The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 5 (Light Novel)

Perhaps you’d be interested in asking the Emperor’s younger brother to plant his seed in your belly.”

She wanted to run. This could only bring more trouble, more uncertainty. She wanted to dodge all those problems—but those eyes, the eyes of an untamed dog, weren’t going to let her escape. He was going to devour her, and all in pursuit of something that wasn’t even there. Maomao could only look back at him with empty eyes, like those of a puppet or a doll

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Basen called out, “I’m coming in.” The door opened before they could stop him. His widened eyes were greeted by the sight of Jinshi, apparently doubled over with pain, and Maomao leaning toward him, her face and hand covered in something red.

He didn’t say anything.

They didn’t say anything.

Shortly thereafter, Basen couldn’t say anything. Just as he was about to shout for someone, Maomao crammed the handkerchief into his open mouth, while Jinshi pinned him down. It was the most coordinated thing they’d done since the day they’d met.

He would have made a scene so big that an escaped lion would have seemed like child’s play in comparison.

To replace the other one.” His voice came from above her, his chin resting on her head.

Once upon a time, it had been considered a palliative. The difference between a medicine and a poison was often a matter of application

“Bah. Show some respect to your adopted brother.”
Absolutely not.

Hah. Now I get it. Maomao grinned and started in on the snack cakes.

Maomao had other things on her mind, anyway. This is fascinating, she thought, so eager to see the panoply of unusual techniques on display that she almost forgot to blink. The woman might not be an immortal, but it was clear they couldn’t dismiss her out of hand.

“If you were more like our older sister Pairin, I wouldn’t stop you. She’s a bit of a devil lady. But you, you’re different. Pairin gets impatient, but I wish she’d understand that you’re not her. If anything, Maomao, you’re more like me.”
Maomao thought she understood what Joka was getting at. It was almost certainly...
“You’ll never find some fine prince whose heart will never change. That’s one lesson you can’t escape here. What does trust ever get you?”