I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 63

“I’ve been searching every inch of the castle for her, even if it’s not…”

 

“You mean you don’t know where she is?”

 

“Yes, I do.”

 

Evelyn looked around the castle and realized that Kalian and the saint were nowhere to be seen.

 

Evelyn’s mind automatically pictured them together.

 

Sighing in frustration, Evelyn went straight to the lady. She couldn’t even get her hand under her skirt, it was covered in water. Her water broke.

 

“Get her into the bedroom now! Hot water, scissors, and a clean cloth, now!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Kaaaah!”

 

A piercing scream echoed through the heavy wooden door.

 

Reah stamped her foot outside the tightly closed door.

 

“What’s the commotion!”

 

Soon the Marquis of Saxony and the grand duke burst in, demanding to know what had happened.

 

Reah sobbed and explained what had happened.

 

“I guess I panicked because I’ve never cared for a patient in critical condition before, and I’ve never been a mother before…”

 

“So now, you’re saying that Evelyn went in to deliver the baby alone?”

 

Reah’s eyelashes fluttered at the sharp look. Frowning hard at the unspoken affirmation, Kalian gripped the doorknob, ready to rip it off.

 

“Your Highness, she’s in labor.”

 

Benjamin’s voice restored sanity. He tried to make sense of the situation, trying to guess why she had gone in alone.

 

“She’s trying to use her healing powers.”

 

The mother would be so distraught, he figured, that it wouldn’t matter much if no one else witnessed it.

 

“I thought I told you not to make your presence felt.”

 

Benjamin, who had controlled access to the outbuilding, soothed Reah’s sobs as she stormed away from the door.

 

“Don’t worry too much, my lord. They’ll both be fine.”

 

Benjamin, who had been away from the battlefield convoying wagons, had witnessed the miracle of Litchev in a nearby village.

 

He hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but he had no doubt of the reserve grand duke’s abilities.

 

There was even a rumor among the Templars that she was a true saint.

 

So it might be better for the Marquise of Saxony to entrust herself to Evelyn than to a clumsy councilor.

 

‘For God’s sake, please…’

 

The screaming continued.

 

Dwayne, fearing for his daughter-in-law’s safety, slammed his hand down on the nape of the Marquis’s neck to silence the screams.

 

In the peace that was restored.

 

Reah slid to a halt with her back against the door and muttered to herself.

 

“I’ve heard it said that giving birth to a child is a lot harder than you can imagine.” 

 

“…….”

 

“She said it feels like the whole world is singing.”

 

Kalian was unmoved by the idea of a child.

 

So, he couldn’t react to the words, but for some reason, he felt a heavy weight in his chest.

 

“And if you do it wrong, you could die of puerperal fever after giving birth. Last year alone, five mothers died in our village…”

 

“Aaaaah! Aaaah! Ow!”

 

A pitifully loud scream rang out before Reah could finish speaking, and he could feel Evelyn’s magic power faintly moving through the door.

 

“Heeeee, heeeee-!”

 

Hearing the simultaneous wailing of a child, Kalian suddenly thought, ‘Thank God Evelyn can’t have children of her own.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was a difficult birth.

 

The first thing Evelyn saw when she entered the bedroom, nestled between Mrs. Saxony’s legs were a tiny foot, not a black head.

 

Evelyn had never had a child, never given birth.

 

But no matter how ignorant she was about childbirth, she knew that if a child was born upside down, it was dangerous for both mother and child.

 

“Madam,” she said, “you must never stop pushing, and I’m sure you’ll have a healthy baby, so trust me and be strong!”

 

But the woman, who had been lying on her back and was exhausted from screaming, couldn’t hold on for long and finally gave up.

 

The baby’s head became stuck in the birth canal. She managed to pull the baby out, but the tiny creature was still tangled in the umbilical cord, barely breathing.

 

‘It’s not going to survive.’

 

Evelyn immediately poured her healing power into the baby to save it.

 

Pow!

 

In the pure white light, the baby finally cried out.

 

“Heeeee, heeeee-!”

 

The sound of that tiny, thin voice caused Evelyn’s throat, which had been tightly closed until now, to burst into tears of gratitude.

 

“Thank you. Hmph. Thank you for saving my life, sweetheart.”

 

After a few moments, Evelyn gathered her emotions and carefully cut the baby’s umbilical cord with sterilized scissors.

