“Jewel?” Lady Lisandra’s voice reached Jade.

She mentally swatted the irritating voice away as she dove deeper into the most beautiful dream she had ever had.

Someone, a man, cradled her in his arms. She couldn’t see him, but he was big and made her feel safe as he caressed her swollen belly with gentle strokes. He whispered sweet words of love in her ear, and she leaned against him, craving the contact. His hand reached her chin and tilted her face up as his fleshy mouth reached down for hers. The kiss seared her lips, warming her from the inside out. It was like coming home after a long absence—

A second and a third knock resonated inside her skull, dissipating the wonderful sensation of the man’s mouth against hers.

“What?” she yelled.

“The medicus is here to see you,” Lady Lisandra said from behind the door.

Disentangling her limbs from the sheets, Jade backed against the headboard only to feel her world turn upside down when nausea seized her stomach.

“Jewel?” Lisandra called. “Can we come in?”

The only sound that escaped Jade’s mouth was a pained moan as she dragged herself to the edge of the mattress. She doubled over, hoping she would reach the bucket, and let her body take the lead.

As she dry-heaved, the door cracked open, and Lady Lisandra yelped in surprise and burst into the room.

“Rikes, come here!” the woman ordered, approaching the bed in a cloud of silk. Lady Lisandra’s perfume which had evoked images of summer only a few days earlier now prompted Jade to retch as another painful bout of nausea hit her.

A man opened the door all the way and stepped inside. With the corner of her eyes, Jade saw that he looked at her intently. Belatedly, she remembered that she wasn’t wearing any concealing makeup on her face and that she hadn’t since the night before. It probably didn’t matter any longer since Lady Lisandra had already outed Jade, but if there was any doubt about her identity, now her secret was out, once and for all.

“Give me something for this bug,” she croaked, directing her words to the portly medicus.

“First pee in this cup,” Rikes said, walking toward her.

Accepting Lady Lisandra’s hand, Jade straightened and saw the small, transparent container in the medicus’ hand. “What for?”

“To determine what kind of bug you contracted,” the man answered, amusement in his voice.

Rikes exchanged a glance with Lady Lisandra, and she gently squeezed Jade’s hand. “Just do as he says.”

Jade swung her legs to the side, but dizziness wouldn’t let her stand. Lady Lisandra promptly helped her up and held her as they moved toward the bathroom. Only a few steps but it took forever.

“I can manage now,” Jade said, facing the toilet.

“Are you sure?” Lady Lisandra still supported her.

Jade nodded. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t as if she needed the privacy. At the Academy, people lived in communal quarters and shared bathrooms. But somehow, something at the back of her mind urged her to be alone, that this moment was important, and she always followed her instincts.

“I’ll be just outside if you need me.” Lady Lisandra released her hold on Jade’s arm and extended the container to her.

The bathroom’s ceiling and floor exchanged places as everything rotated around Jade, but she anchored her naked feet to the cold tiles and filled the cup.

“Done,” she said a moment later, unable to stand.

Lady Lisandra swept inside the bathroom, grabbed the cup from Jade’s shaking hand and moved aside to let the medicus carry Jade to the bed.

“Now you’ll tell me what’s wrong with me?” Jade asked after Lady Lisandra tucked her in.

Rikes placed the container on the nightstand. “In a moment.” He walked back to the door and leaned to pick up one of those medicus bags that always looked too big. He rummaged inside before producing a vial he opened and poured into the cup.

For a moment, everyone stared at the clear liquid of the vial mixing with the murkier content of the container. Silence stretched. Jade watched as a pale pink swirl colored the inside of the cup, progressively becoming darker and expanding until the entire cup was bright pink.

Before Rikes spoke, Lady Lisandra murmured under her breath, “I knew it.”

“You are pregnant,” the medicus announced.

Jade felt numb, and at the same time, she felt too much all at once. Her heart galloped against her chest. How could she be pregnant? Her entire world was spiraling out of control, and she was about to faint. Cold. It was so cold, she couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably. She couldn’t breathe.

“Jewel? Are you okay?” Lady Lisandra asked.

Jade was far from being okay but nodded, nonetheless.

Lady Lisandra took Jade’s hand in hers and squeezed softly. “I know you just received the news, but what do you want to do about it?”

Jade’s mind reeled with many questions, and yet she couldn’t voice one.

“I apologize if I might sound pushy, and I know it’s not my business, but there’re a few decisions you have to make before it’s too late,” Lady Lisandra said.

Frowning, Jade looked at the woman. What was she talking about?

Lady Lisandra gave her a sympathetic gaze. “Are you going to keep the baby?”