Blue sat hunched over her trunk, her breathing shallow, her fingers shaking as she zipped the last pocket closed. Her body still ached from the gunshot wound she stubbornly refused to treat, but her heart ached even more.
Freya entered quietly, holding out a stack of documents. "Blue I'm done packing up, Jesse said your contract has been drawn out you just need to come and sign it when you're done."
"Thank you, Freya," Blue whispered, her eyes downcast.
Freya hesitated. Then, softly, "Blue!" She reached out and gently held Blue's cold hands, her brows furrowed with worry. "I and Sage have decided to go with you."
Blue's eyes widened. "You know that's not possible."
"It's possible! We are hired by the courtesan house—we are just workers. Moreover, having your contract terminated doesn't mean you can't take your escort with you."
"I can't take you guys with me," Blue replied firmly, shaking her head. "Once I leave the courtesan house, I'm just an ordinary person. I don't need an escort for anything—I don't even have the money to pay you guys."
"You don't need to. We will work and fend for ourselves. We just need to be together. Even though we haven't been together for long, we still pledge our loyalty to you, Blue. Every courtesan who ever served here always takes their escorts with them when they're leaving. We don't have to make an exception just because you were ousted from the house."
"Freya…" Blue's voice faltered, her throat tightening with emotion.
"You need someone to take care of you too. Look at you now—you're still sick. You look like you wanna die any moment from now."
"I'm fine, Freya. I'm going with my sister. She can take care of her little sister at least."
"A sister that you refused to see? She left when you were very young—it will take time before you guys will make up. And from what I know, you didn't plan to leave with Angel at all. You never talked to her once."
"I just need time," Blue murmured, her voice distant.
Suddenly, Sage burst into the room, breathless. "Blue there's a problem!"
"What's wrong?" Blue asked, alarmed.
"Angel's bodyguard texted me—"
"That what?"
"He said Angel wants to commit a suicide."
"What?" Blue sprang to her feet so fast she stumbled. "Is she crazy? Where is she?"
"She's in the noble's hall right now."
"Did she poison herself?"
"I don't think so."
"Let's go there right now!" Harper shoved past them, grabbing her robe as she bolted out of the room. Sage and Freya exchanged terrified looks and chased after her.
Harper rushed into the elevator, slamming her fist on the button. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs as the doors closed. When it opened, she darted down the corridor, bursting into Angel's room. It was empty.
"She's not in here!" she shouted, glancing wildly around.
Someone bumped into her—one of the courtesans. "What the hell! Blue? Why are you here?"
"I came to look for Angel."
"I saw Celine running after her. I think she was going to the open terrace."
Open terrace? Harper's heart dropped to her stomach. "Shit!" she cursed and took off running again. Sage and Freya trailed her as best they could.
By the time Harper reached the terrace, she was gasping for air. Her eyes darted around—and froze.
"Sincere don't!" she screamed.
Angel stood barefoot on the railing, the wind tossing her robe as if daring her to fall. She turned slowly, tear-streaked and pale.
"Harper, why did you come here?"
"Who gave you the permission to die? Have you gone crazy?"
"Harper I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I can't let you leave the courtesan house because of me. Everything will be a waste in the end. You will get killed if you leave the house."
"I don't need your sorry for anything. Just get down from that place right now."
"No Harper! I don't need you to protect me—I should be the one protecting you. I don't want you to die because of me. I'm gonna die anyway. I'm battling cancer and I might not make it."
"Stop! I don't wanna hear it! When I leave the courtesan house, we will worry about your cancer later. Right now, I need you to be alive. I can't allow you to die."
"Harper, please go back."
"No!"
"I said go back! Don't move closer!"
"Sincere please don't do this!" Harper's voice broke as tears began to fall freely from her eyes. "Please don't do this to me!"
"I'm sorry for everything I have done to you, Harper."
"Sincere, please! I'm begging you! How do you want me to live without you here? How do you think I have lived without you?"
"You will be fine, sister. Quincy will take care of you."
"No!" she shrieked. "I don't want this! This is not what I want, Sincere!"
Her hand slipped under her robe and pulled out a small knife from the garter. The blade gleamed against her trembling fingers. She pressed it to her throat.
