"If you don't want me to tell them, then you have to get rid of the baby." Vina's decision seemed final; she wasn't willing to listen to her sister's pleas, nor would she compromise. Iris touched underneath her belly, the closest place she could feel her baby. She was a bit reluctant to give up her baby, she knew her sister was angry and what she did was terrible, but she didn't want her unborn child to pay for the crimes that she committed.
But she was also aware that arguing with her sister would lead her nowhere.
"If that's what you want." She whispered, she glared in the direction of Karl; as much as Karl claimed to love her, he didn't want her to get involved with his family. After all, it was nothing more than an arranged marriage, and his father would be disappointed in him if things were to go sideways. "I will get rid of the baby."
Vina smiled in satisfaction, as she rested her back against the wooden chair, the only thing that was left now was to find a way to kick her sister out of the house without her parents getting suspicious.
"It couldn't be helped when Iris told me she was going to get rid of the baby but she didn't, she started hiding it and I was too busy at work to notice the sudden change." Rose-Anne's eyes widened in shock, no one ever said such a thing to her, after all those years that she mourned for her daughter.
"When I realized it, it was already too late and she fell into forced labor, she died while giving birth." Vina seemed indifferent about it, she was too angry to feel any sort of pity for her sister.
"And the baby?" Rose-Anne arched towards her daughter almost falling off the bed from her curiosity, it didn't matter to her, how her daughter got pregnant, but if she had a grandchild somewhere who bore the Earhart name, the child had to be underneath her care.
Instead of answering, Vina cackled.
"I found out my husband was aware of the whole thing but he simply put up a font just to please me." She gripped the edge of her dress tightly. "That stupid bastard, even in the end he chose to side with Iris."
"What did you do to that baby?" Rosie asked fearing the worst, because she knew just how hot-blooded and ambitious Vina was; she could do almost anything for her husband's sake. "Tell me, Vina, what did you do?"
"That baby was Khalilah." She confessed. "That's why no one knew when I got pregnant with her, and I used her as an opportunity to divorce that jerk."
Rosie's eyes widened as she fell back into the bed in shock and denial, Khalilah was Iris' daughter? That was impossible, how come she didn't notice?
"Why?" Rosie asked softly, looking in the direction of the door, she hoped Leonard was nowhere close and listening to their conversation because he would table it among the elders of their family. "Is that why you wanted to offer up Khalilah to the purebloods?"
"I tried my best Mom, but it was disgusting to have a child like that run around your home," Vina answered with a small frown on her forehead. "For nineteen years I had taken care of her as though she was my daughter, and in return, she would have to replace my daughters."
"What are you saying, Vina?" Rosie was bewildered, she always knew Vina had an evil side to her but she didn't expect something so serious. "You gave Khalilah up just because of the mistakes her father and mother made?"
"Then did you expect me to offer Malia instead, or do you want me to give up Jiyaan?" Her voice was raised a little bit higher. "Then for what reason have I suffered for all those years, turning her into an adult…she was just unlucky."
"God…" Rosie bursts into tears. "I don't know what to say to you, Vina."
"You don't have to say anything, due to Khalilah's valiant sacrifice, You, I, and the rest of the family will live to see another day, so be grateful for that ma." Vina got up and got her bag, she was about to exit the door when her mother's voice stopped her.
"That girl looked up to you," Rosie sniffed. "Do you think it's right to leave her in the dark and make her wonder why you hate her so much? She wanted you to be proud of her and even when I spoke to her, she didn't hate you."
"Then that's unfortunate." She stepped out of the door and pulled the slides on the door, leaving Grannie Rosie with her thoughts.
"Your Highness," Khalilah turned back slightly towards the very familiar voice that called her, her teary eyes widened when she noticed it was Malia who walked in through the door.
She was alive…
Khalilah got off the window sill from where she sat and ran across the room, to hug Malia. "My lady, you're not allowed to touch the servants." Malia recited with a small smile; she was still as strict as ever. "Please my lady, unhand me."
Khalilah squeezed her even tighter, inhaling her scent, Malia noticed she was crying and that was when she wrapped her arms around the lad. Even if she were to be punished for disparaging the royal family, it would be okay.
"I thought something bad had happened to you." Khalilah sniffled holding her even tighter. "I thought it was because of me, you didn't tell me you were sick."
"I-I'm sorry, my lady." Malia apologized and then Khalilah finally disengaged from her, her golden eyes were now dull from sadness, inquisitively, Khalilah's eyes searched through her assistant, looking for any torture signs but none were found.
"What happened to you?"
"I apologize for being unable to tell you beforehand, but my ailment came so suddenly," Malia reported bitterly. "I was being treated outside the inner palace, since they don't know if what I have is communicable, I was banished away to avoid spreading it."
"I tried to come look for you, but I wasn't allowed to and even when I spoke to Olive, he didn't let me." Khalilah narrated her hands reaching out to feel the warmth on Malia's cheeks. "There was nothing I could do, but I prayed for you every day."
Malia froze for a bit, she never imagined there would be a day, when the queen-to-be would be so worried she would meet with His Royal Majesty for permission to leave the inner palace just because of a lowly serving girl like herself.
"You spoke to His Royal Majesty for my sake?" She asked with her eyes widened unbelievably. "I don't deserve such kindness from you, my lady."
That explains the reason why the finest physicians and healers in the royal palace were sent to take care of her she spoke to the king. It was because of Khalilah she was saved, in appreciation, Malia dropped to the ground and Khalilah flinched slightly.
"I promise to do my best to serve you, until my dying breath." Swearing her loyalty to the lad, without hesitations.
"Get up, Malia," Khalilah answered as she strolled back to her bed. "I'm just grateful that you are fine and there isn't a problem."
"Thank you." She mouthed as she got up from the floor, and stepped towards the bed. "I will prepare you a warm bath right away and your sleeping attire."
Khalilah nodded with a light smile, and then she watched as Malia disappeared out of the bedroom to make preparations for her bath. Malia massaged Khalilah's feet with some balm and fragrance, Khalilah noticed that ever since she had got here, they had been giving her a lot of skincare treatment that she usually never gets.
Maybe it was because she was now the King's property, she sighed again in disappointment and then turned towards her maid who was working diligently.
"Malia, do you have any idea why I am never allowed to go out of my room?" She noticed Malia tensed at first but then she continued to massage her feet naturally like nothing happened. "It's been almost a month and I have gone out of this room just twice; I'm a teenager and I feel my youth rusting away if I just stayed here."
"I'm pretty sure, it is for your good, your highness." Malia mouthed hesitantly, and Khalilah's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Like I once said, after the royal wedding, things might change for you."
"Has Olive ever been married?" She asked again, changing the topic because she noticed Malia was pretty worried about something. "Did he treat his previous wives like this as well?"
"We are not allowed to discuss his Majesty's love life even as a topic for gossip." Malia narrated with a gentle smile as she moved to the next foot.
"I'm pretty sure he has no girlfriends, a bone head like that would probably still be a virgin, girls don't like men like that." She insulted pointedly. "He is a self-loving egoistic jerk, there is no way he could get a girlfriend."
Malia froze in her position, who the hell did she just call a bonehead? She hoped it wasn't the king.