The sterile air of the delivery room buzzed with a strange tension. A woman, her face pale with exhaustion, lay on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She was in her 30s, but her gaze held the weariness of a soul much older.
A small, fragile bundle lay beside her, swaddled in a white blanket. It was a boy, his skin still slick with the remnants of his journey from womb to world.
The nurse, Lette, a kind-faced woman with gentle hands, smiled at the new mother. "He's a healthy baby, madame," she said, her voice brimming with joy.
The woman's gaze remained fixed on the wall, as if unaware of the nurse's presence. Count Marion's face fell, his joy turning into a deep, gnawing worry.
The room, filled with the sounds of a new life, seemed to hold only a profound silence, a silence that spoke of a love that was missing.
He held the newborn, his joyful smile a stark contrast to the sudden call from Lemuel, his butler. The transponder buzzed, interrupting the moment.
"Count Marion, an urgent matter!" Lemuel's voice crackled through the device.
The man's smile faltered, replaced by a worried frown. "What is it, Lemuel?" he asked, a hint of apprehension in his voice.
"It...th...e...ba....r....o....neess..." The transmission was garbled, cut off before the message could be fully understood.
He shifted his attention back to his precious gift, trying to regain his composure.
"You can go now," Lady Monique instructed Lette, her voice cool and distant.
But Lette hesitated. She knew Lady Monique's aversion to the baby, and the fear that the child would be neglected gnawed at her. She couldn't leave the infant in the hands of someone so cold.
"Lady Monique, what name shall we given to this angel?" Lette asked, her voice filled with hope.
Lady Monique remained silent, staring blankly at the ceiling, her indifference was palpable.
The word "naming" caught the Count's attention. "What did you say, Lette?" he asked, though he knew what she had said. He wanted confirmation, a reassurance that his ears hadn't deceived him.
"I suggest that naming the little angel would give him an identity," Lette explained, "just like both of you, Count Marion.m but it seems Lady Monique was still in shock."
"Naming isn't a bad idea," the Count agreed, his gaze lingering on the baby. He noticed the baby wasn't smiling nor crying. It felt as if the child could read his emotions.
Another transponder buzzed, it was Lemuel once again, bringing him news that felt heavy with grief.
"Count Marion, one of my men overheard a conversation between the king and the queen," the air in the room thickened with tension.
"What did they say?" A part of him hesitated and unsure if he wanted to know the answer or not.
"Please stay calm, Count Marion," Lemuel urged.
"...the young master be sl...i..n." The message was so garbled, only he could make out the chopped words from Lemuel.
The count has a hunch that when his child was about to be born, the news was already being delivered in the whole Empire. He wants to keep it a secret first but it was too late now the whole nation knew even the king wouldn't forgive this or worse the queen who held much authority than the king itself will take an action.
What he can do? He's just a count, a mere pawn of the Empirean Rulers.
He felt stressed and depressed at the same time. His mind was racing, his worry wouldn't subside until he could look at the child himself.
"You alright, Count Marion?" Lette asked, her voice full of concern.
"Your job is being a nurse, not a therapist!" he snapped, his frustration was boiling over.
Lette stepped back, and Lady Monique was still stiff as ever.
"So, my hunch was accurate," she whispered to herself, trying to contain her excitement.
Lady Monique's disdainful gaze fell upon her. "What was that, dear?" she asked coldly.
Lette hastily covered, smiling innocently. "Oh, nothing, Lady Monique. Just a silly remark. Ha ha, please, do forgive me."
Lette sensed Lady Monique's subtle emotions, confirming her long-held suspicion - the lady had secretly desired a daughter, not a son, it was drawn in her face after revealing the baby's gender. Lette, with her extraordinary ability to read people's emotions and glimpse their thoughts, Lette's hunch had always proven correct.
A big explosion caused ruckus outside the Leigh's abode. An army of five thousand wearing a silver cuirass approach the mansion. The