Chapter 3The General's Debt

I couldn’t drink it. Even without a physician’s knowledge, I knew that cold-water crabs were chilling to the womb. To drink it would mean losing my child. Everyone else knew it too, but the Queen had spoken, and no one dared to intervene.

Bria threw herself in front of me, a fragile shield against the inevitable.

I was held down by several guards, their grips like iron, while a lady-in-waiting tried to pry my mouth open.

“My lady is with child and her health is fragile! She cannot drink the soup! I beg Your Majesty, have mercy on my lady!” Bria pleaded, knocking her head against the stone floor until it bled.

“Insolent slave! If you interfere again, you will be beaten to death,” the Queen declared.

My strength was fading. Bria looked at me, her jaw set, and then with a sudden burst of strength, she broke free from her captors. She ran, screaming, to the other side of the feast, begging Lord Kaelan to save me.

A procession of men strode over. Bria rushed to my side, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The situation was clear to all. Before the King could even speak, Kaelan stepped forward, knelt, and shifted the blame onto me.

“Your Majesty, the Queen is kind and generous. This soup, made from the roe of a dozen prized crabs, is a rare delicacy. To offer it was a sign of her great favor. It is Karen who is ungrateful and spurns the Queen’s kindness.”

The King’s eyes were dark pools of ink.

“Oh? Then in your opinion, Lord General, should Lady Karen drink this soup, or not?”

Kaelan glanced at me, his face a mask of conflict. He hesitated, saying nothing.

“No matter,” the Queen said with a sigh. “Lady Karen is with child now, a precious state. I have lost my own child and have no heir to comfort me. If my humble gift is to be wasted, then so be it.”

“Karen,” Kaelan said, picking up the bowl. “You always loved crab. It is a gift from the Queen. You should at least have a taste.”

He brought the bowl to my lips.

“The soup is cold. If I drink it all, the child will be lost. Kaelan, this is your child too,” I pleaded, my voice breaking, each word a drop of blood from my heart.

“You were not raised in fragile luxury,” he said, his voice low. “You are strong. And the palace physicians are the best in the land. A single bowl of soup will do no harm.”

The slaughter of my family, the poisoned draught… my body was a ruin of its former self.

Kaelan’s eyes were filled with guilt, but the spoon he held to my mouth was steady. I knew then that nothing I said would matter. The affection I thought we shared had evaporated like mist.

I wiped away my useless tears, took the bowl, and drank every last drop.

As I drank, I knew that everything was finally coming to an end.