The plane ride home was nothing short of miserable for Elysse. Liam convinced she contracted some sort of stomach illness, while on their honeymoon. Once they arrived home, she was ushered to the royal chambers and a palace doctor had come to visit her. Elysse played him like a deck of cards, waving him away with a prescription of ginger ale and rest.
After her second nap of the day, she finally managed the strength to get up. Finally done with being sick, she wanted to get out. Get some fresh air. A soft knock on the door pulls her out of her thoughts, as she changes in her closet.
“You may enter, but I am changing in my closet and will be out in a moment” Elysse calls out
“I’ll wait out here then” Hana calls back
“Oh, Hana! Get in here and zipper this for me please!” Elysse calls out, chuckling lightly
The doors to the royal chambers open and close, Hana appearing in the closet a moment later.
“Hi” Elysse smiles “Would you mind?”
Elysse turns so her back is facing Hana, who steps forward to zip her dress. She manages to get the zipper halfway up before she begins to tug harder.
“I can’t get it up, it seems stuck” Hana says through gritted teeth
“It’s fine. I’ll wear pants” Elysse sighs
“Are you alright? Could they have brought you the wrong size?” Hana asks
“I am a bit bloated, probably from being so sick” Elysse blushes “I would just like to get some fresh air”
“Elysse…” Hana says slowly, her eyes glued to Elysse’s stomach “Are you…pregnant?”
“No!” Elysse snaps, before placing her hand on her forehead “I’m sorry Hana, I don’t mean to snap at you that way”
“There is a lot going on, I understand. I’m sorry, you just look…pregnant” Hana says, her hand placed gently on Elysse’s forearm
“I just haven’t been feeling well” Elysse says softly “Hana, you know you’d be one of the first people I’d tell outside of Liam”
“Of course I do” Hana chuckles “Would you like me to walk with you?”
“No, I plan to go down to the gardens. I’d like to pick some blueberries” Elysse smiles “Let’s do lunch soon”
“Yes, I just wanted to welcome you back.” Hana smiles “I’m actually meeting my mother for lunch soon”
“Really? How has she been?” Elysse asks, buttoning her pants, sighing in relief they at least fit
“Tolerable” Hana laughs “But better than she was before.”
“Hana, I’m so glad” Elysse smiles
“I’ll be off, enjoy your blueberries” Hana grins
“I fully intend to” Elysse smiles back, pulling Hana into a quick hug
Hana turns and leaves Elysse’s closet, as Elysse slips her feet into a pair of shoes. She picks her cell phone up off of her nightstand, tucking it in her pocket as she exits the royal chambers. Her guard follows behind her, as she makes her way through the palace, stopping in the kitchen for a basket.
“Good Morning” Elysse smiles “I’d like to pick some blueberries, are they ready?”
“Good Morning, Your Majesty” A man in a chef’s uniform smiles at her “Would you like a bowl to collect them in? They’ll need a good rinse after you pick them”
“That would be nice, thank you” Elysse smiles as the mans dries his hands and walks into a pantry before emerging with a large, stainless steel bowl
Elysse takes the bowl, thanking the chef one last time before she heads out of the kitchen and onto the grounds. She opens the gate to the garden, greeting the gardener as she makes her way down rows of fruits and vegetables. Finally, she comes across a bush almost six feet tall full of dark blueberries, perfect for picking.
As she begins to pick berries and drop them into the large bowl, Drake comes up from behind the bushel, startling Elysse. Her eyes wide at him as her guard, Julian, steps closer to her.
“Julian, would you wait for me outside of the garden” Elysse says over her shoulder
Julian nods, eyeing Drake before walking away. Once he is a fair distance away, Elysse resumes picking blueberries, Drake’s eyes burning a hole through her.
