Chapter 584
Every day, I was visiting the territory to see Teresa and stamping my attendance, but for the past few days, I had been quietly staying at the mansion.
It wasn’t that I was too lazy to go to the territory. It was a time when I simply couldn’t leave the mansion, and I had to tearfully give up on spending time with the little one.
‘I can’t just hang out with the little one and miss out on my wife giving birth.’
If my mother has given birth, then it will soon be Rizie’s turn. Up until now, I had been calculating the intervals between my mother’s and Rizie’s pregnancies to wander outside, but now Rizie could go into labor at any moment.
Of course, with teleportation available, as soon as Rizie goes into labor, I could go right back. No matter how late it gets, I can make it back in five minutes, so I can avoid the insane title of the husband being out when the child is born.
However, deep down, as a husband, I want to be by my wife’s side from the moment her labor starts. When Mar and Trixie went into labor, I happened to be outside, returning late to the mansion. I don’t want to feel that bitter feeling three times!
And, and there’s something I’d really rather not think about.
‘Rizie was in poor health when she was young.’
It’s an unfortunate thought, but the slightly frail Rizie might not come out of childbirth successfully. If she goes into the delivery room and doesn’t come back out, I’d have to at least see her go in.
I know it’s an excessive thought. Rizie’s sickness was just a brief period in her childhood, and she’s healthier than anyone else now. Sometimes, she even takes walks around the capital with Titi.
Moreover, we have an elite medical team prepared for any situation. I got to meet the same medical team that cared for the Empress when the Crown Princess was born. They were even preparing pain relief magic that helped Trixie give birth to the triplets without a hitch.
So Rizie will be fine during her delivery. Cherry Blossom will become our joy, just like Teresa.
It will definitely happen, so I shouldn’t overstress. This isn’t the first time waiting for childbirth.
‘I’m a veteran now.’
Worrying and trembling every time is something amateurs do.
It seems like I’ve only been an amateur for three deliveries.
‘It’s already been four hours.’
Bitten by my nails in anxiety, I found that my ridiculously strong nails weren’t budging.
I should have noticed when my nails could almost cut the ring in half; these aren’t just nails, they’re saw blades!
“Son-in-law, you’re going to hurt yourself like that.”
As I pressed down on my nails with my teeth, my third father-in-law, sitting next to me, gently admonished.
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, my head hung low. I couldn’t look up in front of my father-in-law, who remembers the times when Rizie was struggling, and who surely worries more than I do. Especially since his hand patting my back was slightly trembling.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why should you be sorry? I’m actually happy to see how much you love Rizie.”
Finally managing a smile for my father-in-law, who was forcing a grin, I took a breath to calm myself. Rizie giving birth is nothing new for me, I’m fully prepared, and the chances of anything going wrong with Rizie are very low. I didn’t expect her labor to start on the day I prepared my heart, but my preparations still stand strong.
Soon, the delivery room’s door will open. I’ll hear the loud cries and know both the mother and child are safe.
So what I can do now is think of a name for our Cherry Blossom until the very end. Just that.
‘…Will it be a boy or a girl?’
I hope it’s a boy this time. Having a younger brother for Pediatric doesn’t seem bad with three older sisters around.
*
It hurts.
More than any pain I’ve experienced until now. Even with my master’s magic easing the pain, is this how it feels? My mother went through this level of pain twice?
Chills ran down my spine. If my master had no magic to ease the pain, how would it have been for me if I was carrying twins?
Eventually, that pain transformed into admiration for my sister Mar, who gave birth to Pediatric. I’d probably have fainted several times by now.
“Grrrgh…!”
I gritted my teeth as another wave of pain washed over me. When they handed me a cloth to bite down on, I thought it was silly, but now I see it was solid advice from experience.
“Lady, just a little bit more, hang in there! We’re almost done!”
“Yeah, you said that earlier—”
“We’re almost done!”
Just when I protested with a muffled voice, the firm shout almost made me shed tears. It was unfair! I felt scammed but could say nothing.
However, hearing we’re almost done gave me renewed strength. I could only fall for that same pattern again as a soon-to-be mother, even if I’ve been fooled multiple times.
Just a little bit longer, just a bit more effort, and soon my child will be entering this world. The fruit of love between me and my Oppa will be by our side.
‘Our Cherry Blossom.’
The fifth child of the Krasius family. Although she’ll carry the Nayard surname instead of Krasius, there’s no denying she’s a child of the Krasius line.
Our child will inherit the Aitini Baronage from the Nayard family, and the Count’s lands my Oppa brought from the Leon Kingdom.
‘Cherry Blossom will be an aristocrat…!’
Even I, who’s distant from high society, know the difference between being an upper noble and a lower one. Living as a baron compared to a count is incomparable, after all.
