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Sylvia couldn’t help but laugh. While she giggled, constantly putting strawberries into her mouth, Felix sat beside her, eating strawberries with a sullen expression.
At least he could eat fruit. That’s a relief.
“Is this really possible?”
Hubert, who was with them, asked. Barbara then responded.
“Although it’s very rare, it’s not unheard of. I’ve heard of it once before.”
“Ha… Our Emperor is having morning sickness.”
“Be quiet.”
Felix coldly rebuked, clearly annoyed by Hubert’s muttering. He felt extremely embarrassed by the situation.
“It’s all because His Majesty loves Her Majesty the Empress so much.”
Barbara’s comment piqued Felix’s curiosity.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The couple I heard about who went through a similar experience were known for having a very loving relationship. The husband especially adored his wife. So, people said he took on her burden to ease her hardship.”
“Wow, that husband is amazing.”
Sylvia’s murmur made Felix straighten his previously slouched shoulders.
“I’ve heard that morning sickness isn’t easy. One of my friends had it so bad that she could only drink water with lemon in it all day.”
Sylvia spoke as she recalled the past. Her friend had suffered for quite a while, with morning sickness so severe that she had lost a lot of weight.
Would she have been able to endure it if it had happened to her?
As she imagined the unfairness of not being able to eat what she wanted and the scene of dry heaving on an empty stomach, her whole body shuddered.
She felt both sorry and grateful to him. It was pitiful that he couldn’t eat, but hearing that it all happened because of his love for her made her heart swell with emotion.
“Darling, thank you and I’m sorry.”
At her words, Felix straightened his shoulders even more and said,
“Don’t worry and eat plenty of delicious food. The doctor said it’s good for the baby if the mother eats well.”
Felix felt very proud and happy to endure the pain of morning sickness in her place.
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And a few months later, he was eating nothing but watermelon, recalling that time.
“Darling, are you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
Sylvia, who had thought things would get better with time, now found herself in an awkward situation.
She still had a big appetite and didn’t suffer from any morning sickness at all. However, Felix was the complete opposite.
Sylvia, cupping Felix’s now gaunt face, said,
“What should we do? Look how much weight you’ve lost.”
“I’m fine. Siri, I’m just glad you’re eating well.”
Felix responded as he gazed at her swollen belly. He even found her, eating well and living without any trouble, endearing.
“Is our little round one playing energetically today too?”
The baby, who was given the nickname “Roundie” to be born with a personality as beautiful and round as a full moon, did not cause the mother any trouble.
Felix gently rubbed Sylvia’s swollen belly. In response, the baby kicked back as if replying from inside.
“Look at how it’s kicking. It seems like it recognizes Daddy’s voice.”
Sylvia also felt the baby’s movements and murmured. Every time she felt the life inside her move, she was overwhelmed with emotion.
To think that a new life was growing inside her.
Every moment felt miraculous. Every mother must have gone through this process, right?
“Soon we’ll get to meet our Roundie. Right, Felix?”
“Indeed.”
He was just as eager to see Roundie as she was, but he was also worried.
It was because of the stories he’d heard from Barbara and their physician.
He had grown increasingly gaunt with the thought that she might lose her life during childbirth.
Even though he couldn’t eat due to the persistent nausea, he also had no appetite. He was even losing more weight than in the past because he couldn’t sleep well either.
“I can’t wait for Roundie to be born.”
Sylvia said, caressing Felix’s cheeks as he stared at her with hollow eyes. Once the baby was born, the nausea would naturally disappear.
She had been grateful that her husband had taken on the nausea instead of her, but she never expected it to last this long.
She meant it with concern, but Felix replied with a start.
“Not me. I hope it comes out at the right time.”
He was already aware of the risks of premature birth.
“Of course, that’s all up to Roundie. It’s not something we can decide.”
At Sylvia’s words, Felix quickly touched her swollen belly and muttered.
“Roundie, take your time coming out. Even though I want to see you, Daddy can wait.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sylvia laughed and shook her body at his funny words, then held her belly.
“Ah, my belly’s tightening. I guess I can’t even laugh freely anymore.”
“Come on, let’s go inside and rest.”