 

“Congratulations, you’re a very nice girl.”

 

The mother, who had just awakened from the effects of the healing power, embraced her child with bleary eyes.

 

“Awww-!”

 

The tiny creature, wrapped in clean cloth, cried out in its mother’s arms.

 

“Oh, God! Thank you so, so much…!”

 

Tears of joy streamed from the woman’s eyes as she awoke to the sound.

 

Evelyn wiped the sweat and tears from her forehead with a damp cloth.

 

The woman’s eyes were bloodshot and she clutched Evelyn’s hand tightly in gratitude.

 

“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said, “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this…”

 

“No, you did what you had to do, and I hope you are well.”

 

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and Evelyn soothed her heaving chest as she recalled the situation from earlier.

 

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as the firmly closed door was opened, the Saxony family physician and his maids, who had been waiting in the wings, rushed in.

 

“My goodness, you have suffered, my lady.”

 

Evelyn clasped and unclasped her trembling hands several times as she watched the cleanup.

 

Suddenly, she was overcome by a strange feeling that she couldn’t quite put into words.

 

‘Why, why do I feel so strange…’

 

The aftermath of witnessing the mysteries of life was strange.

 

It’s as if someone else’s memories, or a distant past that she doesn’t even remember, are all rushing into her mind at once.

 

All of her senses were dulled, as if she were trapped in a dream, and her vision suddenly fogged over.

 

Then, with a crackle, the back of someone running at full speed, holding her hand.

 

The face of someone screaming as she burned to ashes.

 

Her consciousness slowly blurring as she watched someone cry out, holding a bloodied sword.

 

The whole scene floated through her consciousness, black as the darkness of the beginning of time.

 

“Who is it?”

 

She couldn’t even guess who it was, her face blank.

 

She felt as if she had stepped into an abyss from which she could never escape. Evelyn hurriedly gathered herself and stepped outside.

 

“Miss!”

 

Reah, Kalian, and his knights were waiting for her, their eyes puffy and bloodshot.

 

“Are you all right, you don’t look well.”

 

She smiled at them, assuring them that she was fine, but then she heard tinnitus, and Evelyn quickly put her hand on the doorjamb.

 

Kalian came to her side and swooped her up in a hug, his arms around her waist and back.

 

Evelyn leaned back against his broad shoulders in response and stared up at him, her eyes level with his.

 

The regal figure was still there, but the face beneath the disheveled hair was somewhat reminiscent.

 

“…Does it hurt?”

 

She unconsciously reached out with one hand and gently brushed his disheveled dark hair from his forehead.

 

So familiarly, as if she’d been doing it for years.

 

Evelyn was momentarily stunned.

 

This was something she would never have done. How dare she coddle a monarch like a child in front of his knights.

 

“…Hmm.”

 

As if that weren’t enough, she could see them both quickly lower their gazes to hide their expressions.

 

Just when she thought she should withdraw her hand for their sake, her wrist was grabbed again.

 

Now she was the one who panicked.

 

“P-please let go. I can walk.”

 

“Don’t move.”

 

His eyes narrowed slightly, the golden orbs in his eyes glinting. Her repeated attempts to pry his hand away failed miserably.

 

“Ha.”

 

With a low sigh, Kalian turned to the knights without breaking eye contact with her and ordered.

 

“Return to the feast hall, all of you.”

 

“Yes? But, the guest of honor at tonight’s feast is the Grand Duke. At his side will be my…”

 

Reah interrupted, causing Benjamin to jump as if on fire and escort her away.

 

“Ha-ha-ha, I’m sure you’ll be fine after a little rest, so don’t worry about the young lady, let’s go!”

 

Watching Reah’s back as she was led away by the knights, Evelyn sighed in despair.

 

‘How badly is he trying to reprimand me, I really couldn’t help it…’

 

Worried that her position as a saint would be compromised, Kalian had never liked Evelyn to display her abilities.

 

Especially not in such a publicized manner as this.

 

But this was the Marquis of Saxony’s daughter-in-law, and it was a matter of life and death.

 

It was a necessary evil, if only to delay the arrival of the trade ships, but he would not be pleased if he did not know what Evelyn was asking of the Duke.

 

The good news is, he’s not going to go ballistic.

 

Evelyn would be given a chance to explain, and it was now up to her to make Kalian understand.

 

‘I just don’t have to let him know I used my healing powers.’