Chapter 11
“What?!” I shout, practically falling over myself. “I-I-we-because-that’s actually impossible considering he’s only finge—”
“Karin!” Ansel roars, scaring me quiet.
I lower my head. “Sorry.” I didn’t mean for my outburst, but the accusation had caught me completely off guard. There’s no way that I could be pregnant when Ansel and I have never had sex. My face turns as white as a sheet.
Oh God. What if he was suggesting that I was pregnant before I got here?
The idea of that thought infiltrating Ansel’s mind scares me more than the suggestion prior.
“I’m not pregnant,” I say as evenly as I can. “It’s just a lot of food in such a small span of time. I know I overdid it before, but this is really a bit much.” My face grows hot to the touch, and my mouth salivates. Standing, I dart to the bathroom to vomit. “I appreciate everything, but please take it all away,” I say between breaths.
“Of course,” Maggie says on the other side. There is shuffling and I can hear the clatter of plates and dishes. After a few more dry heaves, my stomach feels back to normal. I wipe my mouth and quickly brush my teeth.
“That was beyond embarrassing.”
I hate I couldn’t control it in front of Ansel, especially when I know he already thinks that I’m weak. I open the door but pause to listen to an ongoing conversation.
“She ate just fine when she first arrived,” Ansel says.
“Yes, but starvation will do that to you. Forgive me if I’m out of line, Sir Ansel, but have you noticed how thin she is? I don’t think that’s a choice of hers.”
“Of course, I’ve noticed. Why do you think I had all this food prepared? If anything, I’m more confused why eating the food recommended by the doctor should be a problem.”
Maggie smiled warmly at him. “Sir Ansel, do you eat your weight in food in one sitting? Your meals are portioned with you in mind, are they not?”
The sulk on Ansel’s face reminds me of when we were younger. “She just appeared so malnourished…”
My heartbeat quickens and Ada practically does somersaults inside of me.
“Now do you believe he cares about us?” she says in a taunting nature.
Ansel shakes his head. “If she doesn’t keep her weight, then she won’t be fit to handle pregnancy. From what I’m told, it puts a massive strain on your body. She needs to eat.”
As quickly my hope rose, it falters.
“I believe he cares about us producing him a healthy heir, Ada. I’ve been patient, but please stop fighting me on this. It’s exhausting.”
My plead fall on death ears. Ada wants to be near him so badly that I can feel her push against my chest to get to him. I hate that we’re at odds, but I refuse to get sucked into the notion that this is anything more than a business arrangement like Ansel said.
Reemerging from the bathroom, I mouth to Maggie, “Thank you.” She nods silently in response. If anything, when this is all over, I can at least say that I’m grateful that I made a friend.
Two Weeks Later
“Do I really have to try on all of this stuff?” I ask Maggie as I toss one of the thousand of dresses laying on my bed at her.
She giggles. “Yes, the Second Prince specifically requested that I order clothes that fit you. I worked hard picking everything out, so humor me.”
She playfully pouts, causing me to laugh. “Stop that. I appreciate the gesture it’s just I don’t see what the fuss is all about. The clothes that I’ve been wearing work fine.”
“Yes, but…” Maggie fidgets with her fingers. “Those clothes belong to Lady Cherry. She is scheduled for a visit to Blue Moon, and I don’t think seeing you in the clothing she left behind will be met with positivity.”
The wind seems to knock out of me. Cherry. Ansel’s chosen mate. The one that it is personal for, so much so, that he’s marrying her. I feel like a fool. Everything makes sense now. The villa, the clothes, the distance. This baby is about him and Cherry, and I’m just the factor to help get it done.
No wonder he hasn’t touched me.
It’s been two weeks, and he’s barely said a word to me. He still made sure that I ate, and followed the doctor’s rules, but he all but refused to follow the most important one.
Makes sense if you have a mate that you want to be faithful to.
I think to myself. Maybe he’s been waiting until she came so that he could talk to her about everything.
“Can Cherry not have children?” I asked Maggie. “I’m just trying to understand why he needs me if he has her.” She averts her eyes and I wave my hands. “Never mind.”
