My nerves were starting to frazzle as I walked into the foyer of Seokjin's palace. Despite feeling relaxed from the orgasms Jimin had given me, I was growing more and more nervous. I had to remember so many half-truths now, and I was worried one of the plates I was juggling would come crashing down.

Seeing Binna standing next to her heavily pregnant dibling was not something I had expected. Jimin and I had never heard back from her after she had tried to extort the extra millions of won out of us. Had she recognised that her demands were excessive and consequently chose not to pursue any financial assistance for our cancelled deal? I shot the two women a warm smile. While I received an even brighter one back from my closest friend, Binna's lacked the same sincerity.

"Hey, don't worry about her, My Love," Jimin whispered in my ear as he placed a kiss there. He must've seen the non-verbal interaction and from the tone in his voice, he didn't appreciate the look I received. "Come on, let's go say hi to Yoongi and Ari first."

We headed over to the comfy armchairs where the couple was sitting and chatting with each other. As soon as we reached the blue-haired man and his very pregnant girlfriend, I was wrapped in a hug by said woman. Ari kept commenting about how beautiful I looked, especially with the little bump that was evident when I stood side-on. I was grateful that in this universe it was considered disrespectful for others to touch a pregnant belly. It felt good not having to worry about people coming up and placing their hands on me. While Jimin and Esther both said the silicone bumps felt akin to her real bump, I didn't want to risk anyone outing me as a fraud.

"How are you doing, Nell?" Yoongi asked, shooting me a soft smile.

"I'm good," I said, caressing my bump the way Esther would often do. "The baby is doing well, and the nausea has stopped now, so that's a relief."

Jimin and I were sticking to the fib about us only having one baby. The fact that our little one had a 'wombmate' was something that only a select few of us knew about. It would come out once Esther was further along in the pregnancy but that would be well after my role as an assigned female was over. Jimin had informed me that following the Dissolution Ceremony, it would be inconsequential if people discovered the twins' existence, as I would have already been released from my duties by that time. A statute of limitations for deception applied only to the 366 days (because of the leap year) that I was an assigned female. After that date, there would be nothing that could be done to me.

"And how are you going, Ari? Not long left until your little one comes, right?" I asked as Jimin came and stood behind me, his hands coming to rest on my 'bump'. The four of us must've looked like two happy married couples waiting for our families to grow.

"A little over two months to go," Ari confirmed with a nod. "You guys might be the smarter ones by waiting longer into the year to fall pregnant. I'm not looking forward to being so close to the end with summer coming."

I had to stifle a laugh at how ironic she was with that statement. Poor Esther would have two extra lifeforms' heat being transferred into her. She didn't cope too well at the best of times being uncomfortable with hot weather.

"I plan on spending a lot of time in the pool." I looked at Jimin and saw him nod in agreement. He would be the one to be bathing in the pool with Esther while I stayed in the cottage.

"Ugh, I need to sit down," Soon-Bok groaned, she looked awkward as she started to lower herself into the chair. "I never knew how uncomfortable being pregnant could be. I'm looking forward to having my bladder back to myself and not having it used as target practice."

"Not long to go now, Beautiful," Seokjin reminded his girlfriend as he handed her a glass of water. "About a month and then I'll be there to help you with everything." I did not doubt that Seokjin was telling the truth. Out of all the other couples, the four people sitting before me had the closest relationships. I felt they had the best chances of lasting beyond the assignment.

While Jungkook and Da-Eun were tracking well together, I didn't see him have the same connection as Yoongi and Seokjin had with their girlfriends. The fact that Jungkook still called Da-Eun as his assigned female spoke volumes to me. Taehyung, Hoseok and Namjoon I didn't see having any kind of relationship with their females if I was being honest. Hana was lovely but she was very shy and withdrawn; after a little over nine months, I didn't really know anything about her and I hadn't had any meaningful conversations with the girl. Bong-Cha was very friendly to me and not once had I heard a mean word come from her mouth. Ma-Ri was friendly, outgoing and sociable; she was a lot like Yoongi in terms of preferring to watch others rather than participate, which I found to be an honourable quality to have.

