The King's Lover-Chapter 506: Who Is The Father?

"Come with me," Caius ordered Rylen as soon as dinner was over.

Rylen didn’t ask questions; he knew exactly what this was about, he had also heard the news. He simply said, "Yes, Your Majesty," in response to Caius’s orders.

Rylen was not sure how to react. He had tried to find something in Caira’s expression, but she wouldn’t look at him; she completely ignored him.

If she were pregnant, was he the father, or was it Caius’s child? Rylen felt as though his head might explode. He could guess that Caius felt the same way he did, if not worse.

Rylen stood up from his seat, and for a moment he feared his legs might fail him, but they didn’t, and he exited the dining hall alongside Caius.

The King didn’t say a single word as they walked down the path, but his emotions were palpable. The air around them fizzled with tension that was as loud as the thoughts in his head.

They finally reached the confines of the King’s private study, which was dark except for a dying candle on the King’s desk.

The room was a perfect description of how he felt. Rylen felt as though he had been plunged into a dark place, and his only light was dying.

Caius slammed the door shut, and Rylen jerked at the unexpected loud sound that forcefully pulled him out of his head to face reality.

Caius was furious. He was surprised the King had been able to hold himself together until dinner was over. This was not the time to hear such news, not when Rose had just left him.

"She is pregnant!" he yelled. His voice was so loud it pierced Rylen’s eardrums.

"She is unsure," Rylen whispered. He didn’t know what else to say. He could understand Caius’s anger.

Caius sighed and walked towards the desk. He sat down and buried his head in his palms. "What if she really is pregnant?"

Rylen slowly stepped forward. "It changes noth—"

"That’s not the point. With a child on the way, she has no reason to leave. You say you’re working on it, but I don’t see anything. At this point, I am about to have a problem on my hands. You’ve only succeeded in making things worse."

"I can’t force her to choose me," Rylen replied.

"Of course not, but you can drug me and prepare me on a platter to hand to her. Do you have any idea what would happen if Rose were to find out there is a child involved?"

Caius wasn’t one to panic, but for the first time in his life, he was truly stumped. How did things keep getting worse and worse?

"We don’t know if the child is yours or mine."

"Which is precisely the problem! She can decide to do as she likes. She was willing to let you drug me and bring me to her room. Do you think she would refuse the opportunity to have another hold?"

Rylen couldn’t say anything. The King was right.

"Exactly what I thought. Why didn’t you just speak to me?"

Caius leaned back in his seat and pressed the sides of his head. He could feel it ticking, as though it was on the verge of coming apart, and Rose wasn’t here to make him feel better.

He missed her terribly, and in some way, he was slightly relieved she wasn’t here. Hopefully, he might be able to clear this mess before she returned but what if he couldn’t?

"I’d say the child is mine. It doesn’t matter whose child it is."

"It matters, Rylen." Caius lifted his head and glared at his cousin. "It’s not as simple as you want to paint it."

"What do you suggest I do, then?" Rylen asked, just as frustrated.

"Now you want to ask me?" Caius yelled and slammed his palms on the desk, enough to shake the table.

"I apologize, Your Majesty. I don’t think I can apologize enough. It was never my intention to make things complicated for you."

"Are you sure? Because it certainly doesn’t seem that way." Caius’s tone was filled with immense sarcasm.

"I will do anything to correct this error."

"You should have thought about this beforehand."

Caius touched his forehead. Yelling about it wasn’t getting him anywhere, but he couldn’t even think properly, and the lack of sleep made it so much harder for him to keep his emotions in check.

He wanted to smash the walls and set everything ablaze. It was times like this that he wanted nothing more than to bury his head in her bosom. It wasn’t even sexual; just having her around him had a calming effect.

"Find out if this is your child or not." Caius didn’t dare say mine. "And better pray to the heavens that the child is yours. Leave me."

Caius waved his hand dismissively at Rylen without waiting for his response. He didn’t care for what else his cousin had to say. He couldn’t stand the sight of him right now and wanted to be alone.

Rylen bowed and slowly exited while Caius leaned back in his chair. There was no point thinking about it, as he had no solution to the matter, but he couldn’t think about anything else—and how this was likely to affect him and Rose.

What am I to do?

Caius finally forced himself out of his seat. He didn’t know what time it was, and he feared it was nearing midnight. He didn’t think he was going to fall asleep, but he couldn’t stay in his dark study any longer.

The candlelight had long died, and mosquitoes buzzed in his ears every once in a while. He was exhausted both physically and mentally. Caius didn’t think it was possible to have a worse day. His father’s death and burial hadn’t felt this emotionally taxing.

He dragged his legs as he made his way up the stairs to his room, not caring that he could hear his footsteps. Erasing the sound of his footsteps was one of the many things he had learned while he was with the mercenaries, as one of their many tactics was to move around without being noticed.

Caius frowned. It didn’t feel as heavy to think back on his past, and he wondered if it was because he had told Rose about it. Caius felt his heart squeeze again.

Would I ever be able to think about her without this acute pain?

He got to the top of the stairs, and his eyes landed on the door of her room. Almost as though it beckoned to him, Caius walked towards the door before he could stop himself.