I’d never forget that day. I’d always be able to recall that day even if I was dead. That day was too important for me to forget. If my previous world was half complete, then I completed my world on that day. That was the day my child was born.
Truth be told, I never thought the day would come so soon. Mommy Vyvyan was right. When Lucia woke up, it meant it was time for her to give birth. She cried and called for Mommy Vyvyan when she gave birth. I was so shocked I almost knocked my food over.
The entire Imperial Palace was busy. All the lights in the palace were on as if the palace was ablaze. I heard Ling Yue, who resided some distance away, saw the flames at the palace. The maids ran back and forth to attend to duties. They grabbed this and that despite not knowing what they were. Freya, who was originally coordinating and managing things, dazed out at the door, because she didn’t know what to do.
“Miss Freya, what should we do…?”
“I don’t know, either… I don’t know… I’ve never had children… And she’s not a human, either! How would I know what to do?!!” shouted Freya, grabbing her hair. She fearfully looked at me. She trembled as she asked, “What do we do…? Onii-sama… What do we do…? What do we do…?”
I walked back and forth in the corridor. The door to the room was locked tight. Only Vyvyan and Lucia were inside. There wasn’t a sound coming from inside. It was calm as usual. Meanwhile, the maids outside were standing there sluggishly holding things unsure of what to do.
I took in a deep breath and scratched my head. To be frank, my head was spinning. My vision was somewhat dark. I never felt so nervous before. Never. I leaned on the wall by the side and touched my forehead. My sweat instilled a dizzy sensation. The door looked as though it was spinning. I really wanted to be able to open the door. It didn’t matter if Lucia or Vyvyan came out. Even some sound would do, be it cries or pain or shouting.
‘Why is it so quiet? Why? What’s happening with Lucia inside? How is our child?’
I sat down and leaned on the wall. I grabbed my head with my hands. My head was filled with Lucia.
I was truly very tense and scared. I was very scared Lucia would meet with mishap. The child was my last concern, because as long as Lucia is all right, we could always have children. However, I couldn’t let something happen to Lucia. I still had Nier’s child if Lucia lost hers, but I only had one Lucia.
“Troy?”
The door suddenly opened. I heard a familiar voice. I heard the sound of friction from clothes next to me. Vyvyan looked at the maids to her left and right. She solemnly said, “You don’t need to provide me with these things. You just need to give me a basin and a clean cloth. Bring them to me now. Where’s my son? Where’s my son?”
Vyvyan walked up to me and continued, “Son, pull yourself together. Stand up. Your wife is giving birth. Your Lucia is very scared as is, so she’ll only feel worse if you’re in this state. It’s all right. Lucia is fine, and her child is fine. You don’t need to worry. Come with me. You just need to hold Lucia’s hand, so that she doesn’t feel so distressed and flustered. You just need to calm her down. I’m getting you to come in to see your child’s birth. You don’t need to worry. Come, stand up. Stand up, son. Stand up.”
Vyvyan hooked my arm with hers and pulled me up. I looked at her face and wiped myself. Freya held my hand and softly said, “It will be all right. It will be all right, Onii-sama. It will be all right. To be honest, I want to see your child’s birth, as well, but I do not have the chance to… Onii-sama, go and see your child.”
“All right. I’ll pull myself together. I must pull myself together. I must pull myself together.”
I slapped my face a few times, and then took in a deep breath. I headed to the room. Though my legs felt weak, Mommy Vyvyan supported me, so I didn’t fall.
A maid brought a basin and a towel. Vyvyan took them, and then shut the door. She shoved me over and said, “Lucia, my son is here. Don’t be scared. Relax. Your children are normal. When I’m ready, you just need to put your strength into it.”
Lucia lay face up on the bed and panted. She had her legs open and her face covered in sweat. She turned her head sideways to look at me the way a drowning person sees a buoy. She desperately reached for me with her hand. I went over looking as though I was crawling and running at the same time. I knelt by the bed and tightly held her hand. I kissed the back of her hand and told her, “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here with you. I’m here with you. Lucia, I’m right here with you!”
“Your Highness… Your Highness… I’m a bit scared…”
“Don’t be. Don’t be. You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”
I held Lucia’s hand and gently stroked her head. Nervously, I said, “I’m right by your side, Lucia. I’m right by your side. I’m holding your hand. They’re our children, aren’t they? Haven’t we always been looking forward to seeing our children? Don’t be scared. Don’t be scared.”
I heard the sound of water. Vyvyan poured a big bottle of water into the basin then placed it in front of Lucia. She took in a deep breath: “All right now, Lucia. You just need to put your strength into it. I’ve prepared everything for you.”
“Your Highness…”
“It’s all right. I can see the child. You just need to use your strength. It’s an egg, so it’ll come out easily.”
“An egg?!”
Shocked, I jumped to my feet. Lucia’s small body froze up all of sudden. She looked at the ceiling with terrified eyes. She tightly grabbed me. She grabbed me virtually tight enough to peel my skin off. I heard two sounds from Vyvyan’s position. Something entered the water. Vvyan let out a sigh of relief then laughed: “Okay, okay, let me tell you. It was very successful. There were no problems. It was very successful. Lucia, have a rest. Son, aren’t you going to check out your child’s egg? It’ll crack open very soon. If you don’t watch, you’ll never get to see it again.”
“Egg?!”
“Ah, yeah. The egg is prepared for the elven child to protect itself.”
With a wave of her hand, she created two cracks in the eggs.
‘A breastfeeding specie having an egg? I can’t imagine it.’
Vyvyan smiled as she walked up to me. She placed the basin before me. I looked at the two eggs that resembled quail eggs. However, the shells were literally transparent. I could see two children curled up inside.
There were cracks on the eggs. I didn’t know when they’d crack open. I didn’t know what to do. Vyvyan raised the basin up with a smile: “Touch them. Otherwise, you’ll never see these shells again.”
I looked up to Mom. She encouraged me to touch them with a nod. I calmed myself down, and then extended forth my shaky hands.
The eggs suddenly cracked before I could touch them. The eggs cracked then shattered before turning into powder, no, not powder. They were the same as snowflakes. They instantly disappeared in the air.
*Cries!!*
Two infants started crying. Vyvyan looked at me with a smile and, in a soft voice, said, “Congratulations, Son. You’re now a father.”
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