On my way to St. Alaric’s Abbey for thanksgiving prayers, we were ambushed by brigands. Seraphina, my husband’s childhood companion, shoved me from the carriage. I fell, gravely injured, and the life stirring within my womb began to ebb away, a crimson stain spreading. My husband, Alaric, arrived with his knights. He swept the blood-streaked Seraphina into his arms, then cast a look of utter contempt at me, sprawled in the dirt. “Isabelle, did you orchestrate this whole ordeal to harm Seraphina? You knew her heart is frail, easily startled. You venomous shrew!” He galloped away, cradling his precious Seraphina, leaving me to bleed out on the muddy path outside the city walls. When I next opened my eyes, the faint shouts of the brigands echoed outside the carriage. Seraphina’s hand, cold and decisive, shoved me from the carriage once more. 1. I instinctively curled, shielding my belly, as I tumbled into the roadside thicket, striving to minimize the impact on my body. Seraphina, eyeing the approaching brigands, shrieked melodramatically, “Duchess! Run, quick!” The brigands’ eyes gleamed. “The Duchess is this way!” They lunged towards me. I raised my arm, firing a volley of poisoned darts from the concealed wrist-mounted crossbow hidden in my sleeve. Several of the attackers crumpled, silenced. This road was frequented by noble ladies making their pilgrimage. It baffled me how these brigands dared to waylay travelers here. I kept my wrist-crossbow aimed, counting the seconds. It was almost time. In my previous life, shortly after my death, the person who would pass this way was Princess Rosalind, the King’s own sister, returning from the Arcadian Vale. Sure enough, a lavish carriage rounded the bend. The brigands waved their arms. “Forget this hag! There’s another carriage! Charge!” Chaos erupted. I peered at the carriage and saw a face revealed as the curtain fluttered open. My heart soared – it was indeed Princess Rosalind. The instant the brigands surged forward, swords raised, I lunged, throwing myself between the Princess and the incoming blade. The cold steel bit into my back, a searing pain, but I had shielded her. My throat burned, a sweet, metallic taste filling my mouth. The thunder of hooves roared in my ears, followed by Princess Rosalind’s indignant cry: “Audacious scoundrels! I am Princess Rosalind! How dare you lay a hand upon me?” I only lost consciousness for a few fleeting breaths before snapping back to awareness. Seraphina was rushing towards me. “Sister Isabelle, are you alright? You terrified Seraphina!” The gash on my back was bleeding freely, and Seraphina’s rough embrace knocked against it, intensifying the flow. Princess Rosalind steadied me. “Are you well? Thank you for saving me.” The clash of steel echoed, signaling the arrival of knights. I knew, without a doubt, it was Alaric. Indeed, Seraphina spotted Alaric riding towards us from afar and stumbled towards him. “Brother Alaric, help me!” Clutching my abdomen, I whispered, “My belly… it pains me so, Princess. Please, save my child.” Princess Rosalind’s expression tightened. “You are with child? And you still risked your life to save me? Rest assured, I will save you. Your life-saving deed will be repaid.” “It was my own recklessness, running ahead and leaving my guards behind. Else, we wouldn’t be in such peril. Do not fear; they will catch up soon. My retinue includes a skilled healer.” With that, she tore a strip from her gown and bound my wound, but the fabric quickly soaked through with blood. In the distance, Seraphina melted into Alaric’s embrace. “Brother Alaric, thank the Heavens you came. Otherwise, Seraphina would never have seen you again.” 2. That towering, formidable figure in the distance was my husband, Duke Alaric Blackwood. He swept the stumbling Seraphina into his arms, his gaze filled with tender concern for the bloodstains on her face. Then, he strode towards me, where I leaned, pale and weak, against a tree. His eyes burned with undisguised revulsion. “Isabelle, did you painstakingly bring Seraphina up this mountain to the Abbey just to harm her? You knew her heart is frail, easily startled. You venomous shrew!” The last vestige of color drained from my face. “My Lord, Seraphina insisted on accompanying me to the Abbey today. I had no idea we would encounter brigands.” “Besides, Seraphina is unharmed. My Lord, the Blackwood healing draught… please, just a single dose! I beg you.” My voice was barely a whisper, my breath growing shallow. Alaric sneered. “The Blackwood healing draughts are for the knights on the battlefield, not for a frivolous woman like you to squander. Do you know a single vial is worth a hundred gold pieces? Are you feigning such distress just to waste it? Do you realize one draught can save a life on the battlefield, not be wasted by you?” Princess Rosalind lifted her chin, her eyes blazing with indignation. “Are you Duke Alaric Blackwood? This is your wife, gravely wounded from saving a life. Do you truly quibble over the cost of a potion? Is your heart made of stone?” Alaric regarded her with disdain. “And who might you be? What business is it of yours, matters between my wife and I? Isabelle, you truly have a talent for theatrics, putting on such a grand performance by the roadside and even recruiting an accomplice.” Princess Rosalind rose to her full height. “How much is your potion worth? I shall purchase it myself.” Alaric’s cold gaze swept over me, then back to the Princess. “You’ll