"No, please!" she cried but didn't stop what I was doing. "I don't want you to see me like this!"

I felt myself drown in a sea of guilt when I saw the cut that started from the inner corner of her left eye and ended on her right jaw. The wound has scabbed but I could still imagine how it looked and felt like when it was still fresh. I was the reason behind her beautiful face's disfigurement and it will forever haunt us both.

"Lady Mami, I'm sorry," I told her as the tears in my eyes fell. "I'm sorry for being useless that day…"

"How can you say that?" she met my eyes and shook her head. "You're pregnant and they were targeting you; as a friend, of course I wouldn't let them succeed!"

I wished she blamed and lashed out at me, I would gladly accept it if she did. However, despite the misfortune she has met because of me, she still considered me as her dear friend. Her kindness and understanding hurt more. I cried harder when I felt her arms encircle me comfortingly.

~~~

As soon as I calmed down, Mami recounted what happened when she fought the masked man. She said she was about to win when he played a dirty trick on her. The man brought a small bag of some powdery substance with him and threw it on her face when he knew he was about to be finished. This blinded her temporarily and to make sure she won't follow him, the masked man slashed her face.

"I tried to run after him but the powder seemed to intensify the pain I was feeling. I was writhing in pain until I eventually pa.s.sed out. I found myself back in my room when I woke up," she said.

"I'm so sorry," was all I could say.

"You have nothing to apologize for, it was my choice to protect you. Your life as well as your children's were more important for me at that moment."

I was about to burst into tears again when three raps on the door came.

"Who is it?" Mami asked.

"The second wife has come to visit, my lady," a maid replied behind the screen door.

"Tell her to leave. I do not wish to see her."

When we thought she's already left, the maid spoke again.

"The second wife insists on seeing you, my lady. She said she has something important to give you."

Mami's brows furrowed, "Fine. Let her in."

I grabbed a nearby silk scarf and gave it to her but she rejected it.

"She's the only person I won't be ashamed to show this wound to. In fact, I'm looking forward to her reaction."

The door slid open and in came Ayaka with two maids behind her. Her maids were each carrying a small box while she held her son in her arms.

"Lady Mami, I heard the news," she said and walked towards us. "I brought some ointment and cream that will help prevent scarring."

"Thank you but I don't need them," Mami said while looking at her impa.s.sively.

"I see," she looked saddened. "But these will guarantee that your face will be saved. A woman's face is her greatest a.s.set, after all."

"I don't want it. Please take it with you and leave."

"Now is not the time to be prideful, Lady Mami," she motioned for the maids to come closer, reached out to grab one of the boxes, and placed it on Mami's palm.

Mami didn't close her hand around it so the box just fell on the floor. The sound disturbed the sleeping infant in Ayaka's arms and made it whimper.

"Must you be so stubborn? Your face is severely wounded and yet you don't want to accept help in restoring it!"

"I already told you that I don't need it but you still insist on 'helping' me," Mami said. "Stop acting like you care because we all know that, deep down, you are celebrating!"

"How dare you accuse me of that!" Ayaka replied indignantly. "Kaname-sama has not visited me after I gave birth because of the two of you so how could I bring myself to celebrate?"

"Oh, please! I know you enough to see through this fake mask of yours!"

"Don't let your bitterness cloud your rationality, official wife!"

"Bitterness? The only bitterness I feel is from letting you in!"

"That's enough you two," I interrupted. "Lady Ayaka, please leave."

"This isn't your room!" she shrieked, making her already whimpering son cry harder. "Now look what you've done!" she accused before handing her son to Mitsuki. The maid immediately soothed the poor infant.

"I didn't do anything," I said calmly, my eyes on the bawling child. "It was your raised voice that made your son cry."

"Shut up!" she turned to the other maid and ordered, "Pick that up! We're leaving this ungrateful woman's room!"

Ayaka stormed out of the room as soon as her maid took the box on the floor. I let out a sigh of relief the moment the sound of her son crying disappeared.

"Is something wrong?" Mami asked when she heard me.

"I'm just glad her son is out of the room, his cries were like knives stabbing my heart," I explained while rubbing my belly. "I was itching to grab the baby from Mitsuki the entire time."

"It's got to be your maternal instinct," she replied. "But did you see that? It seemed like she cared more about arguing with us than comforting her son."

"I did," I nodded my head. "It's like she found his cries annoying than heartbreaking."

"Exactly! That woman does not deserve to be a mother at all!"

"Let's not judge her, maybe she was just too annoyed to care at the moment."

"Lady Hinata, we both know that's not the case," Mami insisted. "She's just using her son and putting up a front."

~~~

I was writing Kaname another note when I saw him enter the bedroom from the bath. The clothes he was wearing reminded me of the time he went home from his trip to Kai. I was about to get up when he signaled me to stop.

"There's no need," he knelt before me and kissed my lips.

I kissed him back, savoring his warmth and unique scent. When he noticed that things were slowly getting out of hand, he broke our kiss. I looked at him questioningly.

"It's not safe," he said, answering my unspoken question.

"Oh," I replied, the single word was heavy with disappointment.

He smiled and took something from his top's inner breast pocket. "I'm sorry for not being around for a very long time, I was out investigating."

He placed all the notes I wrote him neatly on the low table. "I haven't read them yet because I immediately came here when I arrived."

"I thought you were still mad and ignoring me," I told him without bothering to hide the hurt I was feeling.

He gathered me in his arms gently. "After I nearly lost you and our twins?" he kissed my forehead. "When I left, I talked to Hinoha.r.s.ensei to ask if it was possible to grant your stubborn request. Although I was very angry, I still wanted to know if there's a chance for you to see Mami. Unfortunately , he said you were to remain in bed for a couple of days more. I was about to return to your side when I received news from the investigation team. Their information meant that I had to leave immediately and join them."

"But you could have at least left me a note. I missed you so much, you know. My longing for you was so strong that I had a hard time sleeping," I complained although my heart was at ease now.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I came back with good news. I now know who's behind the incident during the festival."

"You do?" I looked up to see that his eyes were burning with a frightening bloodl.u.s.t.

"Yes. In fact, in three days, I will personally handle their execution."