Eyes Like The Ocean | A Culled Crown Novella

Chapter 18

Oredison Palace, Gazda.

She was confined to the suite for the duration of her pregnancy.

Malcolm decided that she was irrational and couldn't be trusted, not with the safety of their child—the possible heir to his throne. The Synod agreed. So, guards were stationed inside and outside of her rooms, nearly two dozen of them, at all times.

Of course, if Viera really did want to kill this child, she could do so without even making a sound. The guards wouldn't know until it was over and done. But Viera didn't have any intention of killing this baby.

When the Erydian people found out their queen was in prolonged confinement, the news began to circulate. Of course, Malcolm appeared as the caring, fearful father. Viera was given the role of dangerous, volatile mother-to-be. She was formed into a woman who would easily, and without a second thought, kill her own child. It was a role people accepted without question. And it wasn't like she could leave her rooms to defend herself or explain.

Once again, Malcolm Warwick was writing the narrative and she was merely a character in it. And Viera began to settle into her new role as villain. She hated her guards, largely because they were hand-chosen by Malcolm and they only listened to him. She never hurt any of them, but she did everything in her power to make them very uncomfortable.

No one had really seen what it looked like when she used her ability, so Viera began feigning episodes. She'd sit in her bed and stare for long periods of time at one of the men—just stare. Sometimes, if she were feeling extra creative, she would twitch her fingers just a bit. Their imaginations would do the rest.

It spurred on the rumors, but Viera didn't care.

She was bored senseless.

Malcolm rarely came to see her and, when he did, it was always during a midwife's visit. They would examine her and make predictions about when the baby would be born, but they could never make full predictions on the gender. Malcolm was sure it was a boy and, in some way, Viera hoped he was right.

If the heir were born first, she wouldn't have to be with Malcolm again. But she worried that if it were a boy, Malcolm would certainly have full control of everything. He would raise their son and she would be left alone—just as she had been before. And the Culling would begin again, which Viera didn't want.

In her heart, Viera hoped for a little girl. She had always imagined that her first child would be a girl and, although everything else was different, that hadn't changed.

The midwife always said that the goddess would give them what they were meant to have when they were meant to have it. If the heir was to be born first, then so it would be.

As the months passed, Viera became more and more frustrated with her internment. The large suite felt small and there were only so many things she could do while trapped inside her room—and she was uncomfortable all the time. Her hips hurt and she threw up her food more than she kept it down—but the child was well and safe.

Viera had no idea what Malcolm was doing with her kingdom. Initially, the Synod had met in her sitting room, but as things progressed and more guards began spouting off how she'd attempted to poison them (as if she couldn't have killed them without trying if she'd actually wanted to) the Synod stopped coming.

Occasionally, her sisters would come to the palace and take tea with her. They had heard all the rumors and speculation as well, and while they laughed about what the press was saying, their visits were always slightly tense.

Viera was given one outing towards the end of her pregnancy. At her constant request, the palace housekeeper took her to see the royal nursery. It was a frightening distance away, nearly at the other end of the palace.