A single candle burned on the low table. Concubine Wei sat rigid, staring at the small porcelain bottle in her hands.
The liquid inside was clear, almost harmless looking. Her fingers shook as they pressed the bottle tight.
Lady Han's words echoed in her mind.
*Remove the problem. And your fortune may yet improve.*
Concubine Wei told herself it was only sleeping medicine, a stronger dose than usual. The apothecary had not asked questions, servants and concubines bought medicine often no one ever cared why.
If Lin Yue drank it… she would simply fall asleep, quietly., peacefully. No more whispers, no more suffering.
The Shen family might forgive her, Lord Shen might even allow her back into the main residence. Life could return to what it once was.
The thought made her feel complicated.
Across the small room, Lin Yue sat on the floor beside the window. Her tiny hands worked at a tear in her sleeve, a thin needle poking carefully through the fabric.
Concubine Wei felt her hands grow colder. Her daughter, her little Yue'er.
A memory flashed. A tiny baby wrapped in blankets, her fingers curling weakly around her own. The midwife whispering that the birth had nearly killed her.
*If Lin Yue truly is cursed… if Heaven truly meant to destroy her… would it not be kinder to end the suffering now?*
*No. No, I can not.*
Another voice whispered. *If Lin Yue remains, the Shen household will never accept them. Lord Shen has already turned away. The servants avoid us. The courtyard grows colder... lonelier every day.*
*If the girl disappeared… perhaps the household would forgive her. Perhaps he would look at me again. Perhaps… perhaps I could survive.*
Lin Yue hummed softly as she stitched. Her small hands moving slowly.
Concubine Wei's eyes darted from her daughter to the bottle. Her mind was a mess,fear, guilt, desperation, longing.
The shadows on the walls whispered, creaks in the floorboards warned. The entire world felt too loud to concubine Wei.
*I cannot undo what has begun.*
*I cannot undo it.*
"Yue'er."
Lin Yue lifted her gaze immediately.
"Yes, Mother?"
Concubine Wei turned abruptly, pretending to pour water into a cup, hiding the tears gathering at her eyes. Her fingers trembled as she uncorked the bottle.
A faint medicinal scent drifted through the room, the clear liquid blending perfectly with the water.
Her heartbeat thundered. She imagined her daughter noticing, the way she would look at her if she knew.
"Come closer," she muttered.
Lin Yue laid aside the needle and rose. Her footsteps slow and cautious. Concubine Wei kept her eyes fixed on the cup.
*This will protect you,* she thought, desperation suffocating her.
If Lin Yue survived, the hardship would continue. Lady Han would not relent, the Shen household would never accept her. Her daughter would face opponents stronger than herself.
*Perhaps… perhaps it was mercy.*
Lin Yue stopped beside the table. Her hands rested on the surface.
"Yes, Mother?"
Concubine Wei lifted the cup slowly.
"Drink this," she whispered,her voice fragile. "It will bring sleep."
Lin Yue looked at the water, then back her mother.
Pressure coiled in Concubine Wei's chest.
*Take it. Please.*
Lin Yue tilted her head.
"Mother," she asked softly, "are you crying?"
Concubine Wei looked up at Lin Yue for the first time. Concern filled her daughter's expression, it pressed like a weight against her heart.
Concubine Wei's vision blurred, tears spilling uncontrollably.
Concubine Wei's hands started to shake.
"I—"
The cup slipped from her grip. It struck the stone floor and shattered the water spread across the cold surface.
The faint scent of medicine filled the air.
Lin Yue's gaze fell on the broken porcelain, then slowly she looked at her mother.
*Why is she crying?* The pieces looked sharp, but she did not move away.
*Did I do something wrong?*
Concubine Wei dropped to her knees, a loud sob tore free before she could stop it.
"I can't," she whispered, her voice raw.
She covered her face with her hands.
"I can't do it…"
Lin Yue stayed still. She did not understand why her mother was sad, but she knew it was heavy, bigger than herself.
Lin Yue knelt next to Concubine Wei, carefully wrapping her arms around her.
Concubine Wei flinched.
Then she surrendered completely. Arms clung desperately to the Lin Yue, Her face pressed against the top of Lin Yue's head.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
Lin Yue didn't ask any questions, she held her mother, waiting for the storm to subside.
