Chapter Thirteen: Nicolai- A Cure and A Cost

Chapter Thirteen: Nicolai- A Cure and a Cost

Nicolai

Nick stood in Lucas’s study, gathering his thoughts. The news he was about to deliver wasn’t just emotional, it was historic. It would change the young king’s life, and perhaps even more so, his new wife’s. Pilar was an old friend, but that wouldn’t soften the blow.

He considered cutting to the point. He couldn’t. What he was about to reveal hadn’t been scientifically viable in decades. They might think he was out of his mind. And what would that mean for Daelyn?

He looked at her. She sat beside Pilar, the faint flush on her cheeks unchanged since the discovery. She had asked him to help her tell her brother. If he was honest with himself, he had a stake in this now. Personal, not just professional.

Stepping in front of the fireplace, he faced them all and began.

“For years, IVF has been the only way to procreate in our countries. Other nations didn’t experience the fertility crisis to the same extent. That’s why the mission was created: to retrieve a potential cure from Strayerfield.”

Lucas’s expression was unreadable, but intense. Nick knew he had been involved in parts of the negotiations. Strayerfield and Fellmere had long distrusted Wintergate and Belraithe. The mission had taken months of delicate diplomacy. For Nick, it had been his first opportunity to prove himself to his superiors.

“Strayerfield also faced a declining female population, but unlike us, some of their people could still conceive naturally. They began experimenting with antidotes and believed they had one. They agreed to share it, under strict conditions.”

He glanced at Lucas. “The first was a treaty. I assume you know the terms better than I do. The second was secrecy. If word got out, Strayerfield would face political backlash. The serum was to be treated as an anonymous donation, with its origins hidden.”

Nick looked at Daelyn.

“I was selected to help collect and secure the serum for transport. The team was small for security reasons. Andrik and Roland were my escorts.”

He took a breath and continued.

“We expected a clean operation. Bulk containers, safe transfer protocols—nothing out of the ordinary.”

Nick paused, his voice steady but subdued.

“What we found was a mess. The serum was stored in fragile glass bottles, scattered and unprotected. Before we could secure more than a small amount, explosions erupted outside. The building began to collapse.”

He looked at Daelyn, letting the words settle.

“Andrik and Roland didn’t make it out untouched. The blast zone soaked them in the serum. Full-body exposure. That’s when everything changed.”

Lucas scratched his chin and glanced at Pilar, who gently squeezed his hand, urging patience.

“The genetic engineering team has worked around the clock to try and recreate the compound from that small sample,” Nick said. “But there’s only so much we can do without direct data.”

Lucas raised his voice, tight with frustration. “I already know about the failed mission, Nick. What I don’t know is what’s wrong with my sister. Please, get to the part that matters.”

Nick opened his mouth, but Daelyn spoke first.

“I’m pregnant,” she said quietly.

Lucas shot to his feet, hands laced behind his head. He turned toward her, jaw clenched. Pilar covered her mouth to stifle a gasp and looked to Nick for confirmation.

Daelyn didn’t flinch. Her face flushed, but she didn’t cry. Not in front of her brother.

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Silence stretched.

Eventually, Lucas looked at her again. “I still don’t understand. Did you go through IVF without telling us? Why would you do something like that?”

“I didn’t,” she said, voice dry and quiet.

Nick stepped forward, placing himself between them.

“If I may,” he said.

Lucas gave a stiff nod.

“The serum came from a remote tribe in Strayerfield, one of the last known populations to conceive naturally. Their team had been working to reawaken dormant chromosomes responsible for fertility. The goal was to simulate that in our own population.”

Nick met Lucas’s eyes. “I believe the serum was already potent enough that direct exposure could restore natural function. That’s what happened to Andrik.”

Lucas crossed his arms and looked down at his watch.

“So if he was affected, he could conceive a child?”

“Yes,” Nick said.

Color flushed Lucas’s face. He turned to the window. “Who is the father?”

Pilar stood before Daelyn could speak. “After the scene this morning, do you really need to ask?”

Lucas let out a breath. “Of course. It’s Andrik. No other man would have pushed so hard to be near her unless he believed she was his.”

Daelyn remained quiet. Her eyes were glassy, but dry.

Pilar crossed the room and gently took her arm. “She needs rest,” she said. “We’ll continue this later.”

Without waiting for approval, she guided Daelyn from the study.

Nick watched them go, hand resting protectively on her abdomen. Daelyn had barely had time to understand what was happening, let alone process it.

He turned back to Lucas.

“I have to say this,” Nick began. “That child could change everything. It might offer the genetic solution we’ve been chasing for decades.”

Lucas didn’t speak at first.

“She’s a princess,” he said eventually. “If word gets to King Konrad or Belraithe’s court, they’ll force her to surrender the child. Or worse. Daelyn won’t give it up. She’s loyal to family, even when it costs her everything.”

He returned to his desk and lit a cigar. Smoke drifted between them.

“How far along is she?”

“About a month.”

Lucas tapped ash into a tray. “Do I have time to arrange a marriage? Someone loyal. Someone who won’t question paternity. You’d stay on as her physician, of course.”

Nick inhaled slowly. “With respect, I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be right. Lying to another man about his child, or to that child about their parentage, is not something I can justify. Not even for peace.”

Lucas leaned back in his chair. “Most people have a price.”

He reached for his checkbook and began filling out Nick’s name, the amount left blank.

Nick’s jaw tightened. “I’ve worked too hard to sell my principles. I’ll protect Daelyn and the baby in every way I ethically can. But I won’t lie for you.”

Lucas hesitated. Then, with a quiet sigh, he closed the checkbook.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve forgotten what integrity looks like. Everyone else I deal with would have taken the money.”

He stood and walked toward the fire. Nick moved to the window, eyes on the world outside.

He still needed a sample. Just one. From the cord, right after birth. It could unlock answers they had all been searching for. Not for power or pride, but for the children still left in orphanages. For the families waiting in vain.

Behind him, Lucas stirred. “Pilar mentioned you’re opening a free clinic in Wintergate?”

Nick nodded. “That’s right.”

Lucas’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want war, Nick. But I’ll start one if that’s what it takes to protect Daelyn.”

He paused. “Konrad promised to marry off one of his heirs if the serum worked. If he finds out about this baby, he’ll use it as proof. No matter the cost. Including her life.”

Nick felt a chill roll through him.

“What exactly are you suggesting?” he asked.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.