[CHAPTER 💯]
Lincia’s condition worsened rapidly after the hemorrhage.
The bleeding had barely stopped, but her womb showed signs of opening.
It was the beginning of labor.
“Your Grace, if this continues, your life may be in danger.”
“…If I give birth now, will the baby be all right?”
The terrible pain that struck her body kept coming.
Even while Lincia struggled to breathe, she worried for the baby.
From the early stages of pregnancy, she had not been able to care for her body properly.
To be honest, the reason the baby survived this long was not because of her.
“The mother is weak, but the father seems to have an excessively strong constitution.”
“And the child does not detach easily, which means he has a strong will to live.”
Remembering Oberok’s past words, Lincia bit her lip.
Her lips had already been chewed raw, bleeding again before a scab could form.
“I’m fine.”
Anna wiped the sweat pouring from her like rain.
Seeing Anna’s worried face, Lincia gave her a faint smile and held her hand.
Truly, Lincia felt fine.
If enduring pain was enough to free her from fear, she could endure it over and over.
But if her choice caused harm to the child…
She knew she would not be fine.
The midwife, who had been watching Lincia closely, finally gave her answer.
“…I cannot promise the baby will survive.”
“But right now, Your Grace must prioritize your own life.”
“You truly may be in mortal danger.”
Lincia turned her head.
Tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes slipped down her cheeks.
“Just a little longer…”
“Your Grace.”
“I’ll try to endure a little more.”
“What if something happens to the baby?”
“Because of me…”
After struggling internally, the midwife bowed her head and finally brought painkillers and medicinal herbs.
She said they were meant to stop the womb from opening and delay delivery.
Even after taking all the medicine, the pain did not lessen.
If anything, it felt amplified.
Still, after a day or two, she felt a little better.
Some days she felt well enough to write letters to Harvich, and some days even opening her eyes under the pain was too much.
“This is my fault, Your Highness.”
Tereo apologized from time to time, but it was not his fault.
It was Lincia who was far too frail.
Then one day, as she endured each passing day, her water broke.
Seeing the liquid run down between her legs, Lincia nearly fainted.
Though about nine months had passed, making delivery normal, considering Lincia’s nutritional state, the baby may not have grown properly.
“W-what do I do…”
Lincia placed her hand on her belly.
“Stay calm. It will be all right.”
“I… I…”
Unconsciously, Lincia looked toward the door.
The man was still nowhere to be seen.
“…Harvich.”
“When I give birth… can you be by my side?”
The promise they once made crumbled.
Labor began in earnest.
The midwife’s figure giving instructions to Anna blurred.
They tied her legs so she could not close them and told her to push.
“Bring hot water at once!”
Feeling the liquid flow down between her legs and the pain tearing through her abdomen, Lincia bit her lips.
“Ah! Hhk…!”
A sharp pain smashed through her skull, turning her mind white.
She even forgot how to breathe.
“Breathe.”
How?
How was she supposed to do that?
Even in agony, Lincia thought of the man.
She resented him.
For breaking his promise.
For leaving her in the villa and preparing for war in secret.
She hated him.
Yet if she truly might die here, she wanted to see Harvich just once more.
She was tired of her own stubborn love.
That one night she’d desired so much.
She felt she no longer needed to see how this long and painful love would end.
Her vision turned white, but at the urging around her to push one last time, Lincia gave everything she had left.
“Your Grace, congratulations. It’s a boy.”
Lincia gave birth alone.
The midwife showed her the baby.
The child she delivered could barely open his eyes, his skin wrinkled, but he was unmistakably Harvich’s.
Lincia had desperately hoped her child would resemble Harvich.
But seeing the baby who looked so much like him made her stomach go cold.
…Why does he feel so unfamiliar?
When he was inside me, he felt like my ally, my comfort… but now…
“Would you like to hold him?”
Lincia held the baby.
Eyes closed, crying, he looked exactly like the man.
She didn’t need to see his eye color to know—he was Harvich’s child.
She had given birth to undeniable proof.
“I want to rest.”
The physician took the baby and left the room.
The fading sound of the baby crying pricked at her ears.
Three days passed after the birth.
Still, the man did not come.
By then, the baby had opened his eyes—clear, vivid red.
A color she did not have.
His hair, barely visible, was stark white.
Looking at him smiling at her, Lincia bit her lip.
“Did you hear anything about the baby’s name?”
“No.”
“I will send a dispatch to the Grand Duke’s castle.”
In the Empire, when a wife became pregnant, the husband prepared two names depending on the baby’s gender.
Those names were entrusted to the closest aide or the official who kept the records.
It was a superstition that giving a name in advance guided the child safely into the world.
It also showed the father’s anticipation and affection.
Even though Harvich had failed to stay by her side during the birth, Lincia was ready to understand him if he had at least chosen the child’s name.
But days passed after the midwife sent word to the Grand Duke’s castle, and she said nothing.
Lincia sensed the truth.
There was no name.
They had been on bad terms at the beginning, so it was possible.
It was also understandable that he might not be able to check letters on the battlefield.
But Lincia no longer wanted to understand him.
She no longer wanted to understand a man who didn’t even consider the possibility that she might be carrying his child.
Lincia pulled the bell cord.
“…Take the baby away. I want to sleep.”
* * *
Harvich rode as if his chest would burst.
Because of the long distance, his horse struggled, so he stopped at the Grand Duke’s castle.
There, the stablehand delivered urgent news.
“The criminal locked in the Grand Duke’s castle has been found dead. You must confirm—”
Nothing mattered more than Lincia.
Harvich ignored it.
He immediately changed horses and used the underground passage toward the villa.
When he arrived, the faint sound of a baby crying told him Lincia had already given birth.
He followed the sound.
Even as he opened the door, he fully believed Lincia would be there.
But inside the room, Tereo was holding the baby.
His awkward posture and desperate attempts to soothe the crying child made him look like a father seeing his child for the first time.
It irritated Harvich.
“Stop making the young master cry. I only asked you to hold him for a moment.”
“Yes, well, it’s difficult. I’m unmarried after all.”
She endured all that pain to give birth.
The baby was here.
Then where was Lincia?
Seeing everyone’s calmness, he guessed she was not harmed, but his chest grew colder with fear.
“Ah, it’s done. Give him to me.”
The maid took the baby from Tereo.
She held him far more comfortably than the men did and let a drop of milk fall from her finger to calm him.
She swayed gently, but the baby continued crying.
“The young master seems uncomfortable. I’ll take him to the physician.”
“Yes, I’ll rest for a moment.”
Tereo slumped beside the bed.
The maid held the child carefully and strode toward the door.
For some reason, Harvich felt he should not meet her.
He tried to step aside, but the maid saw him first.
She froze.
“Y-your Grace? When did you—”
Anna turned her back, protecting the baby.
Harvich felt like he was intruding on a peaceful home that was not his.
“If you wish to see the lady and the young master, you should wash first.”
Harvich agreed.
He was covered in dirt from the long journey.
He could not face Lincia and the baby like this.
“Very well.”
He washed as fast as he could.
Then he hurried to go to Lincia’s room.
His heart grew more anxious with every step.
“Where is Lincia?”
He asked the maid waiting for him.
She opened her mouth carefully.
“May I ask Her Highness for permission first?”
