Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 326: Violet: Do Without Me

One of the guards picked Sancia up and carried her to the bed, mindful to not step in the blood. He laid the crying girl down carefully. Sancia immediately turned onto her side and curled herself up into a ball, arms wrapping protectively around herself.

"Fetch two of my maids! Tell them to bring cloths and ewers of clean water." Violet snapped at the man. To the second guard she said, "Bring Tession, the king’s old healer at once. Tell him to hurry, that there’s a woman with child bleeding."

Both guards bobbed their heads and ran out of the room.

"It’ll be alright, it’ll be alright." Sancia was whimpering to herself as sweat had started to bead along her hairline. "It has to be."

"We need to take your gown off." Violet said to her. "Can you try to sit up so we can unlace you?"

With a groan of pain, Sancia let Violet help her to a sitting position. Violet unlaced the back of the dress. She glared at their mother until Lady Thierre reluctantly stepped forward to give her a hand pulling the gown up and over Sancia’s head. Left in only a bloodstained chemise, the girl immediately curled back into a ball, shivering pitifully.

There was no way to hide the grim reality of the situation when the two maids showed up. Ignoring the shock and horrified curiosity on their faces, Violet quickly grabbed a cloth from the hands of one. She dipped it in the cool water and used it to wipe Sancia’s face.

The girl was still on her side, whimpering against the pain that was rolling through her. The bright red blood staining her chemise and the bedclothes beneath her made it abundantly clear what was wrong. Still, Violet didn’t want her sister to be visual fodder for gossipy maids. She hastily pulled a blanket over Sancia’s lower body.

Violet leaned down and spoke into her ear. "Sister, the king’s healer is on his way. He’s a very wise old man so you must do whatever he says and take whatever remedies he gives you. Even if they taste awful. Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m telling you?"

Sancia nodded eagerly. "He’ll make me all better, won’t he? Me and my baby."

"Um, Sancia..." Violet’s voice trailed off as she grew lost for words. How did the silly young girl think her pregnancy could still somehow be salvaged? Violet had suffered a miscarriage herself a few years ago, only a few months after little Edward had been born. She knew that the pains and heavy bleeding before her eyes now, weren’t good signs.

Still, she reasoned it was better for Sancia to hear the truth from Tession. She’d be more likely to listen to a healer than her sister.

The old man rushed in a few moments later, carrying a battered leather satchel over his shoulder. Violet quickly ordered the guards and maids to leave the bedchamber, making sure to shut the door behind them. If bad news was going to be delivered to Sancia, there was no need for it to happen in front of an audience.

Tession carefully peeled back the blanket to see the mess of blood, his face carefully blank of any shock. He felt for Sancia’s pulse and peered under her tongue. After asking her to lay flat on her back, he began gently pressing on different parts of her belly. Sancia groaned in pain.

The old healer then started rummaging around the leather satchel, until he pulled out a small vial full of some kind of dark powder. He examined it for a moment. When his eyes met Violet’s, she sent him a question with her gaze. Tession quickly shook his head.

Violet bit her lip in quiet acknowledgment.

It was as she’d suspected. Sancia’s child couldn’t be saved.

Looking at the entire messy situation objectively, she realised that it was possibly the best possible outcome. Certainly the simplest.

The royal family would think so, at least.

Still, Violet told herself, it would be hard news to break to any woman. Let alone to a scared young girl who wouldn’t even have a caring mother to rely on.

"My lady, I need to place these herbs under your tongue." Tession’s voice was kind as he shook some of the strange looking powder onto his palm. "They’ll taste very bitter but you must endure it until they dissolve. They’re to help your blood to clot more quickly."

Sancia opened her mouth obediently, face screwing up in disgust at the taste. A little while later, she sat up to drink a vial that Tession explained would help strengthen her.

"You’re going to feel very weak and fatigued after losing so much blood." he explained gently. "From what I can see though, the bleeding has slowed down quickly. That is a very good sign."

