I am in the middle of meeting when suddenly, one of the knight from my Duchy barged in.

"What kind of rudeness is this..." One of the nobles from God knows where said.

"Y-Your Grace!"

Even though he just said those words, his eyes are telling me to hurry up to my wife.

I immediately got up and went out through the meeting room's window because it is the nearest way to the Palace gates.

"Cressida..."

"UHHMMM!!!"

The moment I entered her room. My limbs went numb when I saw her...

There's a cloth gagged in her mouth, her arms and legs are tied to each bedpost, and there she was laying while screaming in pain...

"Your Grace, we must hurry up and decide! Or else both of them might..."

I glared at the female physician and grabbed her by the collar.

"Save both of them or I will annihilate your clan..." I unconsciously threatened. I'm not thinking straight, it has become like this again...

"B-But, the duchess might've drank an abortifacient..."

What?

"You... What are you saying?"

"The reason why she bled was because of abortifacient, now, the reason why both of them are still struggling because of the Duchess' body healing itself."

"But because there is no wounds in her body, it could only strengthen the child's grip so the child won't go out of the body as early as the due labor."

Abortifacient? Cressida? She won't do such a thing... She love our child so much that she's willing to give up her life!

"Do what you must do to save them both..."

"I must say that it'll be difficult Your Grace---"

"AREN'T YOU A PHYSICIAN!? DO WHAT YOU CAN!"

"The way that we can save them both is by going into a labor right away..."

But if he does that...

"If this goes any longer, the Duchess will lose her consciousness and the healing will stop, she might bleed to death if we can't get the baby out, if way turns the wrong way, the baby would come out either alive or..."

What if both of them...

"What will you do if I said to save my wife?"

"We will force a labor to her body. It would surely save her Grace, but the baby would not survive."

"T-then the child?"

"There has been a method of child birth where we'll cut open the mother's stomach and save the baby, it is usually used for mothers incapable of going into natural birthing method, but because we are short of tools..."

"It would kill the Duchess..."

Ah... This must've what my father have gone through... No wonder he hated me...

I looked at Cressida writhing in pain, I noticed that her face is white like a snow, sweats are forming on her forehead.

I don't want to choose... Can't I just have them both forever?

"Save them both..."

What is thing feeling? I feel so weak and I'm in so much pain...

I could hear voices not that far away from me so I opened my eyes even if it's hard for me.

There I saw Regan talking with the physician. I can't call him because there's something in my mouth.

I immediately closed my eyes and focused on my body...

It hurts like hell, I feel like dying...

"Duchess! Do you hear me!?" A female voice familiar to me said. I nodded my head in response since I can't talk.

"You need to focus and I will count to three, you need to push okay?"

I nodded again. I fully opened my eyes despite my eye lids being so heavy. And then my eyes met Regan's wavering pale golden eyes.

I gave him a reassuring look but it just made him look sadder.

"Duchess! In the count of three!" The physician said in a loud voice getting my attention.

"One"

"Two" I inhaled preparing myself.

"Three!"

"Uhhhnnn!!"

My hands tugged the ropes tied on my wrist while my toes curled until I heard some of my bones there making a cracking sound.

"Someone grab her feet!" The maids that was crying immediately held both of my feet.

"Again Duchess!"

"Haaahnn!!"

I feel so thirsty, my throat hurts, everything hurts... I want to sleep.

"Duchess please don't lose your consciousness! Please push!"

Despite my aching body and tiredness, I still did what she wants. I pushed like there was no tomorrow. I screamed so hard that I feel like my vocal chords would snap on any moment.

We've been going at it for I don't know. I'm so tired now, even the physician's voice is hoarse now.

"Just a little bit Duchess..."

I gathered all of my strength before giving my last push. When I did, my body went limp and I can't move. My consciousness slowly drifting away but before that, I want to hear my child's cry...

I waited, but I didn't hear it, then I lost my consciousness...

"Quickly!"

The physician ordered the maids with experience in child birth.

She's holding my child with great care and then he cut the umbilical cord. I couldn't approach Cressida nor my child even if I wanted to. I'm just stuck on the place as if my feet are rooted on the ground.

"Please! Please cry!" The physician screamed as he suddenly hit my child.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I shouted.

"This should be done! I could hear the child's faint pulse but he's not giving any sign that he's alive!"

My heart was being torn to pieces as he continues on hitting my child's bottom as he's on midair. She then gently lay down the baby and rubbed it's back.

"Come on, come on!"

The physician has been doing that in awhile but there was nothing...

"I'm sorry..." She muttered.

And that is when I knew that she couldn't save my child... I walked slowly to my child and held him carefully.

My vision blurred as I stare at the child that I have been waiting for...

"I love you so much..."

Tears rolled down on my cheeks. I put the baby's head carefully on my chest and rubbed his back gently.

"I-I love you so much son... I-I..."

I can't bear it anymore... I never knew it would hurt so much. I went to my room with the baby in my hands. The moment I entered, I fell on my knees and started crying uncontrollably.

Unconsciously I released a lot of divine power. I don't care if someone gets hurt if they enter this room, all I know is I'm hurt too much to even care about someone aside from my wife and son...

"Please give him back to us... I want my child back please I'm begging you...

Goddess Mieaila..."

A/N:

:'(

Unedited

July 26, 2022

LizzannaWrites