Out of all the females, I often found it hard to connect well with Bong-Cha, Hana and Ma-Ri because the three of them were about a decade younger than me. I had very little in common with them, so I found conversations to be a lot more forced compared to the organic ones that I had with Ari, Soon-Bok, Da-Eun and Binna.

꧁♥💜♥꧂

Lunch was exactly as ARMY would expect it to be in the presence of Seokjin: delicious and plentiful. In my months of living here, I'd acquired a love of the delicious Korean dishes. I had to admit, though, that tteokguk (rice cake soup), bossam (steamed pork) made into ssam with lettuce, bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), and binggo (shaved milk ice dessert) were my favourites. I was very happy to see both bossam and bindaetteok on the offerings today.

I accepted pieces of everything that Jimin placed on my plate. He loved to make sure I was well fed and to be honest, I loved that he took care of me that way. He knew what my likes and dislikes were, so he made sure to stay clear of anything that contained offal. As I placed another piece of the delicious pancake made from mung beans into my mouth, I wriggled with joy in my seat. Jimin beamed at me, pleased to see me so relaxed rather than the bundle of nerves I had been earlier.

While conversations flowed from all around my seat in the middle of the table, I felt like there were eyes on me. I glanced at Ari, who was seated two seats away from me on the opposite side of the table; her laugh drew me in and made me smile. I tried to be discrete as I looked around at the others using my peripheral vision. I couldn't detect anyone looking at me on that side of the table. I tried to shrug the feeling off.

As the meal went on, I was more convinced that someone was boring daggers into me with their eyes. I took a piece of galbi (marinated beef short ribs) and set it on Jimin's plate, using the action as a diversion to glance around that side of the table. I caught Hoseok's assigned female looking at me. When I smiled softly at her like I usually did, she had a harsh look in her eye. I inhaled sharply, unprepared for the venomous glare that met me.

Jimin looked at me and I could tell he saw uneasiness on my face. Even though I believed I had concealed my expression effectively, he could see right through me. He was fully aware of all my emotions and could easily tell when I was attempting to keep something from him. His keen observation skills allowed him to notice even the subtlest changes in my demeanour, making it impossible for me to hide anything from him.

I leaned into his side and whispered, "I'm okay, the baby's fluttering in my belly."

He pressed a kiss to my cheek, and murmured, "Tell me later what's really going on, Sweetheart. I'm here if you need me."

"I know. I love you too."

⊱ ───ஓ๑💜๑ஓ ─── ⊰

"I know. I love you too." I hated hearing her say that to Jimin while he was looking into her eyes like she hung the stars. He should be saying that to me, looking at me that way.

"Hey, you okay?" my friend asked, keeping her voice low enough so that the din of the others' loud voices would keep hers hidden.

"Have you seen what the witch is eating?" She shook her head, and I huffed a laugh. She could be quite dense sometimes. It shouldn't have surprised me to find out she had missed that. "She's had close to two entire pancakes just for herself."

My friend sucked in a breath. "But don't mung beans..."

"Yep, they can cause a miscarriage." I finished off her train of thought as we watched the interloper shovel yet another of the pancake pieces into her mouth.

"I don't get why you're pissed then. Shouldn't you be happy that she's eating that? It might mean she loses the baby."

I could see where my friend was going with that. If she lost the baby, then I could swoop in and steal the blonde Seed Bearer from under her nose. What she forgot was that being the kind, loving and honourable man he was, Jimin would stand by the witch because of their shared pain. I also didn't want to wish him the pain of losing a baby. I might have questionable morals, but I wouldn't want to inflict that pain on the man I desired.

Throughout the remainder of the lunch, I tried to enjoy my time with the others. As time went on, I found I couldn't focus on anything other than my absolute fury over her. I seethed at the fact that she was so disrespectful. She showed no respect towards the Seed Bearers since she ate from the whole fish that was made only for them. It was also clear that she held contempt towards the life that was growing inside her vile body because of her food choices. The fact that she took Jimin for granted made my blood boil.

꧁♥💜♥꧂

I was beyond bored and ready to go home. While everyone was sitting in the lounge room talking, I wanted a shot of soju. Although, by taking the alcohol, I would be confirming the not-so-subtle murmurings. I'd heard other women gossiping about the lack of conception news coming from my friend and me.

