I Became the Master of the Empress

311

– Thud thud.

“Ha… ha.”

I ran quickly toward the room where Terra was staying.

– Creak!

Normally, I would wait for the knight to open the door, but there’s no time for that now.

– Ugh! Ha… ha…

– Your Majesty! You need to breathe! Breathe!

– It hurts… it hurts… ugh!

“Duke, please stop for a moment.”

—

—

William stands in my way.

“To enter here, you must tear this scroll.”

The bundle of paper he extends.

I quickly tear it, thinking it must be the disinfecting scroll Sena mentioned not long ago.

– Riiip!

“Thank you.”

“Please hurry inside and assist Her Majesty.”

– Creak.

As William opens the door, what I see are the doctors standing around Terra.

“What is happening?”

“The amniotic sac has burst, and the baby is coming.”

“Ughhh!”

Terra, gripping the sheets and clutching her belly, winces in pain.

What should I do? How can I help?

I knew childbirth wasn’t easy, but seeing her in such agony leaves me at a loss.

“Your Majesty, please drink this.”

Sena brings a vial close to Terra’s lips.

Sweat beads on her forehead.

“It hurts… Ugh!”

Watching Terra grasp the vial with trembling hands and drink, I ask,

“Is it okay?”

“It seems to be a bit of a difficult labor. But it’s still manageable.”

From the familiar shape of the bottle, it’s clear that the potion Terra is drinking is a healing one.

Isn’t there no reason to drink a potion effective for trauma?

“Then why the potion?”

“There was a bit of bleeding. It seems there’s some hemorrhaging as the baby comes out. This level is common, but just in case, we prepared it.”

“Ahhh!”

“Your Majesty! Breathe out.”

The sight of Terra, eyes closed and grimacing in pain… somehow overlaps with the image of my mother being abused.

What… what should I do?

How can I ensure she doesn’t suffer and that the child is born safely?

It felt as if my mind, usually racing with thoughts while working, had come to a standstill in this moment.

“Y-you can see the head!”

“Your Highness, please hold the Queen’s hand.”

At Sena’s words, I urgently grasped Terra’s hand.

“Ha… ha…”

Her gaze was unfocused.

She looked at me with a pained expression.

“You… you came?”

“Yeah, are you okay?”

Terra gasped for breath, her face contorted in agony.

“No… it hurts like I’m dying… Haaak!”

“Your Majesty! Give us your strength!”

– Squeeeak!

“Terra?!”

“Sister?!”

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law entered the room, their faces pale with concern.

“What’s happening?”

“It seems to be a bit of a difficult labor.”

At my words, my mother-in-law’s face turned ashen.

“It’s her first child, so it must be tough… difficult labor, you say.”

“Ah! Sister?! There’s blood!”

At my sister-in-law’s words, I quickly turned my head to see blood seeping from the cloth wrapped around Terra’s lower body.

“It’s okay. You’ve taken the potion!”

Sena said this while grimacing.

Is it because there are so many people?

“Your Majesty, Your Highness. I’m sorry, but could you please step outside? Having both of you here makes it difficult for the other doctors to attend to the Queen.”

Seeing the doctors tending to Terra fidgeting and glancing at the royal family, it seemed reasonable.

“Mother-in-law. I’ll stay here. Please take a moment to rest with my sister-in-law. It will be over soon.”

I focused on Terra as I watched my mother-in-law nod anxiously and leave with Zoe.

“Ugh!”

“It’s almost done. Your Majesty, just a little more strength, please.”

“Ahhh! Hah… Hah…”

A sense of helplessness… All I can do is hold Terra’s hand.

I can only watch as she bleeds, sweat and tears streaming down her face.

“Just a bit more! Just a little more!”

Sena shouts as she examines Terra’s lower body.

“Ugh!”

She grips my hand tightly.

“It’s okay, you’re doing well.”

I gently stroke Terra’s sweat-soaked hair.

“Haah!”

“Ah!”

Sena lifts a bloodied bundle from under Terra’s skirt.

“It’s done! You’ve worked hard, Your Majesty.”

With that, she gives the baby’s bottom a light slap…

“Waaah! Waaah!”

The strong cry of the child echoes through the room.

“It’s a prince. I’ll clean the blood.”

I glance at Sena as she carefully wipes the baby, then turn my gaze back to Terra.

“You’ve been through so much.”

“Hah… Hah…”

Is it because she’s exhausted? Terra breathes heavily.

I gently wrap my arms around her shoulders and say, “It hurt a lot, didn’t it?”

“Yes… I thought I was going to die. Really…”

“You did well.”

