Impaler

Explanation

It was the dead of night, and Angelina was on her bed, pretending to be asleep. The female servants were fast asleep and snoring away. The young woman waited until Ioana picked her up; she didn't want to go. She was afraid of what Vlad would do after what happened with the infant. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a gentle pat on her shoulder; Angelina slowly turned to the left. Although it was too dark, she could tell that it was Ioana due to the size of her hands. Neither decided to get a candle due to the risk of waking the others. "It is time," Ioana whispered.

Angelina felt her body tremble as she sat up and got off of bed. Ioana gently grabbed her hand as she led her out of the room and toward the secret passage. Both came into view due to the lit torches. Ioana felt the young woman tremble and noticed her nervousness. The two were midway toward their destination; the older woman stopped. "You are afraid, but you mustn't be. I know the Voivode will not harm you."

"H-How do you know? I defied him and convinced him to keep his child that he wanted to dispose. I'm sure that he's going to send me to my death."

"Oh, sweet child. You truly are innocent; he won't kill you. You are one of the few people who holds innocence; it attracts him. We must continue on; we don't want to keep him waiting." Ioana continued onward, and Angelina reluctantly followed suit.

 Every step felt like a death sentence, but she tried to think positively. "I-I made a decision, and I have to stick to it! There's no turning back!"

They eventually arrived at their destination, and the door was closed, but a dim light was seen inside. Vlad was inside, waiting for Angelina. The women stood side by side as they eyed the door. "We have arrived, and remember what I have told you. I will be here in the morning; may god bless you." Ioana walked away, leaving Angelina alone.

Angelina stared at the door, fidgeting with her hands and fingers. She took a deep breath, walked closer to the door, and knocked. "Come in." Vlad sounded calm; it scared her, but she slowly opened the door and entered the room. The Voivode was seen sitting by his desk writing. He didn't look at her even once when she fully entered the room and closed the door behind her. The young woman dared not move closer until Vlad ordered her to; the tapping of the quill echoed in the room along with the torches' flames. 

The silence intensified her nervousness, and she decided to take the risk. "V-Voivode?"

Vlad stopped writing, but his eyes were still on his paperwork. "What did I command you to call me when we are in private?"

"Oh, uh, s-sorry Vlad. Sometimes I forget."

The Voivode put his quill pen away as he finally looked at Angelina. "You forget to call me by my name and your place. You made a fool out of me."

Angelina bit her lower lip as she kept her hands together. "I need to stay calm. I need to put my foot down. There's no turning back!" She took a deep breath. "If you speak about the child, I have no regrets protecting him. He has no blame for being born the way he did; the child is innocent."

Vlad slowly stood up from his seat and walked around his table. "Are you saying it is my fault?"

"Please don't confuse my words, Vlad. It is no one's fault. Sometimes genetics can be a fickle thing."

The Voivode raised an eyebrow. "Genetics?"

"At least I was able to calm him down." Angelina looked at him nervously. "Genetics is the study of genes, which carries the information of our body's characteristics. Genes are passed down to the child, but sometimes, they can be flawed. There are also times when it can skip generations." She realized that she was making it worse; there was a possibility that either Vlad or Minah passed down a defect. Then, another idea came to mind. "Also, inbreeding can be a cause of defects."

The Voivode was expressionless as he tried to comprehend the information. "Inbreeding? You mean breeding among one's own family?"

The young woman nodded. "Y-Yeah. I learned this in my era since we tend to learn from the past. Marrying someone related can cause passing down similar dominant or recessive traits that many family members may carry. When this style reoccurs repeatedly, it can cause problems such as disfigurations and different forms of disabilities. That's why it's safer to marry outside one's circle who has different genes." Angelina didn't know too much about biology and tried to explain genetics the best she could.  

It was silent between them, and Vlad paced back and forth at his desk. He was angry that Minah gave birth to a deformed child. He wanted to have the infant killed since he believed that it would cause his reputation to be soiled. However, with Angelina's explanation about genetics, it made more sense. He stopped pacing and gave her his attention. "Minah and I are distant relatives, so we passed similar traits, correct?"

"Well, I don't know how distant you are, but if you both are relatives, it would be possible."

"I see." Vlad walked closer to Angelina, who slowly walked backward to avoid him. Her back hit the wall, and Angelina had nowhere else to escape. "So I need to have a child with someone with different 'genes'?"

"Y-Yeah, you can." Angelina felt his warm breath on her skin, and it sent a shiver down her spine; she wanted to look at him dead in the face but couldn't. His intimidating and powerful aura was felt within her; Angelina couldn't help but find it invigorating. 

Vlad chuckled as he slowly walked away from her and sat on his bed. "What you did today, I would usually have you beaten or hanged. However, I see that you are very useful to me, so I decided to keep you alive."

"Th-Thank you, Vlad. B-By the way, does the boy have a name?" Angelina feared she could have triggered him again when there was no answer.

"No, I will not name that child. The woman who cares for him is his new mother, who can do with him as she desires." The young woman sighed in relief that she didn't get a taste of his fury but couldn't help but feel the urge to see the child again. "Another thing I wish to say is that by the end of four moons, I will host festivities in the castle and the nearby city to celebrate my family's legacy. You will be a part of the festivities."

This caught Angelina off guard. "Be a part of the festivities? How?"

Vlad smirked. "You will sing for me and have fun, of course. You will be given a dress befitting a woman who pretends to be nobility. I will not take no for an answer." He couldn't help but enjoy her concerned and surprised look. He hadn't had so much entertainment in so long. "Now, let us focus on the current matter in hand. Come to my bed."