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“Have you arrived?”
“I offer my greetings to Your Majesty.”
“You don’t have to be so polite. I don’t even have the spirit to accept greetings right now.”
Maryam greeted Khalid and Renato with a haggard face when they rushed into the palace after hearing Laila’s news. Unable to sleep all night, her hair and clothes were disheveled unlike usual. She briefly greeted Renato who was with Khalid by gaze. Then, she turned back to the tightly closed door.
“How is the Queen Consort?”
“……I don’t know. I don’t think the situation is good.”
Maryam answered, pressing her hand to her eye corner. Around last night, Laila, who had been suffering from pain for a few days, began to have full-fledged labor pain. After being rushed to the delivery room, she suffered from excruciating labor pain the entire time. Maryam was by Laila’s side as she struggled in pain, pouring her pheromone onto her. The companion Alpha’s pheromone was the most effective pain reliever when the Omega gave birth.
When Laila’s labor pain was longer than expected, the palace doctor advised Maryam to take rest. But she never left her place. Pheromone showers were the only thing Maryam could do to help Laila.
With Maryam’s effort, Laila was able to get through the arduous time. But as time went by, her condition only worsened. When the long night passed and the morning dawned, Maryam’s pheromone was no longer of help.
Laila, whose body was weak from birth, couldn’t stand the pain encroaching on her and fainted several times. When the palace doctor and midwife, feeling she had reached her limit, discussed cesarean delivery, Laila’s labor pain suddenly intensified. The child, who had tormented Laila and distressed Maryam for nearly 20 hours, finally appeared into the world along with a piercing scream, not giving the palace doctor time to take action. He was a lovely royal prince.
But the problem ensued. The palace doctor and the midwife hurriedly sent Maryam out, saying that Laila’s blood wouldn’t stop. And it had come to the current situation. Unable to be happy about the birth of her long-awaited child, Maryam was now on edge.
“Just what is happening……”
“Everything will be fine.”
Khalid comforted Maryam and quickly supported her as she staggered out of dizziness. His expression was as bad as Maryam’s. At that moment, the door to the delivery room opened and the palace doctor came out, covered in blood.
“What happened? How is the Queen Consort?”
Led by Maryam, Marquis Ziyad and others flocked to the palace doctor. In response to Maryam who asked about Laila’s condition, the palace doctor answered with a grave expression.
“The hemorrhage control was successful, but I think we will have to keep monitoring the progress.”
“What does that mean?”
“She has a very severe fever. It’s not uncommon to have fevers after giving birth, but she has lost a lot of blood…… It can be dangerous if the fever doesn’t go away after some time.”
“Dangerous?”
“……Please have mercy.”
Unable to say Laila could die, the palace doctor bowed his head. That alone was enough. Losing the strength in her legs, Maryam stumbled. If Khalid hadn’t supported her, she might have collapsed on the floor.
“No. Laila……”
With a pale face, Maryam tried to enter the delivery room. She wanted to know exactly how Laila was right now. But the palace doctor blocked her.
“You can’t go in now, Your Majesty.”
“Get out of the way. I will see with my own eyes.”
“Please calm down, Her Majesty the Queen Consort is in a very weak condition now. There is a high risk of infection if done wrong.”
“Infection?”
“Yes, if the fever does not go away and leads to puerperal fever, it will truly be irreversible. So please……”
“Fuck!”
Arguing with the palace doctor, Maryam swore and struck the wall with her hand. She stared at the palace doctor with bloodshot eyes.
“Use every method you can. Unconditionally, unconditionally make sure Laila recovers. Do you understand? If the worst happens, you will lose your head too.”
“……I will do my best.”
Upon hearing Maryam’s conversation with the palace doctor, Renato bit his lower lip. In his memories, Laila passed away shortly after giving birth to the child and suffering from a severe puerperal fever. If she was left in this state, she would probably lose her life.
Renato looked at Khalid by moving only his gaze. The man’s expression had stiffened since the first time he heard the news about Laila. Khalid’s deeply furrowed forehead and his mouth pressed in a straight line showed his mood.
What should I do?
Unable to make a decision, Renato nibbled his blameless lip. Looking at Khalid’s face troubled him again. The quick-witted man must have realized the time of choice he spoke of last time was now.
But Khalid didn’t say anything to Renato. He just silently consoled Maryam who was in despair.
