I was locked away in a side courtyard.

Afraid Jennifer might feel lonely, Scott hired the best opera troupe in Kingsham. Their high, lilting voices carried across three courtyards, clear as day.

Over here, all I had was the dry scrape of fallen leaves skittering across the stone steps.

A maid shoved a bowl of cold oatmeal through the crack in the door, her tone impatient. "Lady Holden, just make do."

I carried the bowl over and sat on the threshold. A thin film had formed on top, the oats so sparse that I could count them.

Somewhere in the distance, a burst of applause rang out. That must've been the best part of the show.

It reminded me of when I was a kid, hiding up in the attic, listening to the warmth of someone else's family downstairs.

What a pointless life. I really wanted to go back.

I found a length of rope in the corner of the room and tied it to the beam overhead, planning to loop it around my neck and swing for a bit.

The second I kicked the stool away, a sharp pain twisted through my lower abdomen.

"Lillian!"

Scott had come to check on me. The moment he saw what I was doing, his pupils shrank, and he rushed forward, slashing the rope in half with his sword.

I collapsed into his arms, clutching my stomach, murmuring, "My stomach…hurts…"

He immediately called for a doctor. After checking my pulse, the doctor cupped his hands and smiled.

"Congratulations, General Holden. Lady Holden is pregnant."

My heart dropped.

Every time we shared a bed, I made sure to take contraceptive herbal tea without fail. How did this still happen?

Ancient medicine was seriously unreliable.

Scott's hand trembled slightly as he held mine.

He was about to say something when noise suddenly broke out outside.

Jennifer rushed in, supported by a maid, her face pale as she threw herself into Scott's arms.

"Scott… My cycle's been late for a long time…"

The doctor checked her pulse too, then bowed again.

"Congratulations, General Holden. Ms. Cross is also pregnant."

Jennifer tilted her face up, tears sliding down.

"But I'm suffering from the Aphrodisiac Curse… The doctor said once the baby is born, I might not survive… Scott, this baby is the only thing I can leave you…"

Scott pulled her tighter against him. "Don't say that. I'll find a way to cure it."

Then he glanced at me, something complicated in his eyes.

"Lillian, focus on recovering."

And just like that, I was forgotten.

From then on, the entire household revolved around Jennifer. Her tonics piled up like a mountain, while I couldn't even get a bowl of hot soup.

The maids' whispers drifted in through the window.

"So what if Lady Holden's pregnant? General Holden doesn't even come to see her."

"Ms. Cross has it so rough, carrying a child while suffering from that curse… Lady Holden's perfectly fine in comparison."

Eventually, Scott remembered I existed and had me join them for dinner.

But at the table, he had an arm around Jennifer the whole time, piling food onto her plate, leaving me completely ignored.

Even the servants couldn't help whispering and snickering.

"Look at Lady Holden's face. She's about to cause a scene again. No way the general's going to listen to her."

Seeing that I hadn't touched my food, Scott looked up, a slight frown on his face.

"Lillian, eat before it gets cold."

I burst into tears and applause at the same time.

"This is so moving. I'm obsessed with you two. It's fine. I'll do everything I can to make sure Jennifer lives."

Under everyone's stunned stares, I got up and went back to my courtyard.

Then I pulled out paper and started sketching a large bathtub, ordering the servants to find a craftsman to build it.

Dripping blood little by little would take forever.

I figured I might as well just cut my wrist in the tub and fill it all at once. That should be enough for a full transfusion.

While I was going over the design, I kept catching shadows flickering past the window.

I knew they were Jennifer's people. I didn't bother with them.

Until the day Scott stormed into my courtyard, his face dark as iron.

Behind him, a trembling maid followed, holding a filthy cloth doll stuffed with silver needles. A slip of paper with Jennifer's birth details was pinned to it.

"General Holden… This was dug up from under the linden tree in Lady Holden's courtyard…"

Her voice shook.

Scott's gaze swept the room, then landed in the corner.

The newly made bathtub sat there, long and deep. To anyone in this world, it probably looked super strange.

"What is that?"

His voice was cold enough to freeze over.

I hadn't even opened my mouth when Jennifer was helped inside, looking frail, as if she might collapse at any second.

She glanced at the tub, then covered her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

"That shape… I've seen it in old texts. It looks like something used for blood rituals… Lillian, do you hate me and my unborn child that much?"

The veins at Scott's temple bulged.

"That's not it," I tried to explain. "I was going to use it to…"

"To perform some kind of curse on Jennifer and her child. Isn't that right?" Scott cut me off, his eyes filled with complete disappointment. "Lillian, I thought you were just jealous. I never expected you to be this vicious."

"I'm not…"

I wanted to explain, but there was no way to make any of this sound normal.

"Search the place," Scott ordered.

More "evidence" turned up.

A few sharp knives, some half-finished anatomical sketches I had drawn, showing blood vessels in a modern style, and the small stash of anesthetic herbs I had secretly saved.

All of it was laid out.

"What else do you have to say?"

Scott looked at me like I was something filthy.

"Lock her up."

He turned away, not even willing to look at me again.

"Put all this garbage in there with her. No one opens that door without my permission."

I was shoved roughly inside.

The door slammed shut. The lock clicked into place.

The bathtub, the doll, the knives, the drawings, and the herbs all stayed in that dim room with me.

[I can't believe this. Does this villainess not have a mouth? Why isn't she explaining herself?]

[This is so frustrating! That trash man can go to hell, and honestly, so can that woman who won't even speak up for herself!]

[Our girl is so much better. She's smart and capable. Way out of the villainess's league!]

Reading those comments, the curve of my lips slowly grew wider until I was grinning from ear to ear.

I was finally going home.

Reward money, here I come!

-

A day later.

Scott's irritated voice came from outside.

"Open the door. I want to see if she's learned anything after being locked up this long."

The lock rattled, and the door was kicked open.

Light poured in.

What greeted him wasn't his stubborn, vicious wife.

It was a tub filled with bright red blood and a pale, lifeless body.

In my hand, I was still clutching a letter with only a few simple lines written on it.

[Use my blood for Jennifer. It will completely cure her Aphrodisiac Curse. My love, I wish you and Jennifer a lifetime of happiness.]