The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 213

213. Extra Story 5 – Happily Ever After (1)

May 31, 2024

“It seems the little one has finally come to you and Her Highness.”

“…What?”

Joshua and Rosette were both taken aback, struggling to grasp the meaning of the words. They understood the words themselves, but the reality felt distant.

Rosette was the first to regain her composure.

“So, you mean I’m pregnant? I’m expecting a child?”

“That’s what I believe. Considering His Highness’s symptoms and the timing, it’s almost certain.”

Rosette recalled the physician’s cautious inquiry about her last period during the examination, realizing there was a reason for the question.

Joan, who had been anxiously watching with Jake in her arms, offered her congratulations and left Rosette’s bedroom, giving the couple space to share their joy.

While Joshua remained bewildered, Rosette touched her lower abdomen with a dazed expression.

She couldn’t feel any difference, yet a tiny baby was growing inside her. It was hard to believe.

Joshua and she had discussed having children before.

Rosette, valuing her siblings, wanted to have as many children as possible.

Joshua, on the other hand, felt that one child would be enough, as he didn’t want Rosette to go through too much hardship. However, he decided to respect her wishes.

Still, they agreed not to rush things. As members of the imperial family, having children was not just a personal matter, but Joshua didn’t want Rosette to feel pressured.

Joshua had taken care of all the talk about needing to produce an heir quickly after their marriage.

They had always assumed they would have children eventually, but they didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.

‘I suppose babies don’t exactly announce their arrival beforehand…’

After a moment of confusion, Joshua regained his composure and embraced Rosette. Once the shock wore off, his heart filled with joy.

“Thank you, Rose.”

“I don’t think you need to thank me. I’d rather hear you say you’re happy.”

“Of course, I’m happy. I’m happier than words can express.”

“Me too.”

Rosette smiled and kissed Joshua before suddenly asking,

“Do you think it will be a girl or a boy? What would you prefer, Joshua? Shouldn’t we have a son for the succession?”

“I don’t care either way. I’ll love them whether they’re a daughter or a son.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If I could wish for one thing, it would be that they take after you more than me.”

“I hope they look more like you, Joshua. A child with silver hair would be so cute.”

“Well, I think pink hair would be even more adorable.”

Joshua, realizing what he had said, quickly corrected himself as he stroked Rosette’s belly.

“Whoever they resemble, they will be loved. Because they are our child.”

“That’s right. I’m sure they will be.”

Rosette leaned against Joshua’s chest, murmuring happily.

“I can’t wait for the next ten months to pass so I can meet our baby.”

* * *

Everyone who heard the news congratulated the couple.

The Emperor declared it an auspicious event for the empire and held a celebratory banquet. Ophelia, knowing Rosette had no mother to guide her through pregnancy and childbirth, shared her knowledge.

Duke Adrian visited Rosette and held her hand tightly in silence for a long time, while Lucas exclaimed, ‘A baby having a baby! What are we going to do!’

Daniel, Ines, and Isabel offered their heartfelt advice, telling her to always prioritize her health above the baby.

So many people congratulated them.

“Our baby will be so happy, being loved by so many people even before they are born.”

“Yes.”

Joshua whispered, pressing his ear against Rosette’s round belly.

“I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. It feels like just yesterday we heard about the pregnancy, and now the baby is almost here? I’m not quite ready yet.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be by your side, so don’t be too scared.”

Rosette smiled shyly and stroked Joshua’s hair, enjoying the feel of the smooth strands slipping through her fingers.

“I’m glad that the ten months passed without any major problems, unlike what I feared. I didn’t even catch a common cold, and nothing serious happened.”

“Except for that time in the middle of winter when you woke up in the middle of the night craving peaches.”

“That was… !”

Rosette’s face turned red.

“I couldn’t help it. Looking back, I don’t know why I was like that, but at the time, I could practically see peaches in front of my eyes. It felt like the world would end if I didn’t have that sweet and sour peach in my mouth right away.”

“It was cute, so it’s okay.”

For the record, Joshua had searched the entire empire but couldn’t find any fresh peaches.

