The Prince's Substitute Witch Bride

Breeding Machine

The Viscountess was just doing the last stitch on Seraphine's reopened wound when she said, "It's best if you keep yourself to this room."

Seraphine furrowed her brows. "You wish to confine me? For the rest of wedded life?"

"No," the old woman answered fast, "But... I'm sure you are aware that the public opinion of you is very bad. And I will not allow you to tarnish more of Rowan's name."

That asshole?

Seraphine rolled her eyes. "Right. Because just by being my husband has made him the lowest of the lowest."

The Viscountess pulled the thread harder than usual. Seraphine hissed at the pain yet she stayed true to her words. She would not scream. Viscountess Perrone cut the thread using her teeth after making a small knot to keep it secure. 

"The stitches should be opened in two weeks I think." The Viscountess continued, "I know marrying him was not your choice either. But these times are delicate for Rowan..."

"Why?"

"He wants the throne. And he loves Karen. Ardently, if I may say."

"Foolishly."

Seraphine turned to see the Viscountess giving her a cold look. The old lady sure is protective about the asshole. 

"What?" Seraphine continued, "You did say Karen is like a snake."

The Viscountess exhaled her breath. The lines on her forehead became more prominent. She looked much older than she was and she looked tired. 

"He was excited about the wedding," the Viscountess said, "When your family sent back word that they accepted his proposal, he was jumping like a kid."

That asshole did?

"But this morning, I made an inquiry with my maid who happened to work at your house. I just got this awful feeling in my gut. I didn't want it to be true. But..." The old lady was putting back the needles and thread inside the wooden box. "And I had to give him the bad news."

"Hm. Bad news indeed."

"I didn't mean you as the bad one–"

Seraphine gave her the same look she gave before when she asked the Viscountess not to be a hypocrite. Viscountess Perrone seemed to catch up and she stayed silent while Seraphine rolled her eyes again. 

Then she stood up. Water dripped from her newly washed body. A few drops of blood dropped to the water, creating small whirlpools of red ink. Seraphine got out of the bathtub and grabbed the towel hung beside the door. Then she put on a bathrobe and finally got out of the bathroom.

As soon as she got out, the smell of food made her stomach grumble again. Her feet moved before her brain could catch up. She had sat on the table and had grabbed a piece of bread without realizing it. Seraphine broke the bread in two. The crunchy sound it made, the smell of fresh dough and butter, all made her drool. Her stomach made more sounds, begging her to taste the food.

When she popped the bread in her mouth. Oh! Flavors exploded inside her. The bread was sweet and buttery. It melted inside her mouth. In a few seconds, she had finished the whole bread. Then her hands grabbed a chicken thigh and what seemed like a fish cake. She ate the whole chicken thigh in a few bites and munched the fish cake at the same time. Seraphine instantly forgot that the Viscountess was still there. Her hands kept grabbing food more than her mouth could chew. But she could not help it. Her body seemed to be moving on its own.

She was just about to grab another bread when the Viscountess stopped her hand. Annoyed, Seraphine slapped the hand away but the Viscountess held her more firmly. She gave a fierce glance to the Viscountess, letting the old lady know she did not like to be stopped. She might have growled a bit too. 

"Eat slowly," the Viscountess said, "You'll get an upset stomach at the pace you're going."

Seraphine pulled her hand again and this time the Viscountess let her go. She continued to eat, filling her stomach, but she did go slower. The Viscountess was right. She would not want to get an upset stomach. Not when she had to run away that night. So, she paced herself to eat one at a time. 

Gee, the feeling of hunger sucks!

But hey, I was right. The palace food is superb!

Her eyes darted across the room while she ate. Her mind had churned her into various possibilities of escape. The window was an option. She could tie up fabrics to help her descend to the ground below. Or she could just walk out the door. It was not like she was locked inside the room by the Viscountess, the old lady only suggested that it would be best if she stayed. Which she would not. 

Okay. The door it is. 

Now, the other thing she would have to figure out was when she would get out? The building had not much staff, so it should be easy to slip through. But on the grounds, there were a few guards patrolling. 

Urgh. If I still have my prowess, I could just teleport myself! One flick of a hand and boom! The whole table and I would have been transported. 

Seraphine sighed. At the same time, she had a cup of warm tea in her hands. She looked at the still water, trying to figure out how to slip through the guards. 

