18
After we arrived at the hunting grounds and finished eating, Morgan Carter was surrounded by the ministers, who wanted to discuss matters of state. They didn’t look like they’d come to hunt so much as moved their meeting somewhere else.
The imperial harem wasn’t allowed to take part in government, so I sat some distance away, yawning again and again.
Before long, Riley Brooks came over and said quietly, “Your Highness, go rest in the tent.”
I nodded, and Avery Brooks helped me into the tent. The moment I saw the bed, I started toward it—then heard a noise behind me.
I turned and saw Avery Brooks lying on the ground. Behind her stood a man dressed in black.
I recognized him at once. “Riley Johnson? How did you escape?”
He pulled down his mask, a vicious smile on his face. “Long time no see, my secondary consort.”
A pool of bright red blood lay beneath Avery Brooks. She was dead…
I screamed and stumbled back a few steps. “What are you going to do? Are you trying to assassinate someone?”
He gave a cold laugh. “Assassinate whom? Morgan Carter? He’s surrounded by experts. What chance would I have?”
He slowly came toward me. “You’re my only target. He treats you so differently. Out of all his consorts, he brought only you along.”
“He doesn’t treat me well. I insisted on coming. Don’t kill me. I don’t want to die here.”
“You’re still as blunt as ever. Do you want to hear what I really think?”
I hurriedly shook my head. “No.”
He shot me a cold glance, and my whole body trembled.
“Alex Hill, you have no choice. Do you know? I was stripped of my title and placed under house arrest. Taylor Anderson couldn’t marry me; she died on the way to her political marriage. Tell me, who was responsible?”
“Was it because of me?” My lips trembled.
He laughed coldly. “So today, I’m going to kill you to avenge her.”
My mind went blank. It took me a moment to understand: "It wasn't because of me... When you were still Prince Sheng, you could have married her, but you gave up and let her return to her father for the sake of military power..."
"Shut up." He raised the knife and pointed it at me, shouting fiercely.
As if my mouth could just shut up on command.
"I never wanted to marry you either, but you dragged me into this mess... and even tried to poison me to make me mute..."
He raised the knife and slashed at me. The cold gleam of the blade, stained with blood, made me squeeze my eyes shut in terror.
Just as I thought I was about to die, Riley Johnson heard the commotion outside and stopped. He pressed the knife to my neck and dragged me out of the tent.
Outside was a dense crowd—all the guards Morgan Carter had brought with him. Riley Johnson had no way out, and I felt a glimmer of hope that I might survive.
Morgan Carter ignored everyone trying to stop him and stepped forward. His voice was cold and hoarse, laced with warning: "Let her go, and I might spare your life."
Riley Johnson let out a cold laugh. "Looks like I picked the right person. Is she really that important to you?"
"You're overthinking it. I just don't want to kill you, that's all." Morgan Carter's voice was still icy, and my heart grew cold with it.
Some things, it turns out, were just my own wishful thinking.
"Don't want to kill me? Living in humiliation is worse than death." Riley Johnson looked down at me. "Or maybe I should trade this woman for the three border cities in the North. She's a rare beauty... Even my second brother, who never cares for women, likes her."
A rare beauty? What good would that do in front of Morgan Carter?
I looked at Morgan Carter in despair, but he said nothing.
Instead, the old ministers beside him spoke up to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, you mustn't."
"How could you trade three cities for a single woman?"
"If he gains power and joins forces with the rebels in the Northern territories, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Silence!" The veins on Morgan Carter's forehead bulged as he shouted.
He was usually gentle by nature; no one had ever seen him this angry before. The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
He spoke slowly: "I..."
I was afraid to hear the words I didn't want to hear. Even if I died, I wanted to hold on to a sliver of hope in my heart.
I hurriedly cut him off: "Morgan Carter, I know emperors are heartless. You would never trade three cities for my life. You're such a bastard, a dead pig... You can't even see straight, you mistook me for a palace maid, I've been mad at you for ages. After I die... could you at least not forget me? Just remember me once in a while..."
I cursed and choked up, and in the end, I didn't even know what I was saying—just that I was crying. Even though I'd tried to end my life so many times, I was still afraid of dying.