“Are we going to talk about that phone call?” Drake asks, her cheeks tinted pink “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“I was drunk” Elysse scowls “Just forget about it”
“You weren’t drunk. You think I don’t know how you sound when you’re drunk?” Drake scoffs at her
“You don’t know everything about me” Elysse says dryly, dropping more berries into her bowl
“No, but I know you” Drake says, stepping closer to her
His fingers land on the side of her chin, tilting her face towards him. He leans in, his face mere inches from hers.
“What’s going on with you?” Drake asks
“N-nothing” Elysse croaks out, blinking tears away
“Fine. Don’t tell me” Drake says, his hand dropping from her face “Welcome back”
He turns, leaving just as quick as he came. Elysse feels a wave of nausea hit her as she sucks in a deep breath of air. She steadies herself, forcing herself to concentrate on the task in front of her. She makes her way down the bushel, filling the bowl with blueberries before she heads back to the palace kitchens. The chef gone, Elysse walks to the sink. The water is cold as it splashing against her hands, Elysse finds a large colander and fills it with the blueberries. Turning them over through the cold water as dirt runs down the sink.
“Hey you” A pair of hands sneak around her waist
Elysse drops the colander, spinning around as she splashes Liam with water.
“Sorry!” She laughs, grabbing a towel and drying his face
“It’s alright” Liam chuckles, pressing his lips to hers “What’d you go pick?”
“Blueberries” Elysse smiles softly “Can you join me?”
“I can, I cleared the rest of my afternoon” Liam grins
“Go sit at the counter” Elysse instructs
Liam kisses her again, before he turns and sits at the counter. Elysse dries the blueberries, placing them in a clean, ceramic bowl as she turns and sits at the counter with Liam.
“How are you feeling?” Liam asks
“Much better” Elysse smiles, popping a blueberry into her mouth “I think the plane ride made my stomach more uncomfortable and once I rested, I felt back to my normal self”
“That’s great to here” Liam smirks “You picked a good batch of berries too”
“Thanks!” Elysse smiles, both of them falling into a comfortable silence
“Anyways, I was hoping we could spend some time alone…” Liam says softly, his eyes dark
“Oh did you?” Elysse asks “What did you have in mind?”
“We could take these with us” Liam motions to the blueberries before standing up and walking over to the fridge “Maybe even some whip cream?”
“Liam!” Elysse laughs as she walks the bowl of blueberries over to the open fridge
Liam chuckles, picking up Elysse as he carries her through the palace and back up to the royal chambers. Once inside, he places her on the bed, the whip cream placed on the nightstand. He kneels down in front of her, pushing up her shirt and tugging at her pants. Elysse lays back on the bed, only her bra on as Liam kneels over her. His lips trailing down her neck, past her chest and over her abdomen.
Before he moves further, he stops and looks up at Elysse. His hand on her lower belly, his eyebrows furrowed together.
“Your stomach is so hard here” Liam says softly “Have you been so sick because you’re pregnant?”
Elysse pushes herself up on her elbows, her eyes wide as she stares back at him.
“I haven’t taken a test…” Elysse says softly “I don’t know”
“Are you late?” Liam asks “You should take a test, wasn’t your doctor here this morning?”
“Yes, but I told him it was just food poisoning, because that’s what it was” Elysse says firmly
“We can leave the doctor out of it for now…” Liam says softly “But would you take a test?”
“Y-Yes…” Elysse whispers, her heart pounding in her chest
Liam stands, buttoning his shirt again as Elysse stands and pulls her clothes back on.
“There are probably tests in the bathroom” Liam says “If there aren’t, I can find you one”
“I’ll check” Elysse says as she slowly makes her way into the bathroom
She opens the cabinet doors under the sink, a box of unopened pregnancy tests staring her back in the face.
“No need, I’ll be out in a minute” Elysse sighs heavily, closing the bathroom door
She didn’t necessarily have to go, but her nerves got the best of her as she emptied her bladder. Elysse sets the test on the counter and washes her hands, praying it’s negative and she really is just sick. But before she’s finished drying her hands, two lines show up in the test window. Two very, very dark lines.
