SIDE STORY 05………………………………………………
“No, Your Majesty. That’s not it…!”
But the doctor who tried to explain stopped himself. One more word and Dale might have struck him.
If he said anything more about the misdiagnosis, he might die on the spot.
“But it’s really important—!”
At that moment, the Empress’s brother’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword. The doctor shut his mouth and focused on assisting with the birth.
Even if there had been a major misdiagnosis, helping the Empress came first.
After a long stretch of time, the palace, once filled with tension and fear, fell into quiet. A sudden stillness settled over the room.
Dale held Enya’s hand tightly.
“…Waaah!”
For the first time since his ascension, the palace echoed with the cry of a newborn. Enya’s gaze lowered, and the midwife spoke.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! It’s a healthy prince!”
Exhausted, Enya barely lowered her head. She had no strength left.
“Enya, Enya.”
Dale, seeing her pale, gripped her and glared at the doctor.
“What happened to the Empress? Was there a problem?”
“Dale…”
At that moment, Enya called weakly. Dale reacted instantly, bowing his head to listen carefully.
His expression looked as though he might cry at any moment.
“Tell me, Enya. I’m here.”
“Dale, please…”
“Don’t say it’s the last one.”
“Quiet… your worried voice is scarier than anything.”
A soft laugh escaped somewhere. Dale was slightly surprised but immediately forced a smile, respecting her words.
Having watched her in pain for hours, he couldn’t expect her to smile right away—but he knew she liked seeing him smile.
Dale didn’t take his eyes off Enya all day. Even though her grip drew blood from his arm, he didn’t care. He focused entirely on her, as if his own pain didn’t exist.
When Enya called, his half-closed eyes sharpened. Time and again, it was Enya who saved him.
“It’s not over yet!”
The midwife shouted.
“Apologies for the delay in telling you, but Your Majesties—there are twins! Do not give up now!”
“Twins?”
Everyone present showed surprise. No one had heard there would be two heirs.
“Your Majesty, you must push!”
The midwife assisting with the birth urged Enya.
“It’s a princess!”
The second child quickly entered the world. Both children cried loudly.
“Ha…?”
Enya, stunned, looked at the doctor. The doctor, under their sharp gaze, collapsed flat on the floor.
“I… I will explain the reason now…!”
“In the end, you succeeded in dressing both of them.”
The argument over whether the children would wear Dale’s embroidery or Enya’s became irrelevant. With twins, each could wear one.
The boy was named Lucas.
The girl was named Iris.
Carried in Dale’s arms, Enya looked at their sleeping faces and smiled with joy.
They were so tiny compared to their parents. Watching their small movements was both wondrous and miraculous.
Dale seemed to share her thoughts, smiling in a way that mirrored Enya’s.
“Dale, but later… Lucas won’t ask, ‘Why did I wear the monster outfit in the portrait?’ right?”
“…”
Dale shook his head at her serious question. Lucas wore the embroidered monster bear outfit that Enya had made.
“Iris is wearing the outfit Dale embroidered, so she won’t ask. Right?”
Enya teased, gently tapping the children’s cheeks.
In the nursery hung portraits of the twins, already radiating presence. Beside them were portraits of Dale and Enya.
The newborn heirs bore the unmistakable features of their parents.
Before their birth, Enya and Dale had hoped the children would resemble each other.
This time, Enya won.
The twins strongly resembled Dale. Their hair was jet black, their facial features strikingly similar.
“Now there are three Dales.”
Enya smiled with satisfaction. Two more people resembled the one she loved.
“If you look closely, you can see a little of Enya too.”
Dale disagreed, insisting the children resembled Enya less. He seemed worried that they resembled him too much.
“Shall we have another?”
“Enya, I don’t want to oppose your wishes, but that’s not possible.”
Dale firmly refused her request. Her struggle during childbirth had left him terrified.
“But it seems like Dale is disappointed.”
“No. Lucas and Iris resemble you. Especially here.”
Dale whispered, pointing to Lucas’s eyelids.
“They have your sky-blue eyes, Enya. When Lucas first opened his eyes, he looked like you as a child.”
“Iris has your golden eyes, Dale.”
Turning to face him, Enya rested in Dale’s broad arms. His embrace always supported her.
She could feel his heartbeat as they touched. His face flushed slightly as he looked at her.
Every time Enya smiled, Dale’s body seemed to ignite with warmth.
“Iris will likely become a prodigious mage. Just like Marquis Cassion Schultz.”
“Because she was born concealing her presence.”
Dale remembered the doctor and Cassion’s explanation. Although they were twins, no one knew until birth.
Iris had such powerful innate magic that she had hidden her presence to protect herself. Destined to become a grand mage, she would have absorbed her twin’s mana without separation—so complete separation was necessary for safety.
Even Cassion had never guessed she was in Enya’s womb. Despite being unborn, she was already considered a superior-level mage.
“Ah.”
Iris, sleeping until now, opened her eyes, as if aware someone was speaking about her.
“You’re awake, huh?”
Enya, letting go of Dale, cradled Iris. The infant fussed, barely able to control her limbs.
“Am I holding you strangely?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Dale smoothly took Iris into his arms. In her father’s embrace, the baby quieted instantly.
Enya laughed at the sight.
“Both Lucas and Iris adore Dale.”
The children favored Dale over Enya. They fussed in her arms but fell into deep sleep in his.
Watching Dale, familiar as a father, soothe Iris, Enya laughed with delight.
“It’s like a little Dale and a big Dale.”
Enya pointed to the twins.
“One I love.”
Then she pointed to Lucas, sleeping peacefully.
“Three.”
As she turned, Dale approached and kissed her. Enya returned the kiss, lightly stroking his neck.
“If you hadn’t followed me back then, none of this would have happened. Just thinking about it is terrifying.”
Shivering, Enya hugged him tightly. Iris, caught between them, fussed briefly.
Enya poked Iris’s cheek, and the tiny hand wrapped around one of her fingers.
“Then our children wouldn’t have been born either.”
“Thanks to you running away, Enya.”
“If you hadn’t run, it would have been disastrous.”
She smiled playfully, holding Dale’s hand. Her small fingers were fragile, yet strong.
“But I think differently.”
Enya gazed at him with love in her voice.
“In the end, we would have met, Dale. Even if it took longer, we would have met and fallen in love.”
At her clear, heartfelt words, Dale’s face froze in shock. He stayed silent, then melted into her arms.
A true smile of happiness, only shown to Enya, spread across his face.
“That’s how it would have been.”
Dale kissed her cheek.
“I can’t ever let go of you.”
Enya laughed at the low, whispered words. She let go of the children and wrapped her arms around the man she loved.
“Show me. How much you love me.”
With a playful remark, Enya prompted him. Dale raised an eyebrow, then delivered the answer she wanted, effortlessly.
“Didn’t you already know?”
He lifted her gently.
The once-empty palace was now filled with laughter, just like his overflowing heart.
……………………………………………………….. THE END……………………………………………………………..
