The light from the windows made the many diamonds encrusted in Rosalyn's tiara shine brightly. Her blonde hair had been carefully brushed and curled, while makeup had been applied to her face, making her brown eyes stand out. Her dress was one of the most expensive Mina had ever seen. No wonder Prince Liam fell in love with Rosalyn; she was among the most beautiful women in the entire kingdom. But even behind beauty lay rot and lies, and Mina knew it all too well.
Rosalyn appeared calm as she stood proud in front of Mina, but her brown eyes burned with hatred. "I asked you something, and I think it is common courtesy to answer!" Rosalyn said between gritted teeth when Mina did not reply.
'It is common courtesy not to lie as well!' Mina thought, and for a moment, she wondered what would happen if she exposed Rosalyn in front of everyone. It would be her word against the one of Rosalyn, and no doubt, everyone would think she was lying. Mina was furious with herself for letting everyone believe she had been with other men before Jayden because she wanted to protect her family from a big scandal. Ever since her parents died in the accident, she had tried to live a simple life and not give people any reason to gossip about her. Not that high society needed any excuse to talk about her any chance they got. There had been many nights when Mina wondered why people could not live their lives without trying to critique each word she said or how she dressed or acted in public. And Mina could not stop thinking that maybe Rosalyn had something to do with all the gossiping that started soon after her parents' funeral.
And then there was Prince Liam. She knew he did not love her, but she thought he cherished her as a friend. He was supposed to know her better than anyone, but she had been wrong all along.
Mina glanced at King Baswein, and she hated to see the disappointment on his face.
"I am going to see how Jayden is and what will happen to him," Mina calmly replied, looking at Rosalyn.
"Don't you care what happens to my father? He was beaten because Commander Jayden didn't want to hear the truth about you!" Rosalyn snapped at Mina.
Blood was coming out of the broken nose of Duke Tedric. His jaw was red and swollen, and he groaned with pain. His left hand was twisted at a strange angle. Count Dickman and Prince Liam were helping him until the Fire Mage arrived. Prince Liam took a pillow from a nearby chair and placed it under the Duke's head.
"Of course I do! But I also worry about Jayden!" Mina replied.
The Duke babbled something, and the King ordered the guards to close the doors.
"I am sorry, Mina, but I would like you to remain here until your uncle is healed. As for Commander Jayden, the Fire Mage will see him, but I am afraid he will stay in prison for the time being. Anyone attacking a noble is subjected to a trial and a punishment," the King said calmly.
Mina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought that from the moment Jayden received the title of Baron Ruxman, he also became a noble."
"He might be the new Ruxman Baron, but at least two years must pass so that Commander Jayden can be considered a nobleman. Once the two years have passed, he can have his piercing removed and choose a family crest if he does not like the one the Ruxmans have had for generations. That's why he will be judged as a bastard and receive a punishment fit for attacking a duke," the King said.
Since Mina had a private tutor who came only once a week to teach her, her knowledge of the kingdom's laws was limited. "What will Jayden's punishment be?" she asked the King.
The King looked at her with sympathy. "Well, I can't say until a trial is held."
Duke Tedric tried to speak, but Jayden had hit him hard, and no one could understand what he was saying; Mina was sure his jaw was dislocated.
"He either gets exiled for five years or gives up on the title of Baron," Rosalyn said. "And it is all your fault that Commander Jayden is being punished. If you had kept your legs closed, then—"
"Rosalyn!" Prince Liam said, Rosalyn's cheeks turned pink.
Mina always tried to reign in her anger when it came to Rosalyn, but no matter how much Mina tried to be calm around Rosalyn and not give her any reasons to make nasty remarks, Rosalyn did that on every occasion she got. "Keep insulting me, and one day I will stop caring about the family name!" Mina said as calmly as she could as she looked at Rosalyn. What even Rosalyn saw in Mina's eyes made her pale and take a step back. Mina's eyes went to the King. "What good is the title of Baron if Jayden is still considered a bastard, even if he has a family name? I know what he did was wrong and he should not have hit my uncle, but as the man that saved this kingdom from destruction, he should not be thrown in jail because he tried to defend me!" Mina said in a cold tone.
Before the King could say anything, Count Dickman spoke, "A woman should not talk back like that to a man. The moment you become my wife, I will make sure to correct your bad conduct!"
Mina snapped her head in his direction. "I would rather die than let you touch me! And I am already married to Jayden!"
The upper lip of the Count twitched as if he was angry. He looked at Mina as if he wanted to punish her for speaking her mind. "Well, that bastard won't be your husband for too long. Once the trial takes place, and he loses his title as a Baron, your marriage will be void since the man you married to does not exist! And then you will become my wife and give me the heir I desperately need!" the Count said, malice reflecting in his eyes.
It was not the first time Mina saw evil in someone's gaze, but it was the first time she saw pure malice and wondered what the Count would be capable of doing to obtain what he wanted. And she prayed she never found out.
Prince Liam frowned. "I have been listening since all this started, and while I am disappointed by Mina's decisions, she is married to Commander Jayden, and the Water God blessed their union. More than that, they consumated the marriage, and she might be carrying his child! If that is the case, even if he gets stripped of his title, she won't become your wife!"
If Mina made the others believe she was pregnant, maybe she could save Jayden from the trial.
"Truth be told, my monthly cycle is late," Mina said while looking at the floor, her cheeks turning red. She knew a plant that delayed a woman's cycle. She only needed to get a hold of it and make tea from its leaves.
