Consort Bai, once comatose, now walked around her pavilion like a quiet miracle. Every evening, her steps were slow and measured. Maids and eunuchs bowed as she passed, watching her calmly.
But inside her, two minds turned like they were deep in conversation.
Within the Mind
"Your palace is tense. Where I'm from, things are a bit more relaxed," Leonara noted. "The kings can get mistress but not as much as here".
"It always is," Mei replied. "The competition here is intense."
She paused, then added, "The Emperor has no other heir, so every other consort to be the one to give him a child, so this child is everything she said rubbing her swollen belly. Which makes us a target."
They don't know what is preventing them from having a baby is supernatural beings, and however much they do, they can't fight what they can't see.
Leonara's eyes narrowed. "Then our first job is simple: keep the baby safe."
They sat in the imagined gazebo, enjoying the afternoon breeze, when a mischievous voice cut through.
"Miss me, Mistress?"
Mei turned sharply outwardly calm, but inside, she exhaled with surprise. Ling'er was back. Mei had been wondering where she'd gone. The last time she saw her was the night they arrived at the palace.
"Oh? You didn't mention we had company. Who is this?" Leonara asked curiously.
"This is Ling'er," Mei explained. "She was my maid. She died with me."
Ling'er stared at her mistress, theatrically aghast. "You've truly lost it. Why are you talking to yourself? My mistress has gone mad, she said, beating her chest and crying exaggeratedly.
Mei rolled her eyes at her dramatic companion. Meanwhile, Leonara laughed. "She's the opposite of you. I like her."
Mei sighed. The two of them shared the same chaotic energy. She already knew they would drive her mad now she was dreading introducing them.
Who is talking Ling'er asked looking around spooked
Mei explained the situation and that she was now sharing a body with a foreign ghost.
My name is Ling'er. I am my mistress' maid and now her sister. We died the same night, becoming ghosts together.
Nice to meet you. My name is Leonara, and I am from a Western empire. I was killed by my husband and was transported here. Leonara introduced herself.
Just like my mistress, so that means men are evil everywhere, she asked. I was feeling bad for dying a ghost, but now I am okay, she said.
Mei, not ready to listen to their chitchats, asked how Ling'er had found her; Ling'er explained what happened that night on the eclipse, how she saw a bright light and followed it to the birthing chamber, and witnessed Mei vanish into Consort Bai's body. She had guessed the rest.
She explained how had been chasing off the vengeful spirit ever since. That's why she hadn't come sooner.
After that, Ling'er and Leonara went back to chatting, and they discovered a shared love for gossip. Ling'er practically glowed with excitement at having someone to spill secrets to.
Seeing her grin, Leonara asked, "What is it?"
Ling'er sighed, flipping midair. "I have a lot of gossip and no one to share it with."
Leonara sat straighter. "That's so much better than anything you have said the whole of this time. Spill everything. I am ready to listen,", she said.
Mei didn't look up. "Please don't encourage her."
"Too late," Leonara said, grinning.
Ling'er clapped. "It's time you learned about The list."
Mei groaned. "Not this again." she was tired of hearing about this list every single time. It reminded her of how she chose a loser. And she felt embarrassed having to hear how her husband's performance was pathetic before she once thought he was the best man in the world.
"Yes, this again!" Ling'er declared. "A list I created, approved and certified by every female ghost in the capital. An accurate ranking of every man's performance in the bedroom."
Leonara blinked. "And how would a ghost know this?"
Ling'er gave her a look. "I've floated through every wall these last three months. I see things. I may have died a virgin, but I didn't die blind."
That earned a laugh. Even Mei cracked a smirk.
Leonara leaned in. "So where does the Emperor rank?" she asked curiously.
"First. The best of the best," Ling'er said proudly. "He's practically a legend. Even dead women swoon at the sight of his abs."
Mei rolled her eyes. "This is undignified."
"And your husband?" Leonara asked innocently.
Silence.
Ling'er grinned. "Second to last."
"No," Leonara gasped.
"Only above the Minister of Agriculture," Ling'er added. "His crops aren't the only thing failing to rise."
Leonara wheezed with laughter. "So what's wrong with the Duke?"
Ling'er nodded solemnly. "He's very efficient. As in you blink, and you miss it. He has what we call spiritual speed."
Leonara laughed harder. "I understand. My ex-husband was the same. He was faster than a sneeze."
"This is not appropriate," Mei muttered.
Leonara grinned. "Then why are you smiling?"
"I'm not," Mei said. But she was.
---
Then, Suddenly
A chill cut through the air. The energy changed.
Ling'er's face paled. "She's coming."
"She's close," Ling'er warned, drifting to Consort Bai's side.
The spirit arrived her body flickering, dark energy curling around her limbs. Her eyes locked on Bai's belly, and she screamed—no sound, only raw, suffocating hatred.
Leonara surged forward.
"Get up," she said. "We're not letting her win."
Mei answered without hesitation.
The spirit lunged, claws aimed at the unborn child.
Ling'er seized her by the hair. "Stay back!" she ordered Mei.
She slammed the spirit into the wall. It shrieked.
"She's feeding off fear!" Ling'er shouted. "Resist it!"
Knowing she couldn't win, the spirit vanished—but not before hissing:
"I will return. You can't protect him forever."
---
Ling'er hovered low, shaken. "That was close."
Mei collapsed onto the seat, breathing shallowly. Leonara was silent, spent.
"She's not just angry," Mei said at last. "She's hollow."
"She used to dream of having a baby," Ling'er whispered. "Now she haunts them."
"No excuse," Mei said. "Children aren't weapons."