Ten years into my binding with the Redemption System, Cynthia pushed me down the stairs. Blood pooled between my thighs, staining the cold marble. When Jared rushed over, I thought he was coming for me. But he didn’t even look my way. Instead, he swept his sobbing cousin into his arms. “Cynthia is pregnant,” he hissed. “Don’t scare her.” Three days after my miscarriage, Jared came into my room. He picked up the small wooden bassinet he had handcrafted months ago. “You won’t be needing this anyway,” he said, his voice flat. “I’m giving it to Cynthia.” He paused at the door, not looking back. “I’ve decided. Once Cynthia gives birth, I’m bringing her in as my official mistress.” “I’ll let you keep your dignity as my wife. Just… stop making things difficult for her.” If this had happened before, I would have broken down. I would have screamed, fought, demanded answers. But that day, I only nodded quietly. That night, I summoned the system interface that had lain dormant for years. [Host, do you wish to initiate the extraction process from this world?] This time, I didn’t hesitate. “Confirm.” 1. The next morning, Jared came back. I sat by the window, quietly folding white paper cranes for the dead, ignoring him completely. Jared didn’t seem annoyed by my silence. “Norma, don’t be like this,” he said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed. “We can have other children.” “I had the doctor write up a prescription for your recovery. Take it regularly, rest well, and your body will heal.” He reached out, taking my hand. His palm was warm, but I felt absolutely nothing. No spark, no comfort. The doctor he mentioned was the specialist he’d hired specifically to care for Cynthia’s pregnancy. He’d probably just asked the man to scribble a generic prescription on his way out, without even bothering to check my pulse. A bitter ache bloomed in my chest. This was the tenth year of my redemption mission. When I first arrived in this world, Jared was a hostage, broken and humiliated in a rival territory. According to the original plot, years of abuse and torture were supposed to turn him cold, ruthless, and violent—a dark warlord who would eventually seize control of the state and leave a trail of blood in his wake. My job was to save him. To redeem him. When the rival captors whipped him, I threw myself over his body, taking the blows. When he burned with a deadly fever, I climbed freezing mountains to find the rare herbs, slipping down a ravine and cracking two ribs in the process. When we finally returned to his homeland and he led the forces to war, I stood by his side, taking a poisoned arrow meant for him. He conquered his enemies, secured his power, and became the most feared commander in the nation. At his victory gala, the system notified me that my mission was complete. That was my seventh year here. That night, Jared got terribly drunk. He clung to me like a frightened child, burying his face in my neck, whispering, “Don’t leave me… please.” He was a brilliant, sharp man; he had long suspected I didn’t belong to his world. Looking at his tear-stained eyes, my heart softened. I closed the system prompt. I chose to stay. At the time, I truly believed I would never regret it. But in just three short years, we had come to this. Slowly, I pulled my hand out of his grasp. Jared sighed, trying to soothe me. “Norma, I’ve already arranged for a priest to pray for our baby’s soul. You need to let go.” “Cynthia is devastated too. Even with her pregnancy, she stayed up all night copying scriptures for the baby. Her wrists are so swollen she can barely hold a pen, but she refused to stop. She truly cares for you like a sister.” My hands froze mid-fold. Like a sister? With the woman who murdered my baby? I looked up, meeting his eyes. “Jared, Cynthia pushed me down those stairs.” Jared’s face hardened instantly. “Norma, do you hear yourself?” “You slipped. Cynthia cried for hours, blaming herself for not catching you in time, and now you’re trying to pin this on her!” “Cynthia wouldn’t even step on an ant. How could she possibly hurt you?” I stared at him, my heart entirely numb. I suppose when you experience enough disappointment, you stop feeling the sting. It just becomes background noise. Ever since Cynthia entered the picture, she was always twisting her ankle or coming down with mysterious headaches. And every single time, I was the one blamed. Once, unable to take it anymore, I confronted her, demanding to know why she was doing this to me. “Because… it’s fun,” she had whispered, her smile innocent and sweet. “Let’s play a game, sister. Do you think the Commander will believe you, or me?” The second the words left her mouth, she threw herself backward over the balcony