"Ah, ugh..."
Ariana, curled up in pain, looked down and shuddered. The red marks that fell one by one clouded her vision.
'Blood... Why is blood coming out like this?'
"No."
Ariana took a deep breath and hugged her stomach.
"No, no... Baby."
Her large green eyes were stained with fear. Dante quickly caught Ariana's staggering body and hugged her.
"Ariana!"
"Your Highness. What should I do?"
Her wet eyes looked up at Dante.
"Baby, baby..."
Ariana couldn't continue. It wasn't the first time she had had spotting. However, it had always been before the second trimester, and her doctor had said that this amount was okay. If it wasn't spotting that occurred in the later stages of pregnancy, it was okay... Above all, it was ominous that there was no movement from her stomach.
"Baby."
Ariana muttered earnestly. However, her stomach was quiet. As if it was a lie, that he moved as if he understood whenever she called.
'What should I do?'
The sword didn't touch, but the moment she was pushed, her body was shocked. She should have been more careful with her actions.
I should have been more...
Ariana gasped in fear, holding her stomach.
She hoped that this was all just a nightmare that would pass after a short while.
The intense pain rushed at her as if mocking her hopes.
"Ahhh!"
"Prepare the carriage right now!"
Dante, holding Ariana in his arms, hurriedly ran.
***
Dante hugged Ariana in the speeding carriage.
"It's okay. I'm sure it'll be okay."
Dante whispered continuously, kissing her forehead soaked with cold sweat. Ariana blinked forcefully. Her consciousness was fading from the intense pain. But...
'I can't lose consciousness here.'
Ariana moved her lips with difficulty, recalling the almost instinctive conviction. Every time she closed her eyes, her consciousness flickered like a flickering candle.
"Your Highness."
Dante hugged Ariana tighter, who was whispering in a half-hoarse voice. It would take at least five more minutes to reach a place with minimal medical facilities. That time felt like a thousand years. It was crazy. But he couldn't let himself be shaken in the midst of all this. Relaxing his clenched molars, Dante spoke slowly.
"Yes. Tell me."
"When I was a girl... I was diagnosed with a body that couldn't get pregnant."
The voice whispered, excited by pain and fever.
"When I heard that diagnosis, I was a useless being who couldn't even act like a woman... My brother got really angry."
Dante gritted his teeth. He imagined digging up Edward Lopez's already decapitated body and chopping it up again.
"You're not that kind of person."
Whether you can get pregnant or not, no matter what the situation, you will never...
Ariana smiled weakly.
"A child who came to me like a miracle..."
The smile soon turned into fear.
"What if something goes wrong?"
"Ariana."
"Your Highness. Our child..."
Ariana could not continue her words and tightly closed her eyes. Until just a moment ago, she had been in the utmost bliss. Not knowing that one wrong step would lead to hell.
'I guess I was too arrogant.'
It was because she had experienced a miracle that turned back time. It might have been a simple whim of God or an incomprehensible coincidence. She had mistakenly thought that God had personally arranged it for her to be happy. The happiness she had finally tasted was so sweet. So she thought that maybe it was time to become truly happy. She thought that she could live in perfect happiness with her loved ones forever as if she were the main character in a fairy tale...
'l wonder if I am being punished for my arrogance.'
If that was the case, then why should the poor child be put in danger?
"It's okay. Ariana. Louis..."
Dante whispered, holding Ariana's shoulders. Repeating it as if engraving it in her ear.
"Louis will definitely be okay."
The end of his voice was trembling as he spoke. Ariana raised her head, then stopped for a moment. Tears were welling up in Dante's red eyes.
... Ah. Ariana's heart sank. The hands holding her were so firm, the voice comforting her so reassuringly that she couldn't even imagine it. The owner of those hands and voices was crying. Dante's heart was also torn apart by the same knot as her own.
Yes, it was only natural when she thought about it. She wasn't the only one bearing this fear. Their two hearts were resonating with the same sadness. Ariana raised her hand with difficulty.
"... Yes, that's right."
Ariana whispered, caressing Dante's cheek.
"Our baby will be okay."
