“Ah-!”

Suddenly, Melly frowned, clutching her stomach.

“Sorry to interrupt. My stomach feels a bit tight.”

At those words, Edric placed his hand on Melly’s belly. It was hard as a rock, but as he touched it, it gradually relaxed.

“Has this happened often?”

Edric asked, trying to maintain a calm tone.

“Sometimes. When I’m stressed.”

“…”

“I think I’ve been out in the cold too long. Let’s go now.”

Melly stood up and extended her hand. Edric stared at it intently, as if something was written on it. Then he suddenly got up and lifted her in his arms.

“…I can walk well enough.”

“Just in case.”

Used to such occurrences, Melly sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Taking long strides, Edric had a sudden realization.

‘That wasn’t the right timing then.’

Perhaps he would have to make that pathetic excuse with his own mouth.

Come to think of it, he had always been pathetic.

Arrogant and self-centered, he even opened a large teahouse nearby to try and ruin her shop. And now he was trying to act like a moralist. For what purpose?

He now chose to give up on trying to look good and willingly become pathetic. And he decided to leave everything to time.

He thought that if he did his best with the remaining time, he might be able to make up for the wrongs he and his mother had committed.

It seemed there was still plenty of time until the birth.

But.

“…Edric.”

The time that had seemed so distant suddenly drew near, jolting him awake in the middle of the night.

On a summer night when the air was humid with heat.

Awakened by an odd feeling, he opened his eyes to find Melly smiling faintly at him.

“I think it’s starting… The labor pains.”

A strange excitement could be felt in her whispered voice.

Melly woke up to periodic contractions.

Having given birth before, she knew that the onset of labor pains didn’t immediately lead to delivery.

She fumbled for the pocket watch on the bedside table. Then she timed the intervals so Edric wouldn’t notice.

Fifteen minutes, ten minutes, eight minutes…

The intervals gradually shortened and the intensity increased.

Though her fingertips involuntarily gripped the blanket tightly, it was still bearable.

She decided to wake Edric when she could no longer endure it.

He was sound asleep, holding one of her hands tightly.

After another contraction passed, feeling the cool sweat beading on her skin stealing her body heat, Melly wondered:

‘Who will the second child take after?’

Melly had always wanted to have a child who looked like Edric. But after giving birth to Jade, now she wanted to see a child who looked like her too.

And she wanted to nurture the child’s early years beautifully, as if comforting her own childhood that had been full of self-loathing…

“…”

Her face began to contort little by little.

Melly felt a much stronger contraction than before. And the interval had suddenly shortened from eight minutes to five.

It felt like her stomach was being wrung out like a cloth soaked in herbal medicine.

She must have unknowingly grabbed him instead of the blanket. Edric opened his eyes in the darkness.

“…Edric.”

Melly had no choice but to speak.

“I think it’s started.”

“…”

“The labor pains.”

He blinked his gentle eyes a couple of times, then slowly got up.

“I’ll call for the doctor. Just wait a moment.”

Edric’s voice was quiet and calm. His movements were natural and composed.

Melly was relieved to see him acting no different than usual. Unlike Margaret’s husband during his wife’s first childbirth, he didn’t show any signs of panic or confusion.

‘I was worried for nothing.’

To think she had imagined Edric would be surprised and flustered.

Edric trembling, pacing back and forth, going in and out meaninglessly.

‘That man would never act like that.’

Melly shook her head with a laugh.

At that moment, another contraction came over her like twilight.

The blanket was crumpled once again in her grip.

The moment Melly complained of labor pains, Edric’s mind went blank.

It was a miracle he even thought to go call for the doctor.

In contrast, Melly was truly composed.

Apart from occasionally holding her breath and rubbing her belly, she showed no particularly unusual behavior.

Was it because she had mentally prepared herself for the terrifying labor pains she said she experienced when giving birth to Jade? Her attitude was too calm. So Edric thought that perhaps the stories from the past were exaggerated, or maybe it wasn’t as difficult because this was her second child.

“Edric, could you go check on Jade? I’m curious what the child is doing.”

Moreover, seeing Melly even caring about her firstborn made him feel even more at ease.

“Sure, I’ll be right back.”

Edric went to Jade, feeling reassured.

Jade was in her room with Lady Louisa. When Edric entered, Lady Louisa stood up. Her face was asking about Melly’s condition.

“She’s bearing up well.”

Edric said exactly what he saw. But the anxiety didn’t fade from Lady Louisa’s face.

“Dad, is my sibling being born now?”

“That’s right.”

Edric asked Jade:

“Do you still want a little sister?”

Jade thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“A little brother would be nice too. We could play horseback riding and sword fighting together.”

