After summer ended, the cool autumn wind began to flow in. When it reached the month of the Duchess' due date, the ducal residence went into full-scale preparation for the delivery.
The Royal palace sent a skilled doctor, a seasoned midwife who had delivered royal descendants for decades, and assistants. As the number of residents in the mansion grew, the extensive ducal residence felt crowded.
Everyone's attention was focused on the Duchess. They were in a state of alert, waiting for the signs of the labor pains that could come at any moment.
Nowadays, Lucia was unable to be alone, anywhere. She felt uncomfortable being watched intently all day, but she endured it when she thought of the baby.
"Ah…"
Lucia put her teacup down, held her stomach and frowned. Starting from a few days ago, her stomach felt stiff and her lower belly ached softly. However, since she woke up this morning, a tingling pain climbing up her waist came frequently. It came earlier and now it started again.
"Are you having pain?"
The midwife checked the hourglass by the window. The intervals were still far apart but they were regular.
"I think the labor is starting. Please escort the Madam to the bedroom."
Suddenly, everyone began to move frantically. Jerome, who was serving the tea, blanched white. He blankly watched the maids help the Madam out of the receiving room, then he regained his sensed with a start. He remembered the first thing he had to do. He moved to inform his master of this news.
* * *
A carriage dashed into the ducal residence. Before the servant could open the doors from the outside, Hugo opened it personally and jumped out of the carriage.
Jerome sent a messenger to the palace to inform Hugo, but at the time, Hugo was in an important national conference. Two hours had already passed when he got the news after the meeting.
Hugo flew up the stairs, burst open the door to the bedroom, then he suddenly stopped. The bedroom was quiet, and when his wife saw him, she smiled sweetly at him from her spot on the bed.
Hugo approached her bed with confusion; he had run home, prepared to face a pandemonium.
"You've given birth?"
Pfft. Lucia burst out laughing and the people standing around, waiting on her, turned their heads away to laugh. Lucia gestured for everyone to leave and they emptied the room.
"They say it's still starting. Mysteriously enough, I'll be fine one moment, then the next, my stomach suddenly hurts a lot. And then I'm fine again."
"If it is the start…how long will it take?"
"The midwife said that because it is my first delivery, it will take a long time. The baby will probably be born by tomorrow."
She looked relaxed and carefree. He had been worried about the delivery since he had a vague concept of it, but if it was like this, then it was no big deal. As soon as Hugo thought that, Lucia grabbed her stomach in pain and curled her body.
She couldn't even speak, her face had gone white and she was breathing hard. Seeing his wife like this, blood drained from Hugo's face. He was thrown into disorder, fluttered around like a confused mess, then he screamed at the door.
"Is anyone outside?!"
The door opened, and people flooded in. The midwife quickly came to the bed. She began to stroke Lucia's back and advise Lucia on how to breathe. As Lucia followed the midwife's instruction, taking in deep breaths and exhaling, her expression gradually relaxed.
Although only a short period of time passed, beads of sweat had formed on Lucia's forehead.
When Lucia finally settled down, the people waiting on her withdrew again. The bedroom became quiet again as if the commotion from earlier was a lie. Hugo felt helpless because he couldn't do anything but just watch.
"Now I'll be fine again for a bit. It comes regularly."
He wanted to ask his wife, who was smiling sweetly as if nothing had happened: How could she smile like that after feeling such terrible pain, even if it was just for a moment?
'She had to undergo this process until tomorrow?'
He was already stunned silly.
However, the situation worsened beyond his expectations. The labor intervals became shorter, the pain grew more severe, and from around midnight, Lucia began to scream while holding her belly and rolling around.
Hugo couldn't ask her if she was okay. She was obviously not okay!
As Hugo listened to his wife scream, he grasped onto the midwife.
"She will get really hurt like this. Do something."
"This is the process of entering childbirth."
"She could die at this rate!"
"With Your Grace the Duke being restless here, the Madam cannot concentrate."
The midwife completely chased out the Duke who was pestering her. Hugo was kicked out under the pretext of it being done for the Madam's sake, and he was unable to utter any complaints.
Staring at the firmly closed bedroom door and listening to the screams coming from within, Hugo's face was as pale as someone standing at death's door. He would later remember this as the worst night of his life.
