With Child?

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Belle offered a warm smile, though it never reached her heart, and bowed politely before turning to face the crowd.

"Pardon my manners, I was momentarily distracted by such beauty," Hezekiah jested, pressing a hand to his chest in a feigned apology. Laughter rippled through the hall.

Then, with a sweeping gesture toward Belle, he declared, "This is Belle Harts, the mother of my future children and your soon-to-be queen!"

Silence fell.

Belle stiffened, her fingers instinctively intertwining as nerves crept in. She braced herself for what she feared most.

"Your Majesty, if I may….I object to this union."

As expected, her father never fails to surprise her. A middle-aged man, clad in an extravagant attire, stepped forward. Gasps filled the hall.

"How dare he?"

The nobles and aristocrats gawked, both stunned by his audacity and eager to hear his reasoning.