Cassie immediately removed her hand from her stomach, as if caught doing something criminal.
Kael smiled and moved closer to her.
“Feeling better now?” he asked, looking down at her stomach.
Before Cassie could say a word, he pulled her into a warm embrace.
“Thank you,” he said slowly, each word carrying an emotional weight that left Cassie stunned.
“For what?” she asked, confused, withdrawing from his embrace.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“Everything,” Kael said and held her hand.
“Let’s go back,” he added, leading her to their room.
He ushered Cassie to sit down while he stood, staring at her with an endless smile on his face.
“What’s the big news?” Cassie asked, confused by his sudden joy.
“You’re pregnant, Cassie…” he said, letting out a deep breath.
“I’m more than happy to be a father soon, and having you carry my child is a blessing to me,” he said sincerely, holding Cassie’s hand gently.
Cassie stared at him blankly, acting as if she wasn’t happy, though deep down, she was.
But fear for the safety of the baby overshadowed her joy.
“Husband…” Cassie said affectionately, touching Kael’s face.
“I won’t keep this baby,” she said, testing his reaction.
He immediately removed her hand from his face, his expression darkening.
“I forbid you to say that!” he snapped, his countenance changing, making the room eerily heavy.
Cassie felt uneasy.
“Ah~” she gasped, clutching her stomach.
She slipped from the chair and fell to the ground unexpectedly, blood trickling down her gown.
Kael’s heart dropped in horror.
He picked her up immediately and dashed out of the room with supernatural speed, straight to the royal clinic, where the doctors attended to her in haste.
When they were done, Cassie lay still, exhausted.
She placed a hand on her stomach with a pained expression, but in truth, she felt nothing.
She had to put on this act to protect the baby from the dangers of the world.
What had happened earlier was her doing.
Of course, at first, she had felt uneasy when Kael rebuked her, but she had to pull off that act.
She had instructed the doctors to leave once they finished.
Yes, she had to do something…
Something beyond the natural… for her child.
Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on her stomach, chanting words under her breath.
A wave of immense pain shot through her, so intense that she let out a piercing scream.
The doctors and Kael tried to open the door, but she used her magic to seal it shut.
The pain lasted for what felt like an eternity.
When it finally subsided, exhaustion took over, and she collapsed.
Only then did the door unlock, allowing Kael and the doctors to rush inside.
Upon seeing her lying in another pool of blood, Kael’s face went pale.
“Do something!” he roared, his voice shaking the walls.
The doctors scrambled, working non-stop.
After several hours of examination, they found nothing physically wrong with Cassie.
But one thing was certain the baby was no longer alive.
Kael felt as if the world had crumbled beneath him.
Without a word, he left the hospital and locked himself away in his chambers.
His hands balled into fists, his nails digging into his flesh until blood dripped onto the floor.
His eyes burned red with fury.
He vowed to destroy whoever was responsible for his child’s death.
As he sat there, drowning in rage, the door swung open.
Prince Damion stepped inside, his expression unreadable.
“I did not expect the king to be this broken,” he said, taking a seat nearby.
Kael didn’t even look at him.
His gaze remained fixed on the empty space before him, dark and full of rage.
“What is it this time?” Prince Damion asked, studying Kael.
“Leave!” Kael growled, his voice sharp and commanding.
Prince Damion frowned.
He hated this side of his brother.
Why does my younger brother have to be so intimidating? he thought before silently exiting, unwilling to lose face.
He headed straight to the east side of the king’s residence, where their eldest brother and his wife were staying.
“Why are you here?” Lord Atticus asked lazily, sipping from his cup.
He swirled the liquid before placing the cup down and crossing his legs, sitting like a king.
“Well… It’s about Kael. He—”
Lord Atticus cut him off.
“And what about him? Why are you so worked up, huh?” His eyes gleamed dangerously as he studied Damion.
He stood from his chair, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Grabbing Damion’s shirt, he forced him to meet his gaze.
“Look… We are here for a purpose that must be fulfilled. Don’t let that little boy scare you,” he said, chuckling wickedly.
“If he wants the throne… he will pay the price. I allowed him to take over because I was foolish then, but that time is over. I’m back to claim what is rightfully mine.”
“But you have to be careful. Kael is dangerous…” Prince Damion muttered.
Lord Atticus’s grip tightened.
“If you keep being this weak, I might as well throw you off a cliff someday. You irritate me. You don’t deserve royal blood because you’re weak.”
Hearing this, Prince Damion’s anger flared.
He yanked himself free, tearing his shirt in the process.
“You don’t have the right to tell me where I belong!” he snapped.
Lord Atticus laughed, his eyes gleaming with danger.
“Good. That’s what I want. That anger in you, It’ll only be useful if you channel it toward Kael. Otherwise, he’ll overpower us.”
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“Remember, the Blood Moon Accord is approaching. If Kael is still king by then, he’ll grow even stronger, just as he did all those years ago. We must stop him before that happens.”
“Why should I help you?” Damion scoffed.
“Since you claim to be so powerful and cruel, why don’t you defeat Kael yourself? Or are you ashamed to admit that you’re afraid of him? If you were so strong, why didn’t you challenge him the moment our parents passed?”
A smirk played on his lips as he watched Lord Atticus’s face darken with anger.