Chapter 10

Five months had passed since Lois was locked inside the pitch-black room of Beta Barbara’s mansion. She was never allowed to see the light of day, except for the rare occasions when Lady Barbara risked sneaking her out into the city—quiet visits to libraries, modistes, or other women’s amusements, always paid for with heavy discretion.

Beta Barbara would never allow a silly mistake to ruin his schemes again. He made sure Lois remained locked away, unseen and unheard. And if he ever found out that his young wife helped Lois sneak out, he would not take it lightly.

Lois’s eyes brimmed with tears. The room was dark, grim, suffocating. A full week had passed in that unbearable darkness since Beta Barbara placed extra guards at her door, making it more of a prison cell than a room.

She endured because she had no choice. For her unborn child, she would bear it. Still, her belly had grown alarmingly large for just five months of pregnancy. She wondered why. Each day the private physician would come to examine her, but never explain. She asked questions, begged for answers, but was silenced. She wasn’t treated like a mother—she was treated like a breeder, a vessel. Her body wasn’t hers. That was the “deal.”

The rattle of keys scraped against the lock. Her pulse jumped. The physician was here again.

But this time, a man walked in. A male physician. He carried a box and wore a smirk that made Lois’s blood run cold.

Her eyes widened in alarm. “Where is the female physician?” she demanded.

“How about a little pleasantry first, lady?” His grin twisted, full of perversion, as he stepped closer.

Lois’s tone snapped sharp with venom. “Are you deaf? I don’t give a fuck about your pleasantries. Tell me why you’re here and not the physician!”

“Ohhh, fiery,” he mocked, raising his hands in mock surrender as he set the box down. His vicious aura clung to the room like rot. “Calm down. I’ll tell you.”

He leaned in, lowering his voice. “The previous physician broke her contract’s boundary. She had to be… removed.”

Lois’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? It is only proper for a woman to attend me. This is maternity!”

“Bitch.” His voice snapped like a whip. “She defied Beta Barbara. That’s why he never told you what’s happening in your body. You’re here under a deal. So shut your mouth. Your body is a tool now. And I can access it.” His snarl burned with rage.

Lois’s breath stilled. Intimidation clawed at her chest as he opened the box aggressively, pulling out acupuncture needles and strange, sharp instruments—things that looked less for care and more for dissection.

“Lie back. I’m going to inject this to calm your nerves,” he said.

Her eyes flared. Before she could resist, the needle sank into her arm. Her body numbed instantly.

“And now,” he sneered, “we’ll continue with abdominal examination. And measuring the size of your uterus.”

Lois tried to rise, to scream, but her body wouldn’t obey. She was paralyzed.

Her voice shook, calm only by force. “Why did you do that without my consent?” Inside, she burned like a volcano ready to erupt.

“Because,” his smile twisted darkly, “you are not yours. For now, everything done to you is assumed to be for the child. Even if I decide to fuck your tight cunt.”

Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs. A suffocating unease pressed her body into the bed. She couldn’t move her legs. His gaze slithered over her like a serpent about to swallow its prey whole.

He leaned down, fingers trailing from her lips to her jaw, forcing her to face him.

“You’re completely under my domination. Remember, this is all for the child and—”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Lois screamed, eyes blazing, voice breaking the air like glass.

“Shut your mouth, or I’ll paralyze that too,” he hissed. With sickening ease, he spread her legs apart. She couldn’t resist. She couldn’t fight back.

His bulge pressed hard against his pants as his hand caressed her thigh. Tears blurred her vision, her chest convulsing with silent sobs.

And then—the door flung open.

Lady Barbara swept in with another woman at her side.

“What is the meaning of this?” Barbara’s voice cracked sharp with authority.

“I—I was merely doing my job…” the physician stammered.

“Your job?!” Lois shouted, raw with fury and tears. “Your job is to take advantage of me, you wretch?!”

Barbara’s eyes narrowed. “Your ‘job’ is to indecently touch a vulnerable woman?”

He bristled, defensive. “How do you expect me to work if I can’t touch her? Besides, Beta Barbara hired me. Not you.”

“Inappropriate. Unacceptable. You are a physician, not a beast,” Barbara snapped. “And Beta’s command could also be mine. Step out of line again, and I’ll have your head slayed.”

His eyes widened in shock. Slowly, he stepped back, returning to his professional facade. The examination continued under Barbara’s hawk-like watch until he left.

As the drug wore off and Lois regained control of her body, she broke into sobs on the bed. Barbara sat beside her, wrapping her arms gently around her trembling shoulders.

“You need distraction,” Barbara murmured. “Come with me. There’s a new modiste in Hale. Let’s visit.”

It was risky—but Lois longed for fresh air, for anything beyond these suffocating walls. She nodded through her tears. “I’m in.”

She dressed quickly in an elegant waist gown that flattered her swelling belly. The fine fabric clung gracefully, trimmed with lace and ribbons, making her look both maternal and refined. A velvet veil concealed her face, ensuring her identity stayed hidden. Five months of confinement had erased her from the city’s memory, but her portrait had once been plastered everywhere. She couldn’t take chances.

The carriage carried them to Hale. The new modiste was grand, bustling with nobles. Racks of silken gowns shimmered, seamstresses stitched tirelessly, attendants flitted about.

Within moments, an attendant greeted them warmly. “Welcome, my lady. Please, follow me to the VIP section.”

Barbara smiled. “Of course.”

But as they entered, Lois froze.

Sandra stood there with three palace maids, laughing as they tried on gowns.

“You didn’t tell me the king’s consort was here,” Barbara muttered darkly.

The attendant bowed nervously. “Forgive me, my lady. She was invited by the owner. She is… the Lady of Hale now.”

Resentment surged in Lois’s chest, tears stinging her eyes. The woman who had stolen everything from her stood there basking in luxury.

Barbara leaned close. “We should leave. Now.”

But Sandra’s voice cut sharp across the room. “Who are they? Do they not know to walk up to me and show courtesy?”

Barbara stepped forward quickly, tugging Lois behind her. “I am Viscountess Barbara. A pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Sandra’s eyes narrowed. “And why is that woman veiled?”