Neil just shook his head and introduced himself, "No need to call me sir. My name is Neil. Neil Martins." Linda nodded her head and also introduced herself, "I'm Linda. Nice to meet you, Neil."
'Linda… Linda.'
Neil's mind buzzed with this beautiful name. But he soon snapped out of his daydreaming, as he thought of a topic to talk about.
"Umm… have you thought about what the little one's name would be? It seems like he has been waiting for his name. See how he's smiling expectantly."
Neil said in a light tone, helping to lighten the possibly awkward atmosphere. Linda was silent for a while as she looked at the baby in her arms. This was the baby that had caused her to lose her throne and because of this, she was exiled to the human world. Had she not been pregnant with the child, she might have been ruling her kingdom or helping solve the problems of her kingdom and its people. But when she looked at her little one, her blood, and her creation, all of her insecurities and doubts evaporated into nothing. She felt as if she had found a new purpose in life to hold onto and continue thriving for it.
She had loved the child, the moment she saw him, and maybe she might have loved him even before that. The moment she knew she was pregnant and decided to still keep the child even if it meant her exile, might have been the moment when Linda had bonded with her child. The bond of a mother and a child, that pure bond of love and motherhood. So she had by now, no doubts that her child was her life now, her purpose to continue fighting the upcoming challenges.
Something in her expression shifted and Linda bent down as she kissed her child's forehead, while a stray tear fell from her eyes. Neil who was standing there all the while witnessing this scene, suddenly felt a bit emotional and he felt that at that moment, Linda looked like a goddess kissing her child. Her motherly feelings seemed to be leaking into the environment as the room's environment became quite pleasant and a happy one.
Linda then looked up at Neil with her misty eyes and a small smile and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, I have. He'd be called Liam. Liam … strong-willed and resilient."
"Just like you?" Before Neil could stop himself from speaking, he had already spoken out his words as he now looked at Linda for the answer. Linda just nodded her head in approval as she looked back at the child and smiled at it with all the love she could offer.
Not wanting to disturb the mother-child moment, he kept the porridge on the table, and after telling Linda to have something and bidding goodbye, he finally left the hospital and went into the car. He had already assumed that there might be a possibility of Linda having been pregnant by a bastard who then left her, but he didn't see that utter helplessness or sorrow that he had expected to see on her face.
Rather her expression of utter happiness and full of motherly love, was something that almost made Linda glow, making Neil's eyes hurt with the blinding light of it. Neil then sped off in his car and decided to come back later. He had already paid off the hospital fees and Linda might have to stay at the hospital for one more day to be monitored because of her weak condition while she was brought to the hospital.
Meanwhile.. in the vampire kingdom!!
"Father, why don't you give the throne to any of us? Are you still waiting for sister to come back? You are not in a good condition to take care of the kingdom. Can't you see the increasing rates of corruption in the kingdom? People are complaining, while the culprits are still on the loose."
The complained shouting of a young woman echoed inside the lavish room full of the antique taste of the owner.
The king, who was visibly weakened and maybe looked more aged, turned around and directly looked at a far-off space. When was the last time he had any news from his daughter? The only time was when one of his trusted men was sent to tail Linda into the human world for a while to keep a secret check on her. But later on, he had to stop as his investigating activities were discovered by both the justice board and his daughter.
Unlike his expectations of her asking his man to help her come back to the kingdom, he was sent back to the kingdom with a message to not keep looking for her and leave her alone. All he knew was that she had found some job. Her whereabouts and her condition were now all unknown to him. He had himself contributed a lot to the nurture of his beloved eldest daughter. It was not easy for him to let go of her. It was not easy for him to let go of his only trusted and most loved child and be exiled to another world.
It was hard for him as well. When he got the news about her being pregnant from the doctor, after getting her checked up because of her constant vomiting and strange behavior, he ran to her room to check up on her. He had tried to convince her to consider the option of aborting the child, but Linda was adamant about keeping the child, even if it meant for her to give up the throne and be exiled.
A stray tear or two escaped the king's eyes, as he remembered her words to him, "Don't worry, father. My child… would know you as his grandfather. It would be made known about our proud and royal identity soon. I'll be okay, don't worry. And sorry for being a disappointment to you and Mom. Please take good care of Mom. Her health has deteriorated because of me, so you have to keep her healthy in my absence."