railing, plunging straight into the lake. And just like that, another sin was added to my name. I had explained myself a thousand times back then. He never believed me once. Just as telling him the truth now was utterly useless. I stopped looking at him, lowering my gaze back to the paper crane in my hands. Jared let out a long, heavy sigh. “Norma, Cynthia has no one else in this world. She’s fragile, and she scares easily. She only wants a safe place to live. Why can’t you just tolerate her?” “Do you really want to see her pregnant and homeless before you’re satisfied?” A knock sounded at the door. “Commander, Miss Cynthia is suffering from severe morning sickness again. She’s asking for you.” Jared stood up immediately. “Get some rest. I’ll check on you tomorrow.” Without looking back, he hurried out of the room. A dull, familiar ache throbbed in my lower abdomen. I curled into a ball on the bed, cold sweat drenching my collar. Ping! The system’s chime echoed in my mind. [Congratulations, Host. Your points have been successfully redeemed. You will officially extract from this world in ten days.] A faint, tired smile touched my lips. Good. I was finally leaving. 2. The next morning, I walked down to the estate’s private canal, gently placing the folded paper cranes onto the water, watching them float away. Footsteps crunched on the gravel behind me. “My deepest condolences, sister.” I turned. Cynthia stood a few paces away, a delicate shawl draped over her shoulders. My fingers tightened into fists. A smug, mocking smile played at the corners of her lips, though her voice remained sweet. “Don’t look at me like that, Norma. I truly feel for you. You’ve been in this house for three years, and the moment you finally conceive, it’s gone.” She raised a hand, gently caressing her own rounded stomach. “Isn’t it funny how timing works? Two babies, almost the exact same age. One is blessed to enter this world, while the other is washed away in a puddle of blood.” “I guess some people just aren’t meant to have blessings. Don’t you think, sister?” The raw grief and hatred surged through me, snapping my restraint. I lunged forward, grabbing her by the collar. But before I could do anything, Jared appeared. He violently wrenched my hand away, shoving me back as he shielded Cynthia behind him. “Norma! She is pregnant! Even if you despise her, have some goddamn boundaries!” Cynthia cowered behind his back, her voice trembling. “Jared, don’t blame Norma… I only wanted to talk to her…” My wrist throbbed from Jared’s tight grip. I stared at him, a hollow laugh escaping my throat. “Jared, you have never once believed me.” How many times had we played out this exact scene since Cynthia arrived? I met her during our second year of marriage. A rebel faction had ambushed the northern border, and Jared led the counterattack. The battle ended quickly, and he returned victorious. But he didn’t return alone. He brought Cynthia. “Norma, this is Cynthia. I was injured and fell down a ravine; she saved my life.” The moment Cynthia saw me, she fell to her knees, weeping. “Please, Madame, have mercy on me!” “I don’t ask for a title or status! I only wish to serve as a maid, to stay by the Commander’s side…” She began to cough violently, gasping for air as if she might collapse. “Quick! Call the doctor!” Jared shouted, lifting her into his arms and rushing off before I could even process what was happening. He hadn’t given me a chance to speak. It was as if my permission didn’t matter at all. That night, he came to our bedroom late. He kissed my forehead gently. “Norma, I missed you so much.” “Don’t overthink things. Cynthia saved my life, and she was injured because of me. I have to take responsibility for her.” “Once her injuries are fully healed, I’ll arrange a place for her outside.” I had nodded. Jared was right. Cynthia was his savior; it was only right to care for her. So, I personally arranged for the best doctors and sent rare medicines to her courtyard daily. But a month later, Cynthia was poisoned. I tried to explain to Jared. “I had the doctors inspect every single batch of medicine before it was sent. There was nothing in them.” Jared sat at his desk, slowly turning the signet ring on his finger. When he looked up, his eyes were cold. “Norma, I remember you know your way around poisons.” I froze. Those deep, dark eyes stared at me, already delivering his verdict. Yes, I knew poisons. Years ago, when Jared contracted a deadly plague, I had experimented on my own body, tasting dozens of toxins to find a cure that could counteract the disease. He recovered. But my body was left permanently damaged. To this day, whenever it rained, my joints ached with an agonizing, deep chill. He knew all of