Chapter 3

After making it safely through the most dangerous first three months, my belly slowly began to show.

Richard valued me more and more. He even broke precedent and allowed me to handle a few minor palace affairs.

I knew this was him testing me, and also sending a clear message to all court officials that the queen was back in favor and her position was secure.

The first thing I did with that power was place the daughter of one of my family's old loyalists into the palace laundry bureau.

The girl's name was Rose Cooper, the daughter of my father's former deputy.

After my family fell, hers got dragged down too, and now they were barely surviving in the capital.

I couldn't make my move too obvious, so I could only place her somewhere unremarkable for now. But once she got into the palace, that meant a bridge had been built between me and my family's loyal old followers outside.

Everything moved quietly in the shadows.

On the surface, I was still the queen who only cared about quietly carrying her pregnancy and stayed out of worldly matters.

Lady Charlotte tried again and again to stir up trouble, and I brushed every move aside with ease.

In front of me, she was nothing more than a clown jumping around, and all I had to do was sit there and watch her perform.

She had someone mix a cold-natured herb into the bird's nest soup I drank, so I "accidentally" knocked over the bowl and had the maid who delivered it beaten for being clumsy and frightening the royal child.

She covered my garden path with smooth pebbles.

Then I feigned sickness and stayed in Serenity Palace for half a month, which led Richard to summon her to his royal study and scold her harshly, saying she could not handle even tiny duties despite helping manage the royal women’s quarters.

After these rounds of clashes, Lady Charlotte lost most of her influence, and no one in the palace respected her anymore.

She finally realized that the Victoria who had come back from the isolated royal quarters was no longer the weak woman she could push around easily.

And under everyone's careful protection, I finally reached my due date.

That day, Serenity Palace was lit up inside and out, with people hurrying everywhere. Richard canceled all court affairs and personally stood watch outside the birthing room, looking more tense than I had ever seen him.

Royal physicians, midwives, and maids rushed in and out, every one of them holding their breath.

The labor pains came wave after wave, as if they were tearing me apart. I bit down hard on the cloth in my mouth and refused to let out a single cry.

I couldn't scream.

I was afraid that if I did, I'd lose not only my strength, but also the hatred that had kept me going this whole time.

"Your Majesty, push. Push again. I can already see the baby’s head."The midwife shouted by my ear.

I used the last bit of strength in my body, and through a burst of searing pain, I finally heard the baby's loud cry.

"Waaah."

The sound was bright and full of life.

The whole of Serenity Palace burst into cheers.

"He's here. He's here. It's a prince."Outside the door came Charles's ecstatic shout, followed right away by Richard's wild laughter. "Well. Very well. I have a son. I finally have a son."

The midwife carried the cleaned baby over to me, and I turned my head with all the strength I had left.

The tiny baby still had wrinkled skin and tightly shut eyes, but I could already make out the straight nose and sharp features.

He looked so much like Alexander.

At last, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore, and they rolled down my face.

Alexander, can you see him?

This is your son.

Our son.

After I gave birth to the prince, Richard treated me like I'd performed the greatest service in the world. He couldn't put the child down, and he named him on the spot, Ethan Sinclair.

Ethan, it means eternal.

He wanted this son to hold the throne forever like he did. He had no idea what a huge joke it was, hearing that name come from his mouth.

My confinement period was as luxurious as it could get.

Richard practically moved into Serenity Palace. During the day he handled state affairs while the baby slept in a cradle nearby.

He would often pause in the middle of writing to look at the child, a smile he couldn't hide spreading across his face.

He also treated me gentler than he ever had before.

He fed me soup himself, awkwardly tucked in my blankets, and even woke up faster than me when the baby cried at night, rushing to calm the little one in a clumsy hurry.

Once, while holding Ethan, he softly said to me, "Victoria, thanks for your efforts. When Ethan grows up, I'll make him Heir Prince. One day, the throne of Albion will belong to our mother and son."

There was a softness in his voice I had never heard before, something almost sincere.

I lowered my eyes to hide the coldness in them.

"Everything will be as Your Majesty decides."

If this had been my previous life, hearing those words from him probably would've moved me to tears. I might've believed he'd finally given me his heart.

But now, I only found it ridiculous.

Richard, you'll never know.

The son you treasure, the heir you've poured all your hopes into, carries the blood of your greatest enemy.

The one you're raising with your own hands isn't your successor. He is the one who will bring your rule to an end.

And I will stand right beside him, handing him the tool to bury you.

Ethan grew fast. He seemed different from other children from the very start.

While other babies did nothing but cry in their swaddling clothes, he was already opening his bright eyes and curiously studying the world.

Those eyes were clear and deep. They didn't look like a baby's eyes at all, but like those of an adult who had seen too much.

He almost never cried. If he was hungry or sleepy, he would only make a soft little sound, as if he were giving a reminder.

The nurses and maids caring for him all found it amazing and praised Ethan for being naturally noble, calm, and quiet.

Only I knew this wasn't calmness. It was the pride and restraint carved into Alexander's soul.

Richard was beyond satisfied with this son.

He always said, "As expected of my son. He was different since childhood."

Whenever that happened, I would lower my head and let a mocking smile curl on my lips where no one could see it.

Yes, it's different.

Because he isn't your son at all.