Page 4 of Pregnant at the Palace Altar

She knew all too well.

He studied her, encased in all that ice he wielded so well. “You are supposed to curtsy in the presence of your king.”

CHAPTER TWO

SHEDIDNOTCURTSY.Diamandis did not know if this was some act of defiance—which he did not understand—or whether in her state she would struggle to make such a movement. He seemed to remember his mother walking about the castle when heavy with child, complaining bitterly about her size, her discomfort, then, upon seeing him, flash a smile and bring him into a hug he was far too old for and tell him it was always worth it.

He did not care for memories of his mother, and he could admit that this soured his already less than controlled disposition.

“What are you doing here, Diamandis?”

He raised an eyebrow at the cheek of her using his first name without any honorific. But she didn’t wither. She’d always been an effective and efficient assistant, capable of hiding in the shadows and also capable of standing up to him when it was necessary.

But today she’d picked the wrong moment to stand up to him.

“An interesting question. I imagine you have some ideas.”

She rested her hand on her belly, which was round and lush. The moment he’d seen her his hands had itched to reach out and feel the swell of it under the loose, gauzy fabric she wore. Her dark, curly hair was pulled back, but quite a few strands had fallen out and wisped around her face. She wore no makeup and did not resemble the slim, efficient assistant he’d once known.

Which seemed to change his body’s reaction to her not at all. She had long been a problem. A temptation. He’d convinced himself he was immune, that he wasbetterthan his baser urges, because his entire life was pledged in service to his kingdom. There was no room for his wants.

Thatnight had been a failure in so many ways, but he’d at the very least convinced himself he’d exorcised such foolish lust.

Even when he could still taste her. Even when her “my king” still echoed in his head.

He curled his hand into a fist, needing something to remind him of his purpose. He must not touch her. He needed to determine if she was pregnant withhischild, because clearly she was indeed pregnant.

He did not want a wife, a queen. He did not want children. Finding Zandra might have fulfilled him on a personal level, but it had also taken a great weight off his shoulders. He did not have to worry about heirs.

He knew what it was to be the heir. It was why he was still alive.

No matter how much time he’d spent wishing he’d been the one murdered.

“My sister comes home from a shopping trip to Athens with news that my former assistant, who ran away in the dead of night, is gallivanting about Athens, pregnant. More pregnant even than my sister herself, which seemed odd timing to Zandra, since she did not think you’d have had time to become so when you were working for me.”

“The princess does have a curious, inquisitive mind,” Katerina returned. Her tone was cool. Her hands were still, but her eyes...

Her alluring green eyes had always told another story than the masks she wore so beautifully. He hadn’t always wanted to uncover that story. Had actively avoided seeing beneath her composed demeanor.

Except for that one night.

“You know why I am here, Katerina.”

“I do not, Diamandis. While I can understand why you might be under the impression that our one...encountermight have caused my current situation, that my entire life in Kalyva was spent being a slave to you, you are mistaken. I had my own life, and I lived it. Now I am happily living it in Athens with my husband, who happens to be the father of this child.”

He was surprised—not by the information, but by the blatant lie. Did she really think he hadn’t looked into her life over the past six months on his way here? “So. You’ve married?”

“Yes.”

Diamandis took a moment to try and decide whether she thought himstupid, or whether she was just very, very desperate. He did not understand desperation, did not understand this place or her, so surely she thought him stupid.

Some people thought worse of him than that, he supposed. Still, it grated. Particularly as she’d been privy to much information few other royal staff members were. “I am supposed to believe this ludicrous story? You forget that I knew your every move, and still do.”

She sniffed. “Impossible.”

“I am the king, Katerina.”

“You areaking, Diamandis. One of many that exist in this big world.”

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