I took the time to observe the others in the room. My eyes were drawn to blonde hair. I noticed as I watched Jimin interact with the witch that they weren't acting as affectionate as they used to do. No sneaky kisses were being shared. They didn't look at each other like they were trying to undress each other. The only physical contact they had was hand holding with the odd time that Jimin placed his hand on her belly.

Part of me hoped that he was starting to wake up and break out of the spell she had placed upon him. The suspicious side of me hoped that maybe the reason why he kept placing pieces of the mung bean pancake onto her plate was because he knew that she was carrying an evil spawn within her.

'I hope that this could be the case because if it is, then that's something I could use to engineer my outcome.'

While the others were chatting in their little groups, I used the time to begin formulating a plan. My Seed Bearer was off laughing and joking with Yoongi and Jimin. Their joyful laughter echoed through the air, filling the room with merriment and excitement. The celebrations for Ari and the witch's pregnancies were like little daggers of happiness. Each laugh pierced me, reminding me how I had so far failed in my attempts to carry a Seed Bearer's child.

"I know that look," my friend murmured as she joined me on the plush couch. We were well enough away from everyone that I didn't have to worry about prying ears. "Whatever you need me to do, I'm in."

I nodded, grateful for her help. "I do have something coming together. My friend has told me that she has been behaving strangely after what your cousin said to her."

"Strange how?"

"Anxious, scared, not wanting to leave the palace's grounds." I recited what Jinae had told me in several of her telegrams. "According to my friend, she has a history of running away when things get too much. We need to force her to run away for good."

"Oh good," she said with a gleeful laugh. "I'm glad I didn't have to kill my cousin for fucking up and ruining our plans then."

I couldn't tell if she was being honest or if it was just my friend venting. I knew she was frustrated about her idiotic drunkard of a cousin who accosted the witch at the New Year's Eve party. When I had first heard he'd done that, I was livid; however, with each correspondence from Jinae, it seemed as if he had done us a favour.

"And how do you plan on getting her to run away? I mean, we could always use violence as a means... You know, kill two birds with one stone per se—get rid of her and her baby."

"No, we can't do that. We both know what the consequences of violence towards Seed Bearers or their assigned females can be." I said in a firm tone that left no room for compromise. "We need to fight fire with fire. If she is whispering spells into her Seed Bearer's ear, then we need to do the same back at her. If we want her to leave him for good, then we need to break her from the inside. This is a war of subterfuge rather than physical combat."

My friend nodded slowly. A sinister smirk formed on her pretty face, and I was glad I wasn't the one she was plotting against in her mind. "I'm in. When?"

It felt like Fate was pulling strings because just as my friend asked that, the witch got up from the chair she was sitting on and headed towards the bathroom. We had one shot at enacting my plan, so I uttered a hushed 'Follow my lead'. I bit my lip to hide the wide smile that threatened to form upon seeing my friend nod once again. Together, we stood and made our way over to where the witch had headed.

As I entered the opulent bathroom, my eyes scanned the spacious room. Despite its emptiness, my attention was drawn to one particular detail—the closed door of a toilet stall. Since the only person who had left was my intended target, I knew she was in there.

"You know, the strength that man has so that he can put up with the likes of her is immeasurable." I made sure that my voice was loud enough to my friend that the witch would be able to hear our 'gossiping'.

"Oh, I know," my friend responded while touching up her makeup. "That saint of a man deserves someone so much better than that fat cow." We both smirked upon heading the muffled gasp coming from the enclosed toilet. "I swear he must've only had sex with her because he was forced to. There's no way he'd willingly crawl into a bed with someone as ugly and disgusting as her."

"But what's worse is how she's trying to destroy the life he's placed within her. I couldn't believe how she was stuffing herself with bindaetteok. We all know that mung beans can make women miscarry... She's an absolute disgrace!"

We both grinned wildly when we heard the quiet gasp of surprise change into soft cries. This made us feel excited and eager to see what would happen next. I wasn't happy with just having the witch overhear the calculated words my friend and I spoke. I wanted to see her face as I crushed her spirit.

