Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

Chapter 10: Pregnant?

The footsteps and voices from outside made her flinch as she sat on the bed, her heart beating so fast it felt like it wanted to break out of her chest. Arianna already knew she was in trouble, deep trouble. And if she did not find a way out, the man standing in front of her might kill her without even thinking twice.

"Stay here. I will be back soon," King Kane said, running his fingers through his hair as if nothing could shake him.

"No, I want to come with you," Arianna said quickly, getting up from the bed. If the king went out alone, Ethan would twist everything. He would lie. And she could not allow that.

Kane looked at her in surprise, like he did not expect her to insist, but he did not argue. Instead, he gave a small nod. His eyes moved over her and he seemed to notice her dress properly for the first time. He had ruined it earlier and there was no way she could step out like that.

"I will get you something to cover," he said quietly.

"Thank you," Arianna replied, her voice low as she slightly lowered her head. She could still feel the heat of what had just happened between them, and it made her chest tighten. There was no doubt he probably thought she was reckless, maybe even wild.

He walked to the big chest at the corner of the room and opened it. Inside were neatly kept things, books, and other items she did not expect to see there.

Arianna frowned a little. A man like him keeping things like this? It did not fit what she thought she knew about him. Had she been wrong about him all along? Maybe he was not just a barbarian like people said.

Maybe there was more to him than what he showed the world.

Instead of simply handing her the cloth, Kane walked back to her and gently placed it over her head, letting it fall across her shoulders.

Arianna swallowed hard as his presence surrounded her again. When he was sure she was properly covered, he paused, his eyes resting on her face a little longer than necessary. Then he reached out and pushed the strands of hair away from her cheek.

Silence stretched between them.

Arianna’s heart skipped as she wondered what this was between them. This was not part of her plan. Why was there so much tension... so much awareness between them?

She cleared her throat softly, breaking the moment. "Shall we?"

Kane nodded and led the way.

The moment he stepped outside, the noise died instantly. Everyone dropped to their knees except for two people standing at the front-Ethan and Selena.

The faces were familiar. Arianna could read the shock in them even from a distance. They had expected her... yet seeing her there still unsettled them.

"Father, greetings," Ethan said, bowing slightly. Then his eyes shifted quickly to Arianna standing beside the king. "I know you are surprised to see me."

"I am not," King Kane replied calmly, his voice firm.

His gaze moved past Ethan and landed on the blonde woman beside him.

"Who is she?"

Ethan’s eyes stayed fixed on Arianna as he pulled Selena closer, holding her hand like a statement for everyone to see.

"The woman I want to marry," he said clearly. "She is with my child."

Arianna forced her expression to remain calm. Inside her, something stirred, but she refused to show it. It was the same kind of moment that had destroyed her in her past life. Only this time, she was not the same foolish girl who had been broken by it.

In her previous life, she had found out Selena was pregnant while she was still tied to Ethan... no, not even truly married to him. The marriage had been fake from the beginning.

The memory still burned. Every time she remembered how they had played her for a fool, it felt like something inside her tightened painfully.

"Pregnant?" Kane’s brows knitted in confusion. His tone was steady, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. He did not press further, as if choosing to hold his thoughts for later.

"Your Highness," Selena said softly, bowing with both hands resting over her stomach.

Arianna bit her lower lip as she watched them. They wanted a reaction from her. They wanted shock, jealousy, pain. But she gave them nothing.

If they thought she was going to panic over this, they were wrong.

What she feared most was not them. It was being exposed for the lies she had told the king.

"This is good news," Aunt Freya said with a forced smile as she stepped forward. "But don’t you think you should have informed your father in private? Tonight is a special night for the people of the North. There was no reason to come here and make—"

"I wanted to speak to my father, not you, Aunt Freya," Ethan cut her off sharply.

His voice was cold now. He did not even glance at her as he walked forward toward the king.

"I am angry at you, Father."

Arianna’s heart skipped. Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides. She could feel the moment shifting and she did not like it. If Ethan kept talking, would he expose her? Would everything collapse right here?

"I am your son... your only son," Ethan continued, voice rising with emotion. "And yet you got married without me. I was not even present when you replaced her with my mother. I did not even know the woman you got—"

"Ethan."

