## Claudel's Desperation
I found Valquiterre in the garden, illuminated by afternoon sunlight. He looked almost sacred—like a messenger from heaven with his bright blue eyes and pale blonde hair.
"Bark. Please help me."
My voice trembled despite my efforts to control it. "Can you be my friend?"
He studied my face with gentle concern. "Of course, Claudel. What happened? You're shaking."
I lowered my head. "I think Kaian never intended to stay married to me."
The words spilled out—all of it. How Kaian had said on the second day of our wedding celebration, in front of his retainers, that he would dismiss me after the wedding period. How he'd overheard me in the royal castle saying something about putting a knife to his throat if ordered by the Duke of Vermont.
"He heard only that part," I explained desperately. "He thought I'd reject him out of loyalty to my family. When he asked if I expected him to reciprocate my feelings after that... I couldn't answer properly."
The worst part was that he was right. If I'd truly been loyal to Vermont, I would have done exactly as my father ordered.
"And now I'm pregnant," I whispered. "With his enemy's child. He said once the baby was born, if it proved my loyalty to Temnes, then maybe he could trust me. But I think it was all lies."
Valquiterre's expression hardened. "That's ridiculous. He seemed happy to have you at Holderley Round."
"It was all pretense," I said, tears finally threatening to spill. "I'm Vermont's daughter. If he divorces me, no kingdom will take me back. I'll be worthless. He could give me to any vassal..."
Burbrook's face flashed through my mind, and I couldn't help but mention him.
"He won't accept the baby when it's born," I continued, my voice breaking. "I know it. And then what? Where will my child go? What life will this innocent baby have?"
Valquiterre reached out and took my hand. "I'll help you, Claudel. Tell me what you need."
In my desperation, I didn't question his sudden eagerness to assist. I simply clung to his promise that as long as I called him "Bark," he would be my true friend.
---
## Kaian's Loneliness
I entered the guest room where Valquiterre was staying, hoping for distraction.
"You're finally visiting," he said, setting down his book with a smile. "I thought you were avoiding this place."
"The events have kept me busy." I sat across from him, and he poured wine.
We toasted. Made jokes about his unmarried status. Spoke about his mother, about what life might have been if she'd lived—if the futile war with Vermont would never have happened.
I drank deeply, grateful for the conversation, for the companionship that made the empty space in my chest feel slightly less hollow.
But then Valquiterre asked: "Isn't it time? The year has changed since you married. Surely you're expecting an heir?"
I felt the pleasant numbness of alcohol fade instantly.
"What do you mean?"
"If a red-haired child is born in Temnes..." He smiled, and there was something predatory in it. "What will you do then?"
The question hung between us, and I suddenly understood that despite all the shared memories and childhood bonds, Valquiterre was asking something far more sinister.
He was asking what I would do if my wife bore a child carrying Vermont's blood.
---