(Elisabeth Stuart / Elisabeth POV)
"How are you, my daughter?" (Elisabeth Stuart)
"I'm looking forward to the delivery... breasts, feet, back, everything hurts, but apparently it's normal." (Elisabeth)
"Yes, when I was pregnant with you, everything hurt me too and I couldn't look at the food... Your father was not a help too, but that was the role of women." (Elisabeth Stuart)
"Michał doesn't help much either, but it's even good, the man will not understand women's matters... and how was your journey? How long will you stay in Warsaw?" (Elisabeth)
"The journey was smooth, our captain was the former vice-governor of Dutch Brazil, he has such a strange surname as most Poles... Arciszewski or something like that. I didn't think someone like this will be in the service of your Catholic husband." (Elisabeth Stuart)
"You still see Michał as a simple Catholic, and you don't even know how much influence he has... He recently adopted his friend's daughter and plans to marry her to the Duke of Transylvania... but you didn't tell me how long will you stay?" (Elisabeth)
"I will not say a bad word about your husband, he kept his word and helped us a lot... enough about him. We will stay no more than two weeks. Later I'll bring your siblings, now they're resting. Except for Sophie who bothers Michael all the time... I guess it was because he saved her." (Elisabeth Stuart)
(End POV)
Nine days later, the Winter Queen and her offspring left Warsaw... I said goodbye to them fondly as if I would see them for the last time in my life... which was true, at least to most of them. Unfortunately, the day after their departure, Elisabeth started giving birth. The only advantage of this situation was that it was not the era of family births, so I could focus on things more important than accompanying my wife... and anyway, it was not pleasant to see something comparable in size to a watermelon demolish my wife's pussy.
I sat comfortably in an armchair in my office and enjoyed the wine in silence...
"How long was your childbirth... when Ksenia was born?" (MC)
I heard sounds of choking, gasping, slurping, and few slurred words.
"Don't talk with your mouth full... when you're done, you'll answer it... you do not have to rush." (MC)
I had to relieve stress somehow, and meetings with Galina were perfect and more importantly free therapy l... a few minutes later Galina came out from under the desk, adjusted her dress and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Ksenia... the delivery lasted four hours, maybe a little more, I don't remember exactly. There was a lot of pain and blood." (Galina)
Four hours is not that long, I have heard of cases where labor lasted 12 hours or more.
"As we are already on the topic of Ksenia, I am going to marry Katarzyna to the Prince of Transylvania. You said that Ksenia would like to accompany her... it will not happen earlier than in two years, but you can prepare your daughter for it."
"That's for sure?" (Galina)
Nothing was 100 percent settled yet, things could have happened, but I was going to make this wedding happen.
"Not yet, but most likely it will." (MC)
"I can go with her?" (Galina)
She must be crazy... where do I find a better cocksucker than she is. I didn't train her for so many years that someone else would use her talent.
"Children grow up and you have to come to terms with it, Ksenia will then be 12 or 13 years old, it will be the right time to start living her life. She will not be alone, Katarzyna will be there." (MC)
Galina was a little disappointed in my answer but she had to swallow it... and it wasn't the only thing she swallowed today.
I sent Galina back to her room and I focused on writing articles for the newspaper... I was wondering whether I should use my mother-in-law's death as another prophecy of Father Robak... but it would be too risky, maybe it wouldn't raise suspicions, or maybe people would start asking unnecessary questions and that was what I preferred to avoid.
I don't know how long it has been since Elisabeth started giving birth, but it's been at least a few hours. I have finished writing another article, this time on the direction of the future expansion of the country which in my opinion was Siberia and Crimea, although I did not include the latter in the article... if the article reached Khan, it could cause unnecessary tensions on which it was too early. Likewise, I did not mention our western and southern borders.
There was a knock on my office door.
"Enter" (MC)
She was one of the midwives, a woman in her fifties who had six children herself and reportedly assisted in hundreds of deliveries.
"Lady gave birth... you have a healthy son and daughter." (Midwife)
I felt the blood drain from my face and my head started spinning... why did I have to crawl it out, twins... fucking hell... I need to calm down, I knew for several months that I would become a father... and my son, I already decided that he would be useful... but why do I need a daughter?
"Thank you, how is my wife?" (MC)
"She is resting, she is very tired. If the Lord wants, you can visit her..." (Midwife)
I doubt that Elisabeth looks attractive right now, there's nothing to watch over there, and the kids... you saw one thing, you saw them all.
"No, let her rest. I will visit her early in the morning... you summoned the wet nurse to the palace?" (MC)
"Yes, but I don't think there's a need, Lady Elisabeth has a lot of milk." (Midwife)
Finally, good news... and if only my wife would go back to her previous weight, that would be perfect.