Chapter 4

Three days passed before Sean bothered to spare me a single visit.

He had barely sat down when Paige summoned him away under the pretext of feeling unwell.

I didn't react, carrying on as usual by spending my days with Katie.

She often took my hands and offered comfort. "Once Paige gives birth, the baby will be raised under your care. You don't need to feel sad."

I didn't bother arguing.

Life went on peacefully enough.

Half a month later, my pregnancy was officially confirmed.

Though they were pleased, their attention remained entirely on Paige.

No one bothered to calculate the timeline of my pregnancy.

I kept quiet about it too.

I simply focused on my pregnancy, enjoying the peace and freedom.

In my spare hours, I went over the accounting ledgers, patching up all the financial shortfalls to ensure the businesses ran smoothly.

After all, this property would belong to me in the end.

The quiet shattered on the day Paige went into labor.

A man in a tunic kicked my courtyard gate wide open. "Search the place! Leave no stone unturned!

"Lady Paige is suffering an obstructed labor and losing blood fast! A dark curse is suppressing her life force! I have tracked the malignant energy all the way here! Forgive the intrusion, my lady!"

At his command, the manservants ransacked my courtyard and bedchamber.

A few of them acted as if they knew the exact spots, heading straight for the four corners of the courtyard.

By the time I realized what was happening, they raised needle-pierced voodoo dolls high in the air. "Found them! Lady Paige's name is written right on them!"

It was a blatant, shameless frame-up.

Several older maidservants pinned me down and dragged me to Paige's quarters, where bloodcurdling wails echoed from inside her bedchamber.

Stepping into the main hall, I found Stanley, Katie, and Sean, all wearing grim expressions.

A maidservant shoved me forward, and the geomancer presented the four dolls to Stanley and Katie. "Your Graces, we found them."

Scanning the dolls, Stanley slammed his palm onto the table. "On your knees!"

"Father, I didn't—"

Before I could finish, Katie hurled one of the dolls straight at my face. "These were dug up from your courtyard! The evidence is indisputable! Why would you do such a thing? Even His Majesty knows about this baby! How dare you?"

Seeing them consumed by rage, I turned to Sean, trying to point out the suspicious behavior of those manservants.

Yet the moment I uttered his name, Paige let out another gut-wrenching scream from the delivery room.

"My lord! My lord! If you can save the child, please… sacrifice me!"

Her tragic cry startled the Empress, Alisha Clay, who had just arrived.

She cast a lingering look at the delivery room and clenched her fists in anger. "Outrageous! Drag that wench who dared harm the blessed child to me, and slap her face 100 times!"

As the eunuch stepped forward to grab me, she ordered someone to fetch Gideon, desperate to save Paige and her baby.

"Your Majesty, I didn't—"

My words were cut short once more by a heavy blow from the eunuch.

Before the burning sting on one cheek could settle, another slap landed on the other side.

From beginning to end, not a single soul listened to my side of the story.

Looking over at Sean, I held onto a faint sliver of hope.

I broke free and threw myself at his feet, clutching his robes so hard my nails nearly tore through the fabric.

"Sean… believe me! Please believe me just this once… I didn't do it! We have a baby too!"

He looked down at me, his gaze as ice-cold as if he were staring at a complete stranger.

"How could your baby ever compare to the blessed child? Tia Johnson, you've truly disappointed me."

He pried my hands off him, and the eunuch immediately pinned me down again.

Slap after heavy slap landed on my face until my cheeks turned numb, beyond the reach of pain.

Nothing remained but a loud, ringing buzz echoing in my head.

After what felt like an eternity, Gideon was brought over.

Sean immediately rushed forward and fell to his knees, striking his forehead against the stone floor with a heavy thud.

"Mr. Ambrose, please save my blessed child! This child is the one chosen by the heavens! His life is bound to the very survival of our nation. To save him is to save the nation itself!"

His impassioned plea drew murmurs of agreement from everyone in the hall.

The looks they threw at me grew even more disgusted.

Her Majesty stepped forward as well, bowing her head in deep respect. "His Majesty is deeply concerned for the blessed child in Paige's womb as well. Please, Mr. Ambrose, save him!"

Gideon's gaze swept across the crowd.

When he spoke, his deep voice carried a trace of confusion. "When did I ever say that the blessed child was in Lady Paige's womb?"