Side Story 4) Towards a New World
It was a chilly autumn evening. Emilia was reading a book in the study as usual today.
The fireplace was burning, and the basket on the table was full of grapes that had been harvested not long ago. Surprisingly, it was Moriah who was rolling around on the rug.
It was probably after the wedding.
Moriah suddenly began to get on people's nerves, and recently, he came into the villa and took a seat in earnest.
Pip looked at Moriah and seemed to admire his ability as a zookeeper. But it wasn't perfect in Emilia's eyes.
"At the Ricardi Palace?"
"Yes."
"Yes. Pip, you can go and bring it to you."
"Yes, I understand."
Moriah only heard the Duke's voice in the distance, and she was still so angry and surprised. Of course, just looking at his shadow didn't freeze or growl as if he were going to bite. Sometimes he would gently give up his body so that he could touch him, or he would giggle as if it felt good. However, this did not completely loosen the vigilance against the Duke, as Pip thought.
"Emilia."
The door opened, and he appeared. His hair was wet as if he had just taken a bath.
"Queen Yvonne has decided to send a midwife. She said she was a talented and trustworthy person, so now I feel a little relieved."
Hardius said and sat down at his desk. Click, the sound of fingers tapping on the armrests continued.
"The attending doctor has decided to bring Grojean back this week... What else should I prepare?"
"That's enough. No, it's too much."
Emilia replied, keeping her eyes off the book.
"I'm not sick. I just have a child."
Of course, Hardius didn't even pretend to listen. He rested his chin on the desk and rubbed his lips with his fingertips, and lost himself in thought.
Time passed with Emilia in the book and Hardius in preparing for childbirth. In the quiet study, only the sound of burning firewood continued for a long time.
Hardius, who was staring at the light of the fireplace, blinked his eyes as if he were shaking it off for a moment. Then he stood up and approached Emilia.
"Is it fun?"
"Yes? Oh boy... Hmm..."
Emilia turned the book over and stared at the cover for a long time.
"That's just how it is."
"But why do you read so hard?"
"Because it tells us a lot about Reno, where we will live."
"Really?"
Hardius snatched the book from her hand and checked the cover again, which he had skimmed roughly
"How do you feel about it?"
"I'll have to read more, but Reno is a very amazing, surprising, and confusing place."
Hardius gave her a look to continue, and Emilia stood up with a thick book, rested her chin on the corner, and opened her mouth.
"First of all, the mayor of Reno is a commoner like me. The mere fact of electing public officials is a huge thing, but commoners can also be candidates... I think it's too far ahead. How did such an innovative place become known as a lawless world?"
The corners of Hardius's mouth curled up gently.
"Yes, it's really exciting for Mitch Bern to know. Maybe he will drop out of school and follow us."
Emilia chuckled.
"But if he knows the reality that is the exact opposite, he will immediately change his mind? There is a separate area where only the mainland nobles live, and they have their own social circles, and they live as if they were on the mainland."
"But we don't live there."
"Yes, I know. You said that we should live in a new city where the middle class lives like Rheinsbuck. Like real normal people."
Perhaps he felt that Emilla's expression was surprisingly not bright, and Hardius' face became a little blurred.
"Isn't it good?"
"No, that's absolutely not."
Emilia was greatly moved by his desire to live a normal life. Of course, 'ordinary' did not mean living in poverty and need. The 'ordinary' he spoke of was the life of a wealthy commoner. It is not a conservative aristocrat who hangs himself on blood, but the life of a young and innovative capitalist.
But to live like that, as Duke Meyer, he had to let go of too much.
"My heart is already shaking."
He wanted to change his clothes for a while, just like he did in the tavern.
It's been only 5 years.
After enjoying a free newlywed wedding in Reno, they must return here and start anew as the Dukes of Meyer.
Just because Hardius liked Princes and beggars did not mean that he wanted to abandon Meyer. He was Duke Meyer to the core, and he wanted her to live as a Duchess.
"I'm also very excited about my life in Reno. There are just a few things that I am a little puzzled about."
"What is it?"
"For example, at school, you have to use honorifics regardless of your status, and you have to call each other Mr. Someone, Miss Someone, or Lady Someone."
Emilia snorted.
"Is that possible? Something is a bit strange. I don't think the front and back fit together."
Hardius suddenly knelt down and made eye contact with her.
"What if it's strange? You have to adapt."
The way he spoke in honorific language was full of playfulness.
"My wife still can't call her husband's name well. I am much more shabby and worn than I thought."
"Oh, that's not yet... Please... It's awkward..."
Emilia was embarrassed and helpless, and Hardius's smile became even more mischievous.
