Chapter 69
Following the royal banquet, the Queen bestowed a cascade of rewards, sending them like a steady stream to the homes of those who had rendered meritorious service. Naturally, the mercenaries were not overlooked. Hua Yumu accepted them all, securing them in the treasury.
None of them had started families or established their own households yet. Moreover, with missions keeping them constantly occupied, their expenses remained minimal. As a result, the rewards they had amassed over the years piled up, filling the entire treasury.
Each of them had a key to the treasury. Wakako didn’t care much for material possessions and had rarely set foot there in the past five years.
She opened the door and went in. On the wooden cabinet by the door were the account books meticulously kept by Master, clearly recording the origin and ownership of each item.
Wakako found the one belonging to her and stared at it for a long time. Even among the nobility, she could be considered wealthy.
She had never realized that she possessed so much gold and treasure.
Then again, how could the ever-kind and generous Queen mistreat her own private soldiers?
Wakako tucked the account book into her clothes, locked the door, and went back. Then, she dipped her little finger in cinnabar and lightly marked the book.
She planned to distribute these things to others.
Lin Lin was still young and could use the extra money; Master Albert was preparing for his wedding, and the exquisite jewelry could be added to his bride’s dowry; as for the delicate trinkets fit for children, they could be gifted to Captain Hua Yumu’s daughter…
In this way, everyone was taken care of. There were still many scattered items left, which she would give to the families of the fallen mercenaries, and whatever remained would be gifted to Miki.
After carefully sorting through everything, Wakako’s finger paused.
She had thought of so many people, but had she left nothing for Miki…?
In fact, she had considered giving everything to Miki but immediately realized how absurd and ridiculous that idea was.
The Saint had everything she could possibly want; Wakako’s possessions were probably not even worthy of her attention.
Wakako slowly took out a cloth-wrapped white pearl necklace from her clothes.
It was the one she had painstakingly saved up for and made for Miki many years ago, the one that Miki had later given to the Jin clan as a congratulatory gift.
That day, Wakako wanted to return it to Miki, but Miki didn’t accept it.
As soon as her eyes fell upon the necklace, she recalled her timid self clutching it in her hand, hesitant and self-conscious. If Miki hadn’t accidentally seen it back then, she probably wouldn’t have dared to give it away in her lifetime.
Wakako slowly put the necklace on herself, its delicate beauty further accentuated against her black attire. For convenience, she rarely wore such accessories.
Although it was something she had specifically made for Miki, she suddenly felt that it looked good on her too.
…
Inside the Jin estate, Miki lay in bed, still looking listless. Pregnancy affects everyone differently; she couldn’t eat anything and felt lethargic and drowsy.
Senryu took out a clean handkerchief from her robe and wiped the sweat from Miki’s forehead. She had previously served by the Saint’s side, so her meticulousness went without saying.
Miki watched her movements and sighed, “You don’t have to come and take care of me every day. It’s not like my family doesn’t have servants.”
Initially, she had vented her anger on Senryu, speaking harshly to her. But deep down, she knew that it wasn’t Senryu’s fault; it was her own fault for getting drunk.
Later, no matter how she lost her temper, Senryu remained silent, always staying by her side, so Miki’s attitude softened somewhat.
“I’m doing this willingly,” Senryu said softly, then showed some concern, “Sister… have you made up your mind? Do you want to keep this child?”
If she wanted to terminate the pregnancy, it needed to be done early; otherwise, once the fetus developed, it would be dangerous.
Miki remained silent, giving no answer.
Senryu crouched beside her, “If you want to, then abort it.”
She continued, “If the herbs that Lady Wakako brought aren’t enough, I can get more…”
“How?” Miki interrupted.
“The Saint will help. After all, you promised her…”
“Didn’t you want me to keep the child before? Why are you advising me to abort it now?”
“I just don’t want you to suffer too much.”
Hearing this, Miki lowered her eyes and remained silent.
After a moment, she asked, “Don’t you resent me? If it weren’t for that day, we… you wouldn’t have lost the chance to continue serving the Saint.”
To serve the Saint was a blessing many could only dream of. Senryu could have stayed for another year or two, but because she presented early, she lost this status and had to seek another path.
Miki wasn’t the only one whose plans were disrupted by this incident.
Senryu seemed to recall something, her ears flushing slightly red. “I don’t regret it,” she said, then bent down to wash the handkerchief in the basin.
Miki took in her reaction entirely.
Before this, she had always thought that she admired someone like Senior Wakako, who was a skilled warrior, courageous, and capable of killing countless enemies.
Senryu was still a young girl with a youthful face. Even though they had been intimate, Miki had never truly seen her as a woman.
But now, watching Senryu lower her head to wash the handkerchief, her hair falling over her forehead, and despite Miki’s cold words, she persisted in staying by her side, refusing to leave.
Miki suddenly felt a slight stirring in her heart.
***
The Saint had moved back into the royal palace. According to tradition, Wakako had to stay at the Kitagawa clan’s residence before her wedding. If she wanted to see Miki, she had to make a special trip to the palace.
