Yanyue suggested that they take a stroll in the Rose Garden seeing that the agitated old lady wasn't eating her food.
The old lady agreed and they held each other's arms out the dining room with Aunt Li following them.
They bumped into Wanyue, who was coming down the stairs merrily.
"Sister, where are you guys going?"
Yanyue did not want to answer, but she wasn't a rude person either. "I'm taking Grandma on a walk in the Rose Garden," she said.
Wanyue clasped her hands and widened her eyes happily. "That's great! I have never seen the Rose Garden, so can sister let me go as well?"
Yanyue paused. "Well-"
Then, Wanyue grabbed onto her arms and said, "C'mon, sister. You can't be that stingy right?"
Her sister was right. She wasn't a stingy person. She was probably too liberal that's why her sister could openly show herself in her home arms in arms with her husband. Who knew what they did just now upstairs?
But, she couldn't change anything by being petty as she forced herself into this marriage in the first place. So, she didn't say anything and let her sister go with them.
Grandma Lu didn't like it, but her granddaughter-in-law didn't refuse, so she let it go.
The Rose Garden was the first garden in the whole Palace. It was also the place where many love stories took place. One such story belonged to the current king and his underground lover.
However, that story was forbidden all over the country, so no one dared brought it up for no good reason.
The Rose Garden was a maze filled with roses, as indicated in its name. There were much variety of roses. Damask rose and Rosa Peace, both large and showy shrubs with different hues, filled up the entrance, while the classic deep and velvety scarlet, Mr. Lincoln, made up most of the garden's face. It graced the Rose Garden and the surrounding area with its strong fragrance.
After a quick stroll, Yanyue took Grandma Lu back to the house as the night was getting colder.
As they walked on the pebble path, Yanyue saw a snake in front of them and jerked away with Grandma Lu in fear.
"Snake! Be careful Grandma!" she yelled out.
In the process of avoiding the snake, she accidentally bumped into Wanyue. The woman screamed and fell bottom first onto the rocky path.
"Ahh, sister!"
Yanyue heard the exclamation and tried to grab onto her, but it was too late.
"What did you do to her?!"
A roar came from ahead of them.
Something was stuck in her throat. "I...it was an accident!"
She received a death glare from him. "I saw you pushed her!"
The woman on the ground clutched onto her stomach, pain was written all over her face.
"Ah Chen, my stomach hurts!" Wanyue exclaimed.
Yanyue saw the discomfort on her sister's face and was worried. She told Beichen to take her to the hospital.
He picked the woman up in one swift move and put her in his car. Before leaving, he turned to Yanyue and said, "If anything happens to her, then you will pay!"
Yanyue eyes widened in horror as she watched them leave.
"My dear child, don't worry. I know you didn't do it on purpose!" Grandma Lu said.
She was dispirited and said quietly, "Thank you, Grandma."
After settling down the old lady, Yanyue took a taxi to the hospital. She wanted to make sure that her sister wasn't hurt anywhere. She would feel guiltier if her sister got injured as she did bump into her sister in a moment of fear and from avoiding the snake.
She found the ward. Before entering, she looked through the glass and saw that her sister was lying on the bed and Beichen was holding onto her sister's hands. She had never seen him looked that weary for a person before. But perhaps, he was just cold and distant to her and not to the people he loved.
She opened the door slowly.
"Wanyue, are you hurt anywhere? What did the doctor say?" she asked with a concerned look.
Beichen frowned and asked her harshly, "What are you doing here?"
She sighed and explained herself. "I care for her because she's my sister after all. And I was the one who accidentally bumped into her, so I'm responsible if anything were to happen."
"Just remember your words," he sneered.
Wanyue rubbed the man's hands to calm him down. "Ah Chen, it was an accident. Please don't blame my sister."
His gloomy expression was gone and he became a doting person when he talked to the woman on the bed. "You don't have to defend her. No one knows her better than me."
As he said that, the doctor came into the room with the inspection result.
The doctor's next sentences shocked Yanyue.
