Chapter 8

King Gaius p.o.v

I stayed silent as Hilda proceeded down the hall ahead of me.

I admired the swell of her hips beneath the deep purple gown she wore.

Her gold crown balanced gracefully atop her auburn locks.

I wondered how I had been lucky enough to be betrothed to her.

There were plenty of other kings and princes who would have died to marry such a beautiful princess.

Whatever my father had done to solidify the alliance with her kingdom, I thanked the heavens for.

My only regret was that I hadn't been able to give her a child that was truly hers by birth.

We both adored Isla and loved her to death, but I knew that Hilda craved a child that she had carried inside of her.

We had stopped trying for a baby long ago.

Hilda had gotten pregnant again when Isla was about two years old, but she almost died giving birth to the baby boy who died three days after he was born.

After that, we no longer tried to have a child.

It was very likely that Isla was the only child we would ever b