One day in the Country of Xenperia at the Noble House of Veria...

-Commotion-

“Haa...Ha.”

“Your grace! Just a little bit more! One more push!”

The Lady of the House of Veria was in labor, giving birth to her ‘last’ child. Her whole body was excruciating in intense pain and she was having difficulty breathing. She swears, this will be her last ever child! Giving birth was always so painful but this time was the worst.

“The lady is bleeding too much!” Her personal maid servant was feeling extremely terrified! She has never seen so much blood before! She had been there for all of The Duchess child births, but this time was especially terrifying. There was blood everywhere and there has been no sign of it stopping.

“.... Inform the Duke to ….. expect the worst..”

“....”

The room got so quiet, they could hear multiple heartbeats beating.

Everyone in the room held their breaths and tried to make sense of what the Midwife just said. The look on everyone's face was horrifying and it seemed as if their lives were sucked out of their body.

“It’s so painful!”

The moment their Master screamed out in pain was when their senses came back to them. Hurriedly one of the maid went out to relay the terrible news to the people outside.

----

“.....”

“...Mother is?” Louis the eldest son muttered while clutching his younger brother’s hand.

Ramon, who was 4, took a quick glance at his brother and father as he was not able to understand what the maid meant. But he felt that whatever was happening in the delivering room was not good.

“Waahhhh Waahhh”

The 9 month old Aernest cried out loudly and was having a fit. It seemed like the baby could sense what was going on and knew that his mother was going through a terrible time. His cries were so heartbreaking as if he felt something precious was going to be gone.

The Duke could feel his knees going weak and wanted to break down but he was the Head of this family and he must not do that. He was the very example of this house. He must not break down. He took a long glance at his wedding ring and their kids and came to a decision.

No matter what happens, his wife must live on even if that meant…

Waking up to the piercing screams of his youngest child who was not even a year old he signed. What was he thinking? The dark thought almost took over his mind.

“Wait for me to come back out and then you can come in with your siblings.”

He ordered his eldest child and went into the room his wife was in. The first thing he noticed when he went in was the pungent smell of blood. The smell of blood added to the heavy atmosphere was excruciating. It was hell.

This wasn’t his first time in the delivery room and what he did was unusual. He was a man, and a man would never do that. The new midwife was shocked but seeing their seniors ignoring, look the other way as well. His wife was at the door's death and also,The House of Veria couple was famous for their love for each other.

With fast steps, he went to his wife’s side and was even more taken aback.The scene he came across was horrifying. There was so much blood. Pools of blood and bloodied towels everywhere. Bed sheets and the floor were soaked bright red.

His wife's condition was not looking good. She was as pale as the bed sheets. Only tints of red were slightly under her eyes. She was very sweaty and her long hair was not tied up so was sticking everywhere. Moreover she looked lifeless.

He took over the maid’s job and sat by his wife on the bed and gently wiped his wife’s sweat.

“Haa.. If I could, I would give birth in your stead Moniqua.” It was terrible seeing his wife in this state. Although he has always been there for the birth of his children, this one was especially horrifying. Going into labor 2 months early was very dangerous, especially in this time and age. He grabbed his wife's hands and tightly held it.

“..If it really comes to the worst, choose my wif-”

“Dear!” Moniqua shouted and was heaving. It felt like her husband's words brought her back to life. The words her other half was muttering out must not be said no matter what. She understands her husband's feelings but this was their child!

“You... must not say such things Dear, this child and all of our childrens are so... very precious. They are our lives and world.. We must not think tha-- AHh.”

“The duchess is losing a lot of blood! Bring more towels!”

“Haa. Haa..” Moniqua felt angry at her husband's words but for now the child is more important. The child has to live! Her other hand grabbed one of the midwives' arms signalling her strong determination.. The midwife knew what she wanted to say and signed. This was one of the hardest labor, not to mention The Duchess's physical body was not in good condition.

“Duchess, keep pushing! You over there! Bring over the medicine.” The midwife was very reluctant to give the herbal medicine to The Duchess. This was a very strong medicine and will help speed up the birth process but she just didn't know if The Duchess’s body will be able to hold on. The baby in the stomach was much more bigger than most and was 2 months too early.

“Haa..” Moniqua was standing on the edge of being in and out of consciousness. She can feel her mind going dark but she must persist! The love of her life and her precious children were waiting for her and the baby! She must definitely hold on!

“Lady! Keep pushing! You are almost there!” The midwife shouted in happiness when she saw the baby's head poking out. She was almost there! But more blood was gushing out so the happiness ceased a little.The midwives were at their wits end and were preparing for any situation.

“Moniqua!” Her husband can feel his childhood sweetheart gripping so hard. His wife was in so much pain and his heart was breaking into pieces.He really wanted to take the pain away from her.

He could feel her fast heartbeat through her palms that intervened with his. His wife was this determined, the worst case will definitely not happen. The head doctor was also arriving very soon. Hang on a bit more...

“You’re almost there!”

Moniqua’s body was on fire, but she felt like the pill was working. She can feel the baby coming out centimeters by centimeters and that was a good sign!

And what seemed like never ending came to an end.

---

“Ahhh!…”

“Half of the body is out! Quickly prepare!” The midwife shouted as soon as she saw that the baby was out! She was quick with her hands and gently pulled the baby out.

“The baby is out! The baby is out!!”

“Congratulations it’s a girl” She very quickly passed the baby over to the other midwife and gave 100% attention to The Duchess whose bleeding was not as heavy as before. But something seemed strange. The Duchess's lower abdominal area was still large, and she was still in pain!

“Haa. haa” Moniqua could feel her breath returning but it was still pretty difficult to breathe. Normally after giving birth all the pain would vanish in an instant, but why was it that it's still not over. And also, …. Why did she not hear a baby’s cry?

“Midwife! She isn’t crying!”

“What!?”

"Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature." - Marcus Aurelius