"Don't worry, Ciara. After she gives birth, I will request an edict to depose her from her position as crown princess and let you in her place."

In the quiet garden, the crown prince Bryan Hamilton's voice appeared.

Chelsea Drake felt a sharp pain in her heart, her steps faltering as she nearly stumbled into the flowerbed.

Hearing the sound of snapping branches, both of them looked up simultaneously.

Ciara Burgess smiled smugly. "Oh, Ms. Drake, you're here too! What a coincidence."

One

Three years ago, the crown prince Bryan was seriously injured and left unconscious after an assassination attempt.

It took the combined efforts of all the royal doctors to finally bring him back to consciousness, only for him to be told that he had injured his lower body.

A crown prince who could not bear children meant that the throne would no longer be within his reach.

Suddenly, an overwhelming voice was calling for his removal from the position of crown prince.

Upon hearing that the leader of the faction requesting his deposition was none other than the father of the woman he loved, Bryan coughed up blood in fury and fell unconscious once more.

When he awoke, a day had passed.

He refused to believe what he had heard before losing consciousness and sent his trusted confidants to find the woman he had long adored since childhood.

But they told him that Ciara had fled the city in the dead of night after he was seriously injured, her whereabouts unknown.

His bleak future, his physical affliction, and the departure of the one he cherished...

There was a series of blows that even a healthy person would struggle to bear, let alone Bryan, who was severely injured.

He fainted again, his life hanging by a thread.

The royal doctors were at their wit's end, and the king, furious, caused all the civil and military officials to fall into silence. No one dared to speak of deposing the crown prince again.

The queen, driven by her love for her son, proposed a wedding to counter the ill fortune. It was a desperate and last-resort solution.

All she wanted was to preserve the crown prince's life.

Everyone's attention turned once more to Corbin Burgess, as his eldest daughter was not only childhood friends with the crown prince but also the woman the prince loved.

But Corbin, having led the calls to depose the crown prince, was not about to marry his daughter to a dying man.

He declined, citing the reason that his daughter was observing a mourning period for her foster mother, and therefore not fit to marry.

At that critical moment, Chelsea persuaded her mother to act, going against the will of her father, who was guarding the frontier, to marry the dying crown prince and bring him good fortune.

By the time her father Morgan Drake, General of the Northern Border, returned after hearing the news, she had already been the crown princess for a month.

Her father couldn't bear to see her become a widow, so he used the life-saving favor he had from the young master of Moran's Valley to ask his father Talon Moran to heal the crown prince.

The crown prince, learning what had happened, swore never to forsake Chelsea for the rest of his life.

Chelsea knew his words were an expression of gratitude, not genuine affection for her.

So she restrained her personality and behaved impeccably in her role as crown princess.

She was meticulous in everything she did, striving for perfection.

When it came to the crown prince's personal needs, she attended to him personally.

She just hoped that one day Bryan would fall in love with her.

Out of gratitude for her life-saving actions, Bryan treated her well.

In front of the servants, he gave her the full respect that befitted her status as crown princess.

Three years passed peacefully like this, and Chelsea almost believed that she had found a place in his heart.

But then Ciara returned, and upon hearing the news, Bryan, disregarding Chelsea's pregnancy, rushed to the Burgess's residence.

When he returned, Ciara was with him...

"Don't worry, Ciara. After she gives birth, I will request an edict to depose her from her position as crown princess and let you in her place."

In the quiet garden, Bryan's voice could be heard clearly.

Chelsea felt a sharp pain in her heart, her steps faltering as she nearly stumbled into the flowerbed.

Hearing the sound of snapping branches, both of them looked up simultaneously.

Ciara smiled smugly. "Oh, Ms. Drake, you're here too! What a coincidence."

Chelsea steadied herself and met Bryan's gaze.

"Your Highness."

Bryan nodded.

Bryan's eyes shifted evasively as he changed the subject.

"Why aren't you resting in your home? Why did you come out?"

Chelsea took a deep breath, steadying her trembling voice as best she could.

