Did I bed him?

Prince Lysar did not spend the night in our Kingdom after our conversation. He had left for his own country right after it.

I watched from the window of my room as he and his men rode into the darkness of the night. This entire night from the beginning to the end had given me nothing but mixed thoughts about the situation.

Why would he talk to me and not my father who was the king? If this was a matter of grave importance then why choose me? I was the second crowned Princess who was to marry into another kingdom. 

This led to another one of my deductions, a matter of grave importance that was discussed by the second prince to the second princess of another Kingdom and not in between the Kings and Queen of them and that leads to another conclusion, that Prince Lysar was not honest with me when he confronted and warned me.

It all seemed to be a web of lies or warnings and Prince lysar thought that I was the one who could solve it all.

Pulling the covers on top of me, I snuggled into them. The night was at its peak and so was the silence making me look out of the balcony and to the moon. Would someday I hear the howls as well in the middle of the night or was it just to distract my attention from the oncoming war? And now that I had different routes open in front of me, was the war even coming, or was something even bigger than that arriving my way?

********

I was sick.

The sweating sickness was an excuse that we had used but now I was truly sick because of what I had done last night and Merylin had decided to hold herself responsible for it.

"Please forgive me," she wailed, making me turn away from her ugly, snotty face. "Oh look at that! You are so angry with me that you are refusing to even look at me!"

"It makes me want to retch." My other lady in waiting, Laila, brought a bucket by my side immediately as Merilyn asked, "What does, your highness?"

I stared at her with annoyance in my eyes but no expression on my face. "You do. Your voice does."

That idiot only wailed more.

********

The cold had subsided away by the next afternoon after having herbs and medicines and all I could think about was I had wasted another day.

Estelle was quiet. Usually, she would come into my chambers and we would talk endlessly about everything but even Merilyn had not heard anything from her ladies in waiting.

Father had called me to him. My sickness mattered to no one.

"Father," I bow slightly as I enter on his command. He pointed to the seat in front of him and I took it.

"You met with the Prince. What happened?" He did not even ask for my health. 

Also, what, not why. He was accused of something filthy and shameful.

"Nothing," I answered firmly, keeping my feelings aside. The love I once had for my father was gone when he married someone else and replaced my mother but now the respect has gone too. "The prince was here to warn us of abductions taking place frequently in and—"

"Don't care about that." He waved his hand dismissively, "That's got nothing to do with us."

I didn't let go. "But that's for now. What of Tomorrow an—"

"Let go!" He commanded, his voice thundered off the walls and made me quiet immediately. "That's none of your or our concern so let it go." He stressed and I nodded.

More of my concern? What ruler was he becoming?

"May I leave now?" I asked in a quiet voice. He had broken the expectations that I had from him as a king.

"Genevieve, you are the princess who's going to be married to the prince and the soon-to-be king of Astria, and need I remind you to refrain from anything that could even remotely affect this treaty." Humiliation burned through me as I realized that he was talking about my meeting with Prince Lysar which was in the castle walls. "It would not be good for anyone, especially you."

He could have said no. He was the king after all. 

Tears had gathered in my eyes of what he had accused me of, in his own home but I nodded. "Yes father," I was on the verge of crying. Any more and I would have.

"The treaty is essential and the humiliation of at that would come from—"

"Just ask me!" His shocked eyes met my glaring ones. "Ask me if I bedded him or not. Do it!" I commanded at the end of it. My heart could not bear it anymore. 

He remained quiet so I did it for him. "Unlike you, I have made sure that my ladies in waiting were with me in the room while I conducted an audience with the prince. Something you could have done as well but you did not think of it and went to your bed to sleep or spend the night with a concubine." A tear slipped my eye but not my resolve, "You will no longer be the king in the coming future which is why the least you can do is preserve the kingdom for the next heir to take it."

I stood up and looked down at him, "Now, I shall take my leave."

I walked out of the room and Merilyn stepped next to me as I walked out at a quick pace.

"Where are we going?" She was asked with slight fear in her voice.

Glancing at her, I answered. "The library. The royal library and send it to the astrologer."

There must be some scroll or books about creatures of the dark or anything that could be warning us about it.