Predatory Marriage — Chapter 102

THIS IS THE ALLEY THAT CAME TO MIND WHEN I SAW THAT OLD MAN BACK THEN.

I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS AND ONLY GAVE A VAGUE DESCRIPTION, YET HE RECOGNIZED IT IMMEDIATELY AND BROUGHT ME STRAIGHT HERE.

HE MUST HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.

...?

MARGRAVE OBERDE...?

UM... PERHAPS WE SHOULD MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE NOW...

P-PLEASE, AT LEAST SPARE MY L-LIFE...!

THEN WHY DID YOU GO LOOKING FOR THE GYPSIES IN THE FIRST PLACE?

WERE YOU THAT EAGER TO DIE YOUNG?

HAH, HUAH, NO!

ABSOLUTELY NOT, LORD ISHA KHAN!!!

I ONLY DID IT TO FIND OUT WHETHER I'D REALLY BEEN BEWITCHED!

COULD MARGRAVE OBERDE'S STRANGE BEHAVIOR AT TODAY'S STATE COUNCIL MEETING HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS?

E-EVEN AFTER EVERYTHING YOU SHOWED ME, I STILL COULDN'T FULLY BELIEVE IT...

AND I HAPPEN TO KNOW A GIFTED GYPSY, SO...

WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT ALREADY?

GOOD EVENING, LORD ISHAKAN.

...SHE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!

I COVERED HER EYES RIGHT AWAY!

THOUGH I-I COULDN'T EXACTLY BLOCK OUT THE SOUNDS...

I'M NOT READY TO FACE HIM YET.

I NEVER IMAGINED WE'D MEET AGAIN SO SUDDENLY...

...I WANT YOU TO HEAD BACK EARLY.

THE NIGHT AIR IS COLD.

WAIT, LORD ISHA KHAN!

ISHA KHAN.

ISHA KHAN...

AT THIS RATE, HE MAY NEVER STOP BEING ANGRY WITH ME.

NOT AFTER THE WAY I LEFT HIM...

A GYPSY GAVE ME A POTION.

GIVE IT TO HAVAN. I'LL HAVE HIM FIND OUT WHAT IT IS.

D-DATES!

...I ATE ALMOST ALL OF THEM.

THEN I'LL HAVE MORE SENT TO YOU THROUGH HAVAN.

...THIS ISN'T HOW I WANTED THINGS TO GO.

I DON'T WANT TO LET HIM LEAVE LIKE THIS...

I WANT TO STAY WITH HIM JUST A LITTLE LONGER...

I MISSED YOU...

I'VE BEEN TRYING REALLY HARD TO RECOVER MY MEMORIES.

SOMETHING CAME BACK TO ME JUST NOW, AND THAT'S WHY I CAME OUT HERE...

BUT HANDLING ALL OF THIS ALONE IS TOO MUCH FOR ME...

LORD ISHA KHAN... NO, ISHA KHAN, WITHOUT YOU...

...WILL YOU HELP ME?

...GO AHEAD.

IS THERE A GYPSY INSIDE THE ROYAL PALACE WHO PRACTICES SORCERY?

THE QUEEN DOWAGER.

...HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN DOWAGER?

IF SERDINA IS A GYPSY, THEN EVERYTHING FINALLY MAKES SENSE.

DID SHE ENTER THE PALACE WHILE HIDING HER IDENTITY?

DID THE LATE KING KNOW AND STILL CHOOSE HER AS HIS QUEEN...?

...I NEED TO MEET COUNT WEDDLETON.

IF SO, HE LIKELY KNEW SERDINA WAS A GYPSY, AND SINCE HE'S HER BIOLOGICAL FATHER,

THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THE SPELL NEVER AFFECTED HIM.

IF I CAN PERSUADE HIM TO REVEAL SERDINA'S TRUE IDENTITY...

IT MIGHT HELP THE PEOPLE IN THE PALACE RECOGNIZE HOW UNNATURAL EVERYTHING HAS BECOME.

THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNT WEDDLETON'S ESTATE NOW.

RIGHT NOW?

OF COURSE, IF WE'RE GOING THERE TO THREATEN HIM, THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IS IDEAL, BUT THIS IS SO SUDDEN...

YOU DON'T WANT TO?

...I'LL GO.

GOOD ANSWER. KEEP COOPERATING WITH ME, LEAH.

I HAVEN'T EXACTLY BEEN IN A GENEROUS MOOD LATELY.

WE'RE MEETING AT THE COUNT'S ESTATE.

THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE I ORDERED THEM TO TAKE CARE OF AS WELL.

...WHAT DID HE ORDER THE KURKANS TO DO?

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO ASK HIM. WHAT HAPPENED TO MARGRAVE OBERDE, WHETHER HE KNOWS WHERE BARONESS SINAEL IS...

BUT THE MOOD COULDN'T BE WORSE FOR ASKING ANY OF IT.

AT COUNT WEDDLETON'S ESTATE...

I HEARD GYPSIES GATHER THERE FROM TIME TO TIME.

...ISHA KHAN.

!! .....

WHY DO YOU KEEP MOVING YOUR LIPS LIKE THAT?

YOU'RE MAKING ME WANT TO KISS YOU...

UNTIL A MOMENT AGO, I WAS TERRIFIED HE MIGHT NEVER FORGIVE ME,

AND NOW A SINGLE KISS HAS ME FEELING LIKE THIS...

MY EMOTIONS HAVE BEEN ALL OVER THE PLACE LATELY.

EVEN SOMETHING THIS SMALL MAKES MY HEART JUMP.

I THOUGHT THE MEDICINAL TEA WAS CAUSING IT BEFORE,

BUT I HAVEN'T HAD ANY TODAY, SO WHY IS IT STILL HAPPENING...?

WHAT IS IT? DOES SOMETHING HURT?

IT DOESN'T HURT... BUT SOMETHING IS MOVING INSIDE MY STOMACH.

I THOUGHT IT WAS THE MEDICINAL TEA, BUT NOW IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN...

I THINK WE SHOULD CALL A PHYSICIAN. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S CAUSING THIS...

COME TO THINK OF IT, I HAVEN'T BEEN EATING PROPERLY LATELY EITHER...

DON'T CALL A PHYSICIAN. YOU'RE NOT SICK.

THEN... IS THIS BECAUSE OF SORCERY?

...DON'T BE TOO SHOCKED.

YOU'RE PREGNANT.

...WHAT?

HOW...?

AFTER THE TWO OF US WORKED VERY HARD AT IT.

SO... YOU MEAN YOU AND ME...?

WHO THE HELL ELSE WOULD IT BE?

RIGHT. YOU FORGOT EVERY DAMN THING.

I FUCKED YOU UNTIL MY DICK NEARLY FELL OFF, FINALLY GOT YOU PREGNANT, AND THEN YOU FORGOT ALL OF IT AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT GOING BACK TO THE ROYAL PALACE.

...WANT ME TO REMIND YOU?

HOW WE MADE OUR BABY.

YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO GO THAT FAR...

YOU WERE THE ONE WHO ASKED ME TO GET YOU PREGNANT.

YOU BEGGED ME SO DESPERATELY TO COME INSIDE YOU BECAUSE YOU WANTED MY CHILD.

SO I MADE SURE TO FILL YOU UP GOOD, TOP TO BOTTOM...

AND YOU FORGOT EVERY BIT OF IT, DIDN'T YOU, LEAH?