Page 212 of A Queen's Game
“What is it you couldn’t wait to share?” The King asked, approaching her and Keyain. Behind, other ministers and noblemen filtered out of the room, many of whom she didn’t recognize.
“I think it’s a conversation better held private, Your Grace.”
“Come on,” Keyain said, gripping her arm and forcing her to walk.
“Marietta, it is not a good look to find you lurking outside our meeting. I think you owe an explanation to all of us here.” The King’s warning was obvious—they all thought she and Valeriya were leaking information, and they just caught her.
She looked to the King, then to Keyain. “I’m with child.”
Keyain blinked. Once. Twice. “You’re what?”
“Pregnant.”
His face went white, his grip on her loosening. “Pregnant.”
“Yes,” she hissed, happy the lie stuck.
“How do you know?”
“If you’ve been around, you would know that I’ve been sick every morning.”
“Excuse us,” he said, ushering her down the hall.
“Do you think it’s his or yours, King Wyltam?” someone asked, causing Keyain’s grip to tighten.
“I guess we’ll find out in nine months,” the King drawled.
Marietta jerked back. He was feeding into the rumors that they were having an affair? Her patience ran out, having half a mind to unload her anger on the King; but Keyain gripped her arm harder. “Don’t you dare.”
She swallowed her anger, letting Keyain drag her out to the Central Garden, away from wandering ears and eyes.
Keyain gestured to a stone bench, having her sit. He stood for a moment, then took a seat next to her, hands scrubbing his face. “You’re pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Well, Keyain,” she said, forming a circle with one hand, holding out her index finger in the other. “When two people—”
Keyain cut her off as she slid her index finger into the circle. “Grow up, Marietta. I know how—I meant, weren’t you taking anything? I assumed you wouldn’t want a child with me.”
“Slipped my mind.”
He glared at her and then slumped back on the bench. “This should be one of the best moments of my life, but all I feel is dread.” He closed his eyes, letting his head drop backward.
“So the King is telling people he and I—”
“No, he isn’t telling. Wyltam is encouraging the assumptions.”
Marietta dug her nails into her hands. Of course he was. Did his sweet words to her mean anything? He had called her his future, and now he fed into the rumors surrounding her affair. A part of her heart began to ache, not realizing Wyltam had found his way in.I’ll take every drop of you I can get. Had he lied?
“I’m getting you out of here.”
“What?”
Keyain looked at her, exhaustion wearing on his expression. “You’re going to our estate on the lands we rule.”
“Our estate? Lands we rule? I thought you were ending our marriage.”