* * *
"Milady, the path for the child to come out is opened. Don't put too much pressure on your stomach like that." { * }
As she watched over the situation, the midwife continued to advise the mother giving birth. From the looks of it, the progress was slow because it was her first delivery. The midwife did not let her guard down even though she had delivered numerous children before. Childbirth had many variables. There were times when a delivery was proceeding very smoothly, then suddenly, there were unexpected difficulties.
An assistant approached the midwife and whispered to her:
"His Grace the Duke is asking about the progress."
The midwife clicked her tongue. She didn't know how many times he had asked this. The delivery had only just begun and two hours or so had passed. She had replied a couple of times to the Duke's persistent questioning of the situation, that it was still far from over.
The midwife was in charge of the delivery of the precious noble lives in the royal family. The incoming baby was very important, but the parent could also not be ignored. No matter how busy and hectic it got due to the delivery, a proper level of tact was necessary.
"It looks like I need to go see the Duke. You, watch over the Madam and if you see anything strange, let me know immediately."
The midwife left the bedroom, leaving her skilled assistant to take her place in charge.
As soon as Hugo saw the midwife, he urgently asked.
"How is it?"
"There is still a long way to go, Your Grace."
"When exactly is that 'long way'! You've been telling me the same thing since earlier."
"Your Grace, I have said this several times. It will take a long time because this is the Madam's first delivery. From the way the situation is progressing, I can tell the baby is not likely to be born anytime soon. So please, calm down. If you get some sleep…"
"My wife looks like she's dying inside there and you're telling me to sleep?"
The midwife smacked her lips as she watched the Duke fly into a rage. Calling a woman, who was doing fine and giving birth to a child, 'dying', wasn't quite right. She hadn't seen any signs of a difficult delivery and it had only been two hours since the labor went into full-swing.
"Can't I go in and check if my wife is okay?"
"The delivery room zone is off-limits to men."
"I'll only see her face and leave."
The midwife had never even imagined a man entering into the delivery room and hearing the Duke say that he would do just that, the midwife really doubted whether he was in his right mind.
When she delivered children in the royal family, the husband was only informed when the labor began and when the child was delivered. In the case of the king's concubines' delivery, the king often came a few days after the child was born.
This was the first time in the seasoned midwife's long career, that a husband was lingering around the delivery room and raising hell.
'It is unusual indeed.'
The elderly midwife had been quite nervous, leaving the palace and heading to the ducal residence, because it was her first time dealing closely with the Duke of Taran, who was rumored to be scary. However, the Duke of Taran whom she routinely met was much too different from the one in the rumors.
He had a big stature, but he couldn't move an inch in front of the small sized Madam. Once he had a little free time, he would just be following the Madam around. She thought it was quite nice for a couple that had been together for 3 years now to have such a good marital relationship. However, she didn't know that when the time for the delivery came, he would be this particular, without caring about appearances.
"Please wait, Your Grace. If Your Grace keeps asking about the progress, I cannot fully concentrate on the Madam. Your Grace cannot be interrupting if you want the Madam to give birth safely and healthily."
The midwife said firmly, revealing her stern temperament. She wouldn't stand for any interference with the process of childbirth, even if it were the King not the Duke.
"She will be safe, right?"
Hugo's spirit dampened once the midwife mentioned his wife's safety.
"Ease your worries. The Madam is doing well. Your Grace will be more anxious if you stay here. I think it would be better for Your Grace to wait somewhere else…"
"I'll stay here."
The midwife forced down her wry smile upon hearing the Duke's determined reply. If someone saw this, they'd think the Duchess was the only person in the world that had given birth.
Hugo stood with a somber expression as he watched the midwife go back inside the room.
Fabian's lips twitched as he stole a glance at his lord's expression. Such a rare, precious sight. He knew he shouldn't, he knew how serious the Duke's state of mind was, but he couldn't resist the laughter bubbling up within him.
Eventually, he stealthily withdrew. As he was coming down from the second floor, Fabian met Jerome, who was just climbing up the stairs. He grabbed Jerome by the arm and went into Jerome's office.
"What is it?"
Jerome was momentarily dazed due to the serious look on Fabian's face and let himself be dragged to his office. Fabian closed the door, threw himself on the sofa and burst out laughing. He was afraid the sound of his laughter would be heard beyond the door, so he giggled under his breath.
"Oh god, I'm going crazy. His Grace looks so soulless. I bet you won't see that expression on his face even if the sky falls down."
