It was when the deep blue dawn painted the world. Dietrian, who had been lost in sleep, slowly lifted his eyelids.
“Leticia? Are you already awake?”
“Dietrian, listen.”
A trembling breath touched his bare chest. Instinctively, he tried to pull her into an embrace but hesitated.
Her breathing was different from usual.
Dietrian jumped out of bed as if he had been doused with cold water, his mind instantly alert.
He quickly went to the window and pulled back the curtain. The landscape of the room began to emerge from the dark blue dawn.
He observed Leticia, who was propped up on one side, holding her belly while biting her lip.
“What’s wrong?”
“My belly… it feels strange. I think it’s labor.”
* * *
At first, she hadn’t intended to wake Dietrian. As the due date approached, she had occasionally felt a slight pain in her belly. She thought it would pass if she waited.
But it didn’t.
The sensation grew increasingly unusual.
Leticia’s prediction was right.
It was real labor.
“I will prepare the birthing room. Please wait outside, Your Highness.”
“But the due date is a whole month away! Are the babies coming a month early?”
Hearing this, Dietrian felt as though his soul was leaving his body.
“Leticia, is she going to be alright?”
“Don’t worry. It’s not uncommon for twins to be born early. We are fully prepared, so you can be at ease.”
However, it was not easy for him to calm down.
“The healing wing will arrive soon. Just trust the Viscount and me and wait.”
Dietrian, who had been staring blankly at those words, sank down in despair.
His mind was filled with ominous thoughts.
He recalled the pregnancy-related books he had read over the past few months.
Twins might result in a difficult delivery, can put a strain on the mother, and the risk of complications during childbirth is doubled…
“Please.”
Dietrian clasped his hands in desperation.
He earnestly prayed to Sigmund, the goddess Dinute, and all other transcendent beings in existence.
To protect his wife and children.
* * *
“Ugh!”
The moans coming from the room made Dietrian feel as though all the blood had drained from his body.
He looked at the closed door with a pale face.
Even during the early stages of pregnancy, he had firmly believed in the healing powers.
He thought childbirth would be painless too.
But it was not.
He had heard that to exert the right amount of force, sensitivity needed to be present.
After hearing this, Leticia had asked Kailas to adjust the healing powers.
Dietrian wanted to stop Leticia no matter what, but he had no way to break her stubbornness.
“Aaagh!”
Hearing Leticia’s scream, he finally jumped up from his seat.
He could not stay put, unable to bear the anxiety.
He paced the hallway restlessly, sitting down and then standing up again.
He even started biting his nails without realizing it.
And then, at what felt like an eternity of anxiety,
“Waaah―!”
Like a lightning bolt, that sound rang out. It was the first baby’s cry. Soon after, another.
“Waaah, Waaah―!”
The second baby’s cry was heard as well.
* * *
A while later, the midwife came out with a bright smile.
“Congratulations…”
“Leticia?”
Dietrian did not wait for the midwife’s response and went inside.
Leticia, drenched in sweat and with a pale face, lay on the bed.
At the sound of Dietrian’s footsteps, a faint smile appeared on Leticia’s lips.
He grabbed Leticia’s hand without saying a word.
He felt like he would cry if he spoke.
“Leticia, you went through so much…”
As expected, as soon as he opened his mouth, his eyes began to burn with tears. He tried to hold them back, but he couldn’t.
“Don’t cry.”
Leticia chuckled as she cupped his cheek.
“Have you seen the babies?”
“Not yet.”
“You don’t know their genders, do you?”
Dietrian barely managed to nod.
He was completely disoriented from Leticia’s labor and had no room to worry about the babies’ genders.
“Check for yourself.”
Hearing Leticia’s words, the palace attendant quickly went to the adjacent room.
“Leticia, this is so… unfair.”
“What do you mean?”
“That only you…”
Why did only women have to endure such immense pain?
He felt a deep resentment towards the god who had created men and women this way.
Leticia shook her head with a smile.
“No, it was a blessing for me.”
The labor was indeed painful. Even though Kailas had considerably reduced the pain, it was still intense. It was hard to imagine how ordinary mothers managed to give birth.
The pain only worsened. She regretted deciding to endure it and wished she could cling to Kailas.
Then, finally, the seemingly endless labor ceased. With the sensation of something being released, she heard the babies’ cries.
At that moment, she had a premonition.
She knew she would never forget this moment.
She gave birth to the second baby while hearing the first baby’s cry. The attendants, beaming with joy, brought the two babies to her.
Seeing the newborns, her chest filled with a sense of fulfillment she had never felt before.
