“During the first years of marriage to your mother, everything was perfect. Even though Elizabeth was our first born, I was satisfied. I knew that I wasn’t going to inherit the throne. Therefore, the pressure to have a male offspring wasn’t placed upon my shoulders.
“However, when the people grew restless under your grandfather’s rule, all of his children were forced to produce a male descendant. At first, it didn’t mean anything to me. I did try with your mother. But we never forced anything on each other regarding that matter.
“But when I noticed that all of my siblings had sons with ease, I became envious and questioned the validity of my marriage. Your mother did become pregnant with a male heir. Unfortunately for us, he was born prematurely and died shortly after birth.
“Being the immature young man that I was, I blamed her for my frustrations. Even though I knew she was never at fault. But because of that matter, it caused a lot of arguments between the two of us. Eventually, I resorted to choosing a side consort to enhance the possibility of having a male child. And I chose her sister.
“I chose Bethilda because it wasn’t difficult to persuade her at that time. She harbored immense feelings towards me and that made her willing to be my official mistress. Bethilda became pregnant without a fuss.
“However, a miracle somehow happened and your mother was also with child. At that time, it was you. But the race on who would produce a son first became too much for Amelia. It almost led to our separation. Your grandfather talked to her before she decided to stay. But she only stayed for your sister’s sake, as well as yours.
“The day of birth came. To our surprise, your mother and aunt gave birth at the same time. And both produced sons.
“And because you were the son of the legitimate wife, you received all the love and attention. Not just from me and your mother, but from your grandfather and our people as well.
“This, however, did not sit well with Bethilda. When your christening was being planned, she opposed the fact that only you would be given a grand and royal christening. She argued that her son also carried the royal bloodline and should be treated fairly. She begged for me to defend her cause. But I took your mother’s side and denied the child of that right.
“The child – your half-brother – was given a christening. But it wasn’t shown to the whole kingdom. We then sent her away to her own household. We provided her with everything she could ever need, especially nannies and the best comfort for the child.
“And your mother, being the gracious woman that she always had been, supported her sister from afar. She sent gold, silver and other things to Bethilda every week. She even made clothes for your brother whilst she made clothes for you.
“As for me, I kept my distance from them. I had no intentions of being attached to them, especially the child. But I still sent them personal greetings and additional financial support behind everyone’s back. I know that wasn’t much but that was the least that I could do for the trouble I caused her.
“Everything went as planned until the plague of fever swept throughout the entire kingdom. And unfortunately, your half-brother contracted the illness. Not long after, he passed away. The healers that we sent to ensure their safety said that the child had a weak body. And that no matter how hard they tried, no matter what they would do, it would always result in death.
“Your mother wanted a state funeral for the child. She secretly pleaded for your grandfather to approve of that request. And after he gave it some thought, he agreed to it and sent escorts to fetch for the duchess and the little one back to the castle.
“But Bethilda refused to leave her home and rejected any sort of support from us. And when the plague subsided, she returned to the castle and threatened to expose all our secrets to the public as revenge for what happened to her son.
“Her lips were sealed when she was warned to be banished from the Immortal Realm. She was also reminded that she should keep her heart pure if she wanted to reunite with her child in the after-life. After that, she kept her distance and never bothered us with that issue or any sort of debacle ever again.”
♔♔♔
“And we thought we heard the last of that matter. We did everything to make sure that the story of Bethilda’s illegitimate child with me will never spread. But I never thought that years after that incident, she still harbored ill feelings towards your mother and I,” he ended the story.
I drank some of my warm tea as James finished his story. James’ actions should be heavily criticized. But I couldn’t deny that I understood what he did. During the days of his youth, it was said that Grandfather became too critical of his children’s future. According to the records and what previous servants said, Grandfather never settled for less when it came to his children. Most importantly, when it came to their offspring.
After Grandmother’s sudden disappearance, Grandfather became obsessed with having a stable, tight-knit dynasty. This was the reason why he arranged highly-thought marriages for his children. He urged them to marry as soon as they could and demanded grandchildren. And when I said grandchildren, I meant sons.
That was why I easily understood how James felt pressured to have an heir. Although he wasn’t the next in line to the throne, Grandfather’s ambitions, as well as tightened control, weighed heavily upon him.
However, with how calculating James’ mind was, it seemed impossible that he never anticipated that things would turn for the worst if Mother would give birth to a male child.
I settled my cup on the table and asked, “You must have seen this disaster from afar, am I right? One way or another, you must have seen it, right? It’s unlike your character to proceed with a decision that can have a horrible impact on the family.”
He sighed before he took a sip of tea. He replied, “I know that you’re used to seeing me weigh the advantages and disadvantages of any given situation. But when I was a young monarch, I didn’t do that. Because I never thought that I had to make those kinds of decisions.
“I can only thank your mother for the unending grace that she has throughout the years we had together,” he continued. “If it weren’t for her and her kind-hearted nature, our family wouldn’t have survived for this long.”
“But you should’ve told Bethilda that if Mother gave birth to a male child, Bethilda’s child won’t be considered as your heir. I’m not saying that because I want the position all to myself. That’s simply what the rules say,” I explained. “You can still claim the child as your own. But you should’ve set the proper expectations so she didn’t feel betrayed. Especially by her own sister.”
“I did tell her that. But it was your grandfather who made the decree that if Bethilda’s child was a boy, he would be my sole heir,” he said. “But when you were born, for reasons we never knew, he abolished that and proclaimed you as my official heir.”
Finally, I understood why Bethilda acted the way she did. She was a broken woman. She loved my father. But she was only seen as the spare bearer of an heir. And even though she gave birth to a son, she was neglected. No one gave her child the love and care that he deserved. They even sent her away from the family to prevent her from causing chaos.
In every aspect, I understood where Bethilda was coming from. But that would never be a justification for the horrible actions that she did.
“Have you ever discussed this with Bethilda?” I asked.
“I tried to apologize, but she would always deny me that chance,” he replied. “I was supposed to give my sincerest apologies today. But she rejected it. She claimed she didn’t want it and that it will never change what already happened.”
“Have you told Mother about this?”
He shook his head and explained, “I’ve yet to receive news from the castle. As long as your mother and sister remain unstable, I can’t tell them the news yet. I don’t want your mother to collapse once more, especially when I’m not around.” He continued, “Keep in mind, your mother loves her sister amidst the distance between them. Her heart won’t be able to handle the truth that her sister – her only remaining relative – attempted to kill her out of revenge.”
I nodded as James was right. Mother would be told the truth once the dust has settled. And it was best that we found that out here. The heartbreaking truths would be kept a secret from her and Elizabeth. To rule over state affairs after their recovery was already a heavy weight on their shoulders. They didn’t need additional trouble.
James finished what remained in his cup and immediately stood. “You best be resting now. I will need your presence tomorrow,” he said.
My brows furrowed as I stood from my chair. As James headed to the door, I asked, “What will you need me for?”
He stopped as he held onto the door handle. He turned his head to me and replied, “Tomorrow is judgment day for Bethilda. Seeing that she also did something against you, I need you there.”
“As you wish.”
He nodded and I returned a slight bow before he left me on my own. I walked over to my bed and settled down. I could only hope that tomorrow wouldn’t be such a heavy matter. Too much has happened, so many secrets were revealed in the short amount of time that we spent here.
Everything was already overwhelming. Especially for me.