Chapter 18 Aug 18, 2025 Celeste "I brought you flowers." Renard stood in the doorway of my chambers, arms filled with white lilies. The fragrance hit me immediately-sweet, cloying, and completely wrong. My throat began to tighten even before he stepped fully into the room. "How thoughtful," I managed, though my voice already sounded strained. Hannah moved to take them, but Renard held up a hand. "No need. I'll arrange them myself. After all, a husband should tend to his wife's comfort personally, shouldn't he?" He set the lilies on my bedside table with deliberate care, positioning them so their heavy scent would drift directly toward where I lay. Within moments, my eyes began to water. "Renard," I said carefully, "you know I can't tolerate-" "Lilies? How careless of me." His smile was perfectly pleasant, perfectly cruel. "I suppose I've forgotten so much about my wife's… preferences." I sat up straighter against my pillows, trying to distance myself from the flowers without being obvious about it. "Perhaps we could move them to the window?" "Oh, but they're so beautiful here. White lilies for purity, isn't that what they symbolize?" He settled into the chair beside my bed, making no move to relocate his gift. "Though I suppose symbolism can be rather… ironic." "What do you want, Renard?" "Want? I'm here as a concerned husband, checking on my wife's health after such a terrible incident." His voice carried just the right note of worry for any servant who might be listening. "You're lucky to be alive." "Am I?" "Incredibly lucky." He leaned back in his chair, studying me with those pale eyes that had once seemed so appealing. "It would've been a shame to lose the heir. The kingdom has waited so long for this child." I said nothing, but something in my silence seemed to amuse him. "Of course, there are still so many… uncertainties surrounding this pregnancy. The timing, the circumstances. People talk, you know. They speculate." My throat was closing further, each breath becoming more labored. The lilies seemed to multiply their assault with each passing moment. "Perhaps we could continue this conversation in the garden?" "Nonsense. You need rest. Doctor's orders." He settled more comfortably in his chair. "Besides, what I have to say is rather private. We wouldn't want the wrong ears to overhear." The way he said it made my skin crawl. This wasn't a social visit. This was a negotiation, and he held all the cards. "I've been thinking," he continued, his tone conversational. "About our… situation. About the future. About what's best for everyone involved." "How considerate of you." "I thought you might appreciate my perspective. After all, we're bound together now, aren't we? Whether we like it or not." I forced myself to meet his gaze, though my eyes were streaming from the flower's assault. "What exactly are you proposing?" "A deal. A mutually beneficial arrangement." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "I'll play the loving husband. Publicly, I'll claim the child as my own. I'll protect your name, defend your honor, ensure the succession remains stable." "And in return?" "When the child is born, you disappear." The words were delivered with the same casual tone he might use to discuss the weather. "Far from court. You never claim power. You never interfere. You become what you were always meant to be-a footnote in history." The audacity of it stole my breath more effectively than the lilies. "You want me to abandon my child?" "I want to raise my heir and rule without the complication of a scandalous wife." He shrugged. "The child gets to live. You get to live. The crown remains untainted. Everyone wins." "Everyone except the child, who grows up believing their mother abandoned them." "The child grows up alive, which is more than can be guaranteed if you remain here." The threat was clear, but I needed to hear him say it. "And if I refuse?" His smile was beautiful and terrible. "Then the next dose won't miss." The words hung in the air between us. He'd just confessed to attempted murder with the same casual elegance he might use to order wine. I studied his face-the sharp cheekbones I'd once found handsome, the cold eyes that had never truly seen me, the mouth that had just threatened to kill his own child rather than accept its questionable parentage. "You're threatening to murder an innocent baby." "I'm threatening to prevent a bastard from wearing a crown that isn't rightfully theirs." "And what makes you think your father won't investigate? That he won't discover who's responsible?" "My father is old. Grief-stricken. These things happen during pregnancy-tragic, but not uncommon. Besides, who would suspect the grieving husband?" The calculation in his voice was chilling. He'd thought this through, planned every detail. I let the silence stretch, watching him grow more confident with each passing moment. He thought he'd won. Thought I was just another weak woman who would crumble under pressure. Finally, I spoke. "Let me make something very clear to you, Renard." My voice was steady despite the closing throat, despite the tears streaming from my irritated eyes. "If anything happens to this child-anything at all-there won't be a place on this earth you can hide from me. Not even under your father's crown." His smile faltered slightly. "You think I'm some helpless princess who will fade away when threatened?" I continued. "You're wrong. I've survived your indifference, your cruelty, your public humiliations. I've learned to navigate this court, to be more than the decoration you wanted me to remain." "Céleste-" "I'm not finished." The authority in my voice surprised even me. "You're so concerned about legitimacy? About bloodlines? This child carries royal blood regardless of its father. But if you harm it, I will make sure everyone knows exactly what kind of man you are. I will destroy you so completely that history will remember you only as the prince who murdered his own heir." He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the marble floor. "You're making a mistake." "No, Renard. You're the one making mistakes. Starting with bringing those flowers." I rang the bell beside my bed. Within moments, Hannah appeared in the doorway. "Please remove those lilies," I said calmly. "They seem to have triggered an unfortunate reaction." As Hannah hurried to relocate the offending flowers, Renard straightened his jacket with sharp, angry movements. "This conversation isn't over," he said. "Yes, it is." I met his gaze without flinching. "And if you ever threaten me or my child again, it will be the last conversation you ever have."