The second wife

Chapter 4

Akiko P.O.V.

I'm quite independent, so at first I thought this second marriage thing was good for me, because I would be alone quite a lot. Instead I have two people fuss over me now, which is quite annoying. I look up at the sky, which is bright and blue. But the air is cold and the leaves are orange and yellow. I didn't expect it to be this cold over here, I wish I would've dressed warmer. But stubborn as I am, I still go on my stroll. That is until I hear a familiar voice, and step behind a tree. Is that Mao Mao. "I'd always knew you'd end up together, but I never expected him to take a second one" that's the empress Gyokuyou.. "yes. That was by request of the Emperor though" Mao Mao says. "So I heard... you poor girl" Gyokuyou says sadly and my heart starts beat faster. "I'm fine with it really. Jinshi discussed it properly with me and she's a great woman. At least I'm getting a break from the guy every now and then, especially now she's with child" Mao Mao says and I smile. "She's with child? You don't mind?" Gyokuyou says. "Not at all! I'm glad really" Mao Mao says. I step away from the tree and continue my stroll, that is until she calls my name. I turn around to see Mao Mao waving, making me walk over. I bow to the empress. "You can raise your head" she says amused. "It's quite cold out, isn't it?" Gyokuyou asks, looking at my clothes. "It's chillier than I had expected it to be." I say. But the way they're looking at me, is making me feel uneasy. "I-I'd better get back" I say. "Alright" Gyokuyou says with a smile. I bow again, before leaving. "Everything alright?" Jinshi asks, as I rush through the halls. I don't respond and just enter my room, and dropping  onto my bed. "Everything alright?" I hear Jinshi's voice again. "I just want to go home" I say. I feel his hand softly rubbing my back. "But you are home.." Jinshi says softly. "How can I be home when everyone looks at me, and talks about me like I'm less than...." I ask, my face hidden in my arms. "I am sorry you already experienced the nastiness of this place" Jinshi says softly. "Especially now, in this vulnerable time" he adds.

I feel slightly nauseated when I hear soft moans and giggles coming from Jinshi's room. I should stop feeling like this. I'm only the second wife. I walk along until I'm at the front door. I look up when something is put on my shoulders. "It's rather chilly out. Winter is nearly upon us, you should wear this" Basen says, as he ties the furred cape at the front. "It's rather early for your walk" he adds. "Yeah...I.." I hesitate. "I just need to get out of the house for a bit" I say. I smile at him, and then open the door. "You should take someone with you" Basen then says. "I am fine. You should stay here for when he needs you" I say. I smile once again at him, before leaving. I walk my regular route, and enjoy the silence of the early morning. As well as the freshness of the crisp, cold air. "Winter is really in the sky huh?" I whisper as I see my breath in the air. When I reach the pond, I stop for a second. I look at the bare trees with its leaves at their roots. I take a step toward it as I hear some shuffling. I smile when I see a hedgehog. "What are you going there? You should be asleep already. It's cold you know" I say. I smile even wider when I see it dive into the roots of the tree. I chuckle slightly before turning back. I take my time, walking back to Jinshi's wing of the palace, listening to the birds singing their songs. Before I enter, I already see that everyone is up. I take the other entrance, and several maids bow to me as I walk past. Basen sees me as I enter the wing. "Heads up" he mumbles as I walk past. "Where have you been?" Jinshi asks, calmer than the last time. "Out on a stroll? Didn't Basen-san tell you?" I ask. "This early?! You shouldn't!" Jinshi says annoyed. "I was in need of fresh air and you were..." I hesitate. "Pre occupied" I say, clearing my throat. Jinshi blushes and clears his throat as well. "Well, take someone with you next time, I was worried" he says. "I can take a stroll by myself you know, I'm only pregnant" I say. "Yes and that's just it! You won't know what the women would do because you're carrying my child" Jinshi snaps.

"Am I really supposed to stay inside now?! Unless I'm with company?!" I brusk. Mao Mao looks up from her tea. "You weren't here before" she says. "Before.." I repeat. Mao Mao sighs silently. "Jinshi-sama used to pretend to be a eunuch, and worked in the inner court. I don't know the arrangement of that, but that is where I met him. The girls, women there. Courtesans, ladies in waiting, maids, they all revered him for his beauty. You know as well as I do that woman are vindictive. I wouldn't put it past some of them to try to harm you, or that baby."  Mao Mao says. "Then shouldn't you be scared?" I ask. Mao Mao chuckles. "There's nothing much they can do to me. I've build up a resistance to most poisons" she says. I sigh before taking a sip of my tea. "It's a good thing you know. That he acts this way. It means he really cares about you" Mao Mao says. "Me, or the baby that I am carrying?" I ask. Mao Mao doesn't respond. "Both" Jinshi says. I look up to see him standing in the doorway. I don't respond and turn back to my tea. Mao Mao pours a cup for Jinshi, as he sighs while sitting down. "Is it so hard to believe that my feelings for you, for you both are genuine?" He asks. "You two seriously" Jinshi mumbles with a soft groan, when I again don't answer. "What was that?" Mao Mao asks. "You two really are alike. You were just like that when we met. Don't pretend otherwise" Jinshi says, and a slight smile appears on Mao Mao's lips as she hands him his tea. "I apologize. I'm not used to this kind of environment" I say. "It's also not practiced in my country to have a second wife. Even mistresses are  frowned upon if you're not the Emperor or Shogun" I say. "That goes the same for this country. But my brother, the emperor, wanted the bonds with your family, and your father refused his proposal for consort. After some deliberation we agreed to this position instead"  Jinshi says. "That doesn't mean that my feelings aren't genuine. They develop you know" He adds. I look at Mao Mao, and then at Jinshi. They're so in sync. "You're right" I mumble. "I'm sorry...it's just...Hormones" I mumble.