Almost two sennights have passed since the Prince and the husband traversed to Redroots. But it didn't matter. It shouldn't matter now because she had caught him again. And she so hoped it would be the last time; the last time she could ever let her heart cave in.
Yeji couldn't just keep her eyes on the woman who was kneeling before her, cleaning every dust on her toes. She couldn't understand it. Perhaps she would never come to understand it. Asking a whisperer would grant her the same answer in her mind. No better jape could ever be devised than a royal blood losing over a whore who does nothing but clean and serve and sleep only to wake up serving again. Yeji doesn't want that.
The princess bent ever so slightly, her hand rested on her womb, the other reaching for the handmaid's ginger locks as she leaned closer. "Red heads do fascinate me." She said, keeping a mellow tone as her maid smiled so cluelessly. "Are you always a red head?"
"Yes, your grace." The handmaid answered delightedly. "I have my father's hair."
Yeji nodded, placing her strands at the back of her ear. "My husband loves ginger hair, too." Hearing her words, the maid stopped, then quickly went on with her work the moment she realized.
"Are you expecting yourself to be his expensive harlot?" The princess said, this time, clawing on her chin as the maid struggled to let go from her grip. No, it wouldn't be so easy to forget the sight of Hee embracing her that night, saying his goodbyes. That one night at the garden before he left the next morning. What Heeseung couldn't do to his wife he could so lovingly do to his whore. His one favorite whore.
"Your Grace, you're hurting me." The poor woman groaned, pleading for her grace to let her go as Yeji went on to pull her hair and plunge her to the tub where she washed her feet. "You can't just flout around and decide to wreck every family you see, you godless bitch!" Yeji exclaimed, spending every breath she could waste just for her handmaid. "I will kill you!"
And so before Yeji could kill the maid with her bare hands, the other ladies-in-waiting stormed into her chamber upon hearing the commotion, including the princess Eru.
The others held Yeji down as the other came to fetch the ginger handmaid.
"Get her out of my sight." Yeji fell down on their arms, almost whispering as she said those words out of distraught. "You." She pointed at the maid with a murderous glare. "You know what happens if you make me so furious."
The maids then exited as she was finally settled, her arms resting on the bedside table.
"You need to rest, sister." Eru reminded her as she locked her arms on hers.
Yeji could only hold her temples, catching her breath as she felt something running through her skirt. No, it can't be. She knew she shouldn't look below. But something kept running down. Kept hurting her. Stabbing her womb.
"S...sister..." Eru panted, hating that she had to say something to bother her again. She grabbed her skirt, terrified by the bloodstain.
"No, no." Yeji muttered shakily. "No." Eru was quick to settle her back to the mattress where she was expected for her labors. Everyone knew since then something was going to happen. There were loud cries and groans, and Eru was there for every part of it, holding Yeji's hand, squeezing it as if telling her everything was going to be alright. That everything will be over soon and she would finally be happy.
But only after those fleeting minutes, there was silence. Disbelief. Something was just not right. What left her were blood and sweat. And a little corpse the size of a goblet without eyes and wrinkling skin covering her crooked bones. Yeji's little girl...
Yeji stayed in that chamber for the rest of the night, cradling her daughter in her arms, all wrapped by an old cloth tarnished by motherly blood.
Eru came back to her chamber, lighting the candles herself. It was only then she saw the princess, eyes fixed on the corpse she bore.
She sat on the side of the mattress, placing her palm on Yeji's cold hand. "I'm sorry, your grace." She said. "But the royal sawbones is requesting you to prepare a funeral for your daughter in an instant." She heard no reply but saw the princess slowly pulling her daughter closer to her chest. She wasn't ready to let her go just yet.
Eru squirmed closer, leaning her head on the princess' leg. "It's alright, Yeji." She said. "Forget about the sawbones for now. You'll have this night with your daughter."
After a long moment of silence, Yeji finally muttered.
"Rira." She said. "Her name should be Rira."
