Angelina searched for Ioana in various parts of the castle, but she was nowhere to be seen. Realizing that Ioana was busy, she decided to go outside and stand by the castle balconies to catch her breath.

There were endless trees and small houses in the distance. A soft gust of air eased her stress; Angelina closed her eyes and basked in its gentle touch. Opening her eyes, she looked at the scenery one last time. She was about to go inside when something caught her eye: smoke. Angelina tried to move to another part of the wall balcony to see what was happening, but it was hard to make out anything through the smoke a the trees.

"It was probably Vlad's doing," said a voice.

Angelina gasped as she looked to her right; Daciana stood by the entrance. Angelina didn't know her very well, but she couldn't help that she would be in trouble. "Daciana, right? What did you mean by that?"

Daciana crossed her arms while slowly making her way outside. She looked over the castle walls; the smoke was more apparent. "Vlad has probably killed worthless beggars. They had no prospects to life anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Angelina felt the pit of her stomach clench; a terrible feeling overwhelmed her.

"Oh, you don't know? Well, Vlad tends to kill beggars. He always believed that they were parasites that suckle the life of those who try to make his kingdom great. A great course of action, wouldn't you agree?"

The thought of innocent people getting killed just because of their unfortunate circumstances sickened Angelina to the core. She feared the thought of how the beggars were killed. She noticed that Daciana took pleasure in her displeasure. "That bitch is probably a sociopath! I can't show her any weakness!" Angelina refused to show weakness and said, "It gives you pleasure to see others in pain, doesn't it, Daciana? I bet you're trying very hard to put me down. I guess ever since the Voivode got sick and tired of using you, you couldn't fathom the thought of him taking another."

Daciana's smirk quickly dissipated, satisfying Angelina. Daciana slowly walked toward her, but Angelina refused to move. "You think you're so special just because Vlad invited you to tell your stories before the Boyars. If I should know any better, Vlad has chosen you to be his mistress, did he not?"

"You think so lowly of me, Daciana. You would think that I would lower myself to your level? You're sadly mistaken. I have more self-respect than you do." Angelina knew she had to maintain the facade, since Daciana suspected her of being Vlad's mistress. Daciana could tell Alexandrei. "Is there a possibility that they could work together? I must consider the worst-case scenario."

"You think so low of me!? Vlad chose me because he saw something in me. He-"

"The Voivode chose you because you were easy; you made yourself available to him. When he saw how easy you were to give yourself to him, he knew you had no self-respect. If the Voivode saw your worth, then why did he throw you away like the garbage that he saw you as?"

Suddenly, Daciana lunged at Angelina, making both women fall. Daciana was about to punch Angelina, but she dodged, sending Daciana's fist into the concrete floor instead. Angelina then scratched her rival across the face, hitting her left eye. Daciana yelped in pain, allowing Angelina to punch her in the neck, making her get off. Angelina stood up and moved away. "Crazy whore! Get angry at yourself for letting yourself be taken advantage of! It's easier to look away rather than face the truth head-on! You-!"

"What is going on here!?" Ioana stood by the entrance, then stepped outside and found Daciana on the floor.

"She came here to get a rise out of me and when I told her some things, she attacked me. I had to defend myself."

Ioana watched Daciana slowly rise, coughing. "Daciana, please go to your chambers. I will speak with you in a moment. I need to speak with Angelina alone."

Daciana glared at Angelina before she left. Ioana made sure Daciana left, then eyed Angelina. "Angelina, what have you done!? You made another enemy!"

"You're angry at me? What, I shouldn't defend myself!? Should I make myself look weak in front of that sociopathic lunatic!?" Angelina could tell that Ioana wasn't pleased. "Please understand, Daciana suspects I'm Vlad's mistress, and I had to convince her I wasn't. Daciana attacked me first."

"You put yourself in a more precarious position. You-"

"I always have been, Ioana." Angelina got closer to her while looking at the smoke from afar. "I'm in a more dangerous position since I found out a secret."

Ioana raised an eyebrow as she couldn't help but become curious. "What secret?"

"That there is a possibility that Alexandrei and Lady Minah had an affair." Ioana was silent; her eyes stopped blinking. Angelina put her hands together, her fingers fidgeting. "I-Ioana?"

"Who told you this?"

"P-Please don't blame or do anything to punish him; it was Bioan. I was in the library when Bioan met me; that was when the topic of Alexandrei came up. He told me that when he snuck into the castle, he overheard Alexandrei and Lady Minah speaking about a certain mistake they they did. There is a possibility that they had an affair." Angelina gulped, afraid of how Ioana would respond to what she would say next, "Also, the child may not be Vlad's."

"What you speak is considered treason! You-!"

"It's not treason if it is the truth, Ioana. Why would Bioan lie? He has nothing to gain since he is a poor soldier. Vlad is a difficult man to convince even if Bioan told him what he heard and saw."

 "Oh god..." She put her hand over her face and leaned against the wall for support.

"Ioana, are you okay? Should I call someone for help?"

"I should have known! I was closing my eyes to the truth! I didn't want to believe it!  The child! Oh the child!"

"Please calm down! Take deep breaths! I don't want you to have a heart attack."

Ioana slowly slumped back on the floor, feeling light-headed. Everything was slowly getting too much for her. Angelina immediately and gently shook her to prevent her from fainting. "Vlad was right to feel disdain for the child; he probably knew that the child wasn't his." 

Angelina flinched. "What? Are you saying that Vlad had a feeling that the child wasn't his?"

The smell of smoke slowly became imminent, and Ioana hugged herself. "He told me once in secret that he felt that Minah was having an affair but didn't know who the man was. He wanted me to see if I could find out the truth, but I hoped to prove him wrong. When Minah became pregnant, Vlad still had his doubts, but I assured him that he had nothing to worry about. Yet, the child was born and..."

"The baby was deformed, but it still doesn't prove anything. " Angelina sat beside Ioana. "We need to see the baby, Ioana. We need to see if the baby looks like him or Alexandrei."

"Oh, young one. The infant is still small, and it would be difficult to see if he looks like one or the other. Oh, Vlad. He knew something wasn't right!" Ioana looked at Angelina and held her hands. "Even if Alexandrei and Minah were to be cast out, you would still be in danger!"

 "What do you mean by that?"

Ioana sighed as she put the back of her head on the wall. "Vlad is pressured to produce a son to take his place. He doesn't want his brother, Radu, to take the throne since the Ottomans corrupted him. Vlad also killed many of the boyars, so he is already feared and hated. Not many noblewomen would want to marry him since he already has a terrifying reputation. He may try to conceive a son in another way." Ioana noticed Angelina becoming nervous. She didn't want to frighten her, but she didn't want to lie to Angelina either. 

Angelina gulped and felt a shiver of disgust, realizing what Ioana tried to tell her. "N-No! I would never allow him to do that to me. Wouldn't he need to have a son with a noblewoman? I mean, children with servants are considered illegitimate and have no claim to a throne?" It was quiet again. She thought her main threats were gone, and she could have a clear plan to get home. However, with Alexandrei and Minah gone, his focus would be on her; Vlad could try to force her to have his child. 

"It would be true in some cases, but noblemen have a history of posing their illegitimate children as legitimate as they could claim they had them with their wives." Tears slowly formed in Ioana's eyes as she hugged herself tighter. "Like how it happened to...me."

"Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

"There is a secret that I have kept within myself for so long. So long that it destroys me every single breath I breathe."

Angelina held onto Ioana's shoulders. "Ioana, what secret? What is going on!?"

Ioana let out a wail as she covered her face. "My secret! Oh Lord, ever merciful, grant me the strength! Vlad is my son!"