Sancia nodded vigorously. "Oh, good! I can still go to the banquet hall for dinner tonight, can’t I? I just won’t dance." She looked across the room at Lady Thierre as she lay back against the pillow and said, "Mother, I think you’ll have to help me wash and dress."

Violet felt her mouth hang open in shock at the words.

Was her sister that slow, or just in complete denial? Who would ever be worried about dinner and dancing immediately after a miscarriage? Did she really not understand what had happened to her?

Tession looked at Sancia, also dumbstruck, then cleared his throat awkwardly before he replied. "My lady, there will be no leaving this room tonight for you. I recommend you stay in bed for at least another day, perhaps even two. You’ll be very weak and need to eat plenty of meat and fish to recover your vigour."

Sancia pouted at that and crossed her arms in disappointment.

"The good news at least is that from what I can see, your ability to conceive again in the future should be unaffected." Tession said gently, trying to sound encouraging.

Sancia’s already pale face turned a chalky grey. "What do you mean, in the future? I’m still with child!" She pushed herself up slowly into a sitting position again.

The old man’s face looked genuinely pained. "I’m afraid not, my lady. That child is gone, but as I said before-"

"No, no what you said before is that I stopped bleeding quickly!" Sancia’s voice began rising. "That means my child is alright! Doesn’t it? Tell me I’m right!"

"I’m sorry but-"

"No! Tell me I’m right! I can’t lose it!" she continued shouting. "This child is my only guarantee out of poverty. I can’t afford to lose it!"

"For heaven’s sake, Sancia! Stop deluding yourself. It’s gone and you must accept it!" Lady Thierre snapped at her. She had been standing against a wall the entire time, lips pressed into a thin line and observing everything taking place in cold silence. "There’s no point pretending otherwise. You must now live with the consequences of what you’ve done."

"What I - but what have I done? I didn’t do anything, Mother! Are you blaming this all on me?"

Lady Thierre hissed her reply. "Who else if not you? It was your responsibility to care for the child in your body, little fool. The lowest of peasant women can manage the business of carrying children. Why can’t you?"

"What are you talking about?" Sancia shrieked in outrage. "This was all your idea! You think I wanted to lay with those silly, immature boys? But you told me it needed to be done!"

Violet exchanged a knowing look with Tession. So it really is true, she thought. Sancia targeted the princes all along, with our mother’s blessing. I’m not even surprised anymore.

"I did everything right you asked from me, Mother!" Sancia continued to rail. "I must’ve started bleeding because you always insist on lacing my gowns so tightly!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Don’t be ridiculous!" Lady Thierre shouted back. "You’re the one who stays up late every night dancing with any man that looks your way! I won’t let you pin your loss on me-"

"Tession, surely you must have a sleeping drought you can give my sister to help her rest?" Violet butted in and began rubbing her aching temples. The last thing she needed to hear was her mother and sister arguing about who had let down their side and ruined their grand plans.

She turned towards the bedchamber door.

"Sister! Where are you going?"

Violet sighed, her head throbbing. "To continue my duties and attend to my family. You can’t do anything but stay in bed today. So, rest."

"But I need you with me!"

Violet looked at her sister and then at her mother. Two anxious faces stared back at her. "You don’t need me when you have our mother here. Such a comforting presence, she is."

Lady Thierre gave her a thunderous look. "You can’t leave now, Violet. Do you realise thisloss weakens your position as well? You must do your duty to your family and-"

"I have no duty."

"How can you say that-?"

"I have no duty here because I have no family in this room. You wanted nothing to do with me when you were sure you’d succeed. You’ll have to do without me now that you’ve failed." Violet’s voice was devoid of emotion. "And your failure has no impact on me. I’ll remain the Crown Princess and you’ll go back to being nobodies in Orravalo."

She walked out of the bedchamber, ignoring their protests and slamming the door shut behind her.