The Price of Betrayal

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!