Zemira turned and saw Stern staring at her. His eyes went down to her belly where her hand was. He staggered back, "You are pregnant" he said almost aloud, so, Zemira took his hand and led him to the study.
"Are you pregnant with his child?" Stern asked and Zemira closed the door. When she did not say anything, Stern's eyes widened, "You are pregnant with his baby!" he gasped and she covered his mouth with her hand, "Not too loud" she shushed him.
He pulled her hand away from his mouth, "No one knows?" he raised his brow. "Only my family and Cassian knows" "But you never wanted babies? Why are you so different with him? Since when have you guys been courting behind my back? Did you cheat on me?"
"We were never properly courting, Stern" Zemira said and Stern held her hand delicately, "But I love you" he said and she slipped her hand out of his grasp, "If you love me, why did you kiss Peony on the night of her birthday? You were not that drunk."
"Zemy, that was an accident but I do love---" "My lady?" the door opened and Cassian walked in.
His grey eyes wandered from Zemira to Stern then to Zemira again. Her lips were normal, Stern's lips were not swollen, their breathing was normal, so there were no signs of kissing or intimacy.
"The guests were wondering where you had disappeared to" Cassian continued and Zemira smiled, "I just went to powder my nose." "In a study? With a man?" he almost chuckled. Stern cleared his throat and put on a fake smile, "Cheers to the new couple" he said and Cassian smirked then Stern left.
Zemira was about leaving but Cassian stood in front of her, "Talking with your former lover behind closed doors, on our wedding day, is a bad reputation for your family and mine" he said and she looked at him, "We were just talking." "Talking with another man in secret when you have a husband?" he raised his brow then he shook his head, "Did your parents not teach you the do's and don'ts of marriage?"
"You are not my husband" she said and he took her hand and pointed at the snake-shaped ring dotted with rubies on her ring finger, "The ring says otherwise" he smirked and she flung her hand from his.
"We may be married but it's only to people outside. Between us, we are just strangers bounded with a thread...and once this burden is born, we shall be out of each other's lives" she said and was about leaving but he grabbed her arm, "For the last time, my baby is not a burden!" he growled and released her arm then she walked out.
The night was filled with laughter and joy...not from the newly-weds though. Even when they were waltzing, Zemira kept on trodding on Cassian's feet "accidentally".
>>>>>>>>>>>>
"This will be your room" the butler, Gertrude said to Zemira, then she bowed and left. The room was alright, but it was not as big as her own in her father's manor.
There was a rocking chair by the hearth, from which the fire crackled softly, a king-sized bed with velvet sheets, was in the middle of the room, there was a small table in front of the window, and her vanity was close to the washroom.
The room also smelt like jasmine which made her nauseous. She had always loved the smell of jasmine, but at that moment, she just wanted a breath of fresh air.
She retched and quickly ran into the washroom, then she threw up into the bath tub, her hair getting in the way.
Zemira looked back into the room and shook her head. She wiped her mouth and wrapped her black curls into a bun and ran out of the room.
Her destination was Cassian's room.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Cassian took off his shoe and sighed, "I know you still loathe me for marrying you, so I know you are not admiring me as I take off my footwear, so what is it you want?" he looked at his door and saw Zemira looking at his bare toes, disgust written clearly on her face.
"You do not wear a stocking?" Zemira asked and Cassian shook his head, "I find it highly uncomfortable." "Well normal people find it comfortable" she said and he looked at her, "I am the mad viscount, whatever made you think I was normal?" he chuckled and she giggled.
He unbuttoned his boot and slowly took it off, watching her giggle, then it fell to the floor, making a thud, which made her to stop giggling.
He cleared his throat and kept his boot under his reading table, "Why are you here, Miss Cobain?" he asked and she straightened her shoulders, "I do not want that room."
"May I know the reason?" he asked calmly, "I do not like the way it smells." "I thought all ladies love the smell of jasmine" "Well, I like it...but it seems your baby hates it" she said as she looked down at her belly.
