Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 304: Violet: Who Shoulders the Blame?

6 November, 1348. Westerhaven Palace, Islia.

Violet trailed her parents into King Edward’s presence chamber. She already felt exhausted by the carriage journey from Orravalo to Westerhaven Palace. The howling autumn gales had rocked the carriage without pause. She’d been forced to request the carriage stop several times so she could be sick along the side of the road.

Having to sit between her silent parents during the journey had been its own special kind of punishment. Violet didn’t know what troubled her more - the grim determination on her father’s face or the ambitious gleam in her mother’s eyes.

The moment the Thierres had arrived at the palace’s grand entry courtyard, they’d been met by two stewards who quickly and quietly ushered them inside. They were lead directly to the king’s presence chamber in the southern wing.

Violet supposed she was fortunate her case was being heard there and not in the more public grand hall.

Unless it was because the king and queen were trying to keep the shame of it all from becoming public knowledge and sullying their own son, she realised. The secrecy wouldn’t be because they cared one bit about the name of a poor duke’s daughter.

As Violet walked inside the chamber meekly, she felt like a lamb to the slaughter.

King Edward sat on his carved and gilded chair, looking as grim as an executioner. Violet felt her belly twinge with fear when his gaze landed on her. The king had always seemed to her an aloof and cold man but now he looked absolutely terrifying. He stared at the entire Thierre family as they entered, as if they were a swarm of filthy rats.

Next to her, Violet heard Lady Thierre give the tiniest of gasps.

No wonder even Lady Mother’s nervous. The king doesn’t look like he’s in the mood to grant us even the smallest mercy.

Next to him sat Queen Celia, face pale and eyes rimmed red. Violet didn’t miss the way the older woman glared at her, as if everything was her fault.

No, Violet thought dully. This entire disaster is not all my fault. I caused some of it, yes. But the rest of the blame should be shouldered by your precious son, Your Majesty.

Speaking of the precious son...Leo stood a little off to the side, looking extremely awkward. His shoulders were slumped, so different to his usual overconfident stance. His eyes were shadowed.

When he looked at Violet briefly, his gaze was blank but she saw traces of what looked like grief on his face.

We’ve both lost a person who was better and sweeter than either of us deserved, Violet realised with a thud in her chest.

Lord Thierre stepped forward and bowed deeply before the royal couple. "Your Majesties, we thank you for agreeing to see us so urgently. We humbly beg for your assistance regarding our beloved daughter."

Violet almost laughed out loud at being referred to as beloved.

"Our sweet girl Violet is with child and claims with confidence the father is your own son, Crown Prince Leo." Lord Thierre continued. "If this is true, we beseech you for help. Not just to protect our daughter’s good name but also for the sake of the innocent little soul."

Father sounds so convincing, it’s almost possible to believe him, Violet mused. But then, who wouldn’t sound convincing when trying to leach from the crown?

King Edward raked his icy gaze over Violet, as if he could see her pregnancy just by looking at her. "Is that so, girl?"

Violet bobbed her head slightly, clenching her hands into nervous fists at her side. "Yes, Sire. I’m not proud of my actions or my situation but I beg for your help."

At the king’s side, Queen Celia shifted. Violet could tell by the look on her face, that the woman was determined to fight tooth and nail against any allegations that tainted her boy. That meant she’d be likely to fiercely oppose any kind of alliance with the Thierre family.

"There is no proof Leo had anything to do with this pregnancy, husband. It’s her word against his." the queen argued. "Who knows who else this girl has been unchaste with? She may just be using him as an excuse for her own poor behaviour-"

"And that’s why we’re all here." King Edward interrupted his wife coldly. "To get to the bottom of this unfortunate situation and discover the truth. Though judging by the guilty look on your son’s face, madam, I have a fairly good idea already of what the truth is."

The king glared briefly at his son, who in turn cowed like a fearful pet before his master. He then turned his stern face back to Violet.

"You’re sure this is Leo’s child you carry?"

"Utterly sure, Sire. I’d be willing to swear it at an altar if needed." Violet replied.

"How many times did you lay with my eldest son?" His voice was low yet frigid.

"Only once."

"And do you remember when that was?"

"During the autumn progress. It was the night the court lodged at the Earl of Rhie’s estate." Violet hated how her voice came out as a terrified whisper. She kept her eyes firmly downcast.

"See! She could’ve deliberately tried to sneak into some other man’s room that night and be blaming Leo-" Queen Celia tried to interject but stopped when her husband turned to face her. One look at his dark, furious face was enough for the queen to abruptly shut her mouth.

King Edward turned back to Violet. "Had the two of you made arrangements to meet that night?"

She nodded. "Leo, err, His Highness told me it was too risky to meet on nights when the court was in tents or lodging in small manors. He said the Earl of Rhie’s estate was very large, large enough for me to be able to sneak around and reach his bedchamber without being discovered."

"I see. But if the estate was so large, how did you know you’d be able to find the right bedchamber?" the king fired back at her.

Violet breathed out slowly. It was humiliating enough having to relive the details of her behaviour in front of her parents. But the king inferring that she’d just wandered around Bentworth Manor looking for any bedchamber to sneak into like a common whore, enraged her.

She gave King Edward a brief, hard stare and then replied, "His Highness arranged for me to receive directions to his allocated bedchamber. His page, Alexei, drew a map for me. It showed with arrows how to work my way from the central dining hall to Prince Leo’s room, at a set hour."

"Alexei? That scrawny dark haired runt?" King Edward narrowed his eyes to frosty blue slits.

Violet nodded, feeling her parents’ stares weighing on her. "The boy Alexei also facilitated other...encounters between your son and I."

"I thought you said you’d only lain with Leo once." Queen Celia hissed, eyes blazing. She was clearly determined to catch Violet in a lie and discredit her as a lying slut.

"That’s the truth, Your Majesty. But the prince and I met several times before that in his presence chamber at his instruction for other...other intimacies." Violet tilted her chin up at her former mistress. That foolish old woman would have to accept that her boy was no angel. Quite the opposite.

Queen Celia’s face reddened. Violet felt Leo staring resentfully at her as well.

But what did she care?

She’d already fallen as far as she could fall, lost everything and everyone she had to lose. She could fall no lower. Her only, only, saving grace was that she carried the next heir to Islian throne in her belly. Violet could only hope the king and queen saw enough value in that to not destroy her.

Or worse, send her back to Orravalo.

"So you lay with our son under the Earl of Rhie’s roof, then." the king continued. "Which other men have you lain with?"

Violet saw the outrage on her father’s face and he opened his mouth as if he’d try to defend her. Before he could, she replied firmly, "None. I’ve only been with one man in my life, Sire. That’s Prince Leo, that one time. I was a maiden before that. I gave His Grace my most precious gift because I thought he cared for me. But afterwards, he told me that life was a banquet and he’d be a fool to only taste one dish. He said he was done with me because there were other dishes available to him."

"What a charming analogy. True poetry." King Edward sneered and then turned to look at his son. "Is this true, lad? Did you say such a distasteful thing to the girl?"

Leo flushed red and his nostrils flared in anger. "Father, this chit is trying to entrap me. She’s-"

"That’s not what I asked. Did you or didn’t you say those words to her after you lay with her?" The king’s voice was slow and steely as he emphasised every word.

Leo didn’t reply. He just hung his head.