***

Meanwhile, the Viscountess never left her gaze from the girl. She was shocked to learn the scars on Seraphine's body. And now she could not take her eyes from the girl eating like she had not been given food for days. For all she knew, that could be true. 

She had heard bad rumors about Seraphine Storm. That she was born with a bad omen and grew to be a villainess. The pinnacle of that rumor was that she had killed a few guards in the dukedom. It was one stormy night when it happened. The next morning, it had become the biggest scandal in the country. The powerful Duke, however, repressed the families of the deceased with big money. He even bribed the judge to conclude it as an accident. 

Everyone knew it was not an accident. 

Yet, when she the hideous state of the girl's body and how she looked like she had been starved... she wondered, did she do it to protect herself?

***

Viscountess Perrone stopped Seraphine after quite some time. "You have eaten enough," she said still in a firm voice, "You'll really get an upset stomach if you eat too much at once after you have been starved." The old lady looked at her as though the Viscountess wanted Seraphine to confirm the statement. That she had been starved... by her own family. 

In the end, Seraphine did not answer anything. She pulled her hand from the Viscountess' grip and though it was hard, she finally decided to stop eating. Seeing the food in front of her would only tempt her, so she got up and walked to the window overlooking the garden. 

The sky had turned purplish dark in the distance. And so the garden below was not really visible. "Time passed so fast..," she murmured.

"It sure does." The Viscountess rang a bell to summon maids. In a few seconds, they came to the room to tidy up the table and brought the food away. 

Her stomach grumbled again.

That old hag, Seraphine thought, I think I will visit the kitchen before I go.

The maids all looked at her in disdain. As if she was a curse, an abomination. No wonder no one wanted to be her personal maids. Who would have wanted to serve Seraphine Storm, who apparently was considered an abomination?

Her gut feeling told her that the old Seraphine would have looked down and feel sad. The body was about to just that. But the new Seraphine instead forced the body to look straight at each maid, daring them to continue their improper gazes. After all, they were maids and Seraphine was still a noble. She set fires in her eyes when she looked at them. 

One by one, the maids averted their judging gazes to the floor. They cleaned up the table in a hurry. 

When they were left alone again, Seraphine suddenly saw a man walking to the building from the window. The clothes were different, but the attitude, the posture... and the fact that when he passed the maids going out, the servants bowed to him with the utmost respect... Seraphine knew him instantly. 

The asshole.

"What's he doing here?"

The Viscountess walked to the window to see the same scenery. The man just finished accepting the greeting of the maids and he looked up catching Seraphine's gaze. His detest was still clearly seen. 

"It's your wedding night," the Viscountess answered nonchalantly, "Is it not?"

"What?" Seraphine turned to the old woman. Shock was featured all over her. She thought she would spend the nights alone after the wedding. Considering the Prince hated her. 

"But I'm not Karen," Seraphine argued.

"So?" The Viscountess' tone remained calm. It was irritating for her to hear. "You are now the wife of a prince. We would expect an heir to his name out of you."

Seraphine blinked. 

"An heir?" the words felt bitter on her tongue. 

"A son would be nice. But a daughter would be a blessing all the same."

Seraphine scoffed. "What? Am I a breeding machine, now?"

This old hag! I'm not sparing her life anymore!

"This is the life of a married woman, Lady Seraphine," the Viscountess answered, "Just lay down, let him lead, and hope the night passes fast." 

Seriously? Seriously?!

Seraphine was too shocked to hear that she could not respond with anything. She always knew that women were always considered as a second class object in society. But as the Dark Witch, they never cared for her gender. She had the power and she had the viciousness. All, men and women, were terrified of her. 

Yet now, they dared to reduce her into some... breeding machine!

Imbeciles! This is all the gem's fault. I am so finding that gem and I will destroy it!

The Viscountess walked to the door. "Enjoy your first night, Lady Seraphine," she said. Then she got out and closed the door with a thud. Leaving Seraphine in the dim-lighted room alone to laugh at what fate had brought her. No. What the gem had brought her. 

Seraphine laughed eerily. Then she tapped her head several times in annoyance. 

Urgh! How will I pass the Prince to run away now?

Before she could come up with something, the doorknob had lowered. 

He did not even knock! Rude!