this. And now, my sacrifice was the very evidence he used to convict me. “The poison was slow-acting. A normal doctor wouldn’t detect it,” Jared said, letting out a heavy sigh. “No one else in this manor has the knowledge to pull that off, Norma.” “I told you I have no feelings for her. Why must you resort to such underhanded methods?” That was the first time he falsely accused me. I felt a wave of devastation, but mostly, a burning anger. Anger that he could believe a stranger so easily over me. We had a screaming match that night, ending in a bitter silence. And now, here he was, shielding Cynthia in the exact same way. “Norma, I saw it with my own eyes. How do you expect me to believe you?” “For years, you’ve made her life miserable, trying to hurt her at every turn. Now that you’ve lost your own child, do you want to drag Cynthia’s baby to the grave with yours?” “When you were pregnant, didn’t you pray every day for our baby to be healthy? Why can’t you show her an ounce of that mercy?” “Even if you don’t care about yourself, you should at least show some decency to build good karma for our dead child!” Every word felt like a poisoned blade twisting in my chest. Tears spilled over my eyelashes, burning my cheeks. “Jared… then tell me, how did she get pregnant with your child in the first place?” Jared’s expression faltered. The grip on my wrist stiffened. A long, suffocating silence stretched between us before he finally spoke, his voice strained. “Norma, what’s done is done. We have to move forward.” “The baby is gone. Do you really want to destroy the lives of everyone who is still alive?” With that, he let go of my hand, wrapped an arm around Cynthia, and walked away. Move forward? I let out a bitter, silent laugh. He had no idea that for the two of us, there was no forward left. 3. I stumbled back to my courtyard, my limbs heavy and weak. That night, a raging fever took hold of me. My maid returned from the main house, her face red from crying. “Every single doctor in the estate was called to Miss Cynthia’s quarters. When I tried to beg them to come, her maids cursed at me and threw me out.” I rubbed my throbbing temples. It didn’t matter. I only had a few days left anyway; I didn’t have the energy to fight her. During my years traveling with Jared’s army, I had picked up some medical skills. I weak-handedly wrote down a simple herbal prescription and sent my maid to brew it. I had barely taken a single sip of the bitter liquid when my bedroom door was slammed open. “Norma! What is the meaning of this?” Jared stood in the doorway, his face dark with fury, holding my handwritten prescription in his hand. I didn’t know what crime I had committed this time. Exhausted, I muttered, “I’m sick. Am I not allowed to take medicine?” Jared let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Norma, at least make your lies believable.” “Your cheeks are flushed. Do you look sick to you?” “Cynthia is weak and needs the rare snow ginseng to sustain her pregnancy. You had to go and hoard the last of it for yourself? Do you really hate her that much?” My prescription did call for a small amount of snow ginseng. But the estate’s storeroom had plenty. I had only requested enough for two doses. How could it possibly have run out? “Believe whatever you want, Jared.” I tried to push myself up to walk away, but the room spun violently. My knees buckled, and I tumbled toward the floor. “Norma!” Jared lunged forward, catching me before I hit the ground. The moment his hand touched my skin, he froze. “You’re burning up. Why didn’t you tell me?” I had told him. He just chose not to believe me. Jared lifted me in his arms, carrying me to the bed. He ordered the maid to bring cold water, then soaked a cloth, gently wiping the sweat from my forehead. His movements were so tender, so familiar, that for a second, my mind drifted. I remembered when I first got pregnant. My morning sickness had been unbearable. One evening, after I had thrown up until my stomach was empty and raw, he had sat by my bedside just like this. He rubbed my back, whispering softly: “Sweetheart, stop torturing your mother. Daddy made a little wooden rocking horse for you. When you’re born, I’ll take you out to ride it.” During those weeks, his hands had been covered in tiny cuts and splinters. I had begged him to let a master carpenter handle it, but he refused, insisting on crafting it with his own hands. After weeks of clumsy work, he had finished that little rocking horse. But after my miscarriage, that very rocking horse had been carried off to Cynthia’s courtyard. A self-deprecating smile touched my lips. Of course. My baby was gone, but he would have other children to inherit his legacy. Jared didn’t notice my