7
I could see her hesitation and tried to convince her not to come with me. But she was adamant.
She said she was always hesitant when it came to breakups, which was why she was always taken advantage of. This time, there would be no chance for regrets, so she wouldn’t be fooled again.
I couldn’t argue with her.
T
So, I set fire to the room and we escaped on horseback through the mountains behind the temple.
Selena couldn’t ride, so she spent the entire journey clinging to my waist, shrieking in terror. I ended up having to hire a carriage and a team of guards I’d scouted out earlier. We disguised ourselves as men, smearing soot on our faces, and told them we were escorting our “sister” to a border town for her wedding.
”
A month later, we arrived in a town where it was spring all year round. We bought a large, comfortable house, hired a team of skill- ed guards and a group of kind local girls as maids.
Life was good. We spent our days admiring flowers, watching plays, or playing mahjong and cards at home with our new friends. But our happy days were short–lived.
I realized something was seriously wrong.
My period was almost two months late.
Lately, my appetite had been off. The thought of rich food made me nauseous, and only sour fruits could settle my stomach.
A terrifying thought took root in my mind.
Timmediately called for Selena and told her my fears.
She just laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. “We really are best friends! Even our periods are in sync! Mine’s a month late too.
“Don’t worry! It’s totally normal! I used to miss my period all the time when I traveled, just from the change in environment.” “Plus, you were bedridden with a cold for a month. All that weird medicine they were pouring down your throat probably messed
13:16
Chapter 2
with your cycle. And this month, all the travel…”
“I think I might be pregnant,” I interrupted.
Selena doubled over with laughter. “Your ex was impotent, and you haven’t been with anyone else. It’s not like I got you pregnant, right? Hahahaha!”
“The night before I’died,” I
ex
was suddenly… potent.”
Selena stared at me. “…Did he take something?”
“How long does your ex usually last?” I asked her.
She thought for a moment. “About twenty minutes.”
”
So, three times a night would be about an hour. But Marcus had kept me up for at least two or three hours that night! Maybe even four or five!
nodded firmly. “He must have taken something.”
“That’s not the point!” Selena yelped, suddenly realizing. She immediately sent for a doctor.
E
三
After taking my pulse, the doctor congratulated us, announcing that I was two months pregnant.
Selena burst into tears of joy, exclaiming that she finally had a baby to raise a moment to
I, however, feit no joy at all.
=
While Selena was peppering the doctor with questions about pregnancy, I pushed her onto a stool and had the doctor check her pulse as well.
Selena was also pregnant.
She was a little less far along, only about a month.
She cried even harder, overwhelmed with happiness. She finally had her own baby.
But my face was grim. I realized the gravity of the situation. I took a gold ingot from my purse and handed it to the doctor.
“No matter who asks,” ! instructed him, “you are to say that I simply have rstand?”
an
upset stomach. Neither of us is pregnant. Do you unde-
The doctor’s face lit up as he pocketed the gold.
I handed him another ingot.
“You will prepare the best prenatal tonics, brew them yourself, and deliver them
this, not even your own family.”
to
personally every day. No one is to know about
“And if anyone asks you about us, you are to tell me immediately. Even if it’s one of my own servants.”
After making these arrangements, I turned to my ecstatic, tearful friend.
“We we may have to separate,” I said, my voice heavy.