"I heard Your Highness brought a guest home, and as the crown princess, I felt it appropriate to come out and entertain her.

"May I ask, Ms. Burgess..."

Before Chelsea could take a close look at Ciara, Bryan stepped in front of her line of sight.

He was shielding Ciara behind him. His eyes were full of warning, though his voice was filled with affection.

"Ciara, why don't you stroll around the garden for a while? I have some matters to discuss with her."

"Alright, I won't disturb you then." With that, she turned and walked away.

Bryan glanced warily at the nearby maids. "Make sure to attend to Ms. Burgess well. If anything happens to her, I won't let you off."

The maids quickly hurried after Ciara.

Once they were alone, Bryan grabbed Chelsea by the arm, ignoring her heavily pregnant belly, and dragged her toward the main room.

From the moment he had shielded Ciara, Chelsea knew it.

All her efforts over the years had been in vain.

She protected her belly with her arm, trying her best to keep up with Bryan's pace to avoid falling.

Two

"Bang!"

Bryan shoved Chelsea onto the bed and loomed over her, placing his hand on her swollen belly. His face was emotionless as he issued a warning.

"If you want this child to be safe and sound, don't make things difficult for Ciara."

Chelsea let out a bitter laugh. Just for a moment, she had thought Bryan cared for her and the child growing inside her.

"Difficult? Your Highness, you jest. Ms. Burgess is the prime minister's daughter, raised in the prime minister's residence. I am the crown princess, residing in your residence. How could I possibly go out of my way to make things difficult for her at the prime minister's residence?"

"Hiss..."

As soon as Chelsea finished speaking, the hand on her belly suddenly tightened. The pain caused her to gasp sharply.

"What are you doing? Don't forget, this is your child."

Bryan's eyes were full of malice, and a flicker of disgust passed through them. He bluntly stated.

"You heard what was said in the garden, so let's not beat around the bush.

"Ciara is the prime minister's daughter and rightfully deserves to be made the official princess."

Mentioning status made it clear. This was no longer a simple conflict between wives and concubines, but rather a struggle between the prime minister and the general.

Even though Chelsea was sweating heavily from the pain, she couldn't afford to back down now. To do so would be to admit that the general's strength was inferior to the prime minister's.

"Your Highness is right. As the prime minister's daughter, she cannot be a concubine..."

A trace of joy flashed in Bryan's eyes. He had known that as long as he wanted, this woman, who loved him deeply, would agree.

"Chelsea..."

"Your Highness." Chelsea's smile vanished, and her voice turned cold. "Does that mean that as the daughter of the general, I am destined to be a concubine?"

"You..." Bryan had never seen such defiance from Chelsea before and was momentarily stunned.

Chelsea pushed Bryan off her forcefully, sitting up straight despite his shock. Then she spoke calmly.

"If Your Highness believes that the daughter of the general is unworthy of being the crown princess, you could have said so when my father asked after you awoke. Or perhaps you should have reported to His Majesty for us to divorce or demote me to concubine status..."

Bryan's gaze flickered with guilt, and he quickly looked away.

"Well... Ciara's departure back then wasn't her choice... It was her father who forcibly took her away. It wasn't what she wanted."

"And so?" At that moment, Chelsea finally realized something. She no longer sought even a trace of Bryan's affection or concern and replied expressionlessly.

"Since her father forcibly took her away back then, and she chose to obey his orders, she must now face the consequences of those choices. It is not for others to bear them.

"I owe her nothing, and neither does the child in my belly."

Seeing that Chelsea remained unmoved, Bryan became furious.

"I've made up my mind. If you feel wronged, I will divorce you after you give birth to the child."

Chelsea stared blankly at his retreating figure. All she thought about was the word divorce he just mentioned.

Tears began to fall down her face.

She reached out and gently stroked her large belly.

A child of the royal family would find it hard to survive to adulthood without a mother to protect them.

She could not bear the thought of her child being born without a mother.

But if she was unfairly demoted to a concubine, how could her parents accept that? How could they ever show their faces in public again?

