Before I could finish speaking, the maids ran down the hallway like arrows. Marisen and my nanny, who were stiff as if they were paralyzed, also clung to the side of the bed in a hurry.
I glanced at their pale faces with frightened eyes and grabbed the hem of the Eastern woman's clothes as she tucked a pillow under my ass.
"Wha, what's going on? What's wrong?"
A hint of sympathy crossed over her brown-tanned face.
She answered calmly, holding the back of my cold hand.
"Don't worry too much... I'm just trying to see what happens."
It was an answer that avoided detailed explanations.
I gasped like a strangled person and tugged at the hem of the woman's clothes even more viciously.
"Baby... Isn't the baby wrong?"
The woman didn't say anything.
I pulled her sleeve even harder.
"I ask if my baby is okay!"
"You can't move like that!"
The woman quickly pressed down on my shoulder. Her dark, dark brown eyes, shining with determination, held on to my gaze, which was stained with anxiety and fear.
"Take a deep breath. You have to eat hard for your child."
I, who looked up at her determined face with tear-filled eyes, took a deep breath.
If I do this, it will really get better, right? I wanted to ask that, but the woman seemed to be busy, already running to one side of the room and grabbing a mountain of linen fabrics.
I followed her with my red, bloodshot eyes, and Marisen clutched my white hand tightly.
"Yes, I'll cast a healing spell on you."
Her face was also pale and tired.
I clasped the healer's hand tightly as if I were hanging. Soon after, a warm energy permeated my body.
However, the miracle of solving all problems with magic did not happen. My lower belly, which had been aching like an ice awl, soon began to clump together strongly as if it were being squeezed.
I crouched down with a sharp moan. Seeing this, Tiuran rushed over and put my body back up.
"I can't let the amniotic fluid flow out more! Please, you have to endure it even if it's painful."
I struggled to follow her instructions. However, the pain was so severe that it was very difficult to stay still.
I squeezed the blanket and gasped heavily.
At that moment, the door opened with a bang, and a middle-aged woman in a black monk's robe rushed in.
"Get out of the way."
The Priestess approached Marisen's bedside as if pushing her, and lifted the hem of my skirt up to my thigh.
My damp underwear and loosely bandaged legs were exposed, but I didn't have time to feel ashamed. I bit my lip in pain that grew sharper.
Meanwhile, the Priestess, who had taken off my underwear and spread my knees, inserted her fingers into her body.
The Priestess looked back and exclaimed, not shocked by the shocking act.
"The uterine gate has already begun to open. The baby will come out."
"It's still too early!"
The nanny's screams dug into my eardrums like needles.
Even in my distraction, I wrapped her arms around my belly as if to protect it.
That's right. It's still too early. There were only three months left until the due date.
I shook my head urgently.
"No, stop it! I want to stop it somehow!"
"Once the amniotic fluid has burst, it cannot be reversed. I need to get the child out quickly."
The Priestess spoke in a stern tone and nodded to the maids waiting at the door.
"Put partitions around the bed. And you bring a medical bag from my accommodation. I'll have something ready on the shelf."
According to the Priestess's instructions, the maids moved in unison.
I looked at the clutter as if it were nightmarish. Then, I felt a strong pain come over me again and closed my eyes.
The pressure on my belly was getting worse and worse. Now I could clearly recognize it.
The child was about to go outside.
The fear it brought was so severe that I couldn't even recognize the pain that felt like it was going to break my back. Only one thought was in my head.
Can a baby who has gone out live now?
Even I, who was ignorant of pregnancy and childbirth, knew that the survival rate of premature babies was not very high.
How long has the baby grown in my womb?
I fumbled with my stone-hard belly with my trembling hands.
Until just half a day ago, I was worried that the baby might be too big. I even regretted eating without thinking about the future.
But now, I regret that I couldn't raise it a little more. I should have eaten with all my might. So I had to raise them strong so that they could withstand any situation.
"You can't let your mind go! Your Highness, you must hold on."
Someone brought a cold towel to my face.
It was only when I lifted my eyelids that I realized that I had closed my eyes at the cool touch.
Staring at the dark ceiling with flickering candles with bloodshot eyes, I slowly lowered my gaze and scanned the people around me.
Between the Priestess, Tiuran, Marisen, the nanny, the maid, and three or four maids who were standing in their seats. I couldn't tell what they were looking for.
The moment I opened my mouth to ask something, another terrible pain came. This time, it was a pain that froze all the accidents.
I lost all my patience in an instant and began to wriggle my limbs. A sharp scream erupted from my open mouth.
At that moment, a sound like the roar of a beast was heard through the wall.
"Get out of the way."
"Your Excellency, Your Highness, the Grand Duchess is in labor. It's against the law to enter the room now..."
At the same time as someone who was urgently trying to dissuade him let out a scream of pain, the door was heard slamming open, and a man in a black military uniform appeared through the screen.
I stretched out my arms towards him, like a drowning person asking for help.
"Barcas..."
Barcas went straight to the bedside and bent down towards me.
I clung desperately to the hot nape of his neck, drenched in sweat. A disturbed face was faintly captured in my vision, which was torn by tears.
"Help me. Barcas... Help me... It hurts so much."
The crying plea tightened his forearm around me.
Holding me tightly to my breathlessness, Barcas asked sharply at the Priestess.
"What's going on?"
"The birth canal is opening smoothly. However, the baby is not coming down..."
Once again, my stomach contracted strongly, and all the sounds faded away.
I sobbed, squeezing the thick, tough fabric that surrounded his solid body. It was as if my lower body was crushed alive.
"Your Highness, you must now apply downward force. Your Highness must push the child out!"
I shook my head frantically.
I hate it. I won't. I'm scared. It hurts so much. It hurts.
I looked up at Barcas pleadingly. I looked at him again and again as if everything would be solved if I clung to him like that.
In my tear-stained vision, I saw a face that looked paler than ever. The plaster-like face hung just above the bridge of my nose.
"It's okay. Thalia. It's okay, so don't cry."
He wiped the tears from my cheeks with his cold, stiff hands and let out a strangely submerged voice.
I distorted my face...
It's not okay. Nothing was okay. But I wanted to believe that if he said so, it would be okay.
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