shift in mood. After wiping my hands, he sighed softly. “Norma, I’m sorry I misunderstood you. But you should have explained it to me clearly.” “Cynthia is fragile. She isn’t strong like you; she can’t just fight off an illness. Try to be understanding. Missing one ingredient won’t hurt you.” A cold ache settled deep in my bones. Even when I was recovering from a miscarriage and burning with a fever, I still didn’t rank higher than Cynthia’s mildest discomfort. I didn’t want to argue anymore. I turned my face to the wall. “I’m tired.” “Alright. Get some rest.” Jared carefully tucked the blanket around my shoulders and instructed the maid to watch me closely. Then, he picked up the remaining snow ginseng and left. I closed my burning eyes. Seven days left. It would pass quickly. 4. The next morning, I was awakened by a loud commotion outside. Servants were rushing back and forth across the estate. My maid told me that Jared was throwing a lavish birthday celebration for Cynthia, complete with a famous theatrical troupe from the city. I didn’t say a word. I simply picked up my baby’s small wooden memorial plaque, gently brushing away the dust. Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. Jared walked in, carrying a stack of decorative paper lanterns and writing paper. “Norma, I’m glad you’re awake. I need your help with something.” He set the items on my table. “After what happened, Cynthia has been anxious about the baby. She wants to release prayer lanterns tonight to bless the pregnancy.” “Your handwriting is the most elegant in the house. Cynthia wants you to write the blessings on the lanterns. She truly views you as her sister, which is why she wanted you to do this.” “You don’t have anything else to do today anyway. It’s only a thousand lanterns. You’ll finish in no time.” I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. “Jared… our baby died only a week ago.” He didn’t even look up as he smoothed out the paper. “I know, Norma. But holding onto this grief will only destroy you.” “I’m doing this to give you something to do so you don’t sit in this room depressing yourself. Writing these blessings might help you heal.” “Besides, when Cynthia’s child is born, they will call you ‘Mother’ anyway. They will be your child too. What’s the difference?” A surge of pure rage and grief rushed to my head, making my fingertips tremble violently. “I won’t write them.” Jared’s brow furrowed. “Norma, why are you being so difficult?” “As the mistress of this house, you’ve ignored Cynthia’s pregnancy completely, and now you won’t even help with a simple favor? When did you become so petty?” “These inscriptions won’t take much of your time. Just write them quickly. Don’t delay the lantern release tonight.” He threw the papers onto the table and hurried back out to check on the festival stage. I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. He was so busy. So busy that he had completely forgotten. Today was the seventh day since our baby died—the traditional day of mourning. Cynthia’s birthday celebration was incredibly loud. The music and laughter drifted over the high walls, echoing clearly in my quiet courtyard. I didn’t touch a single piece of the paper Jared had left behind. When he returned later that evening and saw the blank sheets, his face darkened with anger. But before he could unleash his fury, Cynthia gently touched his arm. “Jared, let it go. Sister doesn’t like me; it’s natural she wouldn’t want to write them. Please don’t blame her.” In the end, Jared only threw me a disgusted glare before leading Cynthia away. I watched them walk out. Outside, the night air was chilly. Jared carefully wrapped a thick cloak around Cynthia’s shoulders. She looked up at him, smiling softly as she leaned into his chest. They looked exactly like a happily married couple. I pulled my gaze away, forcing down the bitter ache in my heart. It didn’t matter. I was leaving soon anyway. Whatever they did had nothing to do with me anymore. I dragged my exhausted body to bed and closed my eyes. Late that night, I was startled awake by a sudden noise. I opened my eyes to see a dark silhouette standing right next to my bed. I let out a sharp scream, bolting upright. The figure panicked, scrambling out the window into the night. A second later, bright torches illuminated my courtyard. My bedroom door was violently kicked open, and the room filled with armed guards. The cold night wind rushed in, rustling a pile of unfamiliar men’s clothing scattered across my floor. Jared stood at the threshold, his face pale with rage, while a sobbing Cynthia clung to his side. “Norma. You had better have a very good explanation for this.”
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