Chelsea didn't want her child to grow up under disdainful eyes without her care. Nor did she want to be demoted to concubine, becoming a laughingstock throughout the city and bringing shame to her parents.

Both paths were blocked. That left her with only one option...

Chelsea looked up, her gaze empty as it settled on the ceiling beam.

If she hung herself with a rope, word would surely spread that Bryan had driven his innocent and pregnant crown princess to suicide for the sake of his first love.

In that case, his reputation would be ruined, the royal family's honor would suffer, and the king would surely be furious, punishing Bryan...

But the Drake family... would suffer the consequences as well!

Three

Chelsea knew she couldn't do it. She had never been much help to her parents, and she had even spent her father's life-saving favor with Talon to cure Bryan's illness.

She couldn't be selfish and drag her parents down with her.

Then she had to...

Chelsea dismissed the servants and discreetly inquired her way to the main hall.

In the main hall.

Bryan had sent the servants away and was dining alone with Ciara.

Ciara stood up to take some soup. When she lifted her head, she saw Chelsea standing in the yard, her face pale.

"Bryan, you don't have to marry Ciara as your official wife. I would be happy to be with you without a name or status."

Ciara said pitifully, placing the soup in front of Bryan.

"But my father worries too much for me. He fears that Ms. Drake, being from a military family, might be too domineering. With her child as leverage, she could bully me if she remains as the crown princess. That's why my father insists that you marry me as the crown princess."

Bryan pulled Ciara's hand toward him, gazing at her with deep affection.

"In my heart, only you are worthy of the position of crown princess. Tell your father that I will welcome you with the status of my wife."

Ciara's eyes shone with joy, but her words were laced with worry.

"Of course, I believe what you said. But my father is concerned that if Ms. Drake refuses, you can inform Mr. Drake, and he will put pressure on her. That won't make things difficult for you."

"It's okay!" Bryan picked up his fork and placed a dish Ciara liked onto her plate, dismissing her concerns.

"The Drake family has served in the military for generations. Their reputation in the army has grown too high, and my father has long been wary of them... Aside from our founding ancestors, have you ever seen a queen come from a military family?"

Bryan's tone was calm, but Chelsea felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She stood there, frozen and unable to move.

She never could have imagined that the Drake family, who had loyally defended the borders, would be viewed with suspicion by the king.

Ciara, having had her fill of Chelsea's misery from the corner of her eye, finally looked up and pretended to have just noticed her.

"When did Ms. Drake here? Don't just stand there. Come join us for a meal."

Bryan quickly turned his head, his sharp gaze fixing on her.

Chelsea met his eyes and hastily suppressed all of her emotions.

"When did you come?" Bryan asked coldly.

"When Your Highness mentioned the royal silk from the palace," Chelsea replied, picking a recent moment, unafraid that Ciara might expose her lie.

Only then did Bryan's icy demeanor soften slightly, and he forced a reluctant smile.

"Since you're here, join us for the meal."

He wasn't sincerely inviting Chelsea to dine, just testing whether she had overheard anything from earlier.

Chelsea carefully navigated the situation, revealing no sign that she had caught on to their conversation.

Seeing Bryan only speaking with Chelsea, Ciara felt annoyed and deliberately handed Chelsea a piece of fish, placing it on her plate.

"Fish is nutritious, and Ms. Drake must be exhausted from carrying the baby. You should eat some."

"Ugh..." Chelsea could not tolerate the smell of fish and immediately retched.

"Chelsea!" Bryan roared. "Even if you dislike Ciara, do you have to go this far?"

"Bryan, I..." Ciara lowered her head pitifully, her voice trembling with a sob.

"Don't be afraid. I'll have them set up a meal in the garden. We'll eat there."

Bryan soothed her gently, but when he turned to Chelsea, his expression was full of disgust.

"You are truly repulsive. From now on, stay in your room and don't come out."

With those words, Chelsea was effectively confined to her room.

Suppressing her nausea, Chelsea called out as Bryan led Ciara away.

"Your Highness grew up in the palace. Don't you know that pregnant women cannot stand the smell of fish?"

Bryan paused.