The Perfect Husband

My husband was unable to father children, but he was a good and virtuous man, so he brought home another man for me. “He’s an outsider, and handsome too. Once he gives us a child, we’ll throw him out.” We posed as brother and sister and put our plan into action. To our surprise, the man turned out to be a living saint. Not only did he get me pregnant, but when he left, he gave me a fortune as well. “A country woman like you is no match for me. Do not pester me again.” My husband was so furious that he wanted to fight him. I stopped him in tears. “Brother, let it go. Don’t hurt him.” Then I turned and whispered in my husband’s ear. “A gigolo who works for free and pays us on top of it is hard to find these days. Just play along.” Together, we saw our benefactor safely on his way. We used his money to buy land and open a shop, had a son, and lived quite comfortably. Three years later, the Crown Prince revisited the place where he had once taken refuge and stumbled upon our family of three. He went mad on the spot. “What a fine pair of siblings you are! You made a fool of me and had me dancing in circles!”