Outside, wind rattled the broken tiles of the abandoned courtyard.
Inside the small chamber, mother and daughter clung to each other.
*I will protect her. I will hold her forever, even if I'm small.*
~~~~~~~~~~~♡
Two days passed, and the voices only grew louder, and more demanding.
*If she were gone…* Concubine Wei thought.
*No more comparisons. No more whispers, no more humiliation.*
The idea coiled in her mind like a snake, curling and winding tighter with each heartbeat. Even as it terrified her, a cold part of her welcomed it.
By the 8th day, the thought had solidified into raw intent.
While preparing tea for Lin Yue, Consort Wei slipped poison into the cup. Her hands moved smoothly, like the motion had already played out in her mind.
Lin Yue had been born under a "fractured star." In Consort Wei's mind, the fault belonged entirely to the girl.
The first cup had broken because her heart had still been human; the second remained intact because it had finally turned to stone.
Lin Yue didn't complain, it wasn't possible. Speaking out had always brought anger, whispers and blame.
By the second morning, Lin Yue's cheeks had lost their soft glow.
By the third, she could barely swallow her meager portions of food .
By the fourth night, she shivered under four blankets, teeth chattering despite the warmth.
*Why does my tummy hurt?*
*Why is Mother looking at me like that?*
She did not know the words for the fear curling in her chest.
*Am I bad? Did I do something wrong?*
She hugged herself tighter under the blankets, wishing the pain, and cold would go away.
Qing noticed, her eyes followed the cups, the bowls, the order of everything.
One evening, when Consort Wei stepped out, Qing lifted Lin Yue's untouched tea and inhaled. The color drained from her face. The faint bitterness hidden in sweetness betrayed what was hidden at once—a poison. Her mind raced.
*How long has it been like this? How much has she drunk?*
She did not discard the cup, she set it aside with replacing it without a sound.
*I cannot let her know I saw. Not yet.*
Lin Yue peeked at the cup.
*Why does it smell funny?* She frowned a little, but didn't speak, she only watched, quietly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~♡
At night Lin Yue stared up at the ceiling beams. Each one stretched like a rib from a giant beast.
The Western Courtyard was not a cage instead It was more like a stomach, and her mother was the thing trying to swallow her. Her small body trembled.
*Why does she hate me?*
She had once believed her mother's arms would be safe, that maybe she was just making too many mistakes and thats why...
But now she understood her mother couldn't be fixed.
*Even the people who are meant to protect can hurt you.*
"Qing," she whispered.
"Yes, miss?"
"I feel… strange."
"I know," Qing said, kneeling beside her.
"Am I sick?"
"You are being made sick," Qing admitted. Her eyes moved to the inner chamber where Consort Wei was sleeping.
Lin Yue's heart hammered against her chest. "By who?"
Qing pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze. Words were unnecessary, they both clearly understood.
Darker thoughts went through Lin Yue's mind; she was confused, but also angry. The raw betrayal burned her insides, keeping her warm despite the cold.
*Why wont she stop? Do i...deserve this? Is this how its supposed to be?*
"Will it stop?" Lin Yue whispered.
"No," Qing said, looking away.
Lin Yue's breath caught. "Will I… stop waking up?"
Qing swallowed, her throat felt tight.
*If we do nothing… how much longer can she endure?*
"If we do nothing..." Qing said quietly.
Lin Yue shivered , the candlelight flickered across her face., her shadow stretched long against the walls. Her mind spun.
*I don't want to be afraid anymore. I do not want to be hurt anymore.*
Qing leaned closer, letting Lin Yue feel her warmth.
*I will protect her. Even if I cannot save her completely.*
Lin Yue's small hands fisted around the thin blanket. She stared at the ceiling beams, counting her heartbeats.
*If I die, she will be happy...But what about me? I dont want to die...Am i supposed to?*
*No i dont want to!*
"Why?....Why is she hurting me?" she asked after a long moment of silence.
Qing's voice broke a little. "Because fear makes people cruel."
"Qing," she whispered, her eyes staring at nothing in the darkness. "What happens to daughters who are unwanted?"
"They disappear."
Lin Yue closed her eyes, the emptiness in her stomach mirrored the emptiness she felt in her chest.
She opened her eyes again, this time determination filled her.
"Then I will not disappear."