“I’ll be leaving soon.”

Edric said so and approached Melly’s side.

Oz brought a chair.

In his eyes that silently gazed at her as he sat down, Melly could easily find traces of long anguish.

“Were you very surprised?”

“No.”

But Melly didn’t believe those words.

“I’m not in much pain. It’s nothing compared to when I gave birth to Jade.”

“Was it… more painful then?”

“Of course. It was ten, twenty times harder then. I even fainted twice.”

“…”

“So this is nothing.”

Although she was too overwhelmed to think during the contractions, in between moments of calm, Melly could rationally compare the two births.

She concluded that this time was definitely less difficult than with Jade.

But rather than being reassured by those words, Edric was shocked.

“You say it was ten, twenty times harder than this…”

Waves rippled in Edric’s azure eyes.

‘How could that be possible?’

Melly now seemed to have already reached the peak of pain a human could endure, yet her first childbirth was ten or twenty times more painful.

“This is the last child.”

“…”

“There won’t be a third.”

With that most resolute declaration, a transparent crystal fell from his eyes onto Melly’s hand.

Melly raised her hand to cup his cheek.

“Do you regret it? Having a second child?”

Edric answered with silence.

“I don’t regret it.”

“…”

“Two children carrying your blood. And Jade is so happy about it.”

Melly continued her consolation in a gentle voice.

“So don’t think about anything else, just think about meeting our beautiful child…”

But suddenly Melly stopped speaking and took a sharp breath.

The calm abruptly ended.

Overwhelmed by another contraction, she pushed away Edric’s hand and gripped the rope tied to the canopy frame.

“My lady, just a little more effort. The baby will be coming out soon.”

The midwife called from behind the screen. An attendant put gauze in Melly’s mouth.

A muffled groan was heard through the gauze.

The attendants moving in perfect order seemed unrealistically calm to Edric’s eyes.

“My lady, when I count to three, lift your body and push. Don’t stop until I say ‘stop’.”

The midwife said. Melly nodded with the gauze in her mouth.

“One, two, three!”

Then Melly lifted her upper body as if doing a sit-up while holding the rope. The clock hands seemed to stop with her, then move again with her.

“Stop. Well done.”

Though she had held her breath and pushed for about ten seconds, the baby didn’t come out. Melly exhaled and collapsed onto the bed.

“The baby has come down a lot. It should come out within two more pushes.”

The midwife counted again, and Melly once more grabbed the rope and lifted her body. Edric supported her body from behind before she could collapse.

Edric knew this was all he could do for her.

He recalled the fencing matches he often participated in as a child.

Though people cheered enthusiastically, in the end the fight was his alone. Victory, defeat, or even criticism – he had to bear it all himself.

He realized that Melly’s childbirth was also a difficult and painful battle that she had to endure entirely on her own.

No one could alleviate her pain.

Edric felt Melly’s body collapse in his arms. Her body was as heavy as water-soaked cotton.

“My lady, this is the last one. You need to push well this time. You can do it.”

Contrary to the midwife’s expectations, Edric thought it seemed impossible.

There was no strength left in her body. He wondered if they might really need to tie a rope around the baby and pull it out like a calf.

Or perhaps surgery, as the doctor had mentioned…

“…”

But what had seemed utterly impossible happened like a miracle.

Edric felt the weight that had been limp against his body suddenly lighten in an instant.

Melly lifted her body abruptly and twisted the rope so hard it made a creaking sound.

The echo of her scream through the cloth in her mouth was deep and desperate. And then…

In an instant, Melly collapsed into his arms as if fainting, followed by a strange crying sound.

The muffled cries became loud wails that filled the birthing room after the midwife’s patting.

Melly’s pain had ended. Finally.

To him, that was more important than the fact that his second child had been born.

“You did well. Melly, you did so well.”

Edric embraced Melly and showered her sweat-soaked head with kisses. Melly closed her eyes, taking shallow breaths.

A moment later, the midwife brought over a small baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.

The baby had a strangely reddish color and was crying with its whole body.

“Congratulations, my lady.”

The midwife placed the baby in Melly’s arms with a moved expression. Melly barely stretched out her arms to hold the baby, and Edric embraced both her and the child.

Then the baby stopped crying.

Feeling the feather-light weight under her hand, Edric looked at the baby along with Melly.

Expecting bright eyes and fair skin like Jade’s, the amniotic fluid-swollen baby looked a bit strange to Edric.

