The King's Beloved Queen

The sharp clink of my silver spoon hitting the floor was swallowed up by the music of the New Year's Eve ball.

I looked down. My fingertips were ice-cold.

Queen Bellareyna Wilhelmina leaned toward me, worried, one hand resting lightly on her pregnant belly.

"Celeste, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"

The floating comments kept scrolling before my eyes.

[The heroine is amazing. Her fake pregnancy looks totally real.]

[The heroine has it rough too. The king promised her a lifetime of monogamy, but after three years without a child, the court and the royal household have been putting pressure on her.]

[Exactly. That's why nothing can happen to the side character's baby.]

I looked up and met Bellareyna's clear, gentle gaze.

Three years ago, when I got pulled into the novel The King's Beloved Queen, the story had already ended.

The king and queen had just gotten married, and the king swore he would love only Queen Bellareyna for the rest of his life.

As for me, I became the evil side character barely mentioned in the book—the woman who schemed her way into marrying Darius Lewis, the young general of the Northern Defense Army, who was hopelessly in love with the heroine.

But I never followed the original plot.

Using modern medical knowledge, I stopped an epidemic at the border. With modern management techniques, I restructured the estates under the general's household.

Most importantly, this body had incredible fertility. In three years, I gave him a son and a daughter.

Eventually, even the cold young general softened toward me.

When I got pregnant for the first time, Darius knelt in front of the family altar for an entire night.

When he came out, his eyes were red, and he pulled me into his arms.

"Celeste, I will never betray you. Not in this lifetime."

But now, for the sake of his beloved adopted sister, he was plotting against me and the child in my womb.

"Celeste?" Bellareyna called again.

I forced a smile. "It's nothing. I just dropped it."

Darius walked over from the party and casually put his hand on my shoulder.

"Tired? I'll take you home."

His palm was warm, just like it always had been.

On the ride home, I leaned against his shoulder and pretended to sleep.

But my mind went back to the palace gala eight months ago.

That day was Bellareyna's birthday, and the king and queen threw a big celebration.

After drinking a glass of wine Darius handed me himself, I got dizzy and sick. He helped me to a side room to rest.

When I woke up, I was already back at the general's estate, lying in my bed. Darius was asleep next to me, his clothes a mess.

He said, "Celeste, you had too much to drink last night…"

And I believed him.

Now that I think about it, that drink, that secluded side room, that night I thought was just drunkenness—every detail reeked of careful planning.

"Celeste?" Darius whispered.

I opened my eyes and realized he had already carried me out of the carriage.

Snow was falling on his shoulders, and he had a soft, gentle look on his face.

"You're exhausted today. I'll take the day off tomorrow and stay with you."

I nodded, but inside, I felt colder and colder.

That night, I woke up suddenly with a sharp pain in my stomach.

Next to me, Darius was fast asleep, mumbling, "Bellareyna… don't be scared. I'm here. You'll have the baby, I promise."

Moonlight came through the lattice window, lighting up the worry lines between his brows.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed and walked into the yard.