Seraphina dragged me before him and held up the infant she had tortured to death, her face bright with triumph:
"I discovered a filthy outsider whoring herself out to your soldiers. This is the bastard she was carrying!"
"I humbly beg the Don to find the wretch who fathered this thing and grind his bones to ash, so the dignity of the Valente name remains unsullied!"
——
Three full years I had carried the child. The old women who read the signs had spoken of strange omens, patterns in the cards that hadn't appeared in generations.
The movements in my womb had grown fiercer by the day, the unborn stirring with signs that its arrival was imminent.
I was lying in bed, preparing for the birth, when a commotion broke out beyond the doors.
"The Don keeps coming here every other day. Today, I'm going to see for myself what precious little secret he's hiding!"
"But, my lady, I've heard that this wing is part of the Forbidden corridor. No one is permitted to enter without leave!"