"Harper, what are you doing?"
"I'm gonna kill myself, I swear! Just know that if you die right there, I'm coming with you."
"Harper!"
"I'm dead serious!" The knife nicked her skin, drawing blood.
"Harper!" a voice shouted. She turned to see Quincy storming in, eyes blazing.
"Why are you here?" she snapped.
"Harper, please drop the knife."
"No!"
"Angel, get the fuck down from that railings right now!" he roared. Angel flinched.
Quincy gave a sharp nod and Paige lunged forward, grabbing Angel and dragging her down with force.
Quincy strode up to Harper, gently pried the knife from her hand, and pulled her into his arms. Her body, tense and trembling, finally collapsed against him as sobs racked her chest.
She looked up, her gaze fixed on Angel, who was curled on the ground, unable to lift her head.
"Do you like torturing me, Sincere? Do you enjoy seeing me in agony?"
"I'm sorry, Harper."
"You are sorry? If you feel sorry even a little bit, you won't be trying to waste yourself on the terrace."
"I thought this was the right thing to do. I thought this was the best decision. I don't wanna put you in a bad situation. I already made things hard for you enough, Harper."
"You think this is the right decision for me? If I wanted you to die for me, do you think I will be going through all this stress to make you stay alive? Everything I'm giving up do not mean shit to you, Sincere! Do you even care about me enough? You just wanna satisfy your own self first before anything else. Did I tell you that I need more family in heaven—that's why you decided to die?"
"Harper, no!" Angel broke into fresh sobs, but Harper continued, voice raw and unrelenting.
"All these things—I knew all about it. I knew that I made you feel burdened and I'm not supposed to hold onto you at all. I'm only doing this one last thing for you because I can't break the sibling's bonds that we shared.
"Throughout the years I kept myself happy with the fact that you cherish me the way I do despite knowing that I'm the only one who loves you but you don't! I knew deeply in my mind that you wish that I don't exist at all. I'm the only one who looks up to you as the kind of adult I wanna grow into.
"But even if this is so hard for you, I wish you wouldn't try to make this kind of selfish decision for me anymore. Don't make people tag me as someone who killed her sister when I could have saved you."
Angel closed her eyes, tears running down like a broken dam. There was nothing left to say—Harper's words echoed her unspoken guilt.
Quincy stared at her with contempt. So y'all relationship is even one-sided? Only Harper loves her sister dearly but she doesn't? he thought, pulling Harper tighter into his arms.
"It's fine baby. Don't cry anymore. You will be fine. I'm here for you."
"Hello everyone!" Jesse's voice echoed across the terrace. "Madam Fransisca called you all to the court!" And with that, she was gone.
Celine ran to Angel and knelt beside her. She wiped her tears and smiled gently. "Let me take you."
"Thank you, Celine," Angel murmured as they left hand-in-hand.
"She left, Harper. You can look at me now," Quincy said softly.
She looked up at him, her tears still pouring. And then she broke—sobbing uncontrollably.
"Stop being so hard on yourself, Harper."
"I'm sorry! I'm very sorry."
"It's fine, baby. Stop crying now." He wiped her tears and held her close.
"I'm so sorry!" she repeated like a broken record.
"I can take you back to the penthouse if you are feeling unwell."
"It's fine. I can go now. They already honored me enough by giving me three days."
"I understand. I'm gonna take you there."
"Thank you."
Quincy and Harper stepped into the grand noble hall, where an air of tension and anticipation hung thick. Unlike before, every noble courtesan was present this time, seated in perfect rows with elegant posture, their gazes turning simultaneously as the two entered. The lights above cast a golden sheen over the polished marble floors, and every pair of eyes followed Harper as she walked in beside Quincy.
Madam Fransisca sat regally at the head of the room, her expression unreadable behind her signature glasses. Surprisingly, Quincy's father was also there—stoic as ever in his dark, tailored robe. But as his eyes met Harper's, something in them softened. A small, fleeting smile curved his lips. Harper, worn and pale but composed, managed a dry, almost shy smile in return before averting her gaze.
Quincy gave her hand a light squeeze before walking off to his seat. Harper, left alone in the center of the hall, stood under the weight of their collective scrutiny.