However, when she saw the Saint’s courtyard from afar, even before she approached, palace guards came forward and politely bowed to her, “Lady Kitagawa.”
Wakako found their attitude strange, “I’ve come to see the Saint.”
“You’ve come at an unfortunate time, Lady Wakako. The Saint is not in her residence at the moment.”
“Then is she in a meeting with the Queen?”
The guards only grimaced, “Please forgive us, Lady Wakako, but we dare not ask about the Saint’s whereabouts.”
Weren’t their words contradictory? The palace guards were all familiar with her and had never acted so strangely before.
Wakako assumed that the Queen had something to discuss with Miki, and it must be a confidential matter, which was why the guards didn’t dare to speak recklessly due to the secrecy.
She sighed softly, “Very well, then please give her this when she returns.”
Wakako said as she began to unclasp the pearl necklace on her left wrist. Regardless, this was a gift she had given Miki when she was young and was the only thing she could leave her.
“Please don’t, Lady Wakako!” The guards waved their hands repeatedly, looking troubled, “If we accidentally damage it, even if we were beheaded, we couldn’t repay it. It would be better if you give it to the Saint in person next time.”
Their pleas were sincere, and Wakako couldn’t bring herself to make things difficult for them, so she had to give up for now.
She didn’t see Miki, nor did she return home. Instead, she rode to the Jin estate.
That morning, a letter had arrived from the Jin clan, but it wasn’t written by Miki—it was from Lady Jin.
The letter said that Miki had not been feeling well recently, and due to the secret pregnancy, it was inconvenient to call a doctor. Lady Jin had gone to the divine temple to pray for blessings.
The priest at the divine temple had given Lady Jin several items, instructing that if there was a fiancé or fiancée, they should personally hang them by the patient’s bedside to ward off misfortune.
Lady Jin’s letter was sincere, knowing that it was troublesome to ask Wakako repeatedly for help, and she felt truly apologetic. As a token of gratitude, she offered to purchase a large estate in the capital for Wakako, so she could have a place of her own after marriage.
Her own house?
In the past, Wakako would have been overjoyed.
She had the money to establish her own household, but all the good estates were only sold to nobles, leaving few options. If the Jin clan was willing to give her one, that would be even better.
But with only a few months left to live, these things didn’t hold much meaning anymore.
Wakako rode to the Jin residence, and as usual, Lady Jin personally welcomed her. She held the items given by the priest from the Divine Temple in her arms, clearly showing great reverence.
“I’m truly sorry to trouble you,” Lady Jin bowed deeply, her face filled with guilt.
Wakako took the items she needed to hang later. “It’s no trouble,” she replied, then casually asked, “Did Miki use the medicine?”
Last time, she had gotten the abortion medicine for Miki, and she wondered how the situation was now.
Lady Jin only shook her head in response, but she stammered and didn’t give a clear answer, only sighing deeply.
Was Miki seriously ill?
Wakako was puzzled but didn’t press further.
Lady Jin watched her walk into Miki’s courtyard, a deeply complicated look in her eyes.
…
As soon as Wakako stepped into Miki’s bedroom, even with her trained sense of smell, Wakako was nearly overwhelmed; her nose stung, and she almost shed tears.
Countless medicinal aromas were mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish any of them.
“Miki?” Wakako called out.
A faint “Senior” came from the bed behind the gauze curtains.
Miki’s voice sounded hoarse, her usually clear voice almost unrecognizable.
Wakako held over a dozen sachets and a talisman written in cinnabar for good luck, all specially requested by Lady Jin from the Divine Temple. She needed to hang these items one by one on the gauze curtains of Miki’s bed.
She wasn’t skilled at tying intricate knots, so her movements were slow. She casually asked Miki, “Are you feeling alright?”
“Not really.”
“What illness do you have?”
After a long pause, she heard the reply, “A sickness of the heart.”
“Didn’t I get you the medicine for the pregnancy?”
“It has nothing to do with that.”
“Then what is it?”
“A heartache caused by you, Senior.”
Wakako’s hands suddenly froze. “What?”
Then she heard a faint sigh from within, “You’ve always been good at breaking hearts.”
That familiar tone made Wakako’s expression change dramatically. Only one person in the world spoke to her like that.
How could it be Miki?
An absurd suspicion arose in her mind. Without thinking further, she pulled back the bed’s gauze curtain to see who was really inside.
It was indeed Miki’s face that met her eyes, dressed in undergarments, reclining on the bed.
But Wakako still didn’t believe it. She reached out to touch Miki’s cheek, checking for any traces of disguise, but found nothing.
Miki stared straight at her, her eyes sparkling, and covered her face with a smile, “Senior, what are you doing? We’re not married yet…”
Was it really Miki?
“…” Wakako was completely confused, “What… What are you talking about?” Hadn’t they agreed that the marriage was only to help her conceal the pregnancy?
Miki blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering, and softly called out, “Senior…”
A faint scent of cherries seemed to linger in the air. Wakako wasn’t sure if it was her imagination. When she sniffed again, the scent was gone.