When no one said anything, Mina looked up only to see Rosalyn grip her dress so hard her hands trembled. Even the King looked taken aback while the Count's left eye twitched.
A few minutes passed, and no one said anything. Mina was sure her problems would end the moment everyone thought she was pregnant with Jayden's child.
"Are you sure it is the Commander's child?" Rosalyn asked.
"Rosalyn! I think you have insulted Mina more than enough!" the King said.
Prince Liam blinked as if he was taking into consideration what his wife said.
Rosalyn pretended to be ashamed and even said a weak 'I am sorry,' but Mina knew Rosalyn was not being honest.
The doors opened, and the Fire Mage entered. A man was behind him, and Mina recognized both of them—Timothy and Hugo.
The Fire Mage rushed to heal Duke Tedric while Hugo went to Mina and put his palms on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked, and she shook her head. "What in Beliar's name is going on here?" Hugo asked angrily as he hugged Mina.
"Can’t you see our father has been beaten so badly he almost died?" Rosalyn asked.
Hugo watched how Timothy was healing his father. "He appears to be in good health. Now, does anyone care to explain why servants were gossiping about Mina?"
"Apparently, Mina is not the person we thought she was," Prince Liam replied.
Hugo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You should have more consideration for our father and not Mina! She had been with other men before she married Commander Jayden. She told our father she was going to help the Fire Mages, but in reality, she was doing other things," Rosalyn replied. "When father pointed out the sort of person Mina is, Commander Jayden beat him up. And now he is in jail because of Mina and will be judged for what he did!"
Timothy finished healing Duke Tedric. "I have known Mina for some time, and she always came to the Fire Church to help the other Fire Mages and me. If she was seen in the company of other men, they were probably Fire Mages or persons who needed help."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Hugo asked.
"Mina was not a virgin when she married, and now she is claiming to be pregnant, and I am afraid it is not the child of that bastard. Too little time had passed since she got married. Our family will be mocked because of her! Imagine when you will want to choose a wife! No one will want to be associated with you because of Mina!" The Duke sounded very angry as he spoke.
Mina peeked at her uncle. His beige shirt had blood on it, and his hair was tousled. But it wasn't the blood or his hair that caught Mina's attention, it was the way he looked at her, as if he wanted to throw her to the wolves, making Mina swallow hard.
Hugo ran his palm over Mina's arm, trying to comfort her. "I personally tied the ribbon around Mina's waist because I knew she was still a maiden the day she married Commander Jayden."
"I had heard rumors about her at the port, and everyone present agrees that Minerva had been with men before she got married," Count Dickman said. "But despite that, I was willing to marry her! But now that she is carrying the child of a bastard, I am no longer interested!"
"Even if Mina weren't expecting a child, she would still not have become your wife since she is legally Commander Jayden's wife!” Hugo said to the Count before he looked straight into the King's eyes. "Mina grew up running around the Royal Palace. You have known her from the day she was born, and yet, because of some rumors, you believe it was her." His eyes went to the Prince. "I thought you were her friend, but I see I was wrong!" He looked around the Throne Room. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves for treating Mina and Commander Jayden the way you did! If Mina is indeed pregnant, the child can only be the Commander's!"
"You might be my son, but you are a fool!" Duke Tedric said to Hugo. "Mina is the same as her mother—whoring her way into men's beds! If she is heavy with child, it happened before she married!"
Mina stopped breathing. "What did you say about my mother?"
"Tedric!" the King said.
"Father!" Hugo growled.
"She was a whore just like you!" Duke Tedric snarled. "She tricked my brother and got into his bed before they were married! You were born six months after the wedding!"
"You are lying!" Mina accused Duke Tedric.
He arched an eyebrow. "Am I? Why do you think you were never invited to balls? Because no one wanted to associate with the daughter of a whore! I tried my best to teach you to be a decent woman, but you are just like any other gypsy!"
Mina did not want to believe what her uncle said about her parents. She was sure he said it out of spite, but as she looked at everyone's faces, she knew it was true.
She got away from Hugo and was about to run from the Throne Room when Hugo caught her arm, pulled her to his chest, and whispered into her ear, "Don't let my father see how hurt you are by his words. Turn around and look into his eyes while you show no emotions! Later, when you are alone, you can scream and cry. But don't show him any weakness!"
Mina did as Hugo said and straightened her back before looking at her uncle. "I don't know what happened between my parents before I was born, but I know they loved each other very much! As for my child, Jayden is the only man that ever touched me!" she said and was glad her voice was steady.
"We can find out how long Mina has been pregnant with the help of the Fire Mage!" Prince Liam said.
Before Mina could warn Timothy, he touched her, his mana entering her body. The Fire Mage frowned. "She can't be with child because she is still a maiden!"
***
A short update - I am not sure if I let anyone know I was dealing with a burnout, anyways I am better. Second, I finished Rain&Ashes, so now I have more time for WH and FH. I plan to work on WH daily and FH once every two days - this does not mean I will have new chapters daily, but they will drop by faster! Shackled is in the process of editing before I add more chapters. I think this is all. Well, now the chapter. Enjoy!
PS. If there are any mistakes, sorry. I will fix them as soon as I find them.
PSS. Frozen Heart 1 and R&A are being edited and getting ready to be published on paperback and ebook(only FH will be in ebook format + paperback) with extra scenes and stuff.