Page 23 of Pregnant at the Palace Altar

Katerina did not sleep well. She wished she could lay the blame on pregnancy, or even on Diamandis himself, but it was her own weakness. If she were stronger, she wouldn’t have given in to him.

Twice.

If she hadn’t been at his mercy, if she hadn’t felt all they could create between them, it wouldn’t feel like such a mistake to resist him now.

The thought of him with another woman made her want to retch. She was trying to be philosophical about it. Mature and worldly. Because this wasnota romantic marriage. It was a protective one. Abusinessone.

So he could do...whatever he wanted. With whomever he wanted. She would not be her mother throwing very public fits when half the timeshehad been the other woman. Like with the principal when Katerina was thirteen.

And the fit had been in the middle of her lunch hour at school.

Well, you won’t be doing that. So.

So. Maybe she would be uncomfortable. Maybe she would hate it, and maybe she would even feel like throwing a very public fit.

But she wouldn’t. Because her life wasn’t about Diamandis. It was about her children. It would always be about her children.

She told herself this, over and over again, as she got ready for breakfast. She would be meeting with some of the staff after the meal to determine who might be her own assistant. She had two people in mind with whom she’d worked, though it was still hard to fathom relinquishing control of her life to an assistant when doing the work had always been her job.

Maybe, once she’d had the babies and recovered, she could phase out having an assistant. But for now, she needed help. Especially with the royal wedding next week.

She didn’t mind the idea of the spectacle. She was used to hiding in the shadows, so being in the spotlight would be new, but she’d spent the past few years watching how Diamandis handled it, and she’d often had to instruct rooms full of people how to behave according to royal protocol. She wasn’t afraid of crowds or attention.

But once it was announced, once the wedding had happened, not only would her every move be scrutinized, but so would Diamandis’s.

What would be whispered about her when he was seen gallivanting about with other women?

Maybe she didn’t want breakfast after all. Maybe a walk would be better. But just as she was about to pass the dining room entrance and head toward the back of the castle where she could take a walk, she heard Zandra call her name.

Katerina turned to see Zandra a ways behind her. Katerina stopped and Zandra met her at the dining room entrance.

“Are you coming to eat?” Zandra asked pleasantly.

Katerina thought about denying it, but instead she smiled. “Yes.”

“Excellent. I cannot eat enough to satisfy this child.” She patted her little belly bump. “So I eat an early breakfast by myself, then a second breakfast with Lysias and Diamandis once they’re done with their manly grunting.”

“Lysias joins Diamandis for his workouts?” Katerina asked with some surprise as they walked into the dining room and took seats at a table already set with platters of food. Just a few months ago, Diamandis had insisted his morning physical activity be a completely solitary endeavor. Even his guards were only allowed to stand outside or watch from afar.

He had been quite adamant about it.

“Yes, it’s become quite the thing. Oh, Diamandis was a bit stuffy about it at first, but I’m determined to see them friends again. Did you know that? That they were boyhood friends?”

Katerina smiled as Zandra began to fill two plates without even asking what Katerina wanted. It was the kind of familiar gesture for which their relationship didn’t really have any foundation, but Katerina appreciated Zandra for just accepting her and treating her like part of the family, with no questions or concerns.

No snooty words, like the council last night.

“I did know that,” Katerina returned, deciding to pour tea for both of them while Zandra handled the food. “Or surmised it, I suppose. Diamandis never came out and said it directly.”

“No, he doesn’t do that much, does he?”

Katerina felt the familiar twist of empathy for the man. No matter how angry she was, no matter how determined she was to forge a business partnership with him rather than any kind of friendship or romance, he brought out a reaction in her that drew her back to him.

“It is...very hard to read him at times,” Katerina said carefully. It was an odd line to tightrope. She did not wish to speak ill of him to anyone, nor did she want to say something that might offend Zandra, but part of her hoped for a friend with whom she could be honest.

Zandra nodded, taking a bite of her breakfast sausage and chewing thoughtfully. “I suppose it served him well in the aftermath of the coup.”

“I suppose.”

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