Suddenly, I heard a swish, and the knife at my throat fell to the ground. In the next instant, Morgan Carter rushed forward, pulled me over, and pinned me to the ground.
He moved so fast that my head hit the ground, and it hurt a little.
Amid the chaos of flying arrows, I lost consciousness.
19
When I woke up, I found myself lying on a bed in Morgan Carter's tent.
Riley Johnson had been shot to death by a rain of arrows—that was the last thing I remembered before I passed out.
Morgan Carter had intended to kill him from the start; he only held back because of me.
At that moment, I slowly realized that maybe I'd gone a little too far earlier, as if I'd cut off all my escape routes. But... it seemed I really had fallen for him...
Not long after I woke up, Morgan Carter walked into the tent. I didn't know how to face him, so I shut my eyes and pretended to still be unconscious, but my trembling eyelashes gave me away.
"Alright, stop pretending."
He gently patted my face, and I opened my eyes in response.
"Your Majesty, I was wrong." I quickly admitted my mistake.
"You sure had a lot to say just now." He narrowed his eyes at me. "No one has ever scolded me like that in my entire life. I guess it was an eye-opener."
"Please spare me, Your Majesty..." I shrank under the covers.
Morgan Carter chuckled softly. "Thanks to your scolding, Riley Johnson got distracted, and Riley Brooks was able to spot his weakness."
I curled up under the blanket, too scared to say anything.
"Alright, you have a royal pardon token anyway."
His gaze dropped, and his large hand rested on my belly through the blanket. "For its sake, I'll spare your life this time."
Wait... am I pregnant?
I stared blankly at his broad hand, suddenly feeling like everything was so beautiful it couldn't be real.
Some things really do feel unreal—like realizing I might have fallen for Morgan Carter, but being unable to say it out loud.
I reached up to touch the bandaged wound on my head.
Because of this injury, could it be that my truth-telling illness has finally been cured...?
20
My father was so angry his hands were shaking. "Alex Hill, are you trying to drive your own sister to her grave?"
"I'm really trying, Dad." I still lived my days saying whatever I wanted, but there were some things that were just asking for trouble, so I kept those to myself.
Out of everyone in the imperial harem, I was the most carefree. My rank rose quickly, and after giving birth to Princess Jordan Carter, I was promoted to Noble Consort.
I felt like my life was pretty great now: a noble status, no one dared to cross me, I had an adorable and well-behaved daughter, and I didn't have to worry about the princes fighting for power in the future.
Morgan Carter always looked out for me—even when it came to food, he'd pick out the best pieces of meat and put them in my bowl first.
Whenever a concubine came to complain about me, he would just reply coldly, "Noble Consort's only flaw is her blunt honesty. If I can tolerate it, why can't you?"
On Jordan Carter's third birthday, she was taken out to fly kites by a newly arrived concubine.
Everyone in and out of the palace knew I was favored for my beauty, so many people tried to copy my style. The concubine holding Jordan Carter that day was dressed so much like me, it was uncanny.
As soon as court was dismissed, Morgan Carter hurried over. He came alone, and I worried he might mistake someone else for me, so I was about to remind him.
Unexpectedly, he only glanced at the concubine holding Jordan Carter, then walked straight over to me.
"She dressed just like me—how did Your Majesty not get confused?" I asked, a bit surprised.
"I recognized you right away. You're not like anyone else."
"What's different about me?"
He raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Your eyes are bright. When I look at you, there's a certain tenderness, a gentle longing."
"..." I curled my lips in mock disdain. "Most people would just say my eyes are beautiful. No one ever talks about so-called tenderness."
"Oh, really?" He chuckled softly.
The fact that I liked him—I'd never admit it, not in this lifetime.
With so many women in the imperial harem, all I wanted was a peaceful life, not to get caught up in the endless struggle for favor and jealousy.
At the banquet that night, Morgan Carter got drunk and handed Jordan Carter a slip of paper, telling our daughter to bring it to me.
I unfolded the paper. On it were just two words: "Love you."
Those were the two words I'd always wanted to see, but never dared to look at.
I stared at it for a long time, then held the paper up to the candle and burned it.
In this harem full of women, I was the only one he remembered.
Some things—it's enough if only the two of us know in our hearts.
[END]