“It felt like I was born into this world just to meet those babies.”
A moment later, the door opened, and the two babies who had filled Leticia with such emotion were brought into the room.
Dietrian, still holding Leticia’s hand, looked at the babies.
“How are they? Don’t they look like us?”
Dietrian couldn’t say a word.
In fact, until just moments before, he had felt somewhat resentful towards the babies.
If they had decided to be born early, they could have come out sooner instead of making their mother suffer for so long.
But the moment he saw the two babies.
That thought was completely forgotten.
“Would you like to hold them?”
“They’re the prince and princess.”
The first baby was a son, and the second was a daughter. Leticia held the son, and Dietrian held the daughter. The moment the swaddling clothes touched his hands, it felt as though his heart would burst.
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Yes, they are.”
Dietrian said without taking his eyes off the baby.
“They’re really beautiful.”
In truth, they weren’t.
The first newborn baby he saw was truly unattractive.
Small, red, and covered in wrinkles. Wet hair still clung to its forehead.
Yet, it was incredibly lovable.
Dietrian thought,
This is unfair.
How could such a lovable being exist in the world?
At that moment, the baby’s hand accidentally grasped his finger.
Dietrian was frozen, unable to even breathe.
It felt as though a giant’s hand was gripping his heart. To think that the owner of such delicate, soft hands was his child.
Eventually, a hot tear fell.
* * *
After the birth of the twins, Kailas immediately left the birthing room.
It was for those who had eagerly awaited Leticia’s delivery.
As soon as she stepped out of the building, beings who were not human flocked to her.
They were spirit creatures with wings. All were tense, eagerly looking at Kailas.
“Leticia is fine.”
The spirits’ gazes became more intense. Kailas burst into a smile.
“The prince and princess!”
Immediately, the spirits moved into action.
As the spirits quickened their pace, the bursts of light emanating from their bodies grew stronger and then faded away.
They rushed to the waiting wings at their respective places.
* * *
Whoosh—
The water spirit dispersed into the air.
Noel, upon hearing the news from the spirit, covered her face with her hands, unsure of what to do. She began to jump up and down with joy.
“Goddess, thank you so much. Thank you!”
She repeated his gratitude prayers several times. It felt like happiness was filling every vein in her body.
A prince and a princess.
A son and a daughter all at once! Leticia was indeed perfect!
“Ugh! When can I see them?”
It would likely be weeks before she could meet the babies. She was already anxious.
Happiness seemed to be swelling, about to burst like a balloon. She felt like she had to express it.
The person she most wanted to share her happiness with was, of course, Ahwin.
Noel, who had sprung up to leave the house, hesitated.
Her feet wouldn’t move.
The concerns she had once shared with Kailas still weighed heavily on her chest.
Her relationship with Ahwin remained unchanged.
Nothing seemed to have altered.
They still loved each other passionately and cared for one another. At times, they spent time together as if they were a couple.
But they had never once discussed marriage or children.
Despite this, the thought would suddenly cross her mind.
The fact that Ahwin wanted a family and children. The fact that Noel could not give him what he desperately wanted.
By now, Ahwin must have heard the news of the twins’ birth from the spirits.
What would he be thinking?
She suddenly felt anxious.
Holding onto the half-open door handle, Noel had to calm her dizzying thoughts for a long time.
* * *
Julios clenched his fists tightly.
His gaze remained fixed on the two babies wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Mano was the same. She kept exclaiming in awe as she looked at the squirming babies.
“They look just like their mom and dad.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Look at their noses. The first one’s nose is just like yours. The second one looks like Dietrian when he was a baby.”
Leticia carefully examined the babies at Mano’s words. Though they said the babies resembled the parents, she couldn’t tell for sure. She thought she’d be able to tell more clearly once the babies grew.
“Each day seems different.”
“It should. They will grow more and more. You did well, dear.”
Mano held Leticia’s hand tightly and spoke warmly. Leticia responded with affection.
“Madam Mano, it was incredibly hard. You are the most admirable person in the world.”
“It’s only our Leticia who understands my feelings.”
Julios, listening to their conversation, continued to watch the babies.
Both babies were sound asleep. A small hand was briefly visible between the swaddling clothes.
He almost reached out but managed to restrain himself. He was told to look for now.
“Uncle! Play with me!”
Naturally, the image of the two babies he had seen in his dream came to mind.
The sweet call of “Uncle,” too.
Even though he hadn’t actually heard it, he missed it.
He was already looking forward to the day when the children would call him.
Like others who had seen the babies, Julios, too, fell in love with his nieces the moment he saw them.
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