His Majesty's Devious Sin

In the distance, Dorothy watched over the picnic, sipping her tea. She could feel the beginning of the end approaching. It was evident in the way that Adeline couldn't stand, her gaunt cheeks, and the exhaustion on her face. 

"How amusing," Dorothy said to herself. "Everyone is gathered at the tea party, as if it wasn't a going-away party for the little human Queen." 

Dorothy glanced at her grandson, whose face was soft and loving. She had forgotten he was able to make this kind of expression. Her heart squeezed when she realized the last time she saw this face was when he was a child, prior to the experiment. He had come running up to her, bright-eyed and all smiles, jumping straight into her arms.

"You were much cuter as a child," Dorothy muttered to Elias, even though he'd never be able to hear her from the tower.

Dorothy stood up and placed the tea cup down. She took a good look at the tower where she had spent the majority of her life. 

Instead of living in the lavish castle, Dorothy opted for this tower. The castle reminded her too much of the love she lost, the children she's lost, and the family that was gone.

"Soon, it will be my time to leave this world as well…" Dorothy placed a note beside her tea cup. With a final glance out the window, she disappeared.

- - - - -

Adeline felt a presence looking over them. Her head snapped into the distance, where she saw Dorothy's tower for a split second, and then, it was gone. She blinked, wondering if something happened.

"What are you looking at?" Elias asked, realizing she was looking into the distance.

"Your Grandmother's tower is gone."

Elias looked in the same direction. Sure enough, the tower hidden by the clouds vanished. It didn't surprise him, since human and vampire eyes would never be able to see the tower. Dorothy had made it that way.

"I'll visit her when you sleep," Elias reassured her. 

Elias was seated beside her, helping a slice of cake to her plate whilst Easton pestered Minerva and Weston was arguing with Lydia.

"Your favorite, lemon tart," Elias said, trying his best to not scrunch his nose at the scent. Lemon burned a vampire's skin more than anything in this world.

"We hired a human patisserie just for you, darling," Elias added on, watching as she eagerly lifted her dessert fork.

Adeline knew he did it to make it seem like she'd live long enough to taste all of the human patisserie's lemon desserts. But she could say nothing, for she knew she wouldn't make it past the birth. She was willing to die for her children.

"What are you thinking about?" Elias questioned when he saw her dazed, her fork in the same position. She hadn't lifted the dessert to her mouth.

Adeline looked at him. "I can't help but think of how great of a life I currently have," she admitted. "I have people I love and who love me. I've resolved the issue with my Uncle, I've become what every little girl dreams to become—a Queen, and now, I am with your heirs, one that can accompany you for eternity."

Elias's heart raced at her words. She sounded like she was preparing this moment to be her last. And then her lips curled upwards into one of the most serene smiles he had ever witnessed. His chest swelled with a bizarre, fuzzy warmth as she leaned her head upon his shoulder. He let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around her. 

"I love you, Eli…"

Elias's hand trembled when he gripped her hands, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"I love you more, darling."

The world silenced before him. Elias felt like they were alone in the world, and the only people present in the garden. The grass rustled, the branches shook in the wind, and the leaves took flight, a refreshing breeze wrapping over them.

Elias glanced at Adeline who was resting in his arms. She was barely able to keep her eyes open. "Let's get you to bed," he said.

Adeline shook her head. She didn't want to ruin this tea party just because she was a little bit sleepy, thus, she placed the lemon tart into her mouth and smiled at him.

"I'm fine," she reassured.

"Nonsense," he chided. "Rest will do you and the babies well. We can invite them over next time."

Adeline debated the idea, but he was already helping her to her feet. When they stood, everyone glanced their way. Lydia and Weston paused in their bickering, Easton finally found an excuse to look elsewhere, and Minerva raised a brow. 

"The Queen needs her rest," Elias stated, wrapping an arm around her waist, whilst her hand rested on his palm, the weight of her body transferred to him.

"Thank you for coming," Adeline softly said, smiling a bit. "Goodbye—"

Sharp gasps were heard.

"Oh my god, Adeline," Lydia cried out, taking a step forward just as she pointed at Adeline's leg.

Adeline felt something tug as a warm trickle of liquid went down her legs. The liquid was pale pink, signaling blood was mixed into it. Was it the lemon that triggered the birth?

The next thing Adeline knew, her legs gave out, and she was seeing the sky. She heard a loud ringing in her ears and felt a soft hand grasp the back of her head, and someone lowering her onto the ground.

Shouting was heard, and Adeline could barely keep her lids open, her eyes rolling left to right. But she could hear the faint sound of a thunderous voice making demands. 

Then, Adeline felt her body being lifted, her vision hazy. Pain shot through her body and she cried out, like thousands of needles pricking her skin, digging deeper and deeper with each move.

