Chapter 123: Ensnaring Even Women
Rafael wanted to roll his eyes backward. But since he was in the company of so many royal women, he settled for rolling his eyes only halfway.
"Look, you can spot the whites of Sir Ralph’s eyes!" Elowyn added. "The weather is really too hot."
"There are plenty of servants that would gladly hand you a parasol if you asked," Soleia pointed out reasonably. "If you truly find yourself uncomfortable, we have physicians in the castle from whom you could seek advice. You can head back to rest."
A hairline crack appeared in Elowyn’s flawless composure at Soleia’s response. A wiser person would have taken the hint to leave, yet Elowyn continued to persist.
"But I wish to support Orion. Our child would want to be here to witness his father’s triumph in person," Elowyn said, as she bit her lower lip with such deliberate ease that Soleia guessed she must have practiced this expression in the mirror multiple times to deliver the best result.
Once again, her hand purposely brushed against the fabric at her belly, emphasizing the baby bump that seemed to be growing bigger by the day. Soleia half-expected Elowyn to be stuffing herself full of food to make the baby look bigger, or perhaps she tied a basket around her belly to make it jut out more.
Surely babies did not grow this quickly! She chanced a quick look at her sisters to gauge their reactions.
Only someone with a heart of steel could have turned her away, but unfortunately for Elowyn, the only people taken by her act were the two other foreign princesses who arrived with her.
Celestina and Bellaflor merely exchanged politely disdainful looks with each other at Elowyn’s performance. While this woman was the very picture of vulnerability and helplessness, they weren’t impressed. They already had to contend with mistresses occasionally popping up in their own marriages― why would they tolerate one that waltzed right into their midst!