Love's Scarlet Remedy

I was stripped naked and had my wrist cut.

My blood was used as a crucial ingredient to save the severely injured general.

The day he recovered, I seized the chance to escape.

A month later, we crossed paths again at his residence.

The general tightly gripped my waist.

He pulled me close, held my waist, and kissed my neck.

"I’ve always wanted to know—did you add aphrodisiacs to that medicine?"

1

On the day my mother died, there was a light snow falling.

My aunt, Rita Atkinson, took me away from the side door and brought me into a military tent.

It was said that there was a severely injured general in the tent, who needed virgin blood as a medicinal ingredient.

Rita, greedily accepting ten taels of silver, cut my wrist with a knife.

A bowlful of blood, as red as rouge, spilled out, and I fainted, my vision going dark.

When I woke up again, the tent was lit up.

I lay on the tiger-skin blanket, while the general sat on a sleeping couch beside me, his leg bent.

He held a military book in his hand, but his lips were still pale.

When he saw that I woke up, he tapped the table with his index finger.

"Women are not allowed to be kept in the army. Since you're awake, you should leave."

I staggered to my feet and crawled at his feet.

"Your injury has not yet been cured. I am willing to stay by your side and continue to provide my blood as a medicinal ingredient."

Outside, it was freezing with snow all around. I was penniless and all alone. If I were to leave the tent, it would surely mean death for me.

I couldn't die.

My mother told me before she passed away that I could go to the capital and seek refuge with her cousin, Sylvia Quinn.

Sylvia owed my mother one hundred taels of silver. Even if she didn't take me in, I could live a stable life by reclaiming the money.

The general pondered for a moment.

"I am no longer in grave danger. If you continue to be used as a medicinal ingredient, your death could come sooner than mine."

I trembled in fear.

"Please, have mercy and let me stay. I can make pastries to satisfy your cravings, sing and dance to amuse you, and even..."

I gritted my teeth.

Then I continued, "Even sleep with you."

After saying that, I unbuttoned my dress.

The dress fell to my feet, and I walked barefoot to the general's side, taking his hand and placing it on my chest.

He rubbed his fingertips against my skin, as if they were aflame, causing me to tremble uncontrollably.

I closed my eyes.

But then I felt a chill in my chest.

The general withdrew his hand, his expression stern.

He threw a fur coat at me.

"Get out!" he said coldly.

I picked up my dress from the ground, put it on, and lifted the curtain before kneeling outside the tent.

I didn't leave.

At midnight, the guard outside saw me refusing to leave.

He came up to me and said, "The general asked you to leave. What are you doing here? Since you want to stay, I will take you to serve my fellows!"

I struggled desperately.

Then, I heard the voice of the general coming from the tent.

"Let her...