"Mad viscount?" Zemira asked and Verona grabbed her hand, "My daughter will not marry a mad man!" He did not look mad, Zemira thought. "Isaiah, settle the painter" Altair said as he got up.
"What makes him mad?" Zemira asked "The mad viscount, Cassian Monterey, was once the commander of the king's soldiers" Xylia began, "He led them to all sorts of victory and he conquered many kingdoms. The king was very impressed with him...but one war, Cassian ran mad. He killed most of his soldiers ruthlessly and even ended up killing his wife with his own sword. The king wanted to banish him but later demoted him because he was friends with Cassian, so, the king demoted him from being the commander to just a baron. Few years later, he got the title, viscount" Xylia completed her tale.
"He had a wife?" Zemira asked and Verona held her hands, "You will never get married to that sort of man!" "Verona stop this your foolishness! You are the cause of this! If only you had raised her well, she would not have been pregnant without a husband!' Altair yelled.
Zemira had never thought of getting married let alone having a child. But now she was pregnant and she was going to get married.
"Father, I do not want to get married" she begged and Altair looked at her and laughed bitterly, "Do you still think you have a choice? Your choice died when you decided to give yourself to a man who you did not know and were not courting."
"What if I get rid of the baby?" Zemira asked and Altair raised his hand to slap her but Verona held him, "My lord". "The baby is not at fault, you are at fault! Get yourself fixed before you're worthy to be a mother" he glared at her then he flung his hand from Verona's grip then he stormed off.
Verona looked at Zemira then she sighed and followed her husband. Zemira broke into tears and Xylia hugged her.
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Zemira held the ribbon of her pink bonnet tightly and took a deep breath. Her father had brought her to Cassian's house to tell him about the pregnancy. She was anxious.
"Smile! You look dead" Altair said and Zemira put on a fake smile. "Well I feel dead" she muttered to herself.
There was an old lady standing by the door. She bowed and welcomed them into the viscount's mansion.
There was a teal carpet leading from the stairs to the entrance of the house. The walls were grey. Just like his eyes, Zemira thought. The old lady led them to the living room where there were few lounges and an armchair. There was also a loveseat.
By the hearth was a painting of a beautiful woman; she had short black curls and bluish-green eyes.
"The viscount will be with you shortly" the old lady bowed her head and left. Altair took a seat while Zemira went to the painting. Was it his wife? she thought and was about to touch it but she heard a voice.
"I am afraid no one is allowed to touch that" It was the same voice she had heard a week ago. She turned and saw him in blue trousers and a black shirt, the sleeves were rolled up and she tried to remove her eyes from his muscular and not-too hairy forearms.
His eyes widened as he saw her. He remembered her. "Not even you?" she raised a brow and he smiled, "Especially not me."
"My lord" he bowed his head at Altair then he took a seat. "To what do I owe this visit?" he asked and Altair looked at Zemira then at Cassian, "My daughter is pregnant".
Cassian's eyes widened. Daughter? He had thought that she was just a prostitute. And she was pregnant? With his baby? It could not be possibly his.
"She is a week pregnant" Altair completed and Cassian's suspicions were confirmed. It was his baby. But he had pulled out before he had ejaculated.
"The look on your face tells me that you know who the father is" Altair said and Cassian looked at him. "My lord, I did not know that she was daughter. I am very sorry" "Sorry is not going to get rid of the shame, I have proposed marriage so that no one finds out about her getting pregnant out of wedlock".
"Marriage is impossible" Cassian said and Zemira snapped her head at him. "What?" "I can not marry your daughter or any woman for any matter" "And why is that so?!" Altair yelled as he got up, "Is it because of your late wife?" "Do not bring her into this!" "I know it's a huge risk giving my daughter to a mad man like you but it is the only choice now!" "If you think I am mad then do not get your daughter married to me!"
"How did your late wife even get married to you?" Altair sneered and Cassian drew out a sword from the sheath on the hearth and held it to Altair's throat.
