Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
AURELIA
Dr. Vincovich confirmed what I already suspected—I was pregnant.
Based on the size of the fetus and the steady flutter of a heartbeat, he dated the pregnancy at just over seven weeks.
It made sense. The nausea that greeted me each morning, the sudden aversion to coffee, the exhaustion that clung to my bones, it all had a reason now.
“I’ll give you prenatal vitamins to take with you today, along with a prescription for more,” he said gently.
“Everything points to a healthy pregnancy. However, you need to avoid stress as much as possible. Your blood pressure is elevated, which explains why you nearly fainted. We’ll need to monitor it closely, and bed rest may become necessary. ”
He hesitated before adding, “That is…if you’re keeping the baby.”
This should have been one of the happiest moments of my life. Instead, it felt as though my heart was being torn from my chest. “I’m keeping the baby,” I said without hesitation. “But I don’t yet know where I’ll be living. I need to speak with His Royal Majesty first.”
The doctor rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Wherever you decide to go, I’ll make sure you’re referred to the best physician available.”
“Thank you.”
Once I was dressed, Tanya escorted me toward the exit. I was surprised to find Fallon waiting just beyond the door.
“Right this way, Dr. Ruzika,” he said. “Their Royal Highnesses are waiting for you in the library. They felt it would be the most calming place to speak.”
Calm felt impossible, but I nodded and followed. Two guards stood watch outside the library doors. Fallon entered first, clearing his throat. “May I present Dr. Aurelia Ruzika.”
The king and queen rose, and instinctively I curtsied.
Queen Irina crossed the room at once, her smile warm as she took my hands. “No formalities here, dear. Those are reserved for public audiences. Please, sit.”
King Alexsandar pulled out a chair for his wife, then for me, before taking his own. “Fallon, please close the doors.”
The moment they shut, my nerves threatened to unravel.
Irina poured me a cup of tea, adding a touch of honey, then placed bread beside it. “This should help settle your stomach.”
My brows knit together. “You…know?”
She smiled knowingly. “There is very little that happens within these walls without our awareness. Your secret is safe with us.”
Alexsandar’s expression darkened. “We once had reliable eyes within my brother’s castle. Recently, communication has gone silent. We don’t know whether Tomas or Dalek turned them, or if something far worse has happened.”
Irina squeezed my hand, grounding me. “Tell us what brings you here, Aurelia.”
So I did. I told them everything. Dalek’s nightmares, his unraveling, uncovering the truth behind his terror, and how close we’d grown in the process.
I spoke of the threats, of being forced from the castle, of the fear that now followed me everywhere.
And finally of the child I carried and planned to keep and the danger we were both in.
“I tried to reach Titan Security,” I said quietly. “Maxim’s contacts. They’d responded back with concerns, but Dalek dismissed them the day I was removed.”
Alexsandar let out a grunt. “I wouldn’t put it past my former sister-in-law to have set things in motion to try and overthrow us. She attempted it once. I doubt death would stop her. She had many people brainwashed to her way of thinking, yet no rightful path to the throne.”
He took a sip of tea and closed his eyes for a moment. “Unfortunately, Dalek’s been provided a loophole, by whom I don’t know but aim to find out.”
Irina leaned forward. “Our son Maxim is coming of age. By law, he must marry to assume the crown of Lovannia by his thirty-fifth birthday. She must be of royal lineage and virtue. Suitable candidates have been found, women he is willing to meet. Only our attempts to get them to America, where he’s currently handling business on the crown’s behalf, have proven difficult.
They’re being intercepted by Dalek’s men and forced into marriage. ”
I covered my mouth, panic rising, but Alexsandar was already there with a waste bin. I waved him off, swallowing hard.
“How can this be allowed?” I whispered. “Is there any way to stop him?”
Alexsandar leaned closer, lowering his voice. “We’re trying, my dear. We believe there are spies within the palace. We know this room to be safe, because we had it searched for bugs prior to our meeting.
“Dalek is not acting at all like himself. It’s as if he’s possessed with the need for power. I don’t know if he’s been coerced, hypnotized, or suddenly bought into the fallacy his mother and her groupies were feeding him.”
“He’s definitely not the nephew we’d come to love over the years,” Irina added.
“Enough with all the negative talk, let’s eat. I’m hungry.” The king jested.
The domes were lifted to reveal lightly seasoned chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Relief washed over me; it was something I could keep down.
As the meal ended, Alexsandar’s tone grew solemn once more. “If I believed this palace were safe, Aurelia, I would insist you stay here. But I fear matters will worsen before they improve.”
He met my gaze. “We have another option. A place where you will be protected. We can provide you with a new identity, one that allows you to continue practicing if you choose. Two of our most trusted guards will remain with you at all times. You’ll take only what you need. We will see to the rest.”
Once, I would have waited, hoped, believed Dalek would return to the man I loved.
But years of study had taught me better.
Some minds could not be reached. I retrieved the envelope he’d given me from my purse, setting the prepaid card on the table.
“Dalek gave me this along with some cash as a severance package. I don’t know if the card can be traced.
I’d rather leave it with you.” My voice trembled, but my resolve did not. “I graciously accept your offer.”
That night, under the cover of darkness, I walked out of the life I’d known, my heart breaking from a love that could never be reclaimed.
I would never be the same woman again.
But soon, I would be a mother, and that would have to be enough.
TO BE CONTINUED…
This novella is set to become a full novel, hopefully releasing later this year. It’s the prequel to Maxim’s Needs, book three of DOMS of Titan, and book two in the upcoming trilogy -- A Royal Pain, where Dalek’s story continues and Aurelia’s finishes in book three.