“Thank you. It’s not that I don’t want to answer your questions, it’s just that I’m not sure of the truth. There are even more rumors swirling around about the Second Prince and Lady Cherry than there are you.”
I can sense her uneasiness. “Alright. I guess no more stalling,” I say, picking up one of the dresses. “Which do you prefer I try on first?”
“Well…”
I arch my eyebrow at her. “Well, what?”
“You won’t be modeling them for me. It was truly Sir Ansel’s request to see how everything fit on you. It shouldn’t come as a shock, but there are certain, um, outfits, that affect men more than others. If you’re going to have a baby with the Second Prince, then we need to see what best arouses his sexual desires.”
Before I can dispute, Ansel appears in the doorway.
“I thought you would have had on the first outfit by now. Why do women always have to make things like this a production?” he says as he taps his foot repeatedly. I scowl at him, and he scoffs. “Save the glare. I want to see what Maggie has spent frivolously on.”
Well there goes the fun in all of this.
I haven’t sorted through all the outfits, but I recognize the designers. Once upon a time, I could only dream about owning anything so expensive. This entire thing would be any woman’s dream if it wasn’t for the intense, judgmental gaze given to me by the man who purchased it all.
“Fine.”
The day continued with me modeling outfit after outfit for Ansel. Every outfit was met with the same oppressive stare and dismissiveness, leaving me to wonder why we were doing this in the first place.
“This is the last one,” I say as I exit the bathroom. I don’t want him to know, but it’s my favorite. To others it’s a simple white gown, but for me it reminds me of the dresses I wore when I was studying dance.
Ansel’s eyes shift from their normal blue quickly. The heat of his gaze makes me turn away.
“Do you like it?” I asked, and he simply nods.
He turns to the servants. “You all may go,” he says.
The moment the door closes, he yanks me onto his lap. “Pulling me wasn’t required. I would have come if you told me to,” I tell him breathlessly.
I can feel his breath tickle my ear and my heart grows erratic. “Alright,” he says in a husky voice. He slips his hand under my dress and rubs gently over my panties. I grow wet immediately, and grind against his hand. He inserts a finger inside of me. Working in sync with my hips, he finds my sweet spot, and I jerk. I can’t help but moan; his movements are precise and set my entire body ablaze.
My eyes close. “Oh…” I moan out again as my orgasm slowly approaches.
“Look at me,” he commands. He watches me with canary-colored eyes, and his pace increases, causing my legs to shake. “Cum.” It’s as if his demand is all my body needs to hear. Everything clashes together, and I part my lips. Seeing me, Ansel leans down and bites my bottom lip to hold in my scream as an orgasm ripples through me.
Ansel releases me and stands. He tilts his head, and his eyes shift back to their natural hue. I don’t need to see it to know that my face is red.
“I-I don’t know where that came from…” I say.
“Are you sure?” I look down at his dripping fingers and the red of my face intensifies. Ansel finds amusement in my embarrassment. “What happened to the brazen woman from the doctor’s office?” he teases.
“She destroyed the front of your pants,” I grumble in response, then cover my mouth. “I did not mean to say that out loud.”
A loud laugh erupts from him, lighting his usual hardened face for a moment. It’s brief, but it’s nice to see. He shakes his head, and saying nothing else, walks out of the room.
Later That Night
“You’re ovulating, aren’t you?” Maggie asks me as she pours rose petals into my bath.
“H-huh? What makes you say that?”
She smirked. “Because every time Sir Ansel comes to check on you, you appear as if you want to both flee and attack.” She helps me into the basin, and I try to relax, but the thought of Ansel and our moment earlier doesn’t leave my mind. It was torturous, especially since he’d been off and on in my villa for most of the day.
He’d checked to ensure I ate a decent portioned meal, badgered the maids to have all the items organized, and even insisted that I was given a rose bath.
“I honestly think the Second Prince is in the mood as well.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The other maids linked to me he’s back in the villa. He’s in your room, and I’ve been given specific instructions to use the other exit and not escort you.”
I almost sank to the bottom of the tub. My hands shake as I look at the bathroom door that leads to my bedroom. Is it true? Could this be the night he makes love to me?
