Alaric took a subtle step back, as if bracing for impact. "Well, Your Highness…" he started carefully, measuring every word. "While I performed the spell last night… I noticed something. Another life hummed inside of her… another heartbeat."
Herod blinked, processing. Then his brow furrowed. "What exactly are you saying?"
"I'm saying…" Alaric inhaled deeply, adjusting his collar. "She is pregnant, Your Highness."
Herod dropped onto the sofa.
"Well," he said after a beat, "this just keeps getting more and more interesting."
He rubbed his temples, the beginnings of a migraine scratching at his royal brain. "Did she know before your ritual?"
"I… do not know," Alaric admitted, shrugging. "But regardless, it may work in our favor."
Herod looked up sharply. "Favor?"
Alaric lifted one finger. "It can be yours. A royal child. Heir to the throne. Proof of your bond. Think about it. And whatever we claim your relationship to Ava is now, it'll be far more believable."
