Viktor paced around just outside the castle, waiting for Klara. He had to see her, he couldn't wait for her to be brought by one of his servants. His mind raced, his hands shook violently at his sides even though he drank. He wanted this for decades, and it was finally happening, it didn't seem real to him.
He composed himself when he saw a black Mercedes pull up, he needed to be calm for her, he needed her to feel safe. Though she wouldn't have been considered young for a first-time mother where she was from, she would be a young mother in Austria and yet younger among the royal family, an unplanned pregnancy was going to rattle her more than a woman even a couple years older, she was barely a full-fledged adult.
Her age wouldn't have mattered, he would have coveted a woman pregnant with his child whether she was eighteen or forty-eight. He considered himself lucky, twenty-five was a prime age, he wouldn't have to cross swords with a teenage girl or live with the anxiety that his one and only child from a woman nearing menopause might be unhealthy and unable to ascend the throne.
The chauffeur opened the door for Klara, who slowly exited the car and stared at Viktor for a moment before speed walking towards him. He met her halfway, pulling her straight into his arms, letting her weep into his chest. Even in her distressed state, she still glowed. When Klara finally loosened her hold around his waist, Viktor lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes.
"Klara, you look exhausted." Viktor saw the redness around her stunning eyes, making the irises practically glow.
No one allowed themselves to look so undone before him, at least no one in his good graces. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red, her skin somewhat oily, her lips were just starting to dry. He was also disheveled, eyes red from crying and darkened with a lack of sleep, his hair uncombed, his stubble overgrown and unkempt, his shirt sleeves rolled up, tie loosened and three buttons undone, the stench of armagnac strong on his breath.
"Come." Viktor ushered her inside and down the winding corridors.
When they reached his study, he removed her peacoat, revealing her pale arms and shoulders before he wrapped a blanket around them for warmth and a little modesty. There was a warming cup of cocoa waiting for her in a white porcelain cup with a saucer, Klara found relief in not being offered anything alcoholic, the cocoa soothed her nerves in a different way than liquor would. Viktor pulled a chair to sit across from her, eyes glued to her as she sipped at her cocoa, waiting for her to say something, anything.
"Viktor, I'm pregnant..." She got straight to the point, fearing she wouldn't be able to say it otherwise. She set her cocoa down on an end table. "And you're the father."
Viktor rose from his seat, pulled Klara up from her's, and kissed her gently, like he was afraid of breaking her.
"You have just made me the happiest man in the world." His voice soft, he stared at her in genuine wonderment, as though he had never seen a woman before. He kissed her again, though he was gentle, Klara was overwhelmed at the emotional intensity coming from him, yet thankful he did not react poorly. "I promise that you and our children will have the best of everything."
"I have to put in a notice at work for maternity leave." The statement made Viktor chuckle.
"You won't be working anymore, my dear."
Klara held prolonged, silent eye contact, unsure she heard him right, confusion pulling at the muscles in her brow.
"What?" The word weakly projected from the front of her mouth, making a voice that already wasn't throaty sound meek.
"You'll be my wife and the mother of princes and princesses, that's a job within itself." Viktor told her, as though it should have been obvious, as though he was a sane psychiatrist to a delusional pupil.
It finally occurred to Klara that he said children instead of child.
Klara did not want an abortion at any point, but she realized she didn't put enough thought into how to tell a prince she was pregnant with his baby and may have landed into a precarious situation. She should have at least consulted a lawyer before going to him. She knew a prince would have power over her, she was already deferential to him, but the reality of just how much power he had began to sink in, and she didn't have the thin veil of the law to protect herself with.
Klara knew Viktor's word was good when he promised she and her child would have the best of everything, but receiving the best of everything would have a befitting price. The price was her freedom and independence, something she spent years working towards. All those late nights studying, those extra hours at work, all that grueling training to bend her body in near-inhuman ways to receive sports scholarships, all of it lead her to this point, the point where it might as well have been a waste.
She would now have access to every material thing she could desire and more, not because she worked for it, but because she attracted the right man at the right time.