"Try, Madam Meyer."
As he said this, Hardius picked a grape and put it in her mouth.
Emilia, who was stunned, blushed and patted the man on the shoulder, saying, "I don't know."
Moriah, who was watching the two of them, cried bitterly. His face was gloomy, as if he was saying, 'I'm playing.'
Idle days continued. Emilia stayed in the study until late every night.
When he lost track of time and lost track of time, the clock was always pointing to midnight.
"Oh..."
"Do you want to go to bed?"
Emilia nodded and stretched.
"But I haven't even washed yet. My body is so heavy these days that it's hard to wash."
Emilia grumbled as she looked down at her full-term belly.
"Did you ask Laura to take care of me..."
Hardius put his hand under her armpit and gently hugged her.
"Unfortunately, Laura is too busy to take care of their own children."
Emilia yawned, "That's right." Hardius laughed and led her to the bathroom.
"So I can't help it. I'm the only one who is idle right now."
Emilia, who pulled back a few times as if she was embarrassed, immediately followed him, pretending not to win.
After a while, the two of them were in front of the steaming bathtub. Hardius straddled a small wooden stool and pulled Emilia onto his thigh.
"What should I do first?"
Emilia untied her hairpin instead of answering. Her golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and the scent of lavender spread throughout the bathroom.
Hardius didn't ask any more.
He unbuttoned and strapped her dress, making her naked in an instant. Emilia felt ashamed and hugged his neck and buried her face.
"If you keep doing this, I think you'll be pampered."
"Whatever."
The low, deep man's voice and the clean, faint body odor emanating from the collar of his shirt made her head dizzy.
"Isn't it cold?"
Instead of being cold, her body felt like she was drunk.
The baby wriggled as if he noticed that his mother's heart was beating. Hardius felt the birth through the belly that came into contact with him.
"Can you feel it?"
"...Uh."
It was different from when he touched it with his hands. With a strange emotion that made his heart ache, he hugged Emilia's small body tightly.
My child.
At that moment, the child reacted again. It was a pretty violent reaction that Emilia was surprised to say, "Huh?"
It was something that happened all the time, but he felt his heart pounding for some reason. He remembered that ridiculous prank a few months ago when she hung a ring on a blade of grass to confirm the gender.
At that time, he had no thoughts. The child was just an invisible doll, and if he could choose, he thought it would be better to have a female doll that looked like Emilia.
Considering his relationship with his father, he wasn't sure if he would be a good father.
Children were always secondary. Not as decisive as Emilia.
However, for the first time in his life, Hardius was feeling the presence of a child in his heart.
The child who was to grow up in Emilia's belly was Meyer. Regardless of gender, the child was the kind of person who would inherit the family name.
Hardius carefully lowered Emilia's body and knelt down in front of her. His eyes stared at her full-term belly with wonder.
"... I remembered."
"What is it?"
Their eyes met.
"Julian Meyer."
A slow smile appeared on Emilia's face, wondering what she was talking about.
"Julian? What does it mean? Pioneer? Or the conqueror?"
Hardius shook his head.
"Then what?"
"Happiness."
Emilia's eyes widened. She remembered that he had said the same thing a long time ago. She felt strange, as if she had swallowed sand. But at this moment, he had a face that was perfect for the word happiness.
Happy Julian.
Julian Meyer.
A wave of bitterness rose in her chest.
"Do you like it?"
Emilia nodded, wiping away her hot tears.
"I like it. Really."
***
Julian Meyer was born exactly two weeks later. It was a prosperous day when green grapes bloomed on every branch and the sweetness vibrated throughout the field.
The Dukes were basking in the sun on the mats as usual, and Moriah was playing among the vines.
Emilia, who was reaching for a basket full of grapes, suddenly grabbed her stomach and frowned. Hardius immediately responded with agility.
"Just be patient."
He supported his wife and headed to the pre-prepared birth room in the villa.
After that, an emergency order was issued for the entire villa. Under the command of an experienced midwife, the servants were busy.
Hot water, towels, scissors, and even forceps in case of emergencies.
Amid the frantic comings and goings of people and childbirth tools, Hardius began to get tired of being pure white.
"Don't worry too much. There are royal midwives and even doctors."
"You know. My sister ate six sandwiches in a row."
"I'll be by your side. They will continue to protect you. So nothing will happen."
Emilia's family, who came to contact her belatedly, had to constantly reassure her.
"My feeling right now is exactly what I saw in the book. My child and I will be very healthy and hold on."
Emilia said this and held Hardius's hand tightly. The pain in her lower abdomen made her eyes seem to turn white, but she didn't notice it.
