Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 291: Violet: Unlucky

21 October, 1348. Westerhaven Palace, Islia.

Violet sat in the queen’s presence chamber and watched as a troupe of travelling performers entertained them with juggling and other tricks. Queen Celia was laughing and clapping like a young girl at the acrobatics, so of course the other ladies followed suit.

Violet cared less about the tumbling tricks and more about stifling the nausea roiling through her again. Ever since the terrible night when she’d quarrelled with Prince Leo, nausea had been tormenting her. It was at its worst in the mornings but it continued to ebb and flow during the day.

It was like her own body was reacting to the prince’s callous treatment and making itself ill.

Finally, she couldn’t stand the queasiness any longer. She needed to either find an excuse to leave the room or she was going to be cleaning her vomit off Her Majesty’s fine imported rug. Rising carefully from her seat, she leaned down and asked Queen Celia in a whisper if she could be excused to use the privy.

The queen was so engrossed in watching the performance that she nodded her assent without even glancing Violet’s way.

It cost Violet tremendous effort to walk calmly to the presence chamber doors and slip out. Once she was in the corridor, she began to run with one hand pressed against her mouth.

The moment she reached the privy, her suppressed nausea combined with the stench of the space to make her violently sick. Violet heaved and gagged as her stomach cramped mercilessly. A cold sweat sheened her temples.

She wondered if she could request a tonic from one of the court healers. Surely they would have something to calm her anxious belly?

Stupid girl, she chided herself. What silver would she pay a healer with? And what would she tell him when he asked her about her symptoms - that she was so distraught at having been used and discarded by the crown prince, it was driving her to illness?

"No." Violet muttered as she pressed her forehead against the cold, rough stone wall. "I’ll have to figure this one out on my own. And I will. I just need a little time."

She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. The lingering taste in her mouth was awful.

Just deal with it, she told herself brutally. Hide it all behind your fake courtier’s smile. The queen’s expecting you back any moment.

- - -

The nausea was definitely at its worst early in the mornings.

It wasn’t quite dawn when Violet tiptoed across the quiet bedchamber. She quickly thought about running barefoot to the nearest privy but realised she wouldn’t make it.

Instead, she found herself leaning over the chamber pot in the corner of their room again.

Violet tried to keep as quiet as possible but the intense nausea soon had her retching and shaking uncontrollably. She could only pray it would end quickly and not awaken Ilse, and that she’d have time to slip out to empty the chamber pot -

"Oh heavens, Violet. What have you done to yourself?"

Violet looked up in panic and saw her twin staring back at her from their bed. Ilse’s face was pale with shock.

Violet pushed her messy braids back. "Dinner was too rich last night. It’s a one off-"

"It’s not. You were sick yesterday morning too. You got out of bed very early but I still saw and heard you." Ilse shook her head. "And for days now, you’ve barely touched your dinner."

Violet somehow pushed herself up to a standing position, though she felt lightheaded. "I’m surprised you’ve had the time to observe me so carefully. Haven’t you been too busy dancing with your beloved Prince Leo?"

"Don’t be that way, Vy." Ilse sighed. "You’re in a hell of a lot of trouble and all you can think about is picking a fight with me?"

For a moment, sentimental tears prickled behind Violet’s eyelids at hearing Ilse use her childhood nickname again. However, the moment quickly vanished when she thought about her sister’s other words.

"Wait. Why did you say I’m in trouble?"

Ilse stared at her, her expression half incredulous and half angry. "Seriously! Is this another one of your insults? Are you really that ignorant or do you just think I am?"

"What the hell are you on about? I’ve no time or interest in word riddles!" Violet shuffled over to the bed and sat down wearily. Her belly felt like she’d swallowed molten iron.

Ilse was sitting on the bed as well but a little distance away, as if she were afraid of catching whatever had stricken down Violet. "Who is he?" she asked quietly.

"Who is who?"