"Just stay there tonight, tomorrow morning, I shall tell the servants to fill it up with a better scent" he said as he removed his cravat. "I would prefer fresh air, please" "Fresh air it is then" he sighed and looked at her, "Alright then, please go."
She put her hands on her hips and raised a brow, "I can not sleep in that room tonight. It smells, I can not manage it. A minute there would make me throw up."
"Do not be stubborn, Miss Cobain, it is getting late, and you need to rest." "It is your baby's wish! I like jasmine, your baby clearly hates it. You put this baby in me, so you should ensure that I am treated with the care I want!" she raised her voice and he folded his arms, "You are using my baby as a means of leverage now, to get what you deserve" he said, then he cocked his head, "I thought you did not want this baby, so why are using the baby to get more comfortable?"
"I do not want this baby, but we have agreed to keep it, so here I am, arguing with the man who put the baby inside me, about my sleeping place" she sigjed exasperatedly. "So he should at least make me comfortable if he does not want to wake up to a servant screaming about how the viscountess is bleeding from her privy chose," she grinned falsely.
He gave a sly smirk, defeat showing on his face as she congratulated herself for winning an argument against the father of the burden in her womb.
Her brown eyes moved around the room they were in; there was a four-poster, queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, an armchair and a rocking chair beside the wide hearth where the fire crackled softly, a wardrobe by the wall, close to the prettiest vanity she had ever seen, and a small door leading to the washroom. The room was huge, also it had a fresh smell.
"I want this room!" Zemira suddenly said and Cassian scoffed, "I thought we were strangers just pretending to be married, or have you fallen for me already?" "Do not be silly! It simply smells nice, and I think the baby agrees with me," she said and patted her belly.
"Well, you can not have the room," he said matter-of factly. "And why is that so?" she challenged and he smirked, "It is my manor, I do not need a reason to tell you why you can have this room or not."
"As much as I hate to admit, it is our manor. I am now your partner, and although our union is brief, what is yours, is mine also," she said arrogantly as she stood arms akimbo.
Cassian looked at the woman in front of him. Arrogant. Why were they always arrogant? Nola was arrogant too before she had fallen in love with him. Not that the woman in front of him was going to fall in love with him, afterall, you only fall in love once. He had already fallen in love with Nola, his heart belonged to her, and her heart belonged to Stern.
"Fine then! We shall share the room" Cassian said and proceeded to take off his coat, then he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, trying to shake Zemira, but she was focused on his eyes.
But she was shocked when he tossed his shirt on the bed and she saw that he did not have a vest on, "You do not wear a vest under your shirt?" "I suffered from heatstroke when I was a child. I do not want to experience that again" he said.
Zemira sucked in a breath. He was muscular. He had nice pectorals that made her eyes fall down to his chest. He moved closer to her then he raised her face up, his beautiful grey eyes boring into her brown ones. He tilted his head to get better access to her lips.
He was going to give her a scare by almost kissing her, which would then make her leave, but, surprisingly, she did not flinch back. He studied her facial expression; calm, but yet her eyelashes were fluttering. She wanted the kiss.
He internally shrugged and slowly moved to her lips but before he could kiss her, she regained herself and pushed him away, then she walked out.
Cassian chuckled and fell on his bed. He wondered why she did not back away until their lips had almost touched. Did she want him?
He could see lust in her eyes after he had taken off his shirt, and he wondered if she had seen it in his eyes too, even for a split second.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Cassian sat at the dinning table drinking soup. He looked at Gertrude who was standing beside him, "Where is the viscountess?" he asked then he heard neighing outside and then screaming.
Gertrude sighed, "She decided to tame Gerta" she said calmly and Cassian got up, "You did not try to stop her?!" "My lord, I tried...she just would not listen," she bowed, "I have to go and supervise the laundry" she said and left.
