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Once out of the dining hall, Mehl hurried toward the nearest sitting room. There were a ridiculous number of them in this section of the palace to allow for smaller, more private gatherings amongst the courtiers, but in this moment, he found himself grateful for the extravagance. It allowed him to find a quiet, comfortable room for Ria away from any prying eyes—and it would be easier to guard.

Mehl halted in the middle of the room, Toren closing the door behind them. A quick scan of the area revealed two sofas that would make a comfortable spot for Ria to rest, but he couldn’t bring himself to let her go. In his arms, she was warm and alive, her breath a balm to his nerves.

Then a puff of that breath hit his neck more sharply, and her head rocked against his shoulder. His eyes went straight to her face, only to collide with her confused, worried gaze. “Mehl?”

“Relax, Ria,” he answered gently. “You merely fainted.”

Her lips twitched. “Merely?”

“You’ve been under a great deal of stress recently. I’m certain it is only that.”

As Toren rushed over to stand on Ria’s other side, Mehl could tell that she didn’t fully believe his words by the way she continued to stare at him. But then Toren cupped her head in his hand, and she shifted her attention to their husband. It was a timely reaction, for Mehl didn’t want to confess the darker worries plaguing him, not until she was stronger.

Could Ber have found another way to strike?

He found himself eyeing Ryssa where she stood by the door, her hands twisting together anxiously. Logic—and a quick probe of her oathbinding spells—told him she was not to blame, but he couldn’t help the kernel of doubt. Then she lifted her chin and sent him an angry, forceful frown that imparted its meaning well enough.

Look elsewhere, for it is not me.

Only a few moments passed before the healer rushed in. Ryssa had to close the door behind him, but Vesset was in too much of a hurry to notice. His attention went immediately to Mehl and Ria before scanning the area, much as Mehl had.

“Please lay her down on the sofa, Your Majesty,” Vesset said, already heading to the nearest one.

Ria shifted in his hold. “I’m fine now. I can walk, Mehl.”

Toren’s breath hissed out, though his hand stroked hair from her face with gentle care. “You crumpled in the middle of the dining hall. Your ability to walk is under serious question.”

As with so many things, Mehl was in total agreement. So instead of arguing, he simply strode to the sofa where the healer waited and settled Ria gently onto the soft surface. Ryssa was already there, too, sliding a cushion beneath Ria’s head before she’d fully reclined. Mehl met the princess’s eyes and noted only concern. For all their sakes, he hoped he was right.

“Please move back,” Vesset said, all unruffled calm in the face of so much worry. “I would rather not struggle to keep my healing magic from locking on anyone else during the examination.”

That prompted their movement as nothing else would. In moments, Mehl joined Toren and Ryssa on the other side of the room. Watching. Waiting.

And desperately praying nothing was terribly wrong.

* * *

The giddy,joyful haze of healing magic disappeared far too soon for Ria’s liking, leaving her with nothing but worry. No matter what she’d told Mehl about being fine, she was perfectly aware that something was wrong. Aside from collapsing after that blow to the head during Tes’s attempted “rescue,” Ria couldn’t recall ever fainting before in her life. Could it be lingering effects from that?

Vesset smiled down at her. “I told you there was the potential for this.”

He had? What? When? Ria cast her mind back to anything the healer might have said, but her memory was a total blank. “I don’t understand.”

“Ah, I see,” he said, patting her hand. “I should have considered that you’re still dazed, Your Highness. Forgive me. I mentioned before that you had a good chance of conceiving, and that has clearly occurred. You’re with child, though it’s early yet.”

It took a moment for the words to trickle through, but she still couldn’t quite process them even after they did. “So quickly? Surely, it hasn’t been that long.”

“When were your last courses?” Vesset asked gently.

Ria did her best to recall. Before she’d first come to the palace with her father for certain. How many weeks had passed since she’d entered the breeding contract? Three? Maybe four? It all blurred together at this point, but either way, it was long enough that her courses should have come. And she hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m not sure,” Ria confessed.

The healer’s smile didn’t falter. “Don’t stress yourself over it. How have you been feeling? Any symptoms?”

“Sick to my stomach.” And wasn’t that the most obvious? Ria blushed. “I should have realized, I suppose. I’ve been tired and sometimes lightheaded. But with Prince Ber…”

Did the healer know the prince was on his way? She couldn’t recall if Toren or Mehl had announced it, or if it was a secret best not shared. But there was no need to elaborate. Concern pinched Vesset’s brow at the mention of Ber alone.