Fabian had heard the news from Jerome a little while ago and hurriedly ran over. His heart skipped a beat at the thought that the Madam might have encountered difficulty during delivery. To the Fabian who had run over till he was out of breath, Jerome said:
[You have experience. I called you because you might be of help.]
[Have I given birth before? Help? What help!]
Fabian lost his temper at Jerome because he had run over after being startled awake from a good sleep. Since he had already come, he couldn't just go back. He had entered an arduous path where he was stuck until the delivery was over and he didn't even know when that would be, so he didn't even want to see Jerome's face.
However, because of the sight from earlier, his anger at Jerome had changed to gratitude. Thanks to Jerome, he was able to enjoy such a scene.
Jerome slapped his brother on the back of his head. Fabian held the back of his head and screamed.
"Hey!"
Jerome firmly seized the back of Fabian's neck and pulled him up.
"They say there's still a long way to go. What will come out of standing there till it's over?" (Fabian)
"So noisy. Master is very anxious, so as a subordinate, you have to share his pain." (Jerome)
"Do it yourself!" (Fabian)
As he was dragged away by Jerome, Fabian protested but Jerome acted like he couldn't hear anything.
* * *
The morning sun shone blindingly through the window, causing Fabian to close his eyes. His whole body felt sore after sleeping scrunched up on the sofa and he stretched with all the strength he could muster.
"Is the baby born?"
Fabian had endured passably till around dawn. In order to fight off the sleepiness, he had drunk so much tea till it was stale in his mouth, but his eyes kept closing and he felt like he would lose his mind. He hadn't even stayed up all night when his own baby was born. He couldn't treat the situation of his lord's child being born as serious as his job.
Still, he thought of it as the predicament of a subordinate and endured. He could hear the vivid screams of childbirth pain, coming from beyond the walls and they chased the sleep away from his sunken eyes. However, before he even realized it, he dozed off.
Jerome couldn't keep watching Fabian, who kept nodding off, so he sent Fabian to sleep. Fabian acted like he was giving in, went downstairs and fell asleep on the sofa in Jerome's office.
He had only slept for a few hours but his mind felt refreshed. Fabian poked his head out of the door of the office and looked around. It was quiet and he couldn't see anyone. He began to climb up the stairs while checking around him.
Remembering the expression his lord had on his face till around dawn, he chuckled lightly. It was his first time seeing the Duke look so aghast and restless. He couldn't stay still for even a moment and went back and forth in the same place for hours.
When he reached the second floor, it was quiet but as he walked through the hallway, he could hear a scream from afar. The delivery was still currently underway. Fabian wove himself in as if he had been staying there all night. The Duke didn't have the leisure to care about his vacancy.
'How energetic.'
The Duke's footsteps as he walked around impatiently were still with much vigor. Fabian wasn't very surprised since he had already witnessed the Duke filled with resilient energy even after staying up for a few nights.
'Even if we say His Grace is His Grace. The amazing one is that guy.'
When he was born, he was Fabian's twin brother, but later on, he was reborn as a servant of the Taran family without permission from his parents. That Jerome was standing there, with his feet firmly rooted to the floor as if he was waiting for the birth of his own child.
'Why did you call me then? Huh?'
Fabian completely wiped out his gratitude towards Jerome for letting him get some sleep and inwardly poured out curses on his intolerable brother.
But suddenly, Jerome lifted his head. Surprised by this, Fabian also shifted his gaze. The Duke who had been senselessly walking around also came to an abrupt halt and stared at the bedroom door.
Fabian sensed a strange silence and immediately realized the change. The noise coming from inside the room had disappeared. Everyone held their breath for a short moment, but it felt like a long time. And from inside the walls, the cry of a child could be heard.
"Phew…"
It was unknown who had sighed. There was also a smile at the corner of Fabian's lips. Although he was grumpy throughout, he had been very worried too.
At a glance, it looked like everyone was easily having children, but there were many women who were left with issues after quietly giving birth. Fabian didn't even want to think about the unpleasant things that would follow if something had happened to the Madam. He couldn't imagine the Duke of Taran without the Madam by his side.
The Madam was like a kind of safety device to Fabian. She was the last fortress. In the past, the Duke's decision was a final decision. If you were asked to die, you had no choice but to do so.
But now there was room for a final struggle. There was somewhere to cling to if you were going to die either ways. He hoped that the Madam would tame the beast known as the Duke and hold onto his collar for a very long time.