Chapter 392: Sharing Him
Deep and dark emotions welled up in my chest and then my temple started to throb in pain. I didn’t want to believe that something like this was about to happen to me and the prince. Most of all, it hurt me so much to be reminded that I was responsible for all the pressure that Prince Leonard was facing. Since the prince had always been by my side and had helped me with virtually everything, even offering Selena a second chance at life, I felt even more devastated when I realized that there wasn’t anything that I could do for him. Even that one thing that I was supposed to be able to do, I had failed so miserably and so publicly. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me and I knew that they were looking down at me.
They didn’t just doubt my ability to conceive, they were certain that there was no way that I could become pregnant within three months. Although they had framed it as giving me one last chance, I knew that it wasn’t a chance at all. If anything, it was a chance for them to pin the blame on me that I was the one who had failed to deliver on my end of the bargain when the three month mark arrived.
“Can I have more time?” I asked in a shaky voice.
“How much time do you think you will need? Haven’t we already waited long enough?” One of the committee members asked quite sternly.
I had already known since before I opened my mouth to ask for more time that my request wouldn’t be granted.
“We don’t want to be harsh on you, but you do realize that we have already waited for such a long time. On top of that, we’re not sure if waiting any longer is going to necessarily change the outcome,” another member of the committee explained while trying to sound reasonable.
I hated it even more that his words seem to make sense to me. I could see things from their view and also understand their desperation. In the end, it was my fault for failing to conceive and he was right that the outcome might not change even if they were to give me more time. I hated the fact that if I were in their shoes, I would probably have decided to do the same thing.
“Even if Prince Leonard decides to keep you by his side, we cannot have him shrinking from his duty. It is clear that you have failed to conceive, and because of that we need to make sure that the prince starts to mate with other women again,” another member of the community jumped in to explain.
“If you ask me, I think that it is more than good enough already that we are allowing the prince to have his way and continue his relationship with you,” the head of the committee surmised seriously as he stared at me from his seat.
“That maid losing Prince Darius’s child was unfortunate and only adds more pressure to the situation. We can’t wait any longer,” another man commented with a disappointing shake of his head.
I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I realized that his words had angered me because he had disrespectfully and insensitively referred to Selena. He probably had no idea just how devastated Selena was after losing her child so suddenly. I wish that I could say that there were many things that I could say in my own defense or words that I thought could dissuade them from the decision that they had arrived at.