Chapter 6

Zemora's POV

"I was told you begged to replace your sister, even though you knew your chances of survival was very slim," the queen mother asked as we walked out of the library.

"Yes ma'am," I replied, hoping the question wasn't going in the direction I suspected it would go.

"May I ask why?" she asked, stopping in front of something that I would call a garden of some sort.

I couldn't possibly tell her the truth, that I wanted to get rid of Aaron because he was having an affair with my sister.

"I love my sister. I can't watch her die, ma'am,” I responded, looking away from her and fixing my gaze on one of the warriors.

That felt dry in my mouth, and I thought she might figure out I was not telling the truth.

She looked at me for a while, "So you intend to die in your sister's place?"

I had this feeling that she was interrogating me, and I wasn't comfortable at all, because there was something about her. Her son was too intense to read in between the lines, but she was calm, too calm, like she had all the time in the world to dissect each syllable.

"I don't intend to die, but if it comes to that, I'd die for my sister, gladly," I lied flatly. This time my eyes was directly on her.

She sighed, "Okay," she said, and I thought she was done with her questions until she proved me wrong. "One more question, Zemora. Why were you looking for the witch?"

I swallowed hard, but I knew it would be unwise for me to lie this time around.

"I heard she might be able to help me conceive for your son."

She smiled, it was breathtaking, and for a moment I just wondered if she was the one that gave birth to that monster I'm married to.

"Do you know how many ladies have died so far trying to conceive for my son?" she asked.

"I didn't ask for the numbers, so I don't know," I answered but the truth is I'd rather not know, yet the feeling that she was about to tell me gnawed at me.

"Thirty six ladies have died so far, unable to conceive. Each lasting up to one month."

“I took a deep breath, I can't die in this place, I don't even belong here,” I muttered under my breath.

“Do you want to know what they all have in common? What they all did even though they didn't know or meet one another?"

I decided to take a guess, "None of them went to the witch," I blurted out, feeling proud of myself.

She chuckled, then nodded, "All of them went to the witch, and yet they all died, everyone of them."

My breath hitched. What the fuck? Here I was thinking my chances of survival would increase by going to the witch. Perhaps the queen mother is lying to me, it was hard to tell at this point. But I'd still try anyways.

"You might not believe me," she said as though reading my mind, "but you're free to try and see if it works."

Then she turned to leave but paused, without facing me, "There is one more thing they all had in common," she paused, allowing the word to sink in before resuming, "None of them came to see me. Do not make the same mistake they did Zemora, unless you truly want to die."

With that, she walked away and I watched in astonishment, completely bewildered.

Is she trying to help me? But why is she trying to help me.

I don't trust her, but it won't hurt to to play sideways. Meet the witch secretly if possible, and then hear out what the queen mother had to say.

I sauntered back to my quarters, before I get into any trouble with any of the Dragonites.

The stares I got from some of them as I walked was enough to set my body on fire or drive a knife to my heart, if eyes could speak.

But why did Larissa tell me about the witch, if she couldn't help. Something was not adding up.

"Do you need anything ma'am?" one of the maid asked, "Not really, just get me Larissa now."

"Right away, ma'am," the maid bowed and left.

I sat down on my bed, sighing but not out of relief, it was out of a new tension brewing inside me.

I have 25 days more to come up with a way to get pregnant, and the Queen mother's words kept playing in my head.

Thirty six women died just like that, and no one thought to check the king himself to know probably if he was the one that was infertile, unable to impregnate a woman.

My eyes widened, that's a possibility I'm sure I wasn't going to overlook.

But what if someone doesn't want the King to conceive and is working tirelessly to make him infertile, while the whole world was focusing on the women he breeds with.

"You called for me, ma'am," Larissa said, cutting me off from my philosophical thinking.

"Yes, I did, please lock the door and sit down," I instructed, my voice low.

She obeyed promptly, went towards the door and locked it, then she came back and sat on the couch, with her hands clasped together.

"You told me the witch could help me conceive," I asked her, not smiling.

She nodded, "Yes, she has helped couples who couldn't conceive. Infact my sister had issues bearing a child until she went to the witch."

"Has any of her clients that she helped have any link to the King?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

She furrowed her eyebrows as though trying to think or decide if she can tell me what's on my mind.

"Don't worry, you can tell me anything," I assured her, "That's why I asked you to lock the door. So we'd be alone."

She took a deep breath and nodded her head.

But I didn't get, was that a yes or a no.

"I don't understand?" I said as tension flooded my senses so much I drew closer to the edge of the bed.

"She helped some get pregnant," she whispered, "but I think they got killed even with the pregnancy."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "The dragon king killed them?" It doesn't make sense, he wants an heir so why would he kill them if they're pregnant.

"No, not him," she stated, her voice low, "Someone else, someone that doesn't want him to have any heir."

I swallowed hard, my jaws clenching. So there's indeed another foul play here.

"And I think the person is also onto you, to make sure you die if you're unable to conceive, or you die even if you conceive," she added.

Her words hit me hard, I didn't know when I gasped.