purchase it? What grand words. Are you and Isabelle friends? Then you must be cut from the same cloth, all deceit and lies. Our family’s draughts, we’d sooner feed to cats and dogs than give to her. Disabuse yourselves of that notion.” I clutched my belly, cold sweat prickling my skin as I looked at him. “My Lord, even if you refuse to save me, please save the child in my womb. He is your own flesh and blood.” I had been pregnant, but hadn’t had the chance to tell him yet. I’d planned to wait until his return from the borders after his rotation. I never imagined such a calamity. Alaric’s face shifted at my words. “What child?” He was about to demand an explanation when Seraphina, with a dramatic gasp, collapsed into his arms, clutching her chest. “Brother Alaric, my heart… it aches so! Am I… am I dying?” “When the brigands came, Sister Isabelle was so frightened, she pushed me from the carriage! I think I hit something; I’m in pain all over.” Seraphina spun her fabrications, twisting the truth. I glared at her, my eyes burning with fury. “When did I ever push you? It was you who shoved me from the carriage, leaving me covered in wounds!” Seraphina dabbed at her eyes, looking only at Alaric. “Sister Isabelle, how can you twist the truth so? Brother Alaric, Sister Isabelle didn’t mean to. Don’t blame her. Perhaps she simply dislikes me staying at the Manor and, in a moment of distress, pushed me.” “But, Sister Isabelle, do you know this is a cliff? I could have fallen into the abyss, my body lost forever! If you dislike me, you could have simply told me. I would have left you alone. Why would you try to take my life?” Alaric glared at me. “Isabelle, how could you be so vicious? Taking such a cruel hand against Seraphina when I was not present, you madwoman!” I shook my head. “You believe her. No matter what I say, you will no longer believe me. More words are useless.” I felt the blood from my back flowing faster. I gripped Princess Rosalind’s hand. “Princess, could you take me to the nearest healer in Valoria? I fear my child will be lost if we delay any longer.” Princess Rosalind nodded. “Yes, I will take you to Valoria immediately.” She began to help me onto her carriage. 3. “Hold!” Alaric stepped in front of us, blocking our way. Suppressing his rage, he pointed his knight’s sword at me. “I know you’ve always disliked Seraphina, but I never imagined you’d be cruel enough to try and end her life. You will kneel here, now, and apologize to her. If she forgives you, you may enter Valoria. If she does not, you will remain kneeling until she does.” I stared at him, incredulous. “You don’t believe me? For Seraphina’s word alone, you would abandon your own child?” Seraphina, frail and delicate, leaned against Alaric. “Sister Isabelle, if you apologize, I will forgive you. But why would you rather lie than admit your mistake? And why would you use a pregnancy to deceive Brother Alaric? Is it merely a coincidence that you are suddenly with child?” “The healers said you struggled to conceive. How could you suddenly be pregnant? If you don’t wish to apologize, simply say so. There’s no need to lie to Brother Alaric; he detests deceit above all else.” Alaric’s face contorted with disgust as he looked at me. “After years of marriage, you’ve never conceived. Yet now, suddenly, you claim to be with child. Do you expect me to believe that? You will apologize to Seraphina, immediately.” Why I struggled to conceive, others might not know, but Alaric knew perfectly well. In the second year of our marriage, I conceived. Yet, due to his arrogance, he suffered a humiliating defeat in battle and then dared to contradict the King, incurring royal displeasure. For his sake, I knelt in the biting snow before the Queen, pleading for clemency. I remained there for a day and a night. I lost the child, and my body was left weakened. The healers said I might never fully recover, and that future pregnancies would be difficult. My health was shattered because of him, yet he, the ungrateful wretch, dared to utter such words. I felt a gush of warmth from my lower abdomen. The color drained from my face, leaving it as stark and white as parchment. Alaric’s personal knight whispered to him, “My Lord, the Duchess truly appears gravely wounded. Something seems amiss. Perhaps we should allow her to see a healer first.” Alaric scoffed. “Has she not feigned illness enough times before? Such tricks, she’s well-practiced. Rest assured, she won’t die.” My heart turned to ash. Even his own men could see I was dying, yet his heart remained as cold as iron. The knights behind him grumbled. “She’s constantly jealous of Lady Seraphina. How can she possibly fulfill the duties of a Duchess? If it were anyone else, she’d have been cast out long ago.” “Indeed! Lady Seraphina is so gentle, so kind to the Duke. Not like the Duchess, always putting on airs.” “Failure to produce an heir is a grave offense. The Duchess has been married for years and hasn’t borne a single child. The Duke should have brought Lady Seraphina into the Manor years ago!” Seraphina’s lips curved into a triumphant smile, her eyes filled with defiant challenge as she looked at me. My head swam, growing dizzier by the moment. Princess Rosalind exerted all her strength to help me stand. My blood stained the tree trunk, yet Alaric, blinded by rage, drew his sword and cleaved the carriage wheel. “I told you, Isabelle. If you do not kneel here today and apologize to Seraphina, I will not permit