My mouth hung open for a split second before I composed myself. So he was the bastard son of the late Emperor Yan? Was he the prince that was fond of Meilin and likewise? It was hard to believe that anyone would be affectionate towards the person who murdered half his family.

“Yat-sen, can you play with Katsu for a little while?”

“Of course.”

Katsu ran off once again, making Yat-sen sigh loudly and chase after him. Jia took my arm and we walked along the path, her smile radiant. “Have things improved between Meilin and you?” she asked after a moment.

“Somewhat,” I shrugged. “We’ve only seen each other once. He . . . He did give me these hairpins I’m wearing right now.”

She admired the pins. “They’re beautiful.”

“Yes, they are.”

“Anyhow, I know you’re probably wondering about Katsu,” she said after a moment.

I shook my head. “We all have our pasts; I don’t want to pry.”

“Well, as you can tell by his name, Katsu is from the Northern region of the Huo empire,” she said. “Fang brought him home half a year ago, and ever since then we’ve been his parents.” She faltered in her steps and stared at the ground, pain flickering in her dark eyes. “I don’t know if I’m barren or not, but I haven’t been able to have kids. Fang and I have tried, but I’m not able to . . .” She paused and forced a smile on her face. “But we have Katsu now, so it doesn’t matter.”

“He loves you a lot,” I noted. “You’re a great mother.”

She beamed from ear to ear. “He’s the sweetest boy in the world, I swear. He loves animals and nature and he loves adventures. I was scared he wouldn’t fit in with our lives well, but he’s perfect. I love him to pieces.”

“That’s great.”

“When Fang first brought him in, he was the skinniest little thing I had ever seen. His ribs were visible and he was so small!” She shook her head. “I made sure to make him healthy and look at him now, he’s running around so energetically.”

I smiled at her happiness. It was clear to see that she loved Katsu dearly; she was practically brimming with love, her cheeks rosy and her heart big.

“You and Meilin need to make babies quickly!” Jia said, nudging my shoulder. “That way Katsu will have a little brother or sister to play with.”

Heat crept up my face. “One thing at a time, Jia. I’m still not married to him and—”

“Please, it won’t take long for him to bed you and make you pregnant.” She winked. “Marriage will be quick and before you know it, you’ll be on your second child.”

“Jia—”

“You both would make the cutest babies!” she continued. “They’d be so beautiful.”

I couldn’t help but blush deeper. “I-I’m still . . . inexperienced, and I doubt I’d be . . . I don’t know if I’d be a good mother like you, if I did have children.”

“Are you scared of the process?” Jia asked with a knowing smile as she tightened her grip on my arm and leaned in close. “Is sleeping with a man terrifying?”

“J-Jia!”

“Come on, I’m married,” she said with a wave. “I’m not foreign to topics like this.”

Even though we were around the same age, give or take a year, Jia seemed more mature since she was married and already had a son. Jia grinned at me and pulled me along through the garden. “It can be a scary thought since you’ve never experienced something like that, but if you trust him, it’s not that bad. The first time was hard for me; I was embarrassed and nervous and I felt like I was a mess. If you trust Meilin, I’m sure he’ll be gentle and understanding. Sleeping with a man is more than just physical contact—it is about feelings as well.”

I nodded, taking in all that she was giving me. “I see.”

“Yes, it’s not a bad thing.” She brushed off a stray leaf on her shoulder and stared off at the distance. “Love is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

I nodded.

“Still, it can make you really sad, too. Like with Fang; he left for the Northern regions once again, since Meilin wanted him to finish some work there. I understand that he’s a general and that’s a huge position for someone as young as him, but it’s still depressing being home without him. I have Katsu, but we both miss Fang every time he leaves.”

I smiled sadly at her, understanding the situation completely. When Heng would come to visit sometimes, I would always be worried when he left once more. Being in love with a soldier was a hard thing, and for Jia and all the women that were waiting and hoping their men were fine, it was tough.

“Let’s just hope that Meilin doesn’t go to war soon,” Jia suddenly said. “If he did . . . a lot of men would be out in the battlefield, including him.”

I wasn’t really sure what to say to that since I didn’t love Meilin, but the thought of seeing Jia sad over Fang leaving was troubling, and I too hoped that war wasn’t going to come soon. The Dragon was ambitious and I really hoped he wasn’t planning on conquering more than just the Huo Empire.