‘No matter what choice we make, regrets are bound to follow. So please act in the way you think is best for you, Your Imperial Highness. I have no reason to hate you.’
The way I think is best. Recalling what Khalid had said to him, Renato fiddled with the vial in his pocket. As his gaze shifted from Khalid to Maryam, an urgent voice rang out from the inside.
“It has become serious! Her Majesty the Queen Consort is bleeding again……!”
Hearing the voice of the midwife looking for him, the palace doctor hurriedly turned inside. Sensing that things were going wrong, Maryam tried to follow him in but was stopped by Khalid.
“What? What’s going on? Bleeding? Why is she bleeding again…… Damn it! Laila! Laila!”
“You can’t, noonim!”
Khalid strongly dissuaded Maryam as she struggled to shake him off. Held by him, Maryam loudly wailed. Marquis Ziyad, Laila’s father, and her other family members also stamped their feet repeatedly. Some palace attendants burst into tears. The hallway in front of the delivery room quickly became noisy.
“Please calm down, everyone. Her Majesty the Queen Consort is alright. She is only bleeding a bit……”
“Really?”
Extremely agitated, Maryam flung herself at the palace doctor who came out again. She didn’t believe the palace doctor’s words that it was alright. The smell of blood coming out was too strong for that. It was indisputably the smell of death.
Just like Maryam, Khalid’s face distorted as he felt the aura of death emanating from within. The moment Renato saw that, he made up his mind.
“Excuse me……”
Taking a step forward, Renato carefully opened his mouth. His voice was small, but Khalid did not miss it and responded.
“Your Imperial Highness?”
When Khalid turned his head toward Renato, the others followed.
“I think I can help Her Majesty the Queen Consort recover safely.”
Renato tightened his grip on the vial when everyone in the hallway turned to him. Giving strength to his neck so that his voice wouldn’t tremble, he spoke as calmly as possible. At Renato’s words, the hallway became quiet like a lie.
“What do you mean? Help? You will? How?”
With disheveled hair, Maryam approached Renato. She was almost out of her mind. Maryam grabbed Renato’s shoulders tightly as if imploring him.
“Quickly tell me, if Laila can be saved, I will do anything. Please……”
“Her Majesty will be able to overcome the crisis with this medicine.”
Finishing his words, Renato took out the small vial from his pocket. Maryam’s gaze turned to the vial he took out.
“This is Fairy’s Tears.”
“……!”
When she asked about the vial with her gaze, Renato immediately revealed the medicine’s identity. The moment his words finished, gasping sounds could be heard from everywhere. Maryam also opened her mouth wide. Anyone living in the Tiana continent couldn’t be unaware of the Fairy’s Tears – the Fleurette Empire’s elixir that was said to be capable of even reviving the dead.
“Is, is this really Fairy’s Tears? Really?”
Maryam looked at Renato and the vial in his hand in disbelief. Her voice greatly trembled. A glimmer of hope appeared in her teary eyes.
“Yes, His Majesty the Emperor has given this to me in case of an emergency. I think now is the time.”
Renato’s decision was to save Laila. He didn’t know what would be best for everyone, but he couldn’t ignore her death. And above all, Khalid would surely be sad if Laila died. If he had no choice but to regret whichever choice he made, he would at least choose the one that hurt Khalid less.
The light purple eyes without hesitation turned towards Khalid. When their eyes met, he could see the widened red eyes swaying like waves. Renato faintly smiled at him. He meant to say the man didn’t have to worry anymore.
“Will you really use this, Fairy’s Tears…… for Laila?”
“If Your Majesty permits it.”
“Of course I do! T, thank you. I will definitely repay this……”
“We can talk about that later, so please treat Her Majesty the Queen Consort first.”
“R, right, p, palace doctor! What is the palace doctor doing? Quickly come here!”
The palace doctor, awakened by Maryam’s shout, hastily came running. He received the vial with trembling hands.
“Is this r, really Fairy’s Tears?”
“Yes. Let Her Majesty drink it if she can, but if it’s not possible, apply half of it to the affected area. That way, the medicine will enter her body through the wound. After that, give her the rest of the medicine when she comes to her senses.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Renato quickly explained how to take the medicine to the palace doctor. Drinking the Fairy’s tears was the most effective, but it could also be applied like ointment to the wound in unfavorable situations. Hearing his explanation, the palace doctor entered the delivery room with a resolute expression. As the delivery room door closed, a heavy silence fell in the hallway.