Cassian groaned. Gertrude was a very calm woman who did not bother herself with things...except him. She was his wet nurse when his mother could not breast-feed him. Everyone had criticized him for using an old lady as his butler, but he was the mad viscount and they could not tell him what to do.
Cassian ran outside and saw Zemira on the ground clutching her belly. He sighed and walked to her, "The condition of our marriage was for my baby to be born, hale and hearty. You killing my baby will only earn you a beheaded body" he said with folded arms. She looked up at him, "Are you not going to help me up?"
Cassian rolled his eyes and stretched out his hand to Zemira. She took his hand and he gently dragged her up. She glared at Gerta who was galloping around the field, "That damned horse" she cursed under her breath. "It is not appropriate for a lady to curse" "I have always wanted to be a man".
"That is...quite surprising" Cassian said, quite surprised and Zemira dusted her polo trousers. "Why is that surprising?" "You...are in love with a man" "Do you expect me to be in love with a woman?" she asked and he shrugged, "That is the most preposterous thing I have heard. A woman liking another woman?" she threw her head back in laughter.
There was an awkward silence between them as they walked, before she spoke up, "And I am not in love with any man" "What about that man you were powdering your nose with...in the study?" he chuckled and she looked at him, "We were just talking!" "Behind closed doors?" he bit back a smile.
Zemira just rolled her eyes. "Right! I forgot to inform you, a doctor will be here every weekend to check on you" he said and she looked at him, "And may I ask the reason why?" "You are with child...my child. You must be healthy for my child to be healthy, which is why I have prepared certain rules for you" he said and she stood and looked at him, trying to intimidate him with her glare.
He smirked and turned to the manor, "Shall we?"
>>>>>>>>>>>
Zemira stared at the paper in her hands then she looked at Cassian who just sipped his tea. On the paper, Cassian had written;
No strenuous work, that is, no lifting of heavy objects and no running.
Zemira looked at Cassian, "Add no horse taming or horse racing to that" he smirked and she rolled her eyes.
No eating of meat.
Cassian looked at her, "You are to eat only vegetables. I eat only vegetables and so you must eat only vegetables, and I want my baby to take after me and not consume meat."
No drinking or vaping.
"Your parents had told me that you drink with men and also vape. That is unhealthy."
No going on wild adventures.
"Your father mentioned your love for wild things. That is highly unacceptable because you are now pregnant with my baby".
No visiting of the duke of Leorda's son.
"Why can I not see Stern?"
"You are a married woman now. You being seen with Stern, doing all your lovey-dovey nonsense would create a scandal."
Zemira looked at the rules again, then she ripped it into four, "I think these rules are the nonsense! You can not change my diet simply because you are my husband and you most certainly can not tell me who to visit and who not to visit" she said with a hmph then she left.
Gertrude walked in after Zemira had gone upstairs, and bowed, "Your baby also needs vitamins that some meats contain" "Plants can provide better" he gulped his tea down and she poured him another cup.
"My Lord, animal protein is necessary for babies" "Well, I do not want my baby to grow up and then start chasing Gerta around for meat" he said with concern dripping in his voice and she rolled her eyes, "That is not how it works, Lord Monterey," she bowed and was about going, but she remembered something.
She turned to him, "Do not forget your plans with His Majesty the day after tomorrow" she said and he nodded.
>>>>>>>>>>>
"Your majesty" Cassian got on a knee and bowed before the king.
He was a tall man with light brown hair and light green eyes.
The king, Soteria removed the crown from his head and set it on the queens throne, beside him, "Forget the formalities! We fought side by side at the war front" Soteria said as he walked down the steps then he raised Cassian up, "You are my brother!" he said and hugged him.
"How have you been?" Soteria asked him and he smiled, "I have been well, your majesty". "Please, call me by my name or...the nickname you had given me" Soteria said with a smile. He was a very jolly man.
