My husband could not father children, but he was so kind and capable that he brought home another man for me.
“He is an outsider, and a handsome one at that; once he gets you pregnant, we will simply throw him out.”
We pretended to be brother and sister and carried out our plan.
To our surprise, the man proved practically saintly: he not only left me with a child, but also paid me a fortune before he departed.
“A rustic village woman is no match for me, so do not pester me again.”
My husband was so furious that he tried to fight him, and I tearfully held him back.
“Brother, let it go—do not hurt him.”
Then I turned and whispered to my husband, “A gigolo who works for free and pays us on top of it is hard to find these days, so just play along.”
Together, we saw our generous benefactor off, used his money to buy land and open a clinic, had a son, and lived very comfortably indeed.
Three years later, the Crown Prince returned to the place where it had all begun and found the three of us together.
He went mad on the spot.
“Some brother and sister you are—you made a complete fool of me!”
