Chapter 9

　　I stubbornly shook my head, \"No, if you don\'t promise to help me today, I won\'t get up.\"

　　Now that I’m pregnant, Cristin wasn’t aware that I knew of her servitude to Zach. Still, I have not treated her badly over the years, otherwise, she would not have cooperated with me in that play just now.

　　But I wasn’t at ease, so I had to ask for a guarantee.

　　Seeing that I refused to get up, Cristin simply knelt down in front of me, her eyes were red, and her voice cracked, \"My lady, what\'s the trouble with you? You are the body of thousands of gold. You are the master of the maidservant. If the master has an order, how dare I not follow?\"

　　She really was such a wise person. In fact, she instantly knew what I wanted to ask her the moment I knelt down to her, but unfortunately, her master was not me.

　　\"Zach is your master,\" I looked up at her, my eyes burning, \"isn’t he?\"

　　Cristin raised her head suddenly, her eyes were shocked, \"My lady, you...\"

　　\"Actually, I’ve always known it,\" I said, smiling bitterly. \"I know he arranged you to be by my side so that you’d protect me. I also know that even though he has kept me here, he calls you there every day to ask about my situation. I also know that the reason why he confined me here was actually to protect me, because he knew that with my temper, I could actually end up in a quarrel with the new queen, and it has to end with me suffering for it.\"

　　Cristin lowered her head and did not look at me, \"Since the Concubine’s heart is like a mirror that reveals the truth, she should know that no one can replace her in the Emperor\'s heart.\"

　　I twitched the corners of my mouth, and it seemed I was right.

　　In fact, those words just now were just my guesses, and the reason why I suspected that she has been reporting my situation to Zach every day was because she always had a faint ambergris fragrance on her body every time she came back from the outside. The incense is only available in the Imperial Palace.

　　I was filled with desolation, \"What’s the use of being irreplaceable? He would never let me have this baby, and that’s a fact.\"

　　I would never forget the look in his eyes whenever I told him that I didn’t want to drink the soup.

　　Is it fear? After all, I am a general’s daughter. Even though my father is dead, my brother still commands a platoon of soldiers. Maybe he is afraid that I will threaten his throne after giving birth to a prince.

　　Or was it simply because I didn’t look like Princess Lisa? Was that why he didn’t want me to give birth to his child?

　　However, these were not important. The important thing was, since God has given me such a surprise, even if I had to fight for my life to keep it, I would.

　　\"Perhaps the Emperor also has a problem,\" Cristin raised her head and explained cautiously. \"Maybe because the Concubine hurt herself to save the Emperor last time...\"

　　I cut her off rudely, \"I hurt my leg that time!\"

　　Cristin bit her lip, \"But I just think that since the Emperor did this, there must be a reason for him. Although I don’t know why the Emperor refused to let the Concubine have a child, I know that the Emperor would definitely not harm the Concubine.\"

　　She spoke in such a firm manner that I couldn\'t find the words to refute her for a while, so I had to get creative instead, \"What if I insist on giving birth to this child?\"

　　\"My lady...\" Cristin was speechless for a while, so she had to come and pull me up. \"It\'s cold on the ground, can you get up first? Your legs are going to be in pain again if you keep doing this.\"

　　I pushed her away causing her to fall on the ground, and I spoke firmly, \"Like I said, I won\'t get up if you don\'t promise to keep it secret for me.\"

　　\"My lady!\" Cristin knew that I could do it. In desperation, she had to reluctantly agree to me. \"Okay, I promise you that I will never tell anyone else about my lady’s pregnancy.\"

　　Still worried, I gritted my teeth, and said, \"Then I want you to swear. Swear it with your life. Promise me that no one will know that I am pregnant!\"