Dante's eyes opened wide. Ariana repeated with all her might once more.
"Absolutely."
Dante, who had been frozen for a moment, slowly closed his eyes.
"...Yes."
He murmured while kissing Ariana's palm.
"Absolutely."
***
"Madam!"
The attending doctor hurriedly came out. Ariana's body, unconscious, was limp.
"T, t...."
The attending physician, who had checked Ariana's condition, was more flustered than ever.
"We will begin surgery right away!"
The attending doctor and his assistants moved busily. Just before entering the operating room, the attending doctor turned to Dante. Dante's face was as pale as a ghost. The composure that had never groaned when he returned from war with terrible injuries was nowhere to be found.
"Master."
The attending doctor asked carefully, his lips dripping with cold sweat. Ariana was already expected to have a difficult birth. But since these things happened, even though he hurriedly gathered the best medical team and midwives after hearing the news, even the attending physician could not be optimistic.
"I really hope that doesn't happen, but if there is a situation where only one of you, Madam or the baby, has to be saved..."
The color drained even more from Dante's face. He gritted his teeth and spat out without hesitation.
"Ariana."
Dante commanded with a face as hard as a mask.
"Save Ariana. No matter what happens."
"... Yes, Master."
The attending physician bowed his head and hurriedly gave instructions to the medical staff. Dante buried his face in his palm. His distorted face was hidden.
"Fuck...
."
"Dante Heigenberg! Lose your family too! Experience the same pain as I did, you devil!"
The one who attacked Ariana was someone who held a grudge against Dante. Being a war hero was just a nice facade given to the victor, and when you strip away the justification, he was just a murderer who was good at killing people.
He never denied that fact. He never justified it. He never feared the retribution. It was like that when he was alone. However, after he had someone he had to protect, the world became completely different.
A dazzling happiness. A fear he had never felt before, even in the face of death. The moments he spent with Ariana made him realize all of those extremes. Dante held his hands together and prayed blindly.
'Please.'
He had never known the helplessness of not being able to do anything before. A long time passed. As dawn broke, an unbelievable sound pierced Dante's ears.
"Aaaaah!"
"...!"
Dante raised his head with a face as pale as a corpse. After a moment, he jumped up from his seat.
***
"The amount of bleeding is too..."
"I need a blood transfusion!"
"My heart is beating too slowly. At this rate..."
I felt like I was walking in deep water. Something was definitely happening above the surface, but I could see a silhouette swaying below. I didn't even have the strength to move my fingertips to swim up there. Should I just rest a little longer?
The surface seemed too far away. What woke me up from my sinking was a voice.
"Ariana."
"Ariana, please."
Yes, now I had a place to go back to. So I had to gather my strength and go back. To the person who was waiting for me.
"...Gasp."
I opened my eyes with a start. I saw a familiar silhouette through my blurry vision.
"Ariana?"
Dante's eyes slowly widened as our eyes met.
"Damn it. Ariana!"
There was no room for composure in the urgent voice. Just hearing that, I could guess what kind of time Dante had spent while I was asleep.
"Duke..."
As I opened my lips, Dante grabbed my hand.
'Oh my.'
I was inwardly startled. Our hands felt like ice.
"Don't talk so hard. You'll be dizzy from the painkillers."
I nodded and slowly raised my hand to touch Dante's eyes. The last time I saw Dante, he was crying. I should have comforted him, should have been by his side, but it was heartbreaking that I had left him alone. However, there was something else that was more pressing on my mind right now.
"Duke."
I whispered in a husky voice.
"...the child."
The moment I said those words, my heart tightened. Enduring my fear, I asked,
"What happened to the child?"
At that moment, I saw Dante's face distort. It was as if the emotions I had been suppressing had burst out.
'...Ah.'
My heart felt like it was breaking into hundreds of pieces. I opened my mouth in a daze. In my dream, I had promised myself that Dante would have a hard time just like me, so no matter what happened, I would definitely show my composure.
"Ariana. The child..."
That was the moment Dante moved his lips.
Whoa!
A new cry rang in my ears. I opened my eyes wide.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
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