Her situation was made more complicated by the fact that the man who sought to turn her accomplishments and goals into ashes could play with her body like a well-tuned viol; Sap, bow, and a trained hand at her neck to make her resound with vibrato lead to results even he didn't expect.
"Your wife?" Klara asked, the shock tangible in her voice. "I barely even know you." She raised her voice, though she was not shouting. "We had sex. That's all it was supposed to be. You were supposed to be a rebound, you weren't supposed to be attainable, you lied and told me you were sterile..." Klara trailed off, tears threatening to surface again. She wanted to be angry, but she couldn't, all she wanted was for him to tell her it was going to be alright, over and over again until it sunk in.
Her words stabbed Viktor right in the heart, a manticore's stinger would have been less painful. For the briefest moment, anger that could only come from a man rejected by his love (for lack of a better term) flashed in his eyes. She should have felt honored . Perhaps if she wasn't pregnant, he would have backhanded her, bent her over his desk and reminded her that he was the best she ever had.
But would have he felt so strongly if she wasn't pregnant? He wondered if his growing attachment to Klara at the end of her weeklong stay was the result of her conceiving. A subconscious, hormonal reaction to keep him invested in the mother of his first child.
Regret immediately wrote across Klara's features when she saw the flicker of hellfire in his eyes.
"Klara, I don't think you fully understand the situation. Allow me to explain it to you." Viktor left her side to fill a crystal glass with liquor before starting, thinking hard, trying to find the right words. "I have recently become crown prince, set to inherit the throne, this isn't something I would have expected, especially not so soon. Along with that, for decades, it was believed I was sterile, I did not lie to you." His eyes were fixed on hers, he hoped she could look into his eyes and know that he was telling the truth. He sipped at his liquor, trying to assess what Klara was thinking, but perceived nothing except disbelief and fear. "The crown does not have enough children, and you are the only woman, it seems, who can have mine."
Viktor walked back towards her, getting close, too close for her comfort. "That, to me at least, makes you worth more than every jewel, every investment, every property that the royal family holds. My children need a legitimate claim, and marrying you is the best way to secure their futures." Viktor sighed heavily when Klara backed away from him, her hands feeling around for chairs and tables that might have been in her way. "Klara." He feared this would go worse than he anticipated. He had to make the world outside the gates seem more oppressive than him. "It's not as if you can ever return to your old life while carrying my child, before you'd even reach your apartment, you would be kidnapped, held for ransom, tortured, raped, killed. As for our child, some would kill it in the name of democracy and freedom." Viktor scoffed. "More would sell it on the black market, there are even those that would cannibalize it." The fact he wasn't lying about anything only strengthened his conviction that what he was about to do to Klara was the right thing, despite it being Draconian even for the royals. "Especially after Eric's murder, I can't let you leave, I would take any action that would prevent you from leaving and I mean any action." A chill ran down Klara's spine.
Even though she knew he was telling the truth (her instincts told her that even the outrageous claims such as cannibalism were honest,) it didn't make it anymore comforting. Her back was against the wall in more ways than one, and he was taking his time approaching her, like he was enjoying this.
"I'm currently in a dangerous position, both being the new crown prince and also participating in the investigation into my cousin's death. To ensure you and our child's standing in the family is not compromised should something happen to me, we will be legally married tonight, the justice will be here shortly." He continued towards her until his taller, more imposing body pressed hers even more against the wall. Viktor brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her breathing was heavy, she still looked like she was about to cry but managed to keep her tears to herself.
"You have to do something for me when I marry you, even if it's the only thing you do for me." There was reluctance in Klara's voice, reluctance to resign herself to her fate. She knew she couldn't say no, she couldn't run, she couldn't hide, she couldn't fight. She knew she shouldn't either. She didn't have a choice. She hoped he would forgive her earlier insubordination.
"Yes?" Viktor asked, he would fulfill any request she had if it meant she would come willingly. He was just about certain of what she was about to request, and it was well-within his power to grant it.
"My family is in a lot of debt, I've been sending money back home since I've been working for the royal family. I want you to pay off their debt." Klara couldn't believe she was essentially selling herself, even though a prince was the buyer in question, she felt cheapened, trading freedom for security.