"The patient is okay. There was a fetal gas, but the fetus is stable now. However, as her husband, you must be careful not to let her do anything rash as it may irritate the fetus and that might cause a miscarriage."
Beichen looked at the doctor in confusion.
"Doctor, what did you say? She's pregnant?"
"Mr. Lu, your wife has been pregnant for two months now. Please be mindful of the pregnant person. She can be discharged tomorrow morning."
Yanyue listened to the doctor's words. The wife from the doctor's mouth was referring to her sister, his lover. It hurt to pretend like she didn't understand the situation.
The doctor explained the medication and left the room.
"Ah Chen, are you mad? I didn't think that that time would result in this," the woman on the bed said with her eyes becoming red.
The man shook his head and held onto her hands again. "Silly, I'm happy that you're pregnant. I'm not going to leave you, ever!"
Wanyue cried and started to hug Beichen, who had no intentions of letting go either.
Yanyue saw the love of the two people and decided to leave. She shouldn't embarrass herself even more by being in their presence.
She arrived back home, exhausted and tired. The news was a big blow to her, even though she told herself that she shouldn't be surprised. She was just his wife in name, but his real wife was the woman at the hospital who was pregnant with his child.
Grandma Lu didn't leave because she was worried that his grandson would blame her granddaughter-in-law. And her doubts were correct as the concerned woman came home completely dispirited. She knew that something must have happened.
"Xiaoyue dear, why are you sad?"
Yanyue looked at the sweet granny in front of her. She felt warmth bubbling from inside of her. Suddenly, the tears that she held back all this time came pouring out. The old lady took the poor girl into her embrace and petted her head as if she was consoling a toddler.
"Cry, just cry out everything," Grandma Lu said softly.
Yanyue didn't know how long she had cried for, but the stuffy feeling in her chest was gone.
"Grandma, I want to rest."
The old lady nodded, "Good, go get some rest."
Yanyue went back to her room. This was their newlywed room, but they had never been in this room together, and today, she learned the hard way as to why he couldn't stay with her in the same room. If it was not to fulfill the contract whenever he needed it, then he would never take a look her way.
She didn't wash or change her clothes and went directly to sleep.
In the depths of the night, she heard a sharp cry. It was repetitive and rhythmic, almost soulful to the ears. But then everything was so dark that she couldn't see who or what was giving this heart-piercing cry.
She followed the cries, but it was getting further and further away. She felt desperate to reach that sound before it disappeared completely.
Finally, she saw it.
A woven basket.
She slowed down.
She peeked and then covered her mouth in awe.
It was a baby!
He looked so soft. She wanted to touch him, so she kneeled.
But when she reached her hands out, the baby disappeared and everything around her was dark again.
She realized that it was a dream as she woke up from bed with sweat all over her body. She touched her eyes and it was wet.
Was she crying even in her sleep?
It was a little past three and she couldn't force herself back to bed. She thought about the cries of the baby in her dreams.
Did she dream about a baby because Wanyue was pregnant?
She sighed and kneaded her eyebrows.
She washed and took out her design book to work on some projects. Today was the weekend, so she stayed at home. The sun was already out when she felt her stomach rumbling.
Grandma Lu was over, so the servants prepared a bigger breakfast.
"Xiaoyue, come to have breakfast," said the old lady, who was already eating her share.
"Grandma, you are up early this morning," Yanyue said as she sat at the table.
She took a sip of her oolong tea. There was a little frown on her face. The tea was a little too bitter to her liking. She reached for the honey on the table and added a spoonful of it into the tea. She stirred the cup nonchalantly until all the honey became one with the tea.
The tea was much sweeter this time and she sighed in appreciation of the great floral flavor.
"Grandma, try this oolong tea," Yanyue said as she filled a cup with the said tea.
She knew that the old lady also had a sweet tooth, so she added a spoon of honey to the tea.
The old lady took a sip and was also impressed by the flavor. Even though honey was added to the tea, its rich levels of oxidation and roast were still present, making the tea full of complex flavor.
She nodded her head in agreement. "This oolong tea reminds me of the foggy morning mountains after a light rainfall the night before. It is fresh and tasteful to the tastebuds. Xiaoyue, tell grandma where you get this tea from?"
