Chapter 7

Arissa gave a faint nod.

Louis had just left when Nicola requested in a coquettish voice, "Arissa, I want to ride a horse."

Arissa frowned. "You're pregnant. You shouldn't ride a horse."

"But His Highness asked you to take care of me." Nicola smiled innocently. "Arissa, how could you disobey His Highness' order?"

Arissa remained silent for a moment before stepping forward and taking hold of the reins.

Nicola got on the horse and suddenly gave a hard kick to the horse's belly.

The horse reared up in pain and neighed loudly.

Nicola let out a cry of surprise and fell heavily off the horse.

"Ah. My baby..."

Chaos erupted.

When Louis returned, the blood from the white fox was still not dry.

The imperial physician tremblingly reported, "Miss Mullery broke a bone. Fortunately, there is plenty of medicine available recently. The baby is safe."

Nicola suddenly woke up in time. Tears streamed down her face as she grasped Louis' sleeve. "Louis... I know Arissa dislikes me, but she... she shouldn't kill our child."

Louis' eyes darkened. "What do you mean?"

"As soon as you left, Arissa forced me to ride a horse. How could I ride a horse in my condition? She wouldn't even help me hold the reins. She even... stabbed the horse with a needle." Nicola cried tearfully.

Louis abruptly looked at Arissa. His eyes burned with fury. "I said the child must be unharmed."

The imperial physician hurriedly knelt. "Your Highness, I beg you to see the truth. We were all present. It was Miss Mullery who..."

Louis interrupted sharply. "Silence. Arissa, go outside and kneel for a full day and night to ask for forgiveness."

From beginning to end, Arissa did not utter a single rebuttal. She only asked him one question. "Your Highness."

She looked up suddenly. "Is it the child who must be unharmed, or her... who must be unharmed?"

Louis froze.

She did not wait for an answer. She smiled, straightened her back, and knelt amidst the snowstorm.

The moment her knees touched the ground, her old wound tore open with pain. That illness stemmed from her kneeling in an ice cave for 3 days and 3 nights during their exile, begging for medicine for him.

He had a persistent high fever, and she knelt in the freezing snow for 3 days and 3 nights to obtain medicine for him. His eyes reddened as he kissed her knees repeatedly. "Silly girl... how could you be so foolish..."

She was indeed a fool. She was a fool back then, and she was still a fool now.

When the king returned from hunting, this was the scene he witnessed. Arissa knelt in the snow, her face paler than the snow itself, while his beloved son held Nicola and fussed over her.

"Outrageous." The king roared and immediately summoned Louis and Nicola. "Is this how you treat Arissa?"

Louis remained expressionless. "Father, the rules of the Crown Prince's residence cannot be broken. She is the Crown Princess, and she nearly caused my future concubine to miscarry. She should set an example."

The king snapped, "Who told you she's your Crown Princess?"

Louis looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

The king was in disbelief. He turned to Arissa. "You haven't told him?"

Arissa lowered her gaze and was about to speak when Nicola suddenly screamed and fainted.

Chaos erupted again. Louis picked up Nicola and hurriedly left without glancing back at Arissa.

The king sighed and helped her up. "You've suffered. The Northania delegation will arrive the day after tomorrow. You..."

Arissa simply shook her head. "Your Majesty, I didn't suffer."

Once she left him, she would not have to suffer anymore. From then on, better days would lie ahead.