I can give my child that massive gap, that extraordinary title. The moment Cherry Blossom is born, I can gift her something unparalleled in the world.
So our Cherry Blossom, please come out healthy and swiftly.
“Uuhhh…!”
“It’s almost there!”
“Hang on, my lady!”
At this rate, I think my mom might faint first.
*
Once again, the delivery room door opened just past midnight.
“A magnificent son has been born!”
They announced that Pediatric’s first younger brother had arrived.
I somewhat hoped for a son, but I didn’t really expect to have one. Right off the bat, he’s already practicing filial piety; what a good kid!
Moreover, looking at his expression, it seems both the mother and child are just fine this time.
“Great job—”
“Rizie!”
Before I even finished my sentence, my father-in-law rushed into the delivery room.
It seems he was just keeping a straight face but was extremely worried as well. Even in that moment, he was comforting his son-in-law; how could I not be grateful?
“You did well again. Rest up and when you’re feeling good, let the butler know to receive your reward.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
I followed my father-in-law inside after patting the doctor’s shoulder, thinking of the child waiting in Rizie’s arms for me.
As I hurried up to the bed, Rizie welcomed me with a tired face.
“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m just a bit drained. I’m okay…”
Seeing Rizie’s faint smile, I gently stroked her head.
Even though every means to assist her delivery was mobilized, compared to Mar and Trixie, she looked especially weary this time. It felt like her childhood frailty held her back a bit.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“I just… It’s not just me…”
Saying that, Rizie turned to my father-in-law and me, giving us an even brighter smile.
“And thanks to everyone’s prayers… I was able to have a safe delivery.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Rizie gently showed us Cherry Blossom’s face.
Sure enough, I had been itching to see her since earlier. I had checked on Rizie first because she was declared healthy.
“Uweeeng!”
The crying I had heard earlier sounded like angelic music.
“What a spirited cry! You’ll surely become a great warrior when you grow up.”
Seeing my father-in-law, overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of his first grandchild, he wiped his eyes. My mother-in-law, who had entered the delivery room by then, looked just as teary.
The child, who had borne the family’s worries, had finally given birth. What parent could hold back their tears?
“It’s our child.”
Rizie gazed down at Cherry Blossom with filled affection as she spoke again.
“…My love.”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that sudden adjustment of how she addressed me.
I had asked her to call me “My Love” instead of “Big Brother” at least until Cherry Blossom was born, but it seems like the long era of calling me “Big Brother” has finally come to an end.
Thanks to having gone through childbirth three times, the servants had reached an artistic level in cleaning up. It seemed I was the only one still stuck as an amateur.
“Pediatric now has a strong younger brother.”
“Two boys and three girls. That’s a good mix.”
“What about the next one? Will it be a son again?”
As they chuckled while watching Cherry Blossom, who had finally fallen asleep after crying her heart out, the other ladies giggled.
“Are we using the Nayard surname for her?”
“Yep. Since Rizie will also become a noble in her own right, that makes Cherry Blossom Rizie’s heir. We can’t name her Krasius, can we?”
Come to think of it, all the children born thus far had different surnames. Pediatric is Krasius, the triplets are Katoban, and Cherry Blossom is Nayard.
But since we’ve decided to use Krasius as a surname for the upcoming Sea, I feel okay about it.
“Cherry Blossom? No, we should be calling her by her proper name now.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
I chuckled awkwardly at Rizie’s reminder now that she’s recovering a bit of strength.
It felt strange that the name I had called for ten months rolled off my tongue, and I wasn’t the one saying it.
“Our Friedrich.”
I smiled while I poked at the cheeks of sleeping Friedrich.
Friedrich Nayard. My fifth child and second son. Rizie’s first child and our eldest son.
And he’ll eventually inherit both the Baron title from the Nayard family and the Count title from the Kingdom.
…
‘Although being a Count in the Kingdom feels a bit uncertain.’
I realized far too late that the County in the Kingdom feels a bit dodgey. Even if a Count is a barometer for high nobility, being a Count in the Kingdom feels like being a viscount in the Empire.
Sure, on paper, it’s definitely high nobility, but let’s face it, it still ranks lower than a Count in the Empire.
‘We’ll have to promote him to Marquis.’
That means there’s only one way to go about it. Although getting hold of another Marquis title is tough now, I need to pressure the Leon Kingdom to elevate Frederick’s future Count title to a Marquis title.
It’s such a perfect plan that I’m satisfied. A Marquis in the Kingdom definitely wouldn’t fall behind a Count in the Empire.
‘The child of a Count is a Marquis.’
The eldest son becomes the Imperial Count, the eldest daughter becomes a Duchess, and the second son becomes a Marquis.
Now I’m eagerly waiting to see what title will be given to the child Lynn will bear.
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