"Master," the man who had come to report was surprised by the question.
"Answer," Ernest said impatiently.
"Master, the king has not taken an official mistress, but I have heard that the physician who serves the queen is carrying his child," the man replied, bowing.
Ernest frowned. He understood the rules well—a mistress should not become pregnant before the queen.
"What about the queen?" he asked. Although he had seen Anastasia and she hadn't looked pregnant, he still inquired.
"The king is truly blinded by love. That little physician nearly made the queen barren, yet I heard he protected her. He even tried to link her actions with the king's poisoning. In the end, she was merely sent to a secluded courtyard, and she still has servants caring for her," the man said, his tone laced with disbelief.
Why would the king protect a mistress who had harmed his wife?
He had investigated personally—after all, his master wanted to rebel, and nothing stirred unrest better than scandal.
