Chapter 68: Hope and pray

Chapter 68: Hope and pray Abrielle took in a sharp breath, knowing her next request might seem controversial, but with the way this plot was getting messed up, she had no idea what might happen from there with certainty. "Evelyn, I guess you are a married woman with children if I am not wrong. " Abrielle mentioned this because there was no way a woman of Evelyn’s age was still single. Evelyn’s brows furrowed but she still answered. "Yes, my husband is a palace guard, and we are blessed with 3 children. We have been married for over ten years." She answered, which was quite convenient for a maid. "That’s perfect; I was wondering if there was any point you optioned for birth control measures and if you know any good midwives," Abrielle asked indirectly; in her plot, there was no point where she mentioned the topic of birth control, so she was curious if there were any means in this world. Even as a lady growing up Abrielle was educated in a lot of things including being a proper wife but birth control was never mentioned in her memories. Evelyn’s eyes sparkled; from her reaction, it seemed it wasn’t a forbidden topic. She then deliberately lowered her voice just loud enough for Abrielle to hear her. "Birth control? Philip and I normally use the abstinence or withdrawal method, but I did hear that some ladies are using a certain concoction that isn’t advisable because some bled to death due to it, so the best option is abstinence." Abrielle felt deflated on hearing that; why is it that no one ever thought of successful birth control measures? "They bled to death," Abrielle gasped; she knew birth control during medieval times was not ideal, but practices that risked women’s lives were uncalled for. "That’s not even the most horrific one; some even go as far as inducing early labour to give birth to stillborns." She spoke too earlier, that was infanticide. They were killing their babies. Honestly, she didn’t think she was heartless to kill her child, but the thought of carrying Cedric’s child gave her chills. If she accidentally got pregnant, escaping with her life would become slimmer than it was already worse. "That’s horrible," Abrielle spat out. "Honestly, I don’t blame them, especially the women from the peasant background. Children are expensive, and it is better than selling the baby to slavery, but some women kill their female babies due to the preference of a male one." Sadly these were all common practices in medieval times with poor medical conditions. "Not to talk of the worse," Evelyn said then whispered into Abrielle’s ears. Her face turned paler. Inserting wood to block their womb, how could one live with that? Things were more grim than she imagined. Was that hygienic in the first place? "Are there no potions that can be used for birth control?" She asked because of the limitless possibility in magic. Evelyn shook her head, "Not in Darconia, but I heard in a neighbouring kingdom more advanced in alchemy there are rumours of one being sold in the black market, but unfortunately, Darconia is at odds with them." It was hopeless; Abrielle knew of the kingdom in mention; it was the kingdom of Heliosia, which was a three-week journey in carriages. Heliosia was a large Kingdom like Darconia which later became allies with Cedric during his fight for the throne. They were more advanced in alchemy to supplement their lacking combat skills compared to Darconia, but as Evelyn said, Heliosia, at this point in the story, has a very bad relationship with Darconia. The only reason they agreed to work with Cedric was due to a marriage agreement he had with them to marry one of their princesses which Cedric later killed after being framed by Abrielle. He did have a thing for killing his wives. This leaves the only option to be witches; the last thing Abrielle would do at this point, as she wasn’t strong enough, was to get in contact with a witch. "I guess I will hope and pray," Abrielle muttered incoherently. "The safest is to discuss it with His Highness," Evelyn added, which was a conversation she could not have with Cedric. Discussing birth control with royal members who were in dire need for heirs was like a taboo topic. She could already imagine how the conversation would end. Asking Evelyn for the herbal concoction was a bad idea, plus she had a plan of bleeding to death. "Thank you for your help." She extended her gratitude to Evelyn. Since the hunt was cancelled due to the incident, Abrielle had nothing to do aside from staying indoors. It was not advisable to move around in this mess. The day was considerably peaceful for Abrielle. Lady Fiona Danbury had asked her for her presence at a tea party, but Abrielle turned down the invitation on the excuse she was not feeling too well. The curtains covering the entrance of the tent were pulled open, allowing the moonlight to be cast on the figure lying on the bed. Cedric’s eyes fell on Abrielle’s resting figure, and he knew immediately that she was awake. She was pretending to be asleep to avoid talking to him. Cedric was out the entire day handling the incident which would gravely affect the politics of the kingdom of Darconia. This led to a lot of fights to balance the power within the kingdom, as the lost nobles’ successors would have to be appointed. Cedric sat on the edge of the bed then pulled off his boots. "I know you are awake, Abrielle," he mentioned. Then she stiffened, almost blowing her cover. Abrielle didn’t reply to him and continued pretending. She felt the side of the bed beside her dip down, and a hand circled her waist, pulling her closer. She didn’t think she would ever get used to his touch. It always kept her on edge knowing he was unpredictable. Sharing a bed with her was a literal nightmare. Cedric’s face was above her head; his sharp gaze was directly on her head, which made her more uncomfortable. "We have been summoned back to the capital by the king due to the incident. With the appearance of strange sorcerers, it is uncertain if a war will break out soon." He informed Abrielle, as expected at least that fact was still the same in the novel. Cedric felt Abrielle’s mood get worse, which puzzled him because he expected she would be glad she didn’t have to be forced to spend time with him during their honeymoon that had to come to an end. Unknown to him, the reason Abrielle’s mood changed was because she was scared the beginning of the novel was close, meaning things were about to get worse for the villainess.