnant, and now I am. He can't torment me anymore, but that doesn't make it any less scary. I'm not ready to be a mother. And I especially don't want to have a child during the war. But nobody listens to my concerns, or what I want. I'm scared for my baby. If it's a boy, he'll be trained brutally and raised to be as cruel as his father. But if it's a girl, she'll be berated for every mistake she makes and married off at seventeen, just as I was. I don't want either of those fates for my child. I miss you guys. I wish I could send this baby to live with you. Mother would know what to do. She'd raise this baby in a wonderful environment.

Love,
Eve

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I could've murdered Elio.

I thought that when he invited me out for the night, it would just be us at a nice restaurant. But of course not. He brought me to a bar out in the city.

And when we got there, Katina was waiting for us at a table.

"Eve," she greeted, getting to her feet and kissing my cheek. It took all my willpower not to smack her.

"Hello," I sighed, sending a dirty look to my husband as I sat next to her. He sat across from us with a smile.

"Should we order drinks?" Katina asked us.

"Oh, I'll just have a water," I said.

"What?" Katina laughed, shoving my shoulder. "Come on, you usually out drink all of us. You're the Plastered Princess."

"She's with child," Elio explained.

Katina's face dropped. She turned to look at me, then him. She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it.

"No, she's not," Katina insisted, a smile creeping on her face again. "You're joking."

"I'm afraid not," I mumbled. Elio shot me a look.

She blinked back tears, got to her feet and stormed off to the bathroom. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I'll go check on her," Elio decided, standing slowly.