"CALL THE DOCTOR!" Elias roared, pressing her body close against his, but it was to no avail, she was struggling in his arms.

"We have to take her to a hospital!" Lydia shouted, just as she watched as Elias rushed into the castle. She was hot on his trail, as were the twins.

Elias carried Adeline upstairs, his footsteps frantic and afraid. He kicked the doors of their bedroom open and immediately placed her onto the bed. Suddenly, she leaned over his arm and vomited blood, only to choke on it, her voice gurgling.

Elias let out a string of curses, just as he forced her to sit upright, roughly patting her upper back and forcing the blood to leave her mouth. She vomited even more blood, until a small puddle formed next to the bed. 

"The doctors are coming as fast as they can," Weston breathed out, his eyes wide and frantic at the sight of the Queen. She collapsed back onto the bed, still fully conscious, her body shaking as she tried to control the pain that was rapidly spreading through her body.

"I-I—" Adeline stammered out.

Elias rushed to her, grabbing her hands. "What is it?"

Adeline whimpered in pain, biting hard on her lips just to form sentences. "I-I can't feel anything b-below my waist."

Elias's heart fell. 

"I don't hear the twins' heartbeat," Elias suddenly said, his face completely blank. 

A daunting silence was heard. 

"The babies are dying!" Weston shouted in realization.

Elias scrambled forward and ripped apart the front of her dress to reveal her stomach, which suddenly seemed bruised and purple. When Elias touched her stomach, she let out a wretched scream, unable to move her body.

"Once again, the hospital can help," Lydia cried out. 

"We don't have time to take her there, she has to give birth now," Easton said, coming right behind her. The room was filled with her agonized cries, her head turning. 

"They're suffocating!" Weston realized that was the only reason. It had to be. Why else would the babies' heartbeat be this faint when Adeline looked like a ghost? They had drained their mother of all of her energy.

"We have to cut them out," Weston said, sharply turning to Elias.

Elias's head snapped to Weston, his eyes bright red and murderous. Cut his wife open? Were they insane?!

"Adeline can't push out a baby in this state," Lydia breathed out, coming forward and grabbing her friend's hands, hoping she could do anything to help.

"I'll do it," Easton volunteered, despite having no knowledge of the task. 

"Don't be an idiot!" Weston hissed, shoving his brother aside. "The doctors are arriving in less than ten minutes."

"But we don't have ten minutes! If we don't take out the babies now, they'll both die!" Easton argued, grabbing his brother in disbelief. 

Weston's hands trembled. He glanced at the Queen whose eyes were in a daze. He wondered if she could even see properly.

"I'll do it," Weston finally said. "I'm the only one who has read enough books in this room to know how."

Weston knew Elias shouldn't do it. The King's emotions were going haywire and who knows if it'd distract him? 

"Now, go and grab a sterilized tray," he commanded Easton.

In a blink, Easton ran downstairs, and back with a metal tray in his hands. 

"Perfect," Weston breathed out, as he grabbed the tray and turned around. 

Elias was already injecting a syringe into Adeline's body.

"What is that?!" Lydia shakily demanded, watching as the syringe emptied into Adeline's body.

"Morphine," Elias growled as he reached into his nightstand and pulled out a knife.

"We don't have time to wait for that to settle in!" Lydia shouted at him. Realization hit her and her eyes watered.

They were going to have to perform this surgery without the aid of painkillers.

"The heartbeats are growing fainter," Elias said, as he began to debate the choice.

"Do it!" Adeline shouted at him. "Take them out, now!" 

Adeline was terrified and in horrible pain. It felt like her bones were being broken and snapped in half, then grounded into dust inside of her own body. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and she knew burning in the depths of hell wouldn't hurt as much as this. Even so, she didn't want to risk their life.

"Your Majesty, I'll do it!" Weston shouted, rushing forward to place the metal tray beside the Queen.

Elias sliced an incision and she shrieked in pain, but was unable to move her legs to thrash about. 

The room was filled with her howls, as the morphine kicked in too slowly. Minutes went by, as frantic footsteps grew closer and closer, and Adeline continued to scream until her throat burned, and her voice died. Even so, she was still shrieking, her vision hazy.

Lydia tried to not vomit as she saw Adeline's guts being laid directly next to her. She squeezed her eyes shut and continued squeezing Adeline's hands, hoping to transfer all the strength she could muster into her best friend's body.

As the room grew more chaotic, and the doors finally slammed open, two, sharp distinctive cries could be heard.

"W...ahhh!" 

"Wahhh!"

Adeline's vision was blurry, but she saw it. The scene she wanted to envision the most. Elias was holding their babies in his arms, their cries loud and clear. It was a sight she ingrained into her mind, and the last thing she saw before completely passing out, a satisfied smile on her face.

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