Ilse heaved a long sigh, as if she was trying to gather all of her patience. "The man you’ve been seeing."

Violet whipped her head up. "What makes you think I’ve been seeing a man?"

"Because a woman doesn’t end up getting with child on her own." Ilse pressed her lips together disapprovingly. "So who is he?"

Violet stared aghast at her sister. "What mad ramblings are you spouting now? I’m not with child! If anyone should be worried about that it’s you..."

"That’s not true, because I’m still a maiden. Can you say the same though?"

"I...I..." Violet stuttered, starting to tremble as harsh reality seeped into her. Her heart began to pound, then race.

"Are you still a maiden? Yes or no?"

Violet gave a tiny shake of her head. "It was only one time though. Only one time...surely I’m not that unlucky?"

Ilse continued talking in a brisk, practical manner. "And when was your last course? You’ve always been so regular."

It was true, Violet’s monthly courses were so regular she could pinpoint them almost to the day.

When she realised she was several days late, she started gagging again in horror.

It’s impossible. Ilse has to be wrong.

"You can’t let anyone else here know you’re with child or your name will be in tatters. So I guess you’ll have to get a message sent to Mother and Father for permission to retire from court for a while." Ilse sighed. "Better that you leave before Her Majesty finds out and there’s a huge scandal."

This can’t be happening, Violet kept screaming to herself over and over. It can’t be!

In the background, she could hear Ilse’s voice droning on, laying plans to protect her.

And to protect herself, Violet then thought coldly. Being sister to a fallen woman wasn’t much better than being the actual fallen woman.

"Our parents will be furious, I don’t envy you having to tell them! Once you’ve had the babe they’ll probably let you return to court, though. The child will have to be sent to the parish church and raised as a nameless orphan." Ilse’s face darkened. "I feel for the poor little soul but I can’t see how else to shield your reputation."

Only a few days ago, Violet had thought her situation couldn’t become more pitiful. She’d been mocked and rejected by the prince, with the man choosing her twin sister instead.

So how had things now managed to get even worse for her?

Not only would she have to live with Ilse’s glorious triumph of becoming a royal bride, but she’d now have to do it from shameful exile while she carried and bore that man’s bastard child in secret.

Her brother-in-marriage’s bastard child.

Violet stumbled off the bed and towards the chamber pot again, heaving what little there was left in her belly.

"Alright, calm down! You need to be careful or you’ll drive yourself to collapse." Ilse sounded a little panicked. "Do you think you can stomach some ale? I can pour you a cup."

Ale, Violet groaned silently? Who the fuck cares about ale when my life is in ruins?

"I’ll let the queen know you’re unwell again. Let’s hope she doesn’t start asking too many questions about why you’re always ill these days." Ilse leapt from the bed and tugged on a gown. As she quickly started tightening the laces, she looked down at her sister, who was still hunched over the chamber pot.

"Honestly, I can’t believe you’re in this situation. I can’t believe you were so foolish!" Ilse shook her head in disbelief. "When you were the one always - always! - lecturing me about guarding my chastity. About how we need to protect our reputations at all costs. And it turns out you’re the one that couldn’t resist temptation!"

Violet looked up wearily as Ilse continued to prattle on.

"If we can get you away from court quickly, we can tell everyone you’re spending the winter in your childhood home to recoup your health." Ilse was now quickly braiding her hair. "In fact, we can tell everybody your delicate health has always struggled in the coldest months and that the damp air here isn’t serving you well. That sounds plausible, doesn’t it?"

Ilse dashed across the room to her clothing chest and began rummaging through it. She grabbed a veil and circlet, quickly starting to pin the veil to her hair. "By the time you return to court in a year or so, people will have forgotten about your departure. And by then I expect things to be well settled between Leo and I-"

As soon as she heard those words, it was as if a red veil came over Violet’s vision. Everything was draped in a haze coloured by her fury.

Leo. That arrogant son of a bitch.

He hadn’t protected Violet.

She’d return the gesture.