the physician arrived and examined the tea finding it to have high doses of a medicine that can be toxic. while looking at the tray he also found a note under the tea set that read 

witch 

don't forget to take your medicine

both the queen and I were examined and found to be healthy since we didn't drink the poison. the prince scooped me up and took me to my room. and asked if I would stay near him but with him in his own room. I of course didn't get the chance to tell him that I am a witch and now I wonder if I should since my would-be assassin already called me out. 

"another attempt" Helena cried when the prince deposited me on my own feet. faith joined the tight embrace as well

"please let me go I feel massive already" I begged and the girls released me. 

"you look massive as well" Cora said earning her a glare from everyone in the room including the prince who quickly schooled his features and left the room. Cora followed him but I took that as a relief so that she was out of my hair. 

"it is so odd that you are fine with this arrangement" Lira said putting her music down for a moment "him with another woman" 

"she was here first" I shrugged. he was a nice husband now that I was not messing with his mind but most of what we do together is work on his foreign policy and other work so that he can finish his assignments from his father correctly or sit and chat about nothing while I sew or cook something. 

"but don't you want your husband to want you?" Helena asked her head is always wrapped up in those silly books she reads. "don't you want passion" 

"I am comfortable and I believe that I am fine with my husband inflicting that sort of passion on Cora I have had enough for a lifetime" 

"really because everything I read said it should be nice to have passion to be kissed" Helena argued 

"kissing is nice" Faith added with a blush 

"you have kissed his lord!" Helena exclaimed "oh I bet it was nice I have kissed my betrothed and he was so gentle with me" 

"well perhaps kissing is nice I have only been kissed once and it was not pleasant at the wedding when he pulled my hair as for the other I have done that once as well and I am fine never doing it again. it is aggressive and very painful he even grunts with the effort to do it so I can't imagine it is pleasant for him as well. it is a duty that must be fulfilled to become with child and since I can only carry one at a time I am saddened to think I will likely need to do this again so that their are other children should my first not make it as the queen had many herself. I can only imagine that it is a great sense of duty that had the king and queen creating that many children since it is so unpleasant" I sat in my chair worried of course that I would have to do it again "that is probably why the attacker in the garden threatened to do that activity because he knows how painful it is and was willing to hurt himself if it hurt me. of course I have been told the worst is yet to come since I have to give birth to the child and a mans part that he uses is smaller than a child that will need to leave my body the same way he shoved his part in" 

"that sounds awful" Faith muttered pulling her legs close to her chest where she sat on the floor Helena and Lira were there as well. 

"my books never said anything like that, neither did Pricilla before she left to her husbands estate" Helena said 

"my dear Helena your books are fiction and I don't recall Pricilla ever saying anything nice about her experience with that man she mostly talked about how foul he smelled or how heavy he was she probably didn't want to frighten you since this is our duty and there is no way to escape it." 

"I am not going to sleep tonight" faith said grabbing her forgotten embroidery. it was best I tell them now so that they are prepared.   

...

I fell into quiet a restless sleep since the attack today and I couldn't find a comfortable position to lay in since my child decided now would be the perfect time to move about. I rose from my bed and walked towards the sitting area thinking I might find a book to clam my mind when I almost tripped on a body laying on the floor. my scream was instant and so was his reaction. the prince jumped to his feet and looked for danger. 

"you frightened me" I gasped clutching at my chest. his arms wrapped around me and I choose not to fight off his arms since he was breathing as heavily as me. I probably frightened him. 

"I am sorry my star" he muttered in my hair. 

"star?" 

"your name means star I looked it up after you told me that I had been saying it wrong. I have been calling you my star in my mind since then. that doesn't anger you does it" 

"no that is fine but what are you doing on my floor" 

"I was restless thinking about the attack and I felt better being in the same room as you" 

"well there is no reason that a future king should sleep on the floor come on to the bed" he hesitated as I turned to the bed "is there something wrong" 

"you want to invite me to your bed?" 

"it is just a place to sleep come on we have stood that close together before this should be no different just lying down" I brought him to my bed and crawled in showing him that there was no issue and he followed suit still looking nervous but eventually pulling the covers up over us both.