Zemira gasped and Altair gulped nervously. "You dare raise a sword to a marquis? You are nothing but a common viscount" Altair tried to sound bold but he was scared. Cassian dropped the sword and looked at them, "You should leave" he said and left the living room.
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"Do you now agree with me?" Verona asked Altair who just sighed and looked at Zemira. "I have done everything I could to give you a good life...but what did I get in return? Pregnancy and shame!" he spat and left to his room.
Zemira bowed to her mother and quietly left the living room. The servants bowed to her as she walked down the hall but she knew it was just a front. Behind her back, they gossiped about her pregnancy.
She sat on her bed. She should feel happy because she was not going to get married but she felt sad. She was no longer free to do the things she liked...all because of the thing in her womb.
She held her still flat belly and sighed. How was she going to get rid of it?
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Cassian froze when he saw her. She had a blue woolen shawl wrapper around her arms. The dress she had worn that day was a dark blue floral frock which had a small skirt, small bodice which showed her cleavage and puffy sleeves which reached up to her forearms. The waistline of the dress clung to the curve of her waist. It was as if she had come to seduce him.
He forced his eyes from her body to her brown eyes. "I thought I told you to never come back here" he said as he took a seat. Zemira was about to sit on the loveseat but when she saw Cassian's glare, she sat on one of the lounges.
"You only held up a sword to my father's throat and told us to leave. You never told us not to come back" she said and he sighed, "Look..." he realized that he did not know her name and she did not know his. "Miss Cobain, I do not want to marry you" "I do not wish to marry you either".
Cassian was taken aback. "So why did you come here?" "Marriage and pregnancy are two words that does not sit well with me. Marriage is out of the way...but there's a thread binding us together that we must cut". "What thread?"
Zemira put her hand on her belly and Cassian's eyes widened. "I wish to get rid of this baby" she said "What?!" Cassian stood up and she looked at him. "You will do no such thing" he said and she got up.
"Why not? You get to live your life normally while I suffer the shame of raising a child by myself" she said and he laughed bitterly, "Are you doing this to get me all riled up to marry you? Are you so petty that you would stoop so low to---" "You're mistaken Sir Monterey. I do not desire to marry you. I simply desire to get rid of this burden in my womb".
Cassian moved closer to her. So close that she could smell his breath; whiskey and cloves. "That burden...is my unborn baby" he said through clenched teeth. Zemira's eyes flickered down to his lips for a split second before she stared into his eyes, "I am the mother of this burden and I will do whatever I want to go back to the life I lived" she said and took some steps back.
"I just wanted to let you know since you are the father" she said and walked out. Cassian glared at her as she walked out of his living room. He knew he had made a mistake in wanting her that night. It should have never happened.
Marrying Zemira meant betrayal to Nola...according to him. After she had died, he had vowed to never get married again. But now he had slept and had impregnated a woman. He and Nola never had a baby together. They almost had though.
Though he did not love Zemira, he loved the baby in her womb. And he was not going to let her get rid of it.
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A horse neighed and the sound of its galloping hooves slowed down to a halt. Verona and Altair were relaxing at the gazebo. They looked at who had arrived. It was Cassian.
"What is he doing here?" Altair asked to no one in particular. Cassian made his way up to the gazebo and bowed before them. "To what do I owe this displeasure?" Altair took a bite out of his scone.
"My lord, I apologize for my behaviour the last time we spoke. I was drunk" Cassian apologized still with his head bent. "More like mad" Verona muttered.
Altair eyed him, "Have a seat" he said and Verona looked at him unbelievably. Cassian sat down then he looked around. Their land was more vast than his. Their servants were trimming the rose bushes and watering the lawn.
"Where is Miss Cobain?" Cassian asked as he looked back at Altair. "What business do you have with her?" Altair asked and Cassian sighed, "I am ready to wed your daughter" he said.
Damn the consequences. Cassian could not let his heir be killed without coming to the world. All he had to do was get married to Zemira till she delivered then quietly divorce her and maybe they could parent together.