Ru Yi staggered back, her hand instinctively going to her stomach. It was completely flat. So what was he on about?

This was not in the book.

Ru Yi never got pregnant for the crown prince so why—

She felt lightheaded and would’ve crashed into the floor if Zhao Chen didn’t rush forward to catch her.

"This was not part of the plot," she mumbled over and over again. "Why is nothing going according to the book?"

To say she was terrified would be undermining the situation.

Even back in her original world she’d never wanted a kid.

Never imagined one.

She’d always feared that she’d end up abandoning her kid like her parents had abandoned her as a kid.

Or what if something tragic happened to her and her child ended up in the orphanage like she had.

She grabbed the sleeves of Zhao Chen’s robe. "A baby can’t be inside me, you have to do something."

He looked at her, his brows furrowed. "But you wanted the child, my love. You asked for it as a token of our love. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this today."

Silly Ru Yi!

What the hell was she thinking, wanting a child with the crown prince? She was a mere maid for crying out loud.

Ru Yi shook her head. "You need to get it out of me! I can’t grow..." she almost puked.

Any child she had with Zhao Chen would only end up as a pawn in their palace games and politics. She didn’t want that.

"I don’t know what is wrong my dear, but I’ll give you space to calm down. I’ll find you tomorrow so we can plan for our trip." He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

The contact burned into Ru Yi’s flesh.

"Take care of you and the young one."

With that he left her shivering on the ground unable to process the mess she was in.

She had to find a way out of the palace walls right now. She had to get rid of the baby.

Ru Yi would never let a child be subject to the cruelty of being an illegitimate child of a crown prince.

She already knew they’d never be accepted as pure royal blood.

Above all, she wasn’t fit to be a mother. Had never thought of being one.

In her frenzy she got up from the floor and started plotting how to leave the gates that night. She’d have to find a disguise that will let the guards grant her exit.

With that in mind she went back to the maid’s quarters.

"Ru Yi!" One of the maids came running to her. She was a head shorter than her. "I’ve been looking for you everywhere."

Ru Yi didn’t have the energy to deal with anyone right now. She didn’t even remember who she was looking at.

"Bai He has been asking for you," she said.

"Who’s that?" Ru Yi couldn’t even hide the irritation in her voice.

Lan Ying, who’d been close friends with the original character, gave her a puzzled look. "That’s the head maid. Are you alright? You seem out of it."

Ru Yi sighed. "I am. Is this about my punishment?"

Lang Ying nodded, then smiled. "I can’t believe you scolded the empress. That’s really unlike you, but I would’ve paid a few golden coins to see the expression that was on her face."

"Priceless," Ru Yi muttered, then looked at the girl properly. "Who are you to me?"

Lang Ying’s mouth fell open in shock, tears already gathering in the corner of her eyes. "How can you ask your best friend this kind of question? Is this part of your jokes? I don’t like this one."

Oh.

"Sorry, my head is a mess," Ru Yi muttered. "I need to leave the palace."

"What!"

"Bring your voice down."

"For maids like us, there’s no leaving the palace." Lang Ying was concerned. "What is this about? If you’re worried about the punishment I can talk to Bai He for you. She’s not as mean as you think."

Ru Yi shook her head. "It’s a matter of life and death."

Lang Ying wanted to press for more answers but she decided against it. Ru Yi was the kind of person that told her something only when she was ready to.

If she wasn’t going into details then there was a reason for it. But she could tell it had something to do with the crown prince.

Everyone had been talking about them the entire day.

"At the east gate, I’ve been talking to one of the guards there. I can distract him while you climb over the wall. But what if you get caught?"

Ru Yi gave her a determined look. "I won’t."

On the other hand, how could she be sure that Lan Ying wouldn’t betray her?

She had to at least try, there was no other choice for her. It would take a long time before she could give the princess solid information.

And then an even longer time for the princess to get her official permit to leave the palace.

If she wasn’t feeling any symptoms then it meant the pregnancy was still in the early stage. She could still do something about it then worry about the guilt later.

"Can we go to the east gate tonight? I don’t have much time." She looked around them, half expecting the empress’s guard to pounce on her.

Zhao Chen might’ve stopped her from hitting Ru Yi, but she knew the woman wouldn’t let go so easily.

Lan Ying was growing worried. "But you’ll come back, right?’

She knew the answer when Ru Yi’s expression turned apologetic.

"Does this have anything to do with the crown prince?" Then a light bulb went off in her head. "The princess wants to get rid of you so they can go ahead with the wedding?" She was devastated. "I’ll come with you."

Ru Yi shook her head. "Your life will be ruined if we’re caught. I can’t risk that." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"But you’ll be all alone. And we only have each other—"

"Ru Yi!" Another maid approached them. "Bai He is asking for you."