Angelina slowly stood up from the floor; her legs wobbled from the shock. She slowly looked at her mistress, who looked in disarray. Angelina knew that Minah was not in the right state of mind since her newborn had many deformities. Children with disabilities were seen as outcasts and monsters. People in the past didn't understand how genetic workers, but Angelina didn't want an innocent child to die. "L-Lady Minah?" The noblewoman didn't respond; her body still shivered. Angelina slowly walked toward her. When she gently touched Minah's shoulder, the noblewoman glared at her. Then, Minah slapped Angelina across the face so hard that it made her trip and fall to the floor. "Wh-Wha...?"
"Y-You cursed wench! Why would you dare beg for the life of that monstrosity!? That thing wasn't supposed to live!"
"Wh-Why are you saying these things!? That thing you're talking about is your son! Your child! He is innocent!"
The noblewoman looked crazed, and it frightened the young woman. "Innocent! Bah! That thing is the devil itself!" Minah breathed heavily as she grabbed chunks of her hair and pulled parts so hard that some strands were ripped off her scalp. Angelina gasped in horror at the sight. "Why has god condemned me!? Have I suffered enough!? Must I suffer more!? All I wanted was to please my husband and give him the heir he wanted! Is it for my sins!?"
Angelina crawled away from Minah until she hit the wall; Minah was slowly having a mental breakdown. "Someone! Please help! Lady Minah is unwell!" She hoped that the ladies-in-waiting or midwives would enter the room; anyone. Minah widened her eyes as she focused on the frightened young woman. "Y-You're in shock! Please believe me that it will pass!"
"You foreign wench! Since arriving in this castle, you have caused a stir within me! My hatred for you made me give birth to that monster!" Minah slowly got off the bed with blood stains on her dress. "You think you know everything! You think you are special!" Suddenly, Minah ran to Angelina and jumped on her, which surprised Angelina. The noblewoman grabbed onto her neck with both hands and squeezed her.
The women struggled on the floor, and Angelina couldn't believe how insanely strong Minah was. Angelina struggled to breathe and tried moving side to side to make Minah lose a bit of her grip; it was pointless. Fear and the need to survive overwhelmed Angelina as she struggled to remain conscious; hope faded away as everything became dark.
"LADY MINAH! PLEASE STOP THIS!?" Sorina entered as she heard Angelina scream for help. She immediately went to Minah and tried to get her away from Angelina. When the noblewoman didn't budge, Sorina screamed for the guards who entered. They immediately got to their mistress and got her off of Angelina. Minah screamed at her guards to let her go, but they didn't listen. Sorina went to her friend and gently shook her. "Angelina, please take deep breaths!" Angelina felt Sorina's voice sounded like a faraway echo. Parts of her oxygen were stuck in her chest, but when Sorina squeezed her chest, Angelina coughed, regaining her breathing. "Oh, thank be to god! We must take you away from here!" The adolescent assisted her friend in standing and exiting the room; Minah's screams echoed behind them.
Once the women were away from Minah's chamber, they decided to go outside for air. Once outside, Angelina put her back on the castle wall as she touched her neck. "Th-Thank you, Sorina. You saved my life."
Sorina sighed in relief. "How could I not help you? Lady Minah has gone mad!"
"She had a mental breakdown, Sorina. I can't fault her entirely. I imagine Lady Minah was given too much pressure to marry Vlad and give him a healthy child."
"I only caught a glimpse of the newborn when Ioana took him away; poor boy. He will have a miserable life. It would have been best to end his misery."
Angelina glared at her friend; Sorina noticed and cleared her throat. "Forgive me, but you must understand, my friend, a child with such deformities is looked down upon. He will forever be seen as a demon from hell. If the people found out that Vlad sired such a son, he will be mocked and his enemies would use the child to ruin his reputation."
No matter how much Angelina hated to admit it, she was stuck in the 15th century, when people didn't understand that people with disabilities were capable of living normally with the proper support. However, there was no current support, and people with special needs in her time were still looked down upon and misunderstood. Sorina reminded her of the realities of what the newborn could bring, but she refused to fall into societal pressures. Angelina was determined to keep the child safe and show Vlad his son could live a normal life.
Meanwhile, Vlad entered his throne room, fuming. When his wife became pregnant, he felt his stress dissipate, as he would have an heir for Wallachia. When the child was born, he was enraged that the boy was born deformed. His hopes for an heir were dashed. Alexandrei gave the Voivode space; he was stunned when he saw the newborn. "Cursed woman! I knew marrying her was a terrible choice. I should have listened to the other council instead of your advice!" Vlad yelled as he glared at Alexandrei.
"V-Voivode, Lady Minah is more than capable of giving you another heir. Please be patient for I believe this is a test of god."
"Test of god? Bah! I have endured the destruction of my family and my home! I have endured being hostage by those scoundrels!" Vlad speed-walked toward Alexandrei, who tried walking back, but his back touched the wall. "You dare to say that this is god's test!?"
"F-Forgive me, Voivode. I was only trying to make sense of the possibilities!"
Vlad breathed heavily as he tried calming himself down, walking toward his throne chair. "Call the council, for we must continue with the meetings. Alexandrei bowed and went on to follow his order. Meanwhile, Vlad sat silently as he contemplated his subsequent action and knew he would have Angelina visit him tonight.
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