Baby after One Night with the Prince

Tanya's POV.

I feel everyone's eyes turn on me as I stumble back slightly in surprise. I barely have time to process what's happening before Ayana appears at the edge of the crowd. She shoves her way past me, almost knocking me off my feet as she rushes to Cathy.

"Cathy? Cathy, wake up!" she cries, shaking the princess violently by the shoulders in an attempt to rise her, her voice drawing even more attention to the scene.

"Somebody gets help!" Ayana shrieks at the top of her lungs, but despite all her yelling, Cathy remains unconscious.

Suddenly, I see Ayana's expression twist from melodramatic exaggeration to genuine fear as she holds her hand by Cathy's face. I'm filled with horror as I realize she's trying to feel Cathy's breath, and a sickening sort of understanding washes over me as I see that Cathy isn't moving at all.

"What- what happened? Is she... is she okay?" I ask, my voice shaky with concern.

Ayana's attention whirls furiously towards me.

"No! She is NOT okay!" she yells as if it were somehow my fault. "Cathy is not breathing! Tanya has killed the princess!" What? No! How can she say that? I would never! My mouth drops open in shock as the crowd gathers around me.

"Arrest her!"

Someone grabs me by the elbow, yanking me back. I'm seized by panic as a man tries to drag me away, ready to throw me to the palace guards.

A kind-faced young man emerges, and I recognize him from the auction. He's a friend of Marco's.

"Let her go; Tanya is married to the second prince. She would never harm Cathy."

Everything is happening so quickly, and I can barely understand what's going on. The hand grabbing my arm stiffens as another voice cuts through the commotion, cold and commanding.

"Who dares lay a hand on my wife?"

***

The crowd parts as Marco storms towards me, and the angry guests that were trying to throw me out release me immediately, backing away from Marco with fear. I'm filled with relief at the sight of him, his presence giving me a much-needed sense of security.

"If anyone wants to take away Tanya, they're going to have to go through me," he says, power radiating off him like an aura. He surveys the scene, daring anyone to defy him and try to hurt me. No one dares to challenge him, too fearful of his strength and rage.

But Ayana is relentless, and her expression softens into fake submissive sadness as she speaks to Marco.

"My prince, Tanya has killed your beloved sister," she says, pointing to Cathy's still figure.

Everyone watches in silent anticipation as Marco walks past me and kneels by his sister, examining her with a frown. Cathy is still not breathing, but when Marco checks her pulse, relief smooths over his handsome features. "She's still alive, but her heartbeat is very weak," he says before turning to me, ignoring Ayana. "Tanya, I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

I shake my head softly, still trembling. Marco needs my help, and I try to remember every detail. What could have caused something so terrible?

"I- I don't know. We were just standing here. I'm not sure what happened. She was talking to me, and she had a few sips of her drink. Then she just started choking and passed out of nowhere."

"Her drink..." he repeats the words to himself, an idea suddenly forming in his mind.

He looks at his unconscious sister once again, and I can see the gears turning in his head.

Cathy's drink is splashed on the floor next to her. Marco lifts her sleeve to reveal a red rash on her hand where she spilled the liquid when she fainted.

"My sister has a severe allergy to lemons," he mumbles, leaning over Cathy's figure to examine her spilled cocktail. His powerful sense of smell confirms his suspicions. "It's faint, but there's a scent of lemon juice in this drink." She must have had an allergic reaction to the cocktail! That's why her skin turned red where she spilled the beverage on herself, and she choked while drinking it. The crowd murmurs with concern, and their eyes once again fall on me. "So what? That doesn't change anything," Ayana insists, determined to blame me for all this. "Cathy and Tanya were the only ones here. Tanya must have put the lemon juice in Cathy's drink to poison her! Marco, everyone knows that the princess and your wife don't get along..."

I can't believe she would accuse me of something so awful. As much as she mocked me, I would never hurt Cathy. Thankfully, Marco's friend steps forward again to silence her.

"That's ridiculous. Tanya is new to the capital. How could she know about Cathy's allergy?"

"Why are you defending her, Oliver? That bitch tried to kill Princess Cathy!" Ayana snaps back.

Ayana and Oliver argue, their voices growing louder as tension rises. The crowd begins to panic as Cathy remains unmoving. Only Marco's furious roar cuts through the noise, quieting everyone down.

"Everyone remains calm. My sister doesn't have a lot of time. Right now, the only thing that matters is finding a way to save her. Once she's awake, she can tell us what happened herself. For now, we need to focus on helping the princess." He scans his surrounding, ordering one of the guards to send for the royal physician. But he said it himself, Cathy doesn't have much time left. If the doctor takes too long to arrive, they might not be able to save her. She hasn't been breathing for a few minutes, and if her heart stops beating, no medicine will be able to bring her back.

Prince Eric appears behind me, the fear evident on his face. I've never seen the royal family looking so concerned.

"I'll send a maid to look for Cathy's medication, but her room is huge, and it's a mess," Eric says. "Besides, our sister has not had an allergic reaction for a long time, and I doubt even Cathy remembers where she left the medicine. It will take far too long to find it."

Longer than Cathy has left. The princess's life hangs in the balance, and with every passing second, she's in more and more danger.

***

Just when it seems all hope is lost, I remember the small bottle of extraordinary perfume I slipped into my purse before coming to the banquet. It's the special concoction I made to heal allergies! I make my way through the crowd as fast as I can, getting my dainty clutch purse. Several people stare at me in open judgment and disbelief as I pull out the little vial and hurry to Marco's side.

"I can help her," I say quickly. This is too urgent for me to be shy about my creations. If I don't do something, Cathy could die.

Marco looks at me, surprised by my words. He glances down at the bottle in my hands with a questioning expression.

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"This isn't a regular perfume; it's also a healing potion. The fragrance could alleviate your sister's allergic reaction, allowing her to breathe again. If I apply it to her, it could save her life."

Various nobles scoff and mumble their disapproval, ridiculing my words. But we're running out of time, and I don't care if they make fun of me. The only one that needs to believe me is Marco. If he lets me, I will do whatever I can to save his sister.

"Please, Marco. Let me help. I need you to trust me."

He peers into my eyes, staring straight into my soul.

"I believe you. Do it."

A few onlookers gasp and protest, but a glare from Marco is enough to stop anyone from interfering as I crouch next to the princess. Carefully, I spray the perfume over her and then unscrew the lid and hold the bottle under her nose for good measure, letting the aroma waft up to her.

The room is as silent as the grave as they all wait to see what happens, and after a moment, Cathy gasps.

Relief spreads across the room as Cathy's brothers come to her side and help her steady herself as she wakes up. The princess takes several shaky breaths, eager to get air back in her lungs. Ayana leans in close as well, shoving me out of the way, but I don't mind. I'm just happy to see Cathy breathing again.

"Cathy! Thank the Goddess you're okay! I was so worried! Tell us, what happened? Did Tanya give you that drink?" Ayana asks, and from the corner of my eye, I swear I could have seen her wink at Cathy, encouraging her to blame this whole thing on me.

Cathy just looks at me and then at her spilled drink on the floor, her face slowly starting to regain color.

"No... I got it for myself from somewhere else. This was all a terrible mistake; it has nothing to do with Tanya."

I can't help but smile at her softly. I'm happy to know that Marco's sister is okay and that, in spite of our differences, she's an honest person. It seems we'll be able to put this whole nightmare behind us. But then Lily's voice cuts through the air, unusually cold. I feel her eyes burning on me as she points at the perfume bottle in my hand, her tone sharp as steel.

"Where did you get that?"