you to leave.” Princess Rosalind was furious. “Audacious fool! Do you know who I am? Do you dare lay a hand on me?” Alaric lifted his chin defiantly. “I care not who you are. Today, whoever protects this venomous witch stands against me, the Duke of Blackwood.” Princess Rosalind’s face flushed with royal indignation. She produced a meticulously carved crest pendant. “I am Princess Rosalind. Duke Alaric Blackwood, I command you, now, to immediately escort us to Valoria to seek medical aid. There shall be no delay.” Seraphina let out a delicate giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. She darted forward and snatched the crest pendant. “You are a Princess? A Princess who traveled to Valoria with only two guards? And was almost killed by brigands? Truly, if you’re going to lie for Sister Isabelle, at least invent a believable story. This crest… did you perhaps buy it for a few shillings from a street vendor in Valoria?” 4. With that, she flung the crest pendant to the ground and stomped on it viciously several times. Then, clutching her chest again, she whimpered, “Brother Alaric, my heart hurts so badly! Please, take me to a healer. I can barely breathe.” She collapsed weakly into his arms. Alaric scooped her up and mounted his steed. Turning, he commanded his knights, “Isabelle, if anything happens to Seraphina, I swear you will pay with your life. Destroy their carriage. If they wish to reach Valoria, they may walk.” With that, he galloped off, Seraphina clutched in his arms. Alaric’s knights looked at me, torn. “Forgive us, Duchess.” They severed the horses’ reins, drove the steeds away, and then smashed the carriage to splinters before riding off in pursuit of Alaric. My body grew colder and colder. The snow began to fall, heavier now. Barely clinging to life, I whispered, “Princess, you must go. Follow this path; it leads directly to Valoria. Do not mind me; you cannot carry me. If I die, Princess, remember this: do not let me be buried at Blackwood Manor. Even in death, I wish for an annulment from Alaric.” Tears streamed down Princess Rosalind’s face. “Hold on, just a little longer! My knights will be here any moment!” I felt a profound chill, a deep, pervasive cold, until my vision blurred, and I knew nothing more. When I awoke, I was lying in a warm chamber. Princess Rosalind stood over me, her face flushed with fury. “What? All the Royal Physicians have been summoned to Blackwood Manor? Not a single one allowed to leave? Does the Duke of Blackwood command such authority? To summon all the King’s healers for a woman who doesn’t even have a title?” “Fine, fine. Today, my eyes have truly been opened.” “Guards! Follow me! We’ll march to Blackwood Manor. I will personally go there to summon the Royal Physicians. I want to see how he dares to refuse me access to them.” At Blackwood Manor, Seraphina lay in Alaric’s arms, rubbing her chest. “My Lord, perhaps you should go and see Sister Isabelle. I fear for her. I truly am alright; my heart ailment is an old complaint. It hurts, but it won’t kill me. You needn’t worry about me.” “She is, after all, your lawful wife. I am nameless, nothing. Do not concern yourself with me anymore. I do not wish for people to speak ill of you.” Alaric held her tighter. “Nonsense. I have summoned all the Royal Physicians on duty. They will surely heal you.” “With me here, who would dare speak ill?” Just then, Princess Rosalind’s cries reached the Manor gates. “Smash the gates open!” She stormed into the Manor. Alaric, startled by the commotion, stared at her. “Who are you, daring to trespass into Blackwood Manor?” Seraphina looked at the Princess, then gripped Alaric tightly. “Brother Alaric, she’s so fierce. Did Sister Isabelle send her to cause trouble?” Alaric stood up. “Guards! Remove this madwoman! If she resists, beat her out!” “Yes, My Lord!” The Manor guards surrounded them. The Princess’s knights drew their swords. “Bold! Do you not kneel before a Princess?” The Royal Physicians, seeing Princess Rosalind, immediately panicked. They dropped to their knees, bowing deeply. “Your Royal Highness, Princess Rosalind, we salute you.” Alaric and Seraphina were stunned. “Princess Rosalind?” Princess Rosalind looked at him. “Duke of Blackwood, what a grand display of power. Summoning all the Royal Physicians to your Manor, while your own Duchess could not procure a single one to save her life.” “I haven’t returned to Valoria in years, and I find that a Duke now wields such authority, even disrespecting a Princess. I shall go to the King, my brother, and have a thorough discussion with him.” Alaric’s face turned ashen. Just then, one of the Princess’s personal attendants rushed in. “Your Royal Highness, a grave situation! The Duchess of Blackwood is bleeding profusely. The child cannot be saved, and her injuries are severe. Her life hangs by a thread!” The Princess’s face paled. She called to the Royal Physicians. “Quickly, save her! The Duke’s reckoning can wait for another day.” Princess Rosalind rushed back to her Pavilion, Alaric trailing closely behind. Upon entering, he heard the Princess’s elderly governess shaking her head, carrying a basin of bloody water. “The Duchess’s child could not be saved. It was a male child.” Alaric recoiled, staring at the governess in disbelief. “What child? What nonsense are you speaking?” A maid shrieked from within. “Healers! Help! The Duchess is bleeding out! She’s dying!”
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