[jiuqing's brow furrows in concern, and she opens her mouth to say something - perhaps to reassure roxana that she won't talk about what she heard to anyone, and that her secret is safe with her? - but what comes out instead is: ]

My aunt spent years plotting to try to kill my mother. She's been my father's mistress since the very beginning... my cousin, who's about the same age as me, is also my half-sister. She thought that if she killed her, my father would take her as his official wife.

I learned medicine to save my mother because I knew she was going to try to poison her. Once I started to interfere, she and my cousin started trying to murder me, too. I don't think they're in a position to be able to hurt my mother anymore, but I'm so worried that they're going to try something while I'm gone, and that when we finally get out of here I'll come back to find that my mother is dead.

[


then she frowns because that was NOT what she was planning to say.]