"Do you know why the General wanted you as his concubine?" questioned Asa to Hanako one morning as they were working in the kitchen, preparing luncheon.
"No, I have no idea," answered Hanako.
"Do you think it's because he loves you?" asked Asa. "Of course not! It's because he's expecting you to give birth to a son, who can later be his heir. As neither Yukiko-sama nor Akiko-sama has the ability to bear his heir."
"But I don't love him at all," replied Hanako. "I was about to get married in Taiwan with my childhood sweetheart when he forced me to come to Japan with him."
"Love is useless in this world," answered Asa coolly. "The only way to climb up the social ladder for you is to give birth to the General's future heir. That is the only way to survive and possibly lead a happy life when you get old. Otherwise, when the General dies, his heir can kick you out of his household any time, as you are only a concubine, not his real mother."
"But, what about you, Asa?" questioned Hanako. "You are my best friend here, I won't lead a happy life without you on my side."
"Thanks for your offer, that's very generous of you," responded Asa as she smiled gently. "But, low-class people like me don't even stand a chance of climbing up the social ladder."
As Asa had correctly predicted, Hanako got pregnant very soon after she arrived in Japan. At first, no one noticed, including herself. But as her tummy grew bigger and bigger, everyone in the household began talking about it.
"Did you see that Hanako-sama is pregnant?" whispered an old kitchen maid to her colleague one afternoon. "If she can successfully bear the General's heir, she will definitely become his new pet."
"Then, what will become of Yukiko-sama and Akiko-sama?" replied her colleague.
"Poor ladies," sighed the old maid. "Their statuses will become lower than ever. It's hard to believe that they lost to a Chinese!"
Coincidentally, this conversation was overheard by Yukiko, who walked past the kitchen. Overcame by jealousy and hatred, she began plotting an evil plan with Akiko.
One afternoon, as Hanako was sweeping the tatami floor as usual, Yukiko and Akiko sneaked into the room with her noticing. Akiko pretended to bump into Hanako from behind, then Yukiko tripped her using the broom. Hanako immediately fell face-forward onto the tatami floor, after which blood slowly trickled out of her kimono, staining the floor red.
"Ahhh! Help!" screamed Yukiko after she waited for several minutes, admiring the painful expression on Hanako's face. "Hanako fell! Someone, come and help her!"
"No, I have no idea," answered Hanako.
"Do you think it's because he loves you?" asked Asa. "Of course not! It's because he's expecting you to give birth to a son, who can later be his heir. As neither Yukiko-sama nor Akiko-sama has the ability to bear his heir."
"But I don't love him at all," replied Hanako. "I was about to get married in Taiwan with my childhood sweetheart when he forced me to come to Japan with him."
"Love is useless in this world," answered Asa coolly. "The only way to climb up the social ladder for you is to give birth to the General's future heir. That is the only way to survive and possibly lead a happy life when you get old. Otherwise, when the General dies, his heir can kick you out of his household any time, as you are only a concubine, not his real mother."
"But, what about you, Asa?" questioned Hanako. "You are my best friend here, I won't lead a happy life without you on my side."
"Thanks for your offer, that's very generous of you," responded Asa as she smiled gently. "But, low-class people like me don't even stand a chance of climbing up the social ladder."
As Asa had correctly predicted, Hanako got pregnant very soon after she arrived in Japan. At first, no one noticed, including herself. But as her tummy grew bigger and bigger, everyone in the household began talking about it.
"Did you see that Hanako-sama is pregnant?" whispered an old kitchen maid to her colleague one afternoon. "If she can successfully bear the General's heir, she will definitely become his new pet."
"Then, what will become of Yukiko-sama and Akiko-sama?" replied her colleague.
"Poor ladies," sighed the old maid. "Their statuses will become lower than ever. It's hard to believe that they lost to a Chinese!"
Coincidentally, this conversation was overheard by Yukiko, who walked past the kitchen. Overcame by jealousy and hatred, she began plotting an evil plan with Akiko.
One afternoon, as Hanako was sweeping the tatami floor as usual, Yukiko and Akiko sneaked into the room with her noticing. Akiko pretended to bump into Hanako from behind, then Yukiko tripped her using the broom. Hanako immediately fell face-forward onto the tatami floor, after which blood slowly trickled out of her kimono, staining the floor red.
"Ahhh! Help!" screamed Yukiko after she waited for several minutes, admiring the painful expression on Hanako's face. "Hanako fell! Someone, come and help her!"
~To be Continued~
No comments:
Post a Comment