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Chapter 27
Eleanor sank onto the bed with a tired expression. Until late into the night, she had been forced to dance and smile like a puppet on strings.
But her day was not over yet.
“You’re saying I have to undergo an examination right now?”
Even with Eleanor’s exhausted voice, Countess Briana stubbornly nodded. She insisted the examination must be done before the wedding night. Frederick pressed his fingers against his tired eyes.
“Do we really have to do this? Briana, can’t we rest just for tonight…?”
“She’s an illegitimate child, Your Highness! She is not of true royal blood!”
Countess Briana burst out, unable to restrain herself any longer. Frederick stiffened. The words that Briana had suppressed throughout the wedding ceremony poured out like a dam breaking.
“She may now be the Crown Princess, but we have no idea what kind of life she lived before this. Do you know why an illegitimate child is called illegitimate? Because the mother bore a child without a father! Because she couldn’t even be registered in a proper family! And she carries that blood!”
Eleanor’s expression drained away bit by bit at Briana’s words. Even she could not keep smiling after hearing something like that. Frederick let out a heavy sigh. Among traditional nobles, Briana was one of the most rigid.
It was only natural—after all, the Empress herself came from such a rigid background. Briana had been personally chosen by the Empress. She had also been one of the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting and had watched over Frederick as he grew up. With no children of her own, Briana viewed Frederick almost like her son.
Her face flushed red, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“I only wished for Your Highness to make a proper marriage, and yet all this time I—”
“That’s enough.”
Frederick spoke in a low voice. His face had also turned pale. His eyes turned toward Eleanor, who was staring down at the floor.
“Briana… I understand what you mean.”
He tried to soothe her, but Briana’s tears spilled over. She had held it in for far too long. Frederick could not possibly understand how humiliating this all felt to her. The Empress likely felt the same.
“…Her Majesty’s orders, Your Highness. She commanded that I bring the results of the Crown Princess’s examination without fail.”
“…And what exactly are they examining?”
Eleanor asked calmly.
“A full examination. But most importantly, they will check whether there is any sign she has ever been pregnant before, and whether she is capable of bearing children.”
Briana replied with cold contempt glinting in her eyes. Eleanor slowly nodded. Signs she had been pregnant before… Bellisa had undergone similar checks, but they had never looked for that.
This examination was only for Eleanor.
She exhaled slowly.
“I’ll do it.”
If it was the Empress’s will, no one here could refuse. And Frederick was not someone who would go so far as to protect Eleanor from it. Eleanor gave a faint smile. Even Briana’s tears stopped at that gentle expression.
“…I’ll bring the physician.”
Briana bowed slightly and left the room. Before the couple could even begin their night, they were interrupted, and now their eyes met awkwardly. Frederick raked his fingers through his hair and slumped harshly onto the sofa.
“…If Bellisa hadn’t run away, we wouldn’t be dealing with this now.”
“Do you regret it?”
Eleanor asked. Frederick turned his head and stared at her. What would have happened to him if not for Eleanor? It was hard to imagine. He might have had to stand at the altar alone like a fool.
Simplicity is best—yet why did the absence of Bellisa tug at him like this?
Frederick narrowed his eyes. Eleanor was a lovely beauty, but Bellisa had been the kind of beauty who stole attention at first glance—sleek black hair flowing like ink, brilliant blue eyes, pearly white skin. Everything about her was striking.
He had been content with the idea that Bellisa would become his woman. He had even tolerated her arrogance because of it. But in the end, he had lost her without ever having touched her.
Is that why I feel reluctant?
He frowned.
“There was no choice I could make.”
“And if Bellisa comes back?”
Frederick let out a cold laugh.
“The choice won’t be mine to make, Eleanor. My parents—His and Her Majesties—will decide everything.”
“…But you are the Crown Prince.”
“Which is exactly why I cannot choose.”
He rubbed at the corners of his eyes. Bellisa still had not been found. Investigators had torn Xavier apart in their search, yet not a single strand of Bellisa’s hair had been discovered. A beauty like her should have drawn attention anywhere she went.
Did she have help?
His eyes narrowed. Help… someone bold enough to defy the imperial family and assist a runaway princess… someone insane enough to—
Yes. Someone did come to mind.
Lucian.
“…It can’t be…”
Frederick muttered.
Lucian’s cold face flashed in his mind—the man who had casually asked about the bride, the man whose arrogance had radiated even in Frederick’s presence, as though he were a marble statue come to life. Frederick’s expression twisted with rage.
If Lucian had helped Bellisa, everything finally made sense.
“I’ve brought the physician, Your Highness!”
Briana’s sharp voice cut through the tension as she entered. Frederick nodded heavily.
“Hurry and get it done. I’m tired.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
She entered with the triumphant air of someone with an army behind her. Under her direction, the physician began the examination. Eleanor shut her eyes tightly, her face pale.
Humiliatingly, she had to undergo everything right in front of Countess Briana—who watched her with cold, glass-like eyes that scanned every inch of her. Goosebumps rippled across Eleanor’s white skin.
When the examination finally ended, she was barely holding back tears. Under Bellisa’s protection, she had never once endured something like this. Her shoulders trembled.
“Well? She hasn’t carried another man’s child, has she?”
Briana demanded impatiently.
“No, nothing of the sort.”
Eleanor bit her lip.
“But… as for her ability to conceive…”
“What is that supposed to mean? Speak clearly!”
Briana pressured the doctor. Eleanor instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach. The physician’s gaze slid openly to Eleanor’s lower belly. Briana asked again, colder than before:
“What did you just say?”
“…It appears she will have difficulty conceiving, madam. Your Highness… I am sorry.”
The physician bowed to Frederick.
Eleanor’s hands dropped limply to her sides. Her large, lake-like eyes trembled violently. Briana shrieked:
“You see, Your Highness?! What are we to do now?! What disgrace has Medice brought upon us?! Illegitimate children are all the same!”
It was narrow-minded, but there was no rebutting it now. Frederick forced down his exhaustion. The commotion was too loud for him to even think.
“It’s not something we can undo at this point.”
But Briana shook her head.
“No, Your Highness. Her Majesty the Empress has already prepared for circumstances like this. You must simply steel your resolve.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
Frederick waved his hand, dismissing them. Briana shot Eleanor a vicious glare before leaving. Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut.
I… can’t have children?
There had never been any problem before. Why now?
She bit her lip hard. The only thing that could have secured her position in this precarious palace was a child. And that hope had now crumbled.
Eleanor took a deep breath.
No. It’ll be fine.
She opened her tear-rimmed eyes.
“Frederick.”
Her voice was soft, trembling with moisture. Frederick turned to face her.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know my body was like this…”
Sometimes, striking first was the only way.
