Scholar Li Feng wants justice for Omegas who have been abused by the Imperial family, which has been happening for years. He must find the Ledger of Consorts, a list of Omegas who've been used, discarded, had their children stripped from them, and even lost their lives.
Li Feng finds a clue in the library that suggests the ledger is in Prince Jun's private study. Going there feels like a trap, but the prince invites him in, and he'll never know if he doesn't take the chance. Sabotage leaves him vulnerable, and Prince Jun goes from being a friend to a predator.
Feng knows he's in danger, but he doesn't have a choice. He falls into the traps of Prince Jun and his handler, the eunuch Director Chen, but he's willing to do anything to get justice for those who cannot speak for themselves, even if that means becoming the evidence himself.
I woke one night, a thought coming to me. The ledger. Now that I was away from the haze of the music, my mind was coming back to me. Yushi Wang Haoran. I needed to tell him where the ledger was. I felt in my heart that if I didn’t do something now, it would be too late.
I needed to find some way to escape my prison. The window had occurred to me before, but I was under such close surveillance before that it would’ve been impossible to get to it and escape. Things were different now. I was in the eighth month and wasn’t watched as closely. Mostly because no one expected the heavily pregnant Omega to try to make a daring escape. My belly was huge, and moving around was a pain, but not trying to do this wasn’t an option.
I went to the window and pushed it open. It looked out on the garden, and the flowers were bathed in moonlight, shimmering in the dark. The only problem I could see with my plan was that the window was high up, three feet at least, and squeezing myself through and landing without hurting myself would be concerning. I didn’t think about it. I put one leg through, then the other, sitting on the sill, looking down at the bushes below.
It was now or never. I put my arm around my belly and jumped. There was a jolt as my feet collided with the ground. I was out, but my feet were screaming after that fall. I had to move. Staying here and lamenting my choice wasn’t an option. I needed to get to the side gate and get out. I looked up at the window and wondered for a moment how I was going to get back up there. Then I limped away.
* * * *
It was early. It’d be at least a couple of hours before anyone arrived. I settled into a dark corner of the archives. The smell of ink and old scrolls was so familiar and yet so far away from what my reality was now. It was cold. I pulled my cloak more securely around me. It was time to wait.
I’d only closed my eyes for a moment when I heard the doors opening. The scholars were arriving. I peeked around the shelf that I was currently hiding behind. There he was, headed toward me. As he began to pass by, I grabbed his arm and pulled Wang behind the shelf. His eyes went wide when he saw me. He looked like he was seeing a ghost. Then he looked at my belly and understood what’d happened. “Master Li.”
“We don’t have time to talk. I found the ledger. It’s hidden in the apothecary under the false bottom of the drawer marked magnolia.”
“I see,” he said.
“You have to find it. If Chen or Jun finds it, it’ll all be over. You’re the only one I can trust with this task. You have the power to do something.”
He nodded. “I will not fail you, Master Li. You found what neither Chen nor I could. I will find the ledger, and I will do what must be done.”
“Good,” I said, peeking around the shelf again. “I have to go. They’ll be looking for me.”
“I could take you somewhere safe, away from all this.”
I smiled at him. “Both of us know I’d never make it out of this courtyard. No, get the ledger, and then I will be free.”
I left him and the archives behind. As I walked back toward the palace gates, I saw Chen and his eunuch coming for me. I didn’t change direction, nor my gait. I was going back. I knew I had no choice, not in my condition.
“Where have you been? Jun is beside himself with worry.”
“Walking.”
“Alone? Very foolish.”
I glared over at him. “I’m going back; you didn’t have to come looking.”
“Where is the ledger, Feng? Did you lose it?”
“Not telling.”
“You are insufferable sometimes.”
“I know. I get a constant stream of happiness watching you get flustered that I know something you don’t. Doesn’t really make us even, but it’s still enjoyable.”
“I will find it.”
“Certainly,” I laughed. “Good luck with that.”