"It's okay, Duke."
After saying a few words, the door to the maternity room closed.
Hardius kept the front of the woods.
The thin moans that leaked out through the crack in the door gradually turned into a howl of pain.
Pip was at a loss. It wasn't because he was worried about the mother, but because of the masyer.
It seemed that Duke Meyer would smash the door at once and go to save his woman. Time passed terribly slowly. Hardius's heart slowly stopped, and the time of suffering had passed.
For a moment, the child's cry echoed loudly.
Hardius couldn't control his trembling hands and pressed his hand against the wall.
"Duke!"
"Both mother and child are safe!"
It was the moment when Julian Meyer, who would later be called the continent's greatest steel King and go down in history, came out into the world.
***
In the calm and silent dawn, the child's cry resounded sharply.
The nanny was so frightened that she slammed the bed and got up. She put on her shawl and ran frantically to the baby trainer, but the bed was empty.
"Oh no!"
You fool, the duke and his wife said they would take their child to sleep with you today.
The nanny laughed uncontrollably and brushed her chest. When she listened carefully, she saw that the crying that had been coming from a distance had stopped.
The nanny crept over to the Duke's bedroom. Just in case. It was because shr felt like a young and clumsy couple would call her. After all, they couldn't soothe their child. However, shr didn't hear the child's crying at all until she was almost at the door.
The nanny peeked through the crack in the open door.
The Duchess was still in bed. She was leaning lazily on the head of the bed with her long blonde hair pulled to one side.
Surprisingly, it was Duke Meyer who was soothing the child.
Seeing the chiseled man leaning the pea-small baby on his shoulder and patting him slowly, the nanny couldn't bear to tickle her chest.
The moonlight that overflowed through the slightly open window illuminated the young couple beautifully.
The nanny sneaked back to her room, fearing that she might be disturbed by such a beautiful sight.
"Is he asleep already?"
Emilia whispered, and Hardius nodded slowly.
The peculiar milk from the child was mixed with his wife's body odor. He took a deep breath and dozed in the warmth of the two of them.
"Do you think I can put it down now?"
Hardius carefully put the child to bed and returned to Emilia. He hugged her from behind and put his arms in support of her head. Emilla felt the man's heartbeat against her back and closed her eyes happily.
Hardius did the same.
The woman who touched his heart was warm and cozy. The reverberation of the child he had been holding until just before, and the body temperature, were added to it, and his body felt like it was melting.
It was a completely different sensation that transcended passion or desire.
It was like peace that came after a terrible war, and a hometown that had been regained after a long journey.
The world he belongs to, the place where he needs to be.
She raised her head and met his eyes, her ears to the man's heart, beating hotly.
"Did I say I love you?"
Hearing it dozens of times a day, Hardius shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.
"I love you, Duke."
The hot eyes of men and women intertwined in the air and bonded firmly.
"I love you."
***
The last time Moriah saw the two of them in the Sitmer was in the early summer of the following year.
It was a day when the frozen ground melted and tadpoles were bouncing around in the pond. They were surrounded by family members who had come to the wedding.
Everyone shed tears.
"You should be in good health, mother."
"Yes, don't worry."
The woman looked at the two of them alternately, with all worry on her face.
"As the doctor said, you should go to the hospital often. They said that cough disease only improves, but it is difficult to cure."
"Yes, yes. Emilia."
"I'm here. If it doesn't work, I'll call Imperial Doctor, so please don't worry anymore."
"You have to write often, Mitch. And when vacation starts, you come right away. I'll book the fastest boat in advance."
"Yes, yes, we don't care, go and have fun. While taking good care of my nephew Julian."
Emilia's wet face turned to Charlotte,
"Sister."
"Charlotte."
The sisters hugged each other tightly. Then they sobbed for a long time.
"Uncle, Charlotte, please."
Emilia looked back at Beppy with tears in her eyes. She thought he was standing there in a grave way, but at that moment, he burst into tears as well.
"Why are you all doing this on a fun and happy day?"
Hardius approached Mitch, who was grumbling.
"Well... Please come."
A squeaky man reached out to him.
"Thank you, Mitch Bern."
The two shook hands.
After a while, Hardius and Emilia climbed into the carriage. The nanny who held Julian was also with them. It was followed by four carriages bearing the coat of arms of the Meyer family. The wagon carrying Tobias, Pip, and Grojean was the second, and after that, it was all packers.
The carriage departed early in the morning and drove for half a day to reach the port.
In the harbor, the first super-large steamship built in the New World stood in a majestically shadowed place. The Duchess rode on it.
Toward a new continent, a new world that will unfold for them.
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