Ephemeral Affairs [MXM]

Little Harvest

Maeve and Nisara go to the North Wing where the kitchen is and see the children washing the dishes.

After they're done, Rayn takes Nisara to play with Zeno and Sina, meanwhile Wendy and Maeve talks about being a mother.

"Thank you for defending me back there," Maeve softly smiles.

"It was no good. I hurt your son in the end."

Then silence befalls because Maeve is unsure of how to transition to what he should he talking about.

"Do you feel anything different about your body?" Maeve begins the awkward conversation.

Wendy glances at Maeve before looking into the distance, "I feel pain everywhere."

"I'm sorry... I guess I would like to know if you have started your menstrual cycle yet."

Wendy turns red and turns her back toward Maeve, "Yes."

"When?"

"Why do you want to know that?" Wendy comes off as a little irritated.

"To see if it was from a cut or from the—"

"Four months ago. I tried to hide it but the vendor found out and sold me."

Maeve searches into his soul of what he should do, and simply says at the end, "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do it. I don't need an apology from you," Wendy turns around to face Maeve again, but still hugs her legs.

"I know, but... Do you happen to know who might've made you pregnant?"

"Yes. I only had one customer the entire time," Wendy hides her face in shame. Then with a knot in her throat, she names the customer, "Young Master William."

Maeve put a loose hair behind his hair and says, "Does he know you might be pregnant?"

"No. He was drunk the entire time," Wendy is unwilling to lift her head.

"I'm scared. I'm scared that his wife will hurt me and my siblings if she finds out," Wendy sobs.

Maeve moves in to give her a strong embrace, "Stay here and I'll do my best to protect you and your siblings."

"How can an outsider like you say it so easily when our aunts and uncles hesitated to only refuse sheltering us in the end?"

"Because I had people who said that to me, so I want you to hear and feel the safeness I had," Maeve pats the long brown hair.

"Who said that to you?"

"The family that adopted me," Maeve answers happily. "So I did what I thought I could to protect them, but I still couldn't."

"But they loved you like everyone else. Someone who is loved by everyone like you will never understand an orphan like me."

Maeve shakes his head, "I am an orphan and that's why I will never let Asahi..."

"Then should I keep the child even if the Young Master doesn't accept us or his wife hunting us down?"

"That is up to you. And I'll support you however I can."

Wendy lifts her head to see the lingering darkness the Maeve.

Then she asks, "How can you say that? A life is a life. Have you ever lost a child?"

Maeve turns and looks to the children playing a few steps away.

"I was weak and allowed a child to be taken from me," Maeve recalls the fading warmth. "It still haunts me whenever I think about it."