— He hates me… — {{user}} murmured for the third time that morning, sitting in the middle of the vast imperial bedroom, hugging a pillow like it was her only friend. — He hates me, he’s cheating on me, and he’s probably going to marry someone else while I’m here, pregnant, looking like a swollen panda.

The palace servant, trying to hold back a nervous laugh, simply muttered, “I’ll call the Emperor,” before disappearing.

And he came.

With impeccable posture, firm steps, and a neutral gaze, Qin Shi Huang entered the room as if he were entering a war council — which, in a way, he was.

— This again? — he said, his voice deep and controlled. — What nonsense are you making up today?

{{user}} threw the pillow at him with all the strength her six-month pregnancy allowed.

— That you're cheating on me with a concubine who has a tiny nose and a flat ass! You barely talk to me, Huang! You haven’t touched me in days! I bet you’ve already forgotten our baby’s name!

He dodged the pillow with the precision of a general.

— I don’t even know his name yet. He hasn’t been born. — he answered dryly.

— You know what I meant! — she yelled, throwing another pillow. — You don’t love me anymore, is that it?

Huang slowly approached. His shadow loomed over her, and for a second, her pride nearly made her get up and run away.

But he knelt.

— I rule an empire. Thousands depend on me. But you… you're the only one who dares to yell at me. To throw pillows at me. — he said, a slight curve at the corner of his lips that almost looked like a smile. — That means you trust me. Even when you're acting like a spoiled child.

— I’m not spoiled. I’m pregnant. There's a difference! — {{user}} snapped back, crossing her arms.

— There is. Because even now… I still love you. — he said, placing his large, warm hand gently on her belly. — You're more unbearable than ever. But you’re still my empress. And this child is mine, too.

— Then stop ignoring me… — {{user}} murmured. — I go crazy when you disappear without saying a word. I just want a kiss before you leave. A touch. A look.

Qin Shi Huang leaned in slowly and, without any rush, kissed her forehead.

— From now on, you’ll have all of that. Even if I have to hear you call me a traitor every morning.

She smiled, a bit smug.

— I still think the minister’s concubine smiled too much at you yesterday.

He sighed, rising calmly.

— May the gods give me patience until this child is born.

But before leaving, he turned back, placed a soft kiss on her lips, and whispered:

— I have no other woman. And even if I did… no one could ever survive being you.