Skin somewhere between gray and pink, eyelids swollen like a carp’s. Wrinkled hands and feet.

Edric couldn’t tell who this child resembled at all.

“It looks exactly like Jade when she was little.”

But Melly said with a smile.

“…Jade?”

Edric asked in disbelief. Melly nodded and skillfully soothed the baby who was on the verge of crying by making clicking sounds with her mouth.

‘To think Jade was born looking like this.’

Edric couldn’t imagine Jade at all in the newborn’s face.

The baby was such a strange existence that it seemed impossible to love.

Melly looked up at the midwife.

“Now you have to tell us? Boy or girl.”

The midwife answered with a smile.

“It’s young master Alexis.”

Alexis.

The name Jade had chosen for her little brother.

About a month had passed since then.

The doctor who came for a regular check-up listened to the second child’s heartbeat and lung sounds, measured his height and weight, and said:

“Young master Alexis is very healthy.”

As he was the first baby born in this household, Alexis’s health check-up was of utmost interest to all the servants in the house. Everyone who had been extremely nervous until the doctor spoke now rejoiced freely as if they had received a good report card.

Only Edric and Melly remained composed.

Edric’s expression was consistently calm, making it impossible to know what he was thinking, while Melly already had Jade as a point of comparison.

Alexis’s development was similar to or slightly better than Jade’s.

Chubby arms and legs like sausages and an excellent appetite.

Fortunately, unlike when she gave birth to Jade, her milk was sufficient this time.

The baby would nurse contentedly and often fall asleep with milky liquid in his mouth.

“How is your health, my lady?”

The doctor inquired. Melly answered with a comfortable smile.

“Very good.”

Indeed, Melly’s body was recovering quickly.

Her legs were no longer swollen, and the aches in her back, knees, and wrists that had persisted after giving birth to her first child were now gone.

She knew that all of this was due to the hard work of the servants and Edric’s consideration.

Lady Louisa, who had witnessed all the hardships with Jade, felt relieved and stroked her chest.

Meanwhile, Jade was beside herself with love for her little brother.

“Mom, is Alexis sleeping?”

The child would look for her brother as soon as she returned from the academy.

Jade couldn’t take her eyes off him for a long time as he lay in the baby crib surrounded by a wooden fence.

“Grow up quickly and play with your big sister, Alexis.”

Watching the child like this, Melly wondered when she had ever wished for a little sister.

Jade would play with Alexis by spinning the mobile and making his gaze follow it.

Or she would put a rattle in his hand. But with small hands and lack of strength, Alexis would drop the rattle every time.

Alexis was growing to resemble Jade more and more with each passing day.

At first, his hair was brown, making them think he took after his mother, but as days went by, the brown faded and now it was the same golden blonde as his sister. His eye color was also sapphire blue.

Melly had hoped for a second child who resembled her, but now she thought it was better that the two children looked alike.

Having a blood relative in the world who looks like you. And of the same gender at that.

Melly felt proud to have given her child a gift that neither she nor Edric had.

The two children will become the best of friends as they grow up.

Riding horses together, having fencing matches, sometimes fighting fiercely, but also sharing secrets they can’t tell their parents – Melly could already vividly imagine the siblings like this.

Jade, who had been just looking at her brother for fear of hurting him, couldn’t resist the urge and lightly tapped Alexis’s chubby cheek with her fingertip.

Then Alexis smiled brightly. Jade was overjoyed and called for Melly.

“Mom! Mom! Alexis smiled at me!”

“Looks like Alexis likes his big sister.”

Jade was happier to have gained the affection of her cute little brother than to monopolize her parents’ love.

The world outside was already worrying about the succession struggle in the Pelton family.

They said that for the future, the heir should be clearly determined now to prevent the second child from coveting the first child’s position.

Even from the Pelton family elders, letters poured in saying that a ceremony should be held to solidify Jade Pelton’s position as heir.

But both Melly and Edric agreed there was no need to rush on that matter.

“Even if we decide in advance according to the world’s logic, struggles will still occur. People are inherently greedy after all.”

He said he didn’t want to preemptively block the children’s potential to dispel concerns.

They said they would let the children freely desire that position. It might lead to frustration for one of them, but it would also be a beneficial motivation for growth and development.

To open up possibilities for everyone, but to teach them that losing doesn’t mean the roof of their life closes.

That was Edric Pelton’s educational philosophy. And Melly respected him.

However…

Even after a month had passed, Edric still felt unfamiliar with his second child.