"Grandma, I discovered that there was an old garden in the back of the greenhouse. I've been taking care of the place and dying plants there. This tea is the result of my hard work!"
The old lady was slightly shocked. The garden was once a spectacle of the Palace alongside the famed Rose Garden, but its owner was gone, so now it was dying and in hazard because no one bothered to take care of it anymore. The tea reminded her of the garden's owner. She sighed in her heart.
Yanyue saw the nostalgic look on the old lady's face. "Grandma, have you also been to the old garden? Do you perhaps know who the owner was? No one would tell me anything when I asked them. There are also no records of the garden in the palace's blueprint or the history books. Such a beautiful garden, but it was abandoned," she said sympathetically.
"Yes, the garden was as beautiful as its owner. Unfortunately, the owner passed away and that place became a hotspot for ghost sightings and stories. That's why no one dared to go and take care of the garden. But, I'm surprised that you managed to revive the garden. I should go and take a look at it once in a while."
Yanyue smiled. "People are quick to judge. I've been taking care of the garden for more than a month now and saw no traces of ghosts anywhere."
Grandma Lu laughed lightly. "That's because our Xiaoyue has got a pure heart that even ghosts are afraid of."
Yanyue smiled at the old lady's jokes. Breakfast ended well with them resting in the living room.
"His highness is back," a servant came in to report to them as they were still immersed in gossiping about the daily things.
At the mention of him, yesterday's events came back to Yanyue. It wasn't that she didn't want to remember, but that she chose to hide those memories out of fear that it would hurt her even more. However, it seemed like she would never be able to escape reality.
Beichen brought Wanyue back to rest as instructed by the doctor.
The old lady saw the scene of her grandson caring for another woman and was not happy.
"Ah Chen, I told you not to take her here ever again? Did you not hear me yesterday?"
Beichen looked at his grandma while dismissing the woman next to her. "Grandma, she can't leave the Palace."
Grandma Lu raised her voice. "Do you not know who your wife is? Yanyue is your wife! You cannot treat her like this!"
Yanyue saw Beichen's dark glare. He was unhappy with her.
Beichen snapped back. "Grandma, I've never considered that woman to be my wife. Wanyue is the only woman that I will recognize as my wife. She is also pregnant with my child, so she must stay here to take care of her health. Here has the best nutritional food for a pregnant woman."
Grandma Lu was shocked at the news. "She's pregnant?!"
Then, Wanyue answered quietly, "Grandma, I've been pregnant with Ah Chen's child for two months now."
The old lady couldn't believe her ears. She looked at the poor child on her side and understood why she came home bawling her eyes out yesterday. She suddenly felt aggrieved for putting the child under such circumstances.
"Ah Chen, are you sure the baby is yours? Who knew how many men she has slept with?"
Beichen's eyebrows creased in displeasure.
"Ah Chen, this baby is yours. You're the only man I've ever had!" Wanyue said as she started to cry weakly in the man's embrace.
Beichen was angry seeing his lover crying. "Grandma, I know you don't like Wanyue, but you can't slander her! The baby is mine and that's final!"
Yanyue watched the scene quietly. She couldn't interfere in this matter because sooner or later they were going to divorce. They both married each other to improve grandma's health.
Grandma had shown signs of getting healthier, so once the old lady was completely free of her illness, then she would divorce him. It was only fair to him and her sister. So, even if this situation pierced her heart, she would have to tolerate it for a bit longer.
In the end, the old lady couldn't stop her grandson from bringing the woman in. She was so angry that she almost fainted due to elevated blood pressure.
"Grandma!" Yanyue held onto the weak old lady with Aunt Li. Beichen rushed over to his grandma and set her on the sofa.
"Go away, you unfilial grandson!" the old lady said, sickly and with her eye lids half opened.
He didn't care and still held onto his grandma. "Call Doctor Mo!"
He had already made the servant prepared a separate room for Wanyue, so he asked a servant to take the woman up to her room, while he stayed with his grandma when the doctor came to check on her.