로그인Ayla KorrThe room they gave me wasn’t luxurious.But after the cell, it felt like it was.There was a narrow bed with clean sheets, a small table, a high window through which the last bit of daylight entered, and a basin filled with clean water.I stopped in the doorway for several seconds.It was strange how things so simple could seem almost absurd after weeks without them.At least the door was made of wood, without bars.That was the first thing I noticed.The second was the food.I was finally able to eat something decent.There was soup, bread, fruit.I stared at the tray for a while.My body was starving, but some part of me still expected someone to appear and take it away.Caelan pulled over a chair and sat near the bed.“Eat.”I looked at him, letting out a brief smile.“Are you planning to sit there and watch me?”“I am.”“How irritating.”He laughed.I picked up the spoon and tasted the soup. It was simple, but warm.With the first spoonful, my stomach seemed to remember
Ayla Korr“I think it’s only fair that Vesper take the same test.”This time, the silence that fell over the hall didn’t feel like surprise.It felt like discomfort.Some people looked away. Others looked directly at Vesper, as though my question had opened a door that, until that moment, everyone had preferred to pretend didn’t exist.She remained beside her father, completely still.The hand that had been resting over her stomach slowly tightened around the fabric of her dress. Her fingers sank between the pale folds, and for a second her expression lost all of that carefully constructed softness.There were no tears, no fragility, only fear.Lord Hale noticed before anyone else and immediately stepped forward.“That is completely unnecessary.”The speed of his response almost made me smile.I tilted my head slightly.“Of course it is.”His eyes narrowed.“My daughter is not being investigated for adultery.”“No.” I glanced briefly at Vesper before looking back at him. “She’s only c
Ayla Korr“Maybe this isn’t the only child in this room whose paternity should be questioned.”For a moment, no one reacted.Vesper was the first to change.The hand she kept over her stomach tightened around the fabric of her dress, her fingers almost disappearing between the folds. Her eyes widened and immediately went to her father.Lord Hale stepped forward.“Be careful what you’re implying.”His voice came out low, but there was something in it that made me realize I had touched exactly where I shouldn’t have.I tilted my head slightly.“Funny. A few minutes ago, questioning the paternity of my child seemed perfectly acceptable.”A murmur passed through the Council seats.Vesper took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.“There is no comparison between the two situations.”“Vesper.”Darian said her name as a warning.She fell silent immediately.He still seemed shaken by what I had just said about my child. His face remained tense, his eyes far too dark, and I could see
Ayla Korr“We need to find out who the father of this child is.”Darian reacted before anyone else had the chance.“What exactly are you implying?”His voice cut across the hall with such force and indignation that some of the conversations beginning to rise died immediately.I could see how his presence made everyone take a step back, but Lord Hale did not retreat.“I’m not implying anything... I’m simply pointing out the obvious.”Darian stepped forward, his fangs becoming more visible as he spoke.“The obvious is that this child is mine.”He said it without hesitation.I looked at Darian. He seemed completely convinced of it, entirely opposed to any theory that contradicted him.There was no maybe for him, no room for doubt.“Ayla is my wife,” he continued, staring at Lord Hale. “We spent two years trying to have a child. The fact that it didn’t happen before doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen now.”“Darian...”Vesper’s voice sounded low through the hall, and he didn’t even look at he
Ayla Korr“Ayla Korr is, very likely, pregnant.”I stood completely still, as if rooted to the floor, simply staring at the healer.I had heard every word. I knew what he had said. Even so, my body seemed incapable of keeping up with it, as if my mind had understood first and the rest of me needed more time.Pregnant.My gaze slowly lowered to my belly.There was nothing different there. No visible change, no proof that justified the way the entire hall seemed to have stopped because of me. Even so, I brought my hand to the fabric of my dress, almost too carefully, as if touching it might undo everything.A heavy emotion rose through my chest.I wasn’t prepared.I had imagined hearing that word so many times that now, when it was finally happening, I didn’t know what to do with it.I felt my eyes burn. I tried to take a deep breath, but the air came out strangely, accompanied by a small laugh I didn’t even recognize as my own.“By the Goddess...”That was all I managed to say.Caelan
Ayla Korr“Prove it.”Lord Hale’s words transformed the entire hall.Until that moment, I was still the woman they had just sentenced to death. Suddenly, everyone was watching me as if my body had become the only thing that mattered in that room.The healer didn’t argue.He set his case down on a nearby table and began taking out small bottles, cloths, and instruments I vaguely recognized from other examinations.That alone was enough to bring back a feeling I knew far too well.I sat when he asked for a chair to be placed in the center of the hall.I didn’t want to look at anyone.Even so, I could hear them.“This again?”“After all these years without managing to...”“How convenient that she turns up pregnant now.”A low laugh came from somewhere behind me.I tightened my hands over my lap, and Caelan moved closer, forming a barrier between me and them.“Don’t listen to them...”I looked at him.“That’s a little difficult.”He crouched until he was closer to my face, a calm but some







