Isabella POV

Amelia's eyes continued to be locked onto the barely concealed bump, I could see the gears turning in her head. The shock was written all over her face, and before I could say anything, she started listing names.

"Lord Balstair? No, you always found him insufferable. What about Count Ironena's son? You turned him down too, didn't you? Then there's Sir Reginald, he's always been respectful, but you never showed interest in him either." she just started to spit out random names.

Each name she mentioned was all the suitors and knights I had no interest in. Nobles, royal guards, influential figures...all of them had tried their hand at courting me, and I had said no to every single one. I wanted to tell her to stop, but I don't have an answer that can convince her other than the truth.

"Maybe one of the knights?" Amelia thought aloud as her voice grew quieter as if she was running out of options, "No, you would've never allowed it. And the royal guards? But you rejected them all too…"

I could see the panic rising in her eyes, her need to find a logical answer, to make sense of what she was seeing. Then, as if a new idea had dawned on her.

"I'll bring my brother here." She suggested, "He'll be able to help determine who the father is. We need to know, Your Highness, before anyone else finds out."

I knew what I had to do, even if it meant shattering her expectations entirely.

"Amelia," I interjected firmly to get her attention, "Promise me you won't tell my uncle. Not a word, do you understand?"

"...Of course, Your Highness. I swear it."

"That doesn't sound convincing."

"We might as well tell him now, he'll only get angrier if you tell him later."

I then  took a deep breath.

"It's Boreas."

Her reaction was instant. She gasped so loudly that I thought she might faint on the spot. The shock on her face deepened, her eyes practically bulging out of her head as she was completely unable to process what I had just said. I could see the storm of emotions brewing in Amelia's eyes, the struggle to combine what she knew of Boreas with the fact that he was now the father of my unborn children. Amelia's eyes darted around the room as if searching for some clue that would make sense of the revelation. "

But… Boreas? The two of you never got along in public! You were always cursing each other out, bickering like sworn enemies from the very beginning!" she exclaimed as she gripped my shoulders.

"I know how it looks. In public, we were always at each other's throats, but… it was different when no one was watching. That was just our way of dealing with things, keeping people from digging too deep...and it seemed to work."

"So, all this time… you and Boreas were…"

"Yup."

"How many times?"

"Per night? Or-"

"Ok, you do know that he isn't going for one wife, right?"

"Yes."

"And you let it happen?"

"Yup."

"Oh no..."

"I can't convince you to not tell uncle George, can I?"

"No..."

"Can you at least give me a 30-minute headstart tomorrow?"

"For what?"

"To warn him before my uncle goes for his head."

Boreas POV

I woke up to the sensation of something...no, two somethings clinging to me like leeches. Mari had her arms wrapped around me, her grip tight enough that I could barely breathe. And Jett? Well, Jett was sprawled out across my chest like a big, heavy blanket. Between the two of them, I felt like I was being roasted alive.

"Too hot," I muttered while trying to squirm free.

I gently nudged Mari off me first, managing to loosen her grip. She groaned in her sleep but didn’t wake up. Next was Jett, who was less cooperative. After a bit of effort, I managed to push him off as well, rolling out of bed and finally feeling like I could breathe again. I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my limbs from being stuck in that human sandwich for who knows how long. Still groggy, I grabbed a shirt and pulled it over my head as I made my way to the kitchen, thinking about breakfast. Maybe I could whip up something simple like eggs, toast, and maybe some coffee.

But as soon as I stepped into the hallway, I froze.

Isabella.

Isabella was sitting in the living room, talking with my parents...What? My brain short-circuited for a second. My parents didn’t know her. They’d never met her. How on earth did she even get in here? They should have shut the door in her face even if she introduced herself as my girlfriend. We're in a new house, so my parents are even more wary of strangers. I peeked around the corner, making sure I hadn’t imagined it. Nope, there she was, sitting comfortably on the couch, chatting away like it was the most normal thing in the world. My parents, bless them, looked relaxed, listening to her with polite smiles.

This didn’t make any sense. My parents weren’t the kind of people to just let a stranger into their home, especially someone they didn’t know was connected to me. Then it hit me as some guy snuck up on me and tapped on my shoulder...Sir Wiles. I'd forgotten that this old bat had been living with my parents for a while now. Of course, he would have let her in as he would recognize her.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself before stepping into the room. Isabella’s eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for a second, I swore there was a mischievous glint in them.

“Good morning,” she said sweetly with a tone that was a little too casual for my liking.

“What are you doing here?”

"Thought I could introduce myself to your parents."

"Son, I didn't know your girlfriend is so nice." Mom chimed in, "You should have introduced us to her sooner, I approve."

"Uh...Sir Wiles, did you not tell them who she is?"

"No, I'm waiting for that explanation myself, Boreas." he replied as he gripped my shoulder so hard that I could hear a slight crack.

"Isabella, help me."

"That's what I'm here for." Isabella responded with this giggly and yet somewhat guilty expression, "My uncle should be here in about an hour. We got found out."

"What?!"