Kane’s voice cut through the air, low but firm. It was not loud, yet it carried authority that stopped everything at once.

Silence fell again.

Arianna turned her eyes toward Kane, studying his face, trying to read what was going on in his mind. But he gave nothing away.

He simply stood there, calm and unreadable, his hands still clasped behind him.

Then he spoke again.

"Have you not met the daughter of the King of the West?"

Her fingers trembled slightly as she stood there, the cloth wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Arianna knew that if she did not answer that question carefully, it could cost her everything. So she spoke quickly, steadying her voice.

"No, King Kane. I have never seen him nor the woman with him before."

For a moment, silence swallowed the entire courtyard.

The cool night breeze moved through the space, brushing against their faces, but no one reacted to it. All eyes were locked on her.

Ethan looked like he had been struck.

For a second, he could not even breathe properly. He never expected her to deny him. There was a time she would have done anything just to catch his attention, just to have him look at her. And now, he was standing right in front of her... and she was looking through him like he was nothing.

His hands slowly clenched. His fingers dug into his palms as he stared at her in disbelief. It felt like a betrayal he could not understand.

Selena, on the other hand, looked shocked for a brief moment... but there was something else behind it too. Satisfaction. She seemed pleased that Arianna had denied him so easily.

"But he lived in your father’s court for a period of time," Aunt Freya said, her tone sharp with confusion. Even she seemed unsettled, like something about this situation did not add up.

"How can you say you do not know Prince Ethan?" the lady beside her added quickly.

Arianna’s eyes flickered toward her. She remembered that face now, from the moment Kane had carried her earlier. The resemblance was too clear.

So she was Freya’s daughter.

Arianna inhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay composed.

"My father kept me away from the influence of men," she said calmly. "He made sure the women of his household had separate quarters, and I remained there at all times."

The words came out smoother than she expected. Too smooth. Almost like she had rehearsed them.

Even she could feel how dangerous that was.

But she did not stop.

"I was not allowed to move freely," she added, lifting her chin slightly. "So I could not have known anyone outside those quarters."

She had no idea what would happen if Ethan insisted that they knew each other. If he pushed it too far, Kane might believe his son over her. And that would be the end of everything she had carefully built in this second chance.

Her heart kept thudding heavily in her chest as the king’s gaze shifted back to Ethan, silently asking for his version of the story.

"What about me, Princess?" Selena asked suddenly, a sweet smile on her lips, though her eyes carried something sharper underneath.

"I think you look like one of my maids back at home. I am not sure," Arianna replied calmly.

A small wave of laughter spread through the crowd.

Selena’s smile froze for a second before she gritted her teeth and moved back to Ethan’s side, clinging to him as if she was reporting back to her only protection.

Arianna ignored her completely. Inside, her mind was running faster than ever. She needed a way out. A miracle. Something to prove she was not lying.

Then an idea struck her.

She stepped forward and bowed slightly, her voice suddenly soft and respectful.

"Welcome, Prince Ethan. I am grateful to meet you. I will be a good wife to your father... and a good mother to you."

A murmur went through the crowd.

Ethan’s face darkened instantly. His jaw tightened so hard it looked like he might lose control, but he stayed silent, watching her carefully as she continued to speak like she was completely unbothered.

Then he stepped forward and bowed slightly too, but his voice was cold.

"Nice to meet you, stranger. But I will not accept you as my mother, nor as a wife to my father."

Arianna’s eyes widened slightly. She had expected him to expose her immediately... not this controlled refusal.

"I... I promised I would be a good wife," she said quickly, as if trying to hold her ground.

"I don’t care," Ethan snapped, his voice rising.

A heavy silence followed.

"What do you want then, son?" Kane asked suddenly.

The words cut through the tension like a blade.

Ethan’s expression changed almost instantly. He had been waiting for that question. His anger did not fade, but there was something calculated behind it now.

His eyes locked onto Arianna.

This was his chance.

"I want you to send her back to the West, Father," he said firmly. "She is no good for any of us."

Arianna’s fingers curled slightly inside the fabric of her gown.

Her worst fear had just been spoken out loud.