I say this and plant a kiss on her forehead.

-Smooch!

As I kiss Terra.

Sena brought a small, wrinkled baby wrapped in a little cloth.

“It’s the prince.”

“Waaah!”

Tera, taken aback, asked Sena as she held the crying baby.

“So, what should we do now?”

“I think the prince is probably hungry. You should breastfeed him.”

At Sena’s words, Tera’s face turned slightly red.

But soon, she lowered her outer garment, exposing her chest, and shyly brought the baby to her breast.

“Ah?”

Seeing Tera’s slight surprise, I hurriedly asked.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Well… his sucking is a bit strong.”

He must have been very hungry, as he eagerly latched on and suckled, which felt almost magical to witness.

“Wait, but doesn’t he have black hair?”

The faint hair around his head was definitely black.

“Yes, and his eyes will probably be red.”

The symbol of the first empress, the dragon, is red eyes.

For generations, all her descendants have had red eyes.

Thus, it has become the color that symbolizes the emperor today.

“Hmm…”

Once the baby had drunk enough, Tera gently pulled him away from her.

Sena then said, “After the prince eats, he needs to be burped.”

Saying this, she took the baby into her arms.

She wrapped him up and gently patted his back.

“Ah?”

I felt like I had seen this in a drama or movie in my past life.

They said that babies have weak digestive systems and need to be patted on the back to burp, right?

“Hmm…”

As the baby let out a small burp, Sena handed him back to Tera.

“Ah… our son.”

As I watched her smiling brightly at the squirming baby with her eyes closed, I thought of my mother-in-law.

“Ah? Right, call my mother-in-law and sister-in-law!”

When I intentionally shouted out the door, a voice responded from outside.

– I will bring them right away.

“Hoho… I am your mother.”

I reflected on how just moments ago she had been in pain, and now, looking at Terra with her gentle smile, I thought to myself.

She must have been in so much pain… Is this what maternal love feels like?

The first time I saw my son, his wrinkled, crimson skin was far from what one would call beautiful or cute.

But why is that?

To my eyes, he looks endlessly lovable.

– Creak.

“Terra? Son-in-law?”

“Eek?!”

My mother-in-law and Joy entered, surrounding Terra’s bed.

“The baby is so cute!”

“Is this Ian? It’s Grandma. Grandma!”

Watching the two of them each say their piece while looking at the baby in Terra’s arms, both Terra and I shared a faint smile.

The sun was slowly rising.

I briefly stopped by the grand hall to instruct that the news of our child’s safe birth be announced to the citizens of Roman, and soon declared a public holiday before returning.

It is a long-standing tradition in the empire to declare a grand public holiday when the emperor’s first child is a son.

The royal family gathered in Terra’s room all watched the child with shining eyes.

“Mom? Are we really going to name him Ian?”

“Yes, it was Ian in my dream. Plus, look at this black hair. It’s just like the Ian I saw in my dream!”

My mother-in-law said that the grandson she saw in her dream had black hair, but his face resembled Terra’s, right?

I fell into thought as I gazed at the sleeping child in the crib.

Now that I think about it, his overall appearance does seem to resemble Terra, doesn’t it? Could she really have had a prophetic dream?

“Then the baby’s name will be…”

I cautiously looked at Terra, and she nodded her head.

“I want to name him Ian, but what do you think?”

To be honest, I was also thinking of naming him Ian after my mother-in-law’s song.

It’s not a bad name, after all—Ian Lion-Augustus.

The sound of it isn’t bad either.

“I think that’s a good idea too.”

Dressed in the baby clothes made by my mother-in-law, Ian sleeps peacefully, unaware of the world.

“Hmm… once Rene is born…”

“Excuse me?”

Now that I’ve had a son… she can’t possibly be saying she wants to see a granddaughter too, can she?

***

As soon as the child is born, I start looking for a nanny and discuss childcare with Terra.

“Should we consider breastfeeding?”

Nobles here generally frown upon breastfeeding.

To be precise, they don’t like the idea of a mother nursing her child for aesthetic reasons…

“I want you to breastfeed the baby.”

I heard in my past life that it’s good for both the woman’s body and the child.

At my words, Terra looked a bit worried.

“Hmm… they say breastfeeding can make your breasts sag…”

“But it’s good for the baby, right? Are you planning to raise the future emperor weak?”

At my words, Terra shot me a glare.

“Well, that’s not it. I just worry that if my breasts sag, you might lose your mind.”

“Come on, I only have eyes for you! Don’t you trust me?”

“Hmph. Ian, you must not charm every woman like your father, understand?”

“Wha—?”

I feel wronged… truly.