Felix carefully lifted her with a wind spell.
“No, I can walk.”
“No, Barbara said you have to be careful.”
“But I need to walk…”
Sylvia had heard that it was good to exercise regularly before giving birth.
But seeing him speak with such a pale face, how could she refuse?
Felix gently laid Sylvia safely on the bed and quickly sat by her side.
“Shall I massage your feet?”
“…Okay.”
As she approached full term, her feet and calves began to swell badly. Sylvia felt his large, warm hands and drifted off to sleep.
As Felix’s overprotection grew more intense, Sylvia began to feel a pain that was different from usual.
She had felt her belly tighten occasionally, but it had never been this severe.
“Ugh…”
Felix, who had been by her side the whole time, quickly looked into her face at the small sound she made.
“Darling?”
“Felix…”
Seeing Sylvia’s complexion grow pale, he rushed out of the bedroom and shouted.
“Call the doctor!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Barbara, who had been waiting in the sitting room, was startled and quickly ran to fetch the doctor. Felix hurried back to Sylvia.
“A-Are you okay?”
He asked as he wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
Sylvia saw the worry on his face but couldn’t answer.
The pain, which was growing more intense, was more excruciating than she had imagined. She even began to worry that something might be wrong with Roundie.
Was it normal for the pain to be this severe?
She clutched her belly with both hands, breathing heavily in small gasps.
“D-Darling…”
Felix, watching her unable to respond, couldn’t hear anything over the wild beating of his heart.
Especially the second heartbeat, the one tied to his bonded partner, which throbbed with fear at the thought of losing her.
Felix, hearing the command from that second heart to save his partner immediately, leapt to his feet.
With a terrifying expression, he flew out of the bedroom and through the balcony, quickly reaching the doctor’s quarters before Barbara could. He grabbed the doctor and took off with him.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Ignoring the doctor’s startled scream, Felix flew back and set him down quickly in front of Sylvia.
“Examine her immediately.”
“Y-Yes!”
The doctor hurriedly checked Sylvia’s condition. After a quick and thorough examination, he spoke.
“We must prepare for delivery. The pain will intensify soon as the baby gets ready to be born.”
“Darling…”
Worried, Felix quickly grabbed Sylvia’s hand. She, sweating and with her face buried in the pillow, spoke in a small voice.
“Y-You… need to… leave.”
“Why? I need to be by your side.”
Sylvia knew very well how he had reacted before.
If the pain became even more severe, she wouldn’t be able to hold back her screams. If that happened, Felix would be a nervous wreck by her side.
Not wanting to see him like that, Sylvia harshly pushed his hand away and said.
“D-Don’t come in until I call for you.”
“…If I can’t be by your side, where am I supposed to be?”
“Just for a moment… Just wait for a very short moment…”
Sylvia gritted her teeth, trying to endure the pain of labor. Hubert, who had been watching closely, approached Felix and whispered softly.
“Perhaps it would be best to leave this to the doctor and Lady Barbara, Your Majesty.”
“…Where do you expect me to go when the Empress is in pain?”
“You can wait just outside the door.”
In the meantime, Barbara returned with the midwife instead of the doctor.
The palace staff, who had been trained in advance, began to enter with hot water and clean, sterilized cloths.
“Your Majesty, please leave this to me!”
With even Barbara insisting, Felix could no longer stay by Sylvia’s side.
Though he was reluctant to leave the room, he couldn’t refuse her request.
As soon as he stepped out into the sitting room with heavy steps, Sylvia’s screams burst from the bedroom, followed by the shouts of those inside.
The sun had just reached its peak in the sky. With a long wait ahead, Felix weakly knelt on the floor of the sitting room.
He prayed, thinking of the vanished Black Dragon.
He begged that Sylvia would safely deliver their child.
Around him, fairies gathered. They, too, sensed Sylvia’s condition and didn’t behave as they usually did.
Instead, they hovered around Felix, mirroring his prayers for Sylvia’s safety.
“Aaagh!”
“Your Majesty!”
At the sound of Sylvia’s scream from the bedroom, the fairies clung to Felix’s shoulders and arms, whimpering.
With a worried expression, Felix couldn’t take his eyes off the bedroom door.
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