“Your mother would be happy to hear that.”

She had been worried about Jade being disappointed from the beginning.

Edric chatted with Jade a bit more before returning to the bedchamber.

He wanted to quickly tell her that Jade said either a brother or sister would be fine.

“You’re back?”

But as soon as he entered the birthing room, Edric found it hard to say what he had prepared when he saw Melly’s face.

There were traces of cold sweat hastily wiped from Melly’s forehead, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her lips were also red as if blood had formed on them.

“How was Jade? Is she doing well?”

But Melly, unable to see her own appearance, smiled with eyes twinkling even more than usual, as if nothing was wrong.

Edric barely maintained his composure as he answered.

“…She’s fine. She’s eager to see her sibling soon. She said she doesn’t mind whether it’s a brother or sister.”

He realized that Melly wasn’t free from pain, but was enduring it with superhuman strength. And he knew that she couldn’t freely express her pain with him present.

He couldn’t stubbornly insist on staying by her side just for his own peace of mind in this situation.

“Melly, I just remembered some urgent business I need to handle. I’ll pop into the study for a bit. Will you… be alright?”

He decided to give her space.

“Of course, take your time with your work.”

Melly’s fingertips trembled as they gripped the bedcover, even as she smiled brightly.

“If anything happens, call for me. I’ll come running.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine for a while…”

Melly’s voice grew stronger as pain seemed to be coming.

Edric left the chamber with steps as heavy as if he were dragging chains.

As soon as the door closed, there was a rustling sound from inside. And then…

“Hnng…”

A painful exhale flowed out.

Edric looked back. He could almost see Melly beyond the door, biting her lip tightly and grasping the bed sheets. He wanted to rush back in and offer even his fingers for her to bite down on.

‘You fool.’

To think he actually believed she was fine when she was trying so hard to pretend to be okay so as not to worry him.

It was no different from long ago when he believed she was truly happy as she smiled and pretended to be content.

The trauma he had forgotten for a while tormented him again.

All misfortunes happened when he was feeling at ease. Somehow, he felt that if he left this place now, Melly would disappear again without a word.

He couldn’t move even a step away from the birthing room.

The gradually roughening breaths had now become distinct groans.

At the end of her groans, Melly sobbed.

“It’s alright. It’s okay. You’re doing so well, my lady.”

Oz comforted her, but Melly continued to sob as if she couldn’t hear her words.

Edric rubbed his face as if washing it dry. Calmness and composure had long since left him.

Unable to bear it any longer, he reached for the doorknob.

“Oz…”

But Melly’s voice, heard just in time, stopped him.

“How long has it been?”

Her voice after the contraction passed was almost the same as usual, except for being a bit softer and cracked at the end.

“Not quite eight o’clock yet.”

“I wonder if he’s eaten. He doesn’t like eating alone.”

Edric hoped Oz would answer well.

“Of course. He finished a hearty meal with the young master just a little while ago. Don’t worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

A faint smile permeated her voice.

“It should be easier than with Jade.”

“Of course. It definitely will be. This is your second baby, after all.”

Oz said, trying hard to encourage her.

“Suddenly, I miss my mother.”

“…”

“I wish she were alive. Then I could have treated her well. Our mother must have given birth to me with such difficulty too.”

“It’s the fate of all mothers.”

It was the best response Oz, who didn’t particularly like Melly’s mother, could give.

“But Lady Enwood was too strict.”

“I know. But I would have been the same in my mother’s position. I would have made my only daughter maintain strict discipline, fearing she might live a hard life like me.”

“…”

“I’m so grateful that Edric isn’t like our father. There couldn’t be a better person than him.”

With those words, another contraction began.

This one was even more intense, and Melly nearly screamed.

Edric remembered seeing a cow give birth when he was young. At that time, the veterinarian grabbed the calf’s hind legs and pulled it out of the mother’s uterus. The cow was relieved in an instant.

Edric felt like doing exactly that right now.

He wanted to save Melly first, regardless of what happened to the baby. Melly was whimpering and pleading, holding the midwife’s hand, as if there had never been a peaceful moment.

“Save me… It hurts so much…”

Edric mustered his patience to wait until her contraction subsided once more before opening the door.

Melly lay sprawled on the bed as if exhausted, and a screen was spread widely like a tent from her belly to the end of the bed.

The aftermath of pain remained clearly on her face.

Her complexion was pale without a hint of blood. Scabs had formed in the cracks of her lips, and gauze that looked like it had been bitten and spat out to avoid screaming lay on a metal tray, tinged with light pink blood.

“You…”

Melly’s lips quivered with a bewildered expression as she noticed him. Then Edric said:

“Let me stay for just a moment… Please.”