Epilogue, Chapter 5
“Don’t just stand there—try holding the baby.”
Prompted by Bii, Sis awkwardly opened his arms and received the baby. The little one fussed softly, as if feeling uncomfortable.
“This is how you do it.”
Bii skillfully adjusted Sis’s hold. Feeling comforted, the baby stopped fussing and drifted back to sleep.
“How do you feel?”
Bii asked, but Sis couldn’t form any words. The small, red life cradled in his arms was nothing short of miraculous. Yet, he could clearly feel a surge of pride and an indescribable emotion stirring deep in his chest.
“Are you alright, sister?”
It was Rant’s excited voice that snapped Sis out of his emotional daze. Stretching his neck to see the baby, who was hidden by Sis’s body, Rant’s attention immediately shifted from concern to fascination.
Until hearing the baby’s cries earlier, he had been wary, even slightly resentful—but upon learning the child had been born, all that resentment melted away like snow under the sun.
Without thinking, Sis hugged the baby even tighter. Somehow, he didn’t want to show the baby to anyone—especially the three men impatiently craning their necks behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of the child’s face.
“Waaah.”
Under Sis’s firm grip, the baby finally cried. Flustered, Sis looked at Bii.
Bii reached out as if asking for the baby. Though reluctant, Sis handed the baby over, unable to soothe the crying child himself. He silently vowed to learn how to calm the baby properly one day.
“Shh, it’s alright, little one.”
Bii cradled the baby in her arms, gently coaxing it. Already recognizing its mother, perhaps? The baby quieted almost instantly in her embrace.
Startled by the sudden cry, Sis finally exhaled in relief.
“Nothing’s wrong, right?”
Still unaware of the force with which he had held the baby, Sis checked the child’s complexion with worry. It was remarkable to see how all his attention, previously indifferent, was now entirely focused on the baby.
“It’s fine. Just startled for a moment.”
Though exhausted, Bii smiled warmly at the baby—a sight Sis found more adorable than anything he had seen from her before.
He kissed Bii’s forehead.
“Thank you.”
Her eyes widened in surprise at his sudden kiss. Sis wanted to kiss her lips too but refrained, mindful of the baby in her arms. Instead, he expressed his feelings in words.
“I love you, my Bii.”
Bii smiled back at him. Though slightly different from the gentle smile she gave the baby, to Sis, every smile of hers was dazzlingly beautiful.
“I want to see the baby too, sister.”
Rant inserted himself between Sis and Bii, reminding them that he, too, was present. The marquis and Evan, ever watchful, quickly approached Bii from the side.
Sis regretted not sending them away earlier.
“Say hello to the baby, Rant.”
Bii held the baby up so Rant could see.
Seeing the tiny, red-faced baby sleeping peacefully, Rant couldn’t help but exclaim.
“So small.”
Every feature—the closed eyes, the tiny nose, the little lips—looked so tiny to him. He examined the baby with fascination.
“Do you want to hold it?”
“No!”
“Waaah.”
Startled by Sis’s loud voice, the baby began crying again. Bii shot a sharp look at Sis for his clumsiness.
“I’m just worried he might drop the baby…” Sis muttered sulkily, knowing he had been too rough.
How could he explain a father’s feelings—wanting to protect his beloved daughter from a rough-handed man? If Bii knew, she might have scolded him, but for Sis, it was too important to take risks.
He shot a glare at Rant, silently warning him not to touch the baby.
Rant didn’t like the warning but didn’t dare insist on holding the baby either. The child looked too small, and his hands too large, as if even the gentlest touch could make the fragile baby burst like a soap bubble from his childhood memories with Bii.
Bii swayed the baby in her arms again, and it stopped crying. But this time, the baby’s face flushed red, and it began hiccuping—a sign that the earlier fright had lingered.
“Let me soothe the baby. Hand it over, Your Majesty.”
One of the most experienced women appointed as the baby’s caretaker reached for the child. Bii, resigned, handed over the baby.
In a crowded space like this, the baby might get startled again. The woman cradled the child and left the birthing room.
Next to the birthing room was a room for the baby. Though it had been set up as a nursery, this was actually Bii’s bedroom in the empress’s palace.
Following custom, a caretaker was appointed, but Bii intended to raise the child herself whenever possible. Reflecting this, the nursery was located right next to her bedroom.
“You’ve worked hard.”
The marquis softly spoke to Bii, who was giving her lingering gaze toward the room the baby had gone into.
“Good work, Biyon.”
Bii turned to him. His hand rested on her shoulder.
“Well done.”
Though rough in tone, the words carried warmth. Bii, understanding his true feelings, beamed at him.
“How does it feel to be a grandfather?”
Until now, he had only thought about Bii having a child, not about becoming a grandfather himself. He spoke honestly.
“It’s a strange feeling.”
It was different from the feeling he had when Bii was born. His heart felt ticklish, proud of his daughter who had brought life into the world. And it brought memories of his first wife—Bii’s mother—who had passed too soon.
“Congratulations on giving birth, Your Majesty.”
Evan, seeing Bii look at him, bowed quickly with congratulations.
“You’ve also endured long waiting outside.”
“It’s my duty.”
Though his answer was polite, his fatigue was evident.
“Go rest, Evan. I should rest as well.”
Bii insisted firmly, knowing otherwise he wouldn’t leave.
“Rest well, and then protect me and the baby at your best.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
After a pause, Evan replied satisfactorily. Bii then turned her attention to the marquis and Rant.
“Father, go rest with Rant.”
“Yes, you too rest well.”
Bii had labored for over a day to deliver the baby. Her eyelids gradually fell despite her willpower—her resilience was remarkable for staying awake so long.
The marquis quickly led Rant and Evan out so Bii could rest sooner.
Sis, watching Bii drift off without even seeing them leave, felt pity.
He waved away the approaching attendants and carefully laid the sleeping Bii down.
Bii was a light sleeper; even minor movements could wake her. Yet, despite the night’s trials, she slept soundly—proof of her exhaustion.
Sis, too, was fatigued from staying up all night, but nothing compared to a woman who had just given birth.
He cleared the room of everyone else and lay beside Bii, holding her warm body close. He felt her fragrant scent and steady breathing.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips. Feeling Bii’s warmth, he finally realized she was safe. His heart, which had raced wildly, settled into a calm rhythm.
“Ha… never again.”
He muttered as he held her tighter. Such a harrowing experience was something he never wanted to repeat. Listening helplessly to Bii’s pained screams had been worse than any hellfire.
“I’ll change the law.”
Under imperial law, women could not inherit the throne—there had never been a female emperor. But at this moment, Sis resolved to rewrite the law.
He would not let Bii endure childbirth again. One time was more than enough. Yet the child born today was a daughter, not a prince.
A daughter could not be disguised as a prince.
Other women could bear an heir, but Sis hadn’t even considered that.
There was only one solution: allow a daughter to inherit the throne. The thought of his daughter becoming the first empress was not unwelcome.
Changing the law would be a difficult path, but for now, he just wanted to hold Bii close and rest.
Matching his breathing to hers, Sis fell asleep beside her, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
