23. Epilogue
A storia paced in their room after the royal physician left, confirming her suspicion.
She was pregnant.
Her grin was so big it nearly split her face. She couldn’t believe it. A new life was forming inside her, and it was the second-best thing ever happening to her. She couldn’t sit still. She had to find Cyrus and break the news to him as soon as possible.
But he was still in their monthly meeting with the governors, which wouldn’t be over for at least another hour. Astoria was meant to attend as well, but after experiencing dizziness that morning—a symptom she’d been dealing with for several days—Cyrus had insisted she stay behind to rest.
Princess, you should really sit down, Skylar said from the chair nearby.
No one addressed her by that title anymore, but coming from Skylar, it was more like a name than a title. He’d called her that since the day she rescued him from the rain and he realized she was a princess. Therefore, it would be strange if he called her anything but that.
Spyrah stood next to the chair, watching Astoria with anticipation mingled with joy. Only the three of them and the physician knew the news, but Astoria could barely refrain from marching into the meeting and stealing her husband from their midst. If she had to wait another minute, she’d burst. However, she did make it through the next half hour without bursting, brushing aside Skylar’s concern.
The door opened, and Cyrus burst in. Astoria stopped in her tracks and sighed with a smile. “Finally!”
And that’s our cue to leave. Skylar and Spyrah scrambled out of the room.
Cyrus reached her in long, hasty strides. “Are you alright?” he asked breathlessly, as though he had been running the entire way to her. The thought warmed her to the core. Since the day they confessed their love to each other, he had proven to be such a doting husband.
Astoria adored him and loved him even more for it.
“I adjourned the meeting as soon as possible. Spyrah told me I should hurry back.” He brushed a hand to the side of her face and tucked her hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling?”
Astoria was grinning the whole time. “Spectacular,” she said, grabbing his other hand and pressing it against her flat stomach. “Just spectacular…”
Cyrus’ eyes widened. He looked down at her stomach and then up at her twice before his disbelief gave way to fierce joy. “Really?”
Astoria’s eyes turned damp, seeing the unshed tears in his. “Yes, really.”
A contagious laugh escaped him, and the next moment, her feet left the floor. Astoria laughed with him, wrapping her legs around his torso and kissing him. He walked them to the bed and set her back on her feet, still kissing her.
“I bet it is a little Astoria,” Cyrus rasped as he broke apart and touched his forehead to hers.
“I hope so,” she breathed, a playful grin on her lips.
Cyrus leaned away and raised an eyebrow at her. “You do realize you’re supposed to say, ‘I bet it’s going to be a little Cyrus,’ right?”
She gave him a faux-confused look. “Oh, am I?”
Cyrus grinned deviously and tickled her side, eliciting a delightful squeal from her. “You know you are.”
“Maybe,” she choked out, clutching at his hands to stop him from tickling her further. “And who knows? Perhaps we are going to have a little Cyrus and a little Astoria.”
“Or two little Astorias, like Meg and Kez,” he said fondly.
Meg and Kez were Astoria’s little twin sisters, two of her five siblings in Windlewade. They were only fifteen. The oldest of the five was a year younger than Astoria, a boy. And the youngest was ten, another boy. The middle three were girls.
Astoria had only met them twice, but she adored them already. Unlike her and Emmett and Silas, their siblings were aware of their existence and had been looking forward to the day they’d meet.
Their reunion happened the week after saving Draken. Cyrus took Astoria and Emmett to Windlewade, but Silas refused to join them. What little relief and joy he had at the news of their mother turned to something else the moment he learned he had half-siblings—other than Astoria.
Astoria and Emmett had tried to coax him into coming with them, but he refused curtly. He grew bitter, and he was devastated, mad, and everything else. Finally, they realized it; as the departure of their mother affected him more than the two of them, her betrayal struck him the most too.
He couldn’t bring himself to forgive her.
Their mother had been incredibly happy to see them and devastated when they told her about Silas. She looked heartbroken, but she tried to assure herself that Silas just needed time.
Astoria hoped the same; only, it wasn’t happening. In his last letter, Emmett mentioned that Silas had become withdrawn. He was no longer the charming prince of the court. Instead, he had shut himself off from the world, dividing his time between his room, the training grounds, and the wine cellar. And his father’s relentless criticism wasn’t helping.
The king of Daliston wasn’t yet aware of his former wife’s existence. Astoria and Emmett decided he didn’t need to know, and Silas had silently agreed with them too.
“We should write to your parents,” Cyrus said, his hand gently rubbing over her stomach, sending the butterflies into a wild dance. “They’ll be ecstatic to know they are going to be grandparents.”
“So will your father.” Astoria smiled and cupped his cheek. “He can expect two grandchildren by next year. Joaquin’s is a love match; I would expect nothing less.”
Joaquin married the love of his life only last week.
“Marvelous. Then our daughter—or son—will have a cousin of the same age.”
“Yes, and I should really write to our—”
Cyrus tightened his arms around her. “Oh no, I am not done with you yet.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “It’s time for a celebration.”
“It’s time for lunch , you mean.” She tried to say it seriously, but the corners of her lips trembled. She pushed against him half-heartedly.
“Oh, yeah? Just before, you were saying you wanted to write— oh .” He paused. “That reminds me…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sealed letter. “I picked this up before the meeting started.”
Astoria didn’t have to ask or look at the seal to know who it was from. Only Emmett sent her letters. He would leave them in the tree hole of a certain tree in the Husk Woods that Cyrus had enchanted for their correspondence. Whenever there was new mail, Cyrus would get the alert.
Astoria opened the letter and read it out loud.
