| INTIMACY | - HPxTMR

Chapter 33: [Rue]

20th June 1999- Sunday

The confinement period was a blessing for Harry, in the end. For the first few days, he had been left alone to settle, simply satisfied with the knowledge that the Emperor didn't believe that he was behind the poisoning, and was currently searching for the culprit.

After that period of suspension, the Emperor had visited his Palace with a cold expression, personally informing him that Patricia was still pleading innocent, and he was inclined to believe her. Shocked, he had refused to listen at first, believing the man was going to turn on him then and have him arrested on the spot.

It had taken a while for Thomas to calm him down enough that he would hear him out, and many declarations that he still believed in Harry's innocence.

He explained to Harry that there was evidence to support her innocence and that she wouldn't have placed her long-awaited son in any harm. The poison had been a strong one, and an attack on the both of them. Harry had been lucky he was cautious, Patricia had been fortunate that her magic was strong enough to fight off the worst of it.

The woman was still adamant that he was the culprit, but now it seemed less likely to Harry that she was behind it and framing him, and more like someone had attempted to harm both of the babies, placing the blame on whichever one of them pulled through the best.

It angered him, as well as terrified him. Someone obviously had ill intentions towards his child, both of their children, and unfortunately, Harry couldn't begin to pinpoint who. All members of the harem would gain in some part from both him and Patricia losing their children, or having their reputations mangled from the blame. That only made searching for the true culprit harder.

Harry didn't believe that this poisoning was the one Nott had been warning him about, however. Dahlia wasn't as ruthless as she wished to believe, she wouldn't have targeted him through Patricia, and she seemed to idolise the woman. It did concern Harry that she may attempt to do something in this time of turmoil, however.

Therefore, Harry took the confinement as a blessing, and was dreading entering the fray once again, especially since his competitors would have had that time to slander him, to use those days to change the narrative to fit their needs. Not that it mattered, truly. The Emperor had announced neither he nor Patricia were the culprits, but rather the victims of an outside attack.

He was eager, however, to watch the others and attempt to deduce who was behind the poisoning, as there was no doubt in his mind that the culprit was one of them. Things were beginning to heat up now that Harry was steadily approaching his second full year in the Harem, as if the rest of the concubines had finally decided to treat them as the competitors they were, instead of newcomers with no attachment to the man they all coveted.

This episode demonstrated what many were capable of, despite the false sense of security they had been collectively lulled into over the past few years of fewer attacks. It would have the hackles of many up for months to come.

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1st July 1999- Thursday

Confinement ended on the first of the month, although Harry hadn't felt the time at all. The Emperor continued to visit him every few days, and they would talk about the future. Their future with their baby was Harry's favoured conversation topic.

As his due date slowly crept up on him, only a few weeks if his baby stuck to schedule, his mind was filled with the thoughts of them being parents. Thomas had plenty of experience, and this would be his twenty-second child, but this would be their, hopefully, first.