"Forgive me your majesty, it has been years since I last went out to a battle field. I have gotten used to formalities so it would take a while to get familiar with you, like the way we were on the field" Cassian said and Soteria smiled, "You are such a straight man, Cassian" he laughed, "Very well, you shall address me with honorifics".
"Please, take a walk with me" Soteria said and the two men left the throne room for their walk.
"I heard you have gotten married...again" Soteria said and Cassian nodded, "It was an...interesting ceremony," he said as he remembered the scene Stern had caused.
"Unfortunately, I had kingly duties and could not make it" Soteria pouted, "Even if I could make it, I do not think I would have gone." "Why is that, your majesty?" Cassian asked. "Because all attention would be on me and everyone would have been trying to please me, and I do not want to hog all the attention when you are the groom."
"I had my fair share of attention on my wedding day" he laughed and looked at Cassian, "By the way, who was the bride?" he asked as they passed some servants who bowed and continued their chores.
"Lady Zemira Cobain of Damodar" "The youngest daughter of the Marquis and Marchioness of Damodar?" Soteria asked and Cassian nodded. "But I thought she was betrothed to the Duke of Leorda's son".
They must have frolicked around the town for the king to know of them, Cassian thought then he looked at Soteria, "They are just friends." "Hmm...according to what I had seen, I think they were more than friends" "Seen?" Cassian asked and Soteria nodded, "Mmm-hmm."
"The duke of Leorda was my late father's very good friend, so I often visit from time-to-time. During my visits, I had seen his son and Lady Zemira frolicking around and being all over each other. I had assumed they were courting" he said and Cassian cleared his throat, "Friendship these days are taking another turn. You can never know who is a friend or who is a lover".
Cassian faced forward and saw the queen walking towards them gracefully. Her hands were holding the skirt of her dark blue gown. When she got closer, Cassian could see the swell of her ample bossom and it made him remember the dress Zemira had worn on the day he had decided to marry her.
"Your majesty" she bowed gracefully and the king held her hand and pressed a kiss to it, "My queen". The queen, Noelle turned to Cassian and stretched out her hand to him. Cassian gave a little bow and took her hand then he kissed it, "Your highness."
Cassian and Noelle had an entanglement in the past. Noelle was betrothed to Cassian but he had fallen in love with Nola. Soteria and Noelle had met during a soiree the late king had hosted. They fell in love...precisely, Soteria had fallen in love and they had gotten married. Noelle was still looking for ways to be with Cassian.
"If I had known you were coming, I would have worn something that is not so casual" Noelle said and gently drew down her bodice so that more of her cleavage could show.
"Please my queen, you are beautiful in whatever you wear" Soteria said as he smiled at her lovingly. Soteria was madly in love with Noelle which was why he was failing to see the way she behaved around Cassian.
"Mother!" the young prince, Sorin said excitedly as he ran to her. Although Noelle did not love Soteria, but she admired and respected him which was why she had given him an heir.
Sorin had his mother's golden brown hair and his father's light green eyes. He also had his father's bubbly personality and his mother's delicate and pretty features like his pointed nose, his almond-shaped eyes, his small lips.
"Sorin, how many times have I told you to never run. You could hurt yourself" Noelle said and Sorin grinned, "I was excited to show you what I had studied with Estrella" he said and grabbed her hand, "Come mother!" he smiled as he dragged her with him.
Cassian smiled, this could have been him and Nola, with their baby, if only that day had not happened.
Cassian looked at Soteria and bowed, "I must take my leave, your majesty" "So soon? But we have not even crossed the water fountain" "Pardon me, but I am a newly-wed. It is not appropriate for me to leave my lady unattended to."
Soteria laughed, "Of course! She must be craving your attention" he said and Cassian forced a smile then he turned to go, "Let us talk more, sometime, Cassian" Soteria said and Cassian turned and bowed then he left.
He was filled with rage as he walked out of the palace. He would have been with Nola, with their child, in their home. But now he was married to a woman he did not love and who was also carrying his baby.
He would have had his happy ever after, if not for...Isander.