"You can come out now." My voice sounded loud and emphatic as I knocked on the wooden door providing the witch with a modicum of privacy. "We know you're in there, so there's no point in hiding."

As soon as I heard the latch unlock, I stepped back and leaned against the sink. My arms were crossed in front of my chest, and I had a deep scowl on my face. After a short wait, the door creaked open inch by inch, revealing a sliver of light seeping through the gap. I felt no remorse seeing the tear streaks stretching down the fat cheeks of the witch. Instead, feelings of pride, indifference and satisfaction were brewing inside me from seeing her broken like this. My plan was working—the lively twinkle in her eyes at dinner had faded.

'A few more daggers of truth and she'll be gone for good. Then Jimin is all mine for the taking!'

"I-I promise I won't tell anyone a-about this," the witch snivelled as she washed her hands and then rushed to the door. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to block her in, so my friend and I followed her out into the hallway.

My friend sneered, her lip curling upwards to show her perfectly white teeth. "You know, you are as big of an idiot as you are an insatiable pig." She looked down her nose at the witch despite being the shorter of the two. "I can't believe you, downing those pancakes like they were candy. Have you no concern for the fruition of your Seed Bearer's precious seed? You really are a disgusting, ugly, fat pig. The only place you should be is in the middle of your stye rolling in the mud with the other sows. Maybe we should send you to the special 'farm' where piggies go so, we can enjoy delicious pork belly."

"Stop. Please stop." The whimpering pleas were pitiful, yet they were music to my ears. My laughter harmonised with the witch's pathetic noises. Her shoulders hunched forward, as her body shrunk in on itself. It was as if she was bearing the weight of breaking her victims' minds to weave her spells, mirroring the pain she inflicted on others to wield her magic.

"No, she inhaled them because she knows as well as we do. That spawn," I pointed towards her belly as I spat out the word as if it tasted like venom in my mouth as I said it. "It's as toxic and grotesque as its mother. So completely inconsiderate of Jimin's feelings. You're evil! Pure evil in its greatest form!" My voice rose in both intensity and volume the more I shouted at the witch.

I paused long enough for my words to sink in. But that break was like a double-edged sword. It showed her the truth while my frustration at the situation's unfairness grew. It wasn't fair that the witch carried the fruition of the handsome Seed Bearer's seed inside her while my womb was empty. It wasn't fair that I was the one who was assigned to a Seed Bearer who was interested in people of his own gender rather than me. It wasn't fair that I'd pay with my life if I was unable to manifest my outcomes and gain access to one of the Seed Bearers to get their essence.

"P-please, leave m-me alone. I-I-I didn't know. I'm sorry." Her head shook in disbelief, showing that she was struggling to accept the possibility that she might have made a mistake.

I rolled my eyes at the pitiful sight in front of me. How Jimin found her attractive was beyond my level of comprehension. The witch had gained weight throughout her pregnancy, weight that she didn't carry well. It made her look even more like a heifer than she had when I first laid eyes on her.

I saw the exact moment my words had sunken in for her; the witch's feet stumbled before she fell to the floor, sobbing. She looked even more ugly than usual. Snot ran down her chin, mingling with the tears that had formed rivers. Kneeling, I stretched out my hand as if to touch her face when I abruptly recoiled. I didn't want to touch the witch in case that was her plan so that she could put a curse on me. Instead, I thrust the last verbal daggers in, making sure I went for her heart.

"You're sorry? The person I feel sorry for is that man you were assigned to. He's done nothing wrong except to have you assigned as his female, yet the pain he will suffer at your manipulative hands when you miscarry from the mung beans... Well, I just cannot bear to think about it. You know, I would have thought one of the first things the Oracle looked at in a person was whether they would be a good mother or not." My friend's laugh turned sinister as I spoke, and I couldn't help but join in. "Looks like he got it so, so wrong with you, dear Nell. You couldn't ever be a good mother. If your baby is fortunate enough to live through your actions, I hope it is a girl or a boy with black hair. That way, they will be free from the knowledge that they came from a woman who was a terrible mother."

* Plot twist... there have been two villains all along! You'll find out who they are soon enough.