My dearest Storie,
Things are not well here. First, I miss you—as always. I wish you were here. You’ve always had this rare ability to help me feel grounded and like myself, the only one I didn’t have to be Crown Prince Emmett for. I know it has been months since you left home, but the truth is that I am still trying to adjust to your absence and get used to it. I miss you so much, little one.
Father is going out of his mind, even more than the last time I told you. If he had been wallowing about how he lost you to his enemy’s hands then, now he is saying that he lost a huge section of his treasury to get you where you are and that he has no benefit from it, not even the alliance. Honestly, I am grateful Cyrus hasn’t made a single move to ally with Daliston. Father doesn’t deserve it after what he did to you. But you should hear him brag about ‘the Emperor his son-in-law’ and ‘the Empress his daughter’ to the foreign dignitaries of the unconquered kingdoms who visited last week. He talked about the two of you as though you were in his pocket.
Amidst this daily madness, there is a new report. We have a thief problem. The victims are noble families. I almost laughed out loud when one of the lords, a victim, presented this in the last meeting. It has been going on for a few years now, I think. Father has ignored this matter before, but this is the first time I have heard of it. At first, the victims were convinced the thief was one of their servants, until someone saw a hooded figure slipping out of a window one time and a balcony another. No one has seen the culprit’s face. The person always wears a mask.
Father wants me to investigate this matter, but honestly, I find it funny how the culprit is targeting only the noble families. So far there has not been a report from the commoners.
I asked Silas if he would like to join me, but he is as withdrawn as always. I wonder if he will ever be back to himself. You should come and visit someday soon, Stor. I know he hasn’t replied to your letters, but I know he reads them. I caught him reading one day, and he wasn’t so pleased. Really, I miss the old him who used to annoy the life out of me. His silent existence is grating.
It feels so good to free myself into a letter. Even in ink and paper, you are the only one who makes me feel like Emmett and not the Crown Prince. Tell me all about your week. Keep the letter as long as possible. I love you millions.
Yours truly, Emmett.
Astoria exhaled. Emmett’s letters made her smile as well as frown—with updates about Silas and his struggles. Why was he doing this to himself? She hadn’t seen him since he and Emmett left Draken almost three months ago. She would visit him soon, and hopefully, the news of her pregnancy would cheer him up a little.
“What’s with the frown?” Cyrus sat down on the bed and pulled her to stand between his knees.
“It’s just… Silas.”
“Do you wish to pay him a visit?” His gentle way of asking made her smile. She nodded. “Then I’ll arrange it as soon as possible. I’ll come with you too.” He pressed a long kiss to her stomach.
Of course, he wouldn’t let her leave his side. Wherever she went, he went too. And wherever he went, he brought her with him. For the last three months, there hadn’t been a day they weren’t together. And Astoria wanted to keep it that way till their last breath.
Besides, Rowan was still out there. As far as she knew, he hadn’t made a move yet. That didn’t mean he had given up. No, he was probably hiding away and plotting his next move. His men, whom Astoria and Cyrus had immobilized that day, were restored to normal and imprisoned in the dungeons to await their trial the following day. However, on the day of the trial, they were discovered dead, and Joaquin suspected they had taken suicide pills.
It seemed they had chosen death to protect their master’s secrets, driven either by unyielding loyalty or the fear of what betrayal might cost them—or their families.
As for the vassal kings, Cyrus stripped them of their titles and sent them and their families to lead a simple life among their people. The citizens didn’t take kindly to them for joining the ploy against the Emperor, and the last time Astoria heard a report, they were being given a truly hard time.
There were no more vassal kings. Cyrus appointed the most faithful among his men as governors over each state and gave them and their families a castle while he put the royal palaces under lockdown.
The empire of Draken flourished, and the people’s love for Cyrus only grew—extending to Astoria as well.
To think how it all started… Astoria sighed.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
She smiled down at her husband, running her fingers through his curls. “I was thinking about you, this, us …”
Cyrus buried his face against her stomach and murmured, “You know, I never thought I would ever…”
Astoria filled in for him. “Get married? Have kids?”
He craned his neck and smiled up at her. “Find love,” he said. “I did know I would get married someday, and I did, didn’t I? You were the ‘threat’ to my throne, and by marrying you, I eliminated that threat and got a wife to produce an heir. That was the plan. But to find love with you…” He shook his head, the smile turning amused, probably thinking back to the early days of their marriage. “I thought it was impossible .”
“And I deemed it impossible to even like you.” Astoria smiled back. “The idea of marriage was a death’s kiss to me, so I never paused to think there would ever be a chance of finding love. But you surprised me with how easy it was to love you.”
Cyrus barked out a laugh like nothing amused him more. “It was kind of hard to get through your shell, I must admit. You were the toughest, most rebellious, stubborn woman I’ve ever met, as well as the most compassionate, kind, and selfless. The moment I discovered that part of you, it was impossible not to fall in love with you. I realized I’d found my rare gem among the rubies.”
She chuckled fondly. “So, I am a rare gem, huh?”
Cyrus’ grip on her hips tightened. “You are my whole wide world, Astra.” He kissed her stomach again and pulled back to look at her with a mischievous grin. “And now it’s time for a celebration.”
She rolled her eyes but smiled. “ No, like I said, it’s time for lunch.”
“Oh, but I am the Emperor, and I say it’s time to celebrate the mother of my child.”
“And I am the Empress. I say—” Astoria broke off as his eyes smoldered. She lost her breath immediately. “It’s time to celebrate,” she finished in one breath.
That was all Cyrus needed to hear. He pulled her down onto his lap and kissed her until all that remained in her mind was him and his lips kissing her senseless. And his unbridled love, which changed her from the arrogant princess that she was into a people-loving Empress.
THE END