Page 13 of Knotted By the Triad

Maybe I’d visit a temple, find a Daoist priest, and see if he could tell me how to wake the hell up and return to my world. And if I couldn’t wake up, if I was truly trapped here, then I would find a way to make the best of it.

But I would do that far away from the capital, the King, the princes, and my father. I smiled, suddenly feeling like I just might be able to survive.

“That smile is scaring me,” Allie mumbled warily as she hung my dress up, leaving me in a white slip of a gown.

“I have a plan,” I told her, lying back against the pillows. “Come here. Let me tell you about it.”

Allie rushed over and knelt next to the bed.

“Don’t kneel. Bring over a chair.”

Her eyes widened. “But...”

She fiddled with the edge of her sleeve. Oh, right. She was the maid. She wasn’t allowed to sit when in my presence. What a dumb ass rule.

“Bring a chair,” I told her.

She rose slowly to do as I said. But I could tell she wasn’t okay with it. After positioning the chair next to the bed, she sat down, looking uncomfortable. Her gaze kept drifting to the door, as if she was afraid the princes would catch her sitting down.

“Allie,” I said.

She looked at me. “Yes, Princess.”

“From now on, you’re not just my maid. You’re my friend. And when we’re alone, please don’t treat me like a princess. Okay?”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

“You can and you will.”

She shook her head quickly. “I can’t, Princess. Please don’t ask me to. Our statuses are too different.”

The alarm in her voice made me realize I was pushing too hard.

“Okay, you don’t have to treat me as a friend,” I rushed to say. “Just stop being so formal. I need a confidant more than I need a maid right now.”

She stared at me for a moment, then tears filled her eyes.

“I’m sorry this is happening to you, princess,” she whispered.

Something about the way she worried over me reminded me so much of Bri. Smiling at her, I softened my tone.

“It’s okay. Stop crying. Let me tell you about my plan.”

She swallowed, wiping at her eyes.

“I’m going to give the princes an heir, and then I’m going to divorce them.”

Her lips parted. “Divorce them? Princess, His Majesty ordered this marriage.”

“I know.” I adjusted the pillow behind my back. “That’s why I’m not packing my things and sneaking out of here tonight. I need to find out exactly what the decree says first and find a loophole. There’s always a loophole.”

Allie still looked doubtful.

“Think about it. The princes don’t want me. They want Mei Lin. The only reason they have to stay married to me is because the King ordered them to marry a woman from the Bane family and produce an heir. He wanted them to have a bride from a noble family but not so noble that their in-laws would pose a threat to him. If I produce an heir, my job is done.”

“But even if you give them an heir, that doesn’t mean His Majesty will allow you to leave.”

“If the King only ordered the princes to marry a Bane woman and produce an heir, then once I give them one, I would have fulfilled my part of the deal. If there’s nothing in the decree saying the marriage has to continue afterward, I might have a way out.”