Madam Fransisca picked up a heavy stack of papers from her side and with a brisk motion, tossed them onto the floor in front of Harper. They fluttered down like wounded birds, scattering slightly. Harper flinched but quickly bent down, her hands trembling as she picked up two of the envelopes—thick, embossed with the official seal of the courtesan house.
"Madam!" she called out gently, glancing upward, her voice strained with confusion. Madam Fransisca adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat delicately.
"Those are the petitions letters submitted by the courtesans for the last three days."
Harper's eyes widened, hope and dread warring inside her. "Are they asking for me to be ousted immediately?"
"No! They petition for your contract not to be terminated, of course."
"They did?" Her voice cracked slightly.
"Yes, darling, they did."
Harper tore open one of the envelopes, her hands trembling. Her eyes scanned the page—and then another. The contents mirrored each other: pleas to forgive Angel so that Harper could stay in the courtesan house. The words blurred in her eyes as tears welled up.
"Why did everyone do this?" she asked, still kneeling.
Daisy rose from the second row and stepped forward, her face warm but serious. "Blue, the regular courtesans did a meeting after the first court session. Most of them really like you because you were the first noble courtesan to embrace them all as one. You are like a queen among us, and they feel they have the obligation to protect you."
Dream stepped forward too, a soft smile on her lips. "Yes, Blue! Even though we all don't like Angel, her life is tied to yours because she is your sister. So we had to try to save her… to save you!"
Others around them nodded. Harper looked around, stunned, lips parting in disbelief as more voices chimed in.
"The regular courtesans held a meeting and decided to petition against getting rid of Angel so you can stay," one explained. "Madam Fransisca wanted to follow the rules and expel Angel, but since we can wield the power to bend the rules, we made our wishes known. We are against killing Angel. We want to protect you."
Tears now streamed freely down Harper's cheeks. Her throat tightened. "Oh my goodness…"
"We have rules for a reason!" Madam Fransisca finally interjected. Her tone was firm but calm, like a judge delivering a verdict. "It is to protect our courtesans and make them feel safe. We don't want them to feel any injustice. But with our big rules, we also have the obligation to follow the courtesans' wishes."
Fred, an older noble with a dignified aura, smiled at her warmly. "Dear Blue, you are such a lucky one. In my whole years of being a power holder here, I have never seen them so united. Never seen them protect someone the way they have protected you."
Harper could barely breathe, the overwhelming flood of emotions washing over her like a tide.
Madam Fransisca leaned forward slightly. "Despite having to follow the courtesans' wishes, the house must maintain its solidarity. We are a big foundation, and we only do give and take. We will spare Angel according to their wishes and leave Blue in her position. But—" she looked directly at Angel "—in one way or the other, Angel still has to pay a little price. Angel!"
Angel's heart skipped. "Madam!"
"Henceforth, you belong to the courtesan house permanently!"
"What??" Angel's mouth fell open in shock.
"Yes! No going anywhere. You have to serve the courtesan house until your last days."
"Mum!" Quincy interjected from his seat. "Angel is almost 30. She can no longer be a courtesan after turning 30."
"We extended the years for whoever chooses to stay," Madam Fransisca said calmly. "It just depends on how far you can hold your status and keep making money for the courtesan house. Being a courtesan isn't the only thing she can do. If she quits, she can try other roles—but what matters is she's not allowed to leave. Never."
Quincy leaned in and whispered, "Mum… You're doing this to help Angel, right?"
"I'm only helping Blue by keeping Angel grounded here forever. She doesn't have to worry about her if she's reinstated."
"True. Thank you, Mum," Quincy said, looking down with a grateful sigh.
Madam Fransisca nodded subtly. "It's fine."
Harper, still overwhelmed, gathered all the letters carefully into her arms and sank to her knees in front of the elders. Angel hesitated for a heartbeat before stepping forward and kneeling beside her.
"Thank you for the grace of the courtesan house," they both said in unison, voices fragile but sincere.
"It's fine. The meeting is over!" Madam Fransisca declared, rising from her seat.
There was a collective breath from the audience—some shocked, some relieved, some smiling. Courtesans began to murmur and shift in their seats.