“Fuck” Elysse whispers, picking up the test “Fuck, fuck, fuck”
She opens the bathroom door as tears stream down her face, Elysse holds up the test for Liam to see. His eyes widening as he scoops her up in his arms, spinning her around as tears spill down his face too.
“Elysse…” Liam says softly, kneeling down in front of her
He presses his lips to her stomach, but it only makes her sob harder. She drops the test, her hands resting at either side of his face as she tries to calm down. Deep down she knows it’s not his. It’s Drake’s. They just returned from their honeymoon, their wedding night barely a week ago. It was impossible it could be his. Despite how badly she wanted it to be.
“Would you excuse me?” Elysse sniffles, her hands lifting to wipe her face
“What?” Liam asks, standing back up
“I’m so happy, I just feel like I need another woman to tell” Elysse says “You know? I’d like to go find Hana”
“Of course…” Liam says, grabbing a tissue to dry his face
“I’ll be back, I promise” Elysse smiles, hurrying out of the royal chambers
She does her best to contain her sobs, dipping into dark corners when a noble approaches. She isn’t going to Hana, but seeing as Hana stayed at her duchy, it seemed perfect. Drake was on the way. She runs out of the palace, making her way towards Drake’s cottage on the estate.
Elysse doesn’t even knock, flying into his home as he shoots up from the couch, a bewildered look on his face.
“I am high on adrenaline and my hormones are driving me crazy” Elysse cries out “But I need you to know, I am pregnant and it is yours”
“What? Are you sure?” Drake asks
“From the bachelor, bachelorette party” Elysse sobs “The free pass Liam gave me, the night we spent together.”
“We only spent the night together, how is it the one time we have sex, you get pregnant?” Drake asks, slowly approaching her
“I don’t know. But it happened and now I am a Queen carrying the child of someone who is not her King or husband” Elysse cries “What am I supposed to do now? He’s so happy”
“Liam knows?!” Drake asks, his eyebrows lifted high on his face
“Yes, I just ran here to tell you” Elysse sobs, dropping onto her knees “I’m so stupid. Oh my God. I’m so stupid”
Drake slowly kneels down onto his knees in front of her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he pulls her into his chest. Her fists slam against his chest as she sobs loudly, Drake holding her close as she feels his chest quickly rise and fall.
“What are we going to do?” Drake asks
“We?” Elysse asks, lifting her face to look at him
“Yes, this is our baby. What are we going to do?”
“Drake…” Elysse says softly, wiping her face “I am married to Liam”
“And that is my baby you are carrying” Drake snaps, before shaking his head “I don’t know why I expected you to want to be with me”
“Drake…it’s not that easy” Elysse says
“No, it is. You just refuse to do anything to hurt him, even at the expense of hurting me” Drake says coldly, looking behind Elysse
“Is it true?” Liam says, standing in the doorway
Elysse slowly stands and turns to face him, tears filling her eyes once more as she moves towards him.
“The free pass I gave you with Drake…” Liam says quietly “You got pregnant that night?”
“It would seem so, yes” Elysse siffles “Liam, please”
Liam looks between Elysse and Drake, his eyes full of heartbreak as he sits down at Drake’s table. He runs a hand through his hair, sighing before he looks back at Elysse.
“We will have to figure something out” Liam says, his face flushed
“What do you mean?” Elysse asks
“Drake, are you in love with my wife?” Liam asks, his cold gaze turning to Drake
Drake tilts his head away for a moment, nothing but silence between the three of them, before Drake looks back to Liam.
“Yes” Drake says firmly “I am in love with her even more knowing that she carries my baby”
OH MY GOD NOOOOOOOOO!! Darn it, darn it! No please, that can’t be happening. This is not true. Oh my god, Liam, I’m so sorry… oh my what will happened next? what will Liam do? Did she still in love with Drake? Did they will be going together? I’m really curious!