The wedding night II

Byron sneaks into the royal garden to pick Demelza's favorite flowers, he needed to apologize to his angry wife who refuses to speak to him after leaving for Malavon without even telling her. He successfully got all the flowers but his bad, angry Jetaime saw him from the balcony and summoned him right away.

"Byron!"

"Yes my lord," he replied disappointedly, once again thanks to him his wife is going to make him sleep outside.

While Jetaime awaits to descend on Byron, his stepmother consort Suva walks up to him, "Not now!" Jetaime roared when she saw her.

"Well I'm sorry, son it has to be now," Jetaime raised his head to look at her with fury in his eyes, he hates it when he calls her son.

He is aware of all the scheming and planning she does behind his back and is also aware of the number of times she has come after his life. Consort Suva tried to touch his hand but he moved it quickly making it obvious she was crossing her line.

"Forgive me, I'm crossing my line again, well since you have trusted the management of the harem in my care and you have accepted the princess I think…" Consort Suva was trying to remain him of her position and make sure that it doesn't change because of the so-called new queen.

"Get to the point!"

"I mean, I want to ask for your permission to prepare everything so the two of you can enter the bridal chamber," Consort Suva voiced out faking her concern again. She is very canning since Jetaime had to refuse to take up a queen and only capture princesses to be his slave but never went close to any of them. She wanted to know if something has changed or if Jetaime was taking a queen as a façade.

The bridal chamber is a special room for newlyweds to consummate their marriage by sharing the marital bed. If he refuses to enter the bridal chamber it means he hasn't accepted the queen as his wife and if he does, he risks making the princess a threat to them since he might end up producing an heir and directly stop their chance to ever take the throne legitimately.

The throne is passed on to a direct decedent or the closest relative. For them to be next in line it will serve their interest if he has no heir leaving Jetaime in a dilemma.

"My lord," Byron arrives just in time. "You can go ahead. I will be responsible for getting the queen ready," he said giving her permission and a warning as well. He doesn't want her close to the princess by any chance. He doesn't want to put her in harm's way but he doesn't know what to do. That was already out of his control the moment she agreed to marry him.

"Okay then as you command," she replied with a fake smile as if she was thrilled the moment she turn her back she frown folding a fist.

"Did I hear that right?" Byron sounded surprised, he waited for the consort to leave before walking up to the king.

"Shut up and follow me if you don't want me to roast you alive," Jetaime sounded serious folding his hands behind his back as he strode to his secret room. "Am I in trouble?" Byron whispered staring at the flowers in his hands. If only he could divide himself into two. Right now he feels he is married to the king since he sees more of him than his wife. How frustrating.

"You have accepted her, haven't you? I knew you will like her," Byron cheers, "You can't shut that mouth of yours right? You cause such trouble and you still have time to pick out flowers?"

Jetaime chuckled walking to the latter sofa and taking a seat crossing his legs.

"They are for you," Byron reluctantly offered him the flowers as his heart aches. Jetaime took them and tossed them across the room knowing there weren't meant for him in the first place while Byron holds his chest, it took him a great deal to arrange all those flowers now it had all gone to waste.

"Seriously!" Jetaime stares at him furiously. "Now tell me, why are you so nervous? I'm sure it's not because of the princess, sorry I mean the queen," Byron hissed as Jetaime rolls his eyes at him before continuing.

"Did she request to have her old handmaiden serve her right?"

"Yes, I'm furious because you defy my orders, there is something about her I can't seem to figure out, she is so different and so hard to read more over I don't know the kind of hideous scheme her father is up to. Now all that is not important consort Suva is planning something," Jetaime shares his concern as he springs out of the sofa and paces around the room.

"Alright relax, you are making me nervous too, you have dealt with enemies all your life, and I'm sure you can handle King Acer, for the princess she is harmless besides she is in your cage what can she do? And for consort Suva she has never stopped her scheming we all know that. I was nervous when I first got married to Demelza too, so it's normal," Byron hissed with a satisfying smile.

"Shut up!" Jetaime glared at him, "Is there a way to avoid the bridal chamber and also avoid the rumors?" he asked as Byron shakes his head vigorously. The priest will inspect the white sheet the next morning and expect to see blood stains as proof of their intimacy. That's not all as custom demands, the royal family and high priest will have to guard the door, and no one comes out or goes out until the following day it will be impossible to deceive them.

"What if we fake the blood stain? blood is blood right?" Jetaime anxiously looked at Byron hoping his idea could work.

"Okay let's say we fake a blood stain, what about the noises? Remember they will be outside the door all night and the following day the high priest will inspect the queen's health to check if she will conceive from that holy night or if you guys need more of such night," Byron grins. Jetaime really wishes he could kill him. He was really enjoying his predicament.

"I think you need to stop talking before I actually kill you," Jetaime threatens.

"Seriously, the birth of an heir is a very important thing, let's say we successfully deceive them this night what about the other nights? Mind you there will be nights like this every Thursday and Monday of the week until the queen conceives." Byron reminded his friend he was really stuck in the situation and there was no way out.

"Fine I don't care about the other night as long as you can come up with a way to prevent this from happening," Jetaime sounded determined.

"Is it that you don't like the princess enough to get intimate with her or the rumors are true?"Byron boldly asked.

"You are stepping your boundaries Byron, of course, I'm very much capable of bedding a woman and I do have the edge. The problem is if she will want to be with me looking like this. And also I don't want her to be hurt," Jetaime finally share his real concern.

"I'm sorry, I know I encroached on my boundaries as your friend but I needed to ask and for her wanting to be with you with how you look, I believe you have the solution to that by the way when was the last time you had an edge for a woman?" Byron asked if he was going all out, he wouldn't get many opportunities like this to tease him like this again.