"I'll do more than pay off their debts, my dear." Viktor laughed, he put his hand her her chin and tilted her face up, his thumb toying with her bottom lip. "I think your family could stand to be raised up several tax brackets."
"I want my nieces and nephews to be in the best schools in the US, and have private tutors." Klara blurted out, her thoughts not entirely together. If she was going to sell herself, she might as well make sure she had a high price tag.
"As you wish." Viktor accepted her terms with a chaste kiss on the lips. His little Cinderella came with a high brideprice, one he was willing to pay. They would be well-connected, the upper crust of American society would be very interested in befriending their children to the nieces and nephews of a Kronenburg princess, even if they did start off as little more than white trash.
"Alright then..." Klara felt lightheaded. "I need to sit down." Her voice was weak. Viktor kept ahold of her and sat her down. He knelt down so he could look into her eyes. "This... is a lot."
"I think you'll do quite well as royalty, you're pretty, you're young, your profession will prove invaluable to the family's more... internal affairs. You'll practically be perfect after you have been coached on etiquette, media training, and tutored in our history. I intend on keeping our marriage a private matter until you are proficient in the first two."
Her education wasn't a complete waste after all.
"What about us?"
"What do you mean?"
"What does this mean for us? How often will I even get to see you? I don't want to be alone while I'm pregnant." Klara asked, the vulnerability of the question endeared Viktor.
"There will be some engagements that are too dangerous to have you with me, but other than that, I'm yours when the sun goes down."
Klara's body warmed at the idea of nightly sex. She wondered how long that would last. From what Lillian told her about some online mommy chatrooms she was in, a lot of the moms couldn't get the fathers of their children to sleep with them during and for months after the pregnancy.
She could be happy being married to him, she decided. She and her family wouldn't be poor, she would be able to spend more time with her child than if she was working, she would get to visit her family more often, her nieces and nephews would have a future. Maybe she would be freer with him than she was on her own.
"Your highness, Justice Stalzbourg is here." A familiar soft voice chimed from the door. Sebastian stood in the doorway.
"Send him in." Viktor instructed. Klara softly, involuntarily whined when Viktor pulled the warmth of his body away from hers.
A tall, thin man walked into the study flanked by two royal guards. He had dark circles that almost looked like bruises, Klara thought his intelligent eyes were yellow. No, they must have been light amber, no one had yellow eyes.
"Your highness." He dipped into a low bow. His voice was one of the deepest Klara ever heard, it was creepy, making the hair on the back of Klara's neck stand up, nervously gripping the blanket Viktor wrapped around her. She had the immediate sense that she was in danger.
"Rise." Viktor ordered. "Well, my dear, let's get married."
Every cell in Klara's body screamed at her to run, but she ignored her intuition.
There was no exchange of vows, only document signing. Klara knew the two guards were there to function as witnesses, but the same instincts that told her to run were also under the impression that those guards would have stopped her and dragged her back if she did. While Viktor was signing, Klara thought about the imbalance of power, four powerful men to one woman.
Viktor signed first, handing the fountain pen to Klara. She took it and signed the documents, the pen following the greyish, bony finger of Justice Stalzbourg, who seemed like he was rushing her where he had not the prince. When she tried to command the pace of her signage, perhaps even read some of what she was signing, she felt all of the men's eyes bore into her, impatient and annoyed.
Drop the pen! Run, hide, do something!
She did not resist, however, she allowed that pen to glide wherever the unsettling justice instructed her to. She signed everything they told her to.
When Stalzbourg took the documents from her, a word on one of the documents caught her attention. She squinted, looking closer, and to her horror, realized she should have followed her intuition.
She didn't just sign a marriage license and a name change, her husband now had full legal guardianship over her.
"Oh no." Klara vocalized her horror in a terrified exhale, bringing a shaky hand to cover her mouth, eyes wide as saucers, fixed on the papers in the corpse-like hands of the justice.
Viktor knew instantly she noticed the guardianship clause, and just too late. She was his now.