Instead, he brought her peach compotes [fruit preserved or cooked in syrup] from all regions, promising to bring her every variety once peach season returned.

“Peach season isn’t far away now. I’ll get the first peaches as soon as they come out.”

“Hmm, I don’t really want to eat them that much now. I wasn’t that fond of peaches to begin with…”

“How about eating them for my sake?”

“Well, I’ll try.”

Rosette smiled innocently like a child.

And around the time the first peaches were appearing, their baby began to prepare to enter the world.

* * *

From inside, Rosette’s painful cries could be heard intermittently.

[Woof! Woof woof!]

Each time, Silver scratched at the door with his front paws. He even tried to turn the doorknob himself, but the door was locked from the inside.

Pipi, who was always by Silver’s side, was nowhere to be seen. Rosette was worried that her labor pains might affect Pipi, so she temporarily canceled the summoning for Pipi’s sake.

Pipi protested, beeping that he was fine and wanted to stay by her side, but Rosette wouldn’t budge.

“Silver.”

Joshua, who was sitting on a chair in the hallway, scolded the wolf.

“Stay still. How scared do you think Rose will be if you’re this anxious?”

Silver whined and collapsed beside Joshua. Joshua sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands.

He had scolded Silver, but he was just as anxious.

As promised, Joshua had stayed by Rosette’s side, holding her hand tightly until her labor pains became severe.

However, once the actual preparations for childbirth began, the midwife ruthlessly kicked him out, saying he was distracting and only getting in the way.

No matter how much of a crown prince Joshua was, he had to obey the midwife in the birthing room.

He wanted to burst through the door and be by Rosette’s side.

He wanted to hold her hand tightly and reassure her that everything would be alright.

But he suppressed the urge.

Rosette, the one enduring the pain, was holding on inside, and he couldn’t cause a fuss when he wasn’t doing anything.

He would wait calmly, so that when Rosette called for him, he could confidently tell her not to worry.

“But it’s not easy.”

Joshua sighed deeply when Lord Roten approached him cautiously.

“Your Highness, why don’t you rest in your room instead of staying here? I’m worried you might collapse.”

“Do I look like someone who would collapse from this?”

“Of course not. But…”

Lord Roten barely managed to hold back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Joshua was a master swordsman, and everyone knew his stamina was better than most knights. There was no way he would collapse from staying up all night with tension.

But looking at his pale face, it wouldn’t be surprising if he fainted at any moment.

To an outsider, Joshua would look like the patient.

“Since Her Highness is having her first child, it will be a while before the baby is actually born. It could take over 10 hours if it takes long, so I think it would be better for you to do something else for a while.”

Lord Roten quickly added before Joshua could object.

“Her Highness wouldn’t want you to be here for so long.”

“Rose…”

“Yes. How worried and sad would Her Highness be if you were here anxiously waiting and your face looked even slightly worse?”

“…”

“So, please go to your room so that Her Highness can rest assured. Duke Adrian has gone to Adrian Manor to spread the news. The Duke will be arriving at the palace soon.”

“Sigh, alright.”

Joshua slowly rose from his seat.

“I can’t show my teacher such a pathetic sight.”

He looked back several times as he headed to the drawing room.

* * *

The pain of childbirth was far more terrible and agonizing than she had imagined. It felt like her whole body was being torn apart. She wanted to pass out.

But Rosette bit down hard at the voices of the midwife and Joan, telling her to stay conscious.

As she struggled to catch her breath, she suddenly thought of her mother’s face, whom she didn’t even know.

She wasn’t thinking of a specific image. What she imagined was the back of a woman holding a small bundle. Even that was blurry.

After meeting the woman who pretended to be her birth mother when she was young, Rosette had given up on her last longing for her birth parents.

She was grateful that they had brought her into the world, but she considered Adrian her only family from now on.

It wasn’t just words; she really didn’t miss them.

Adrian didn’t have a mother to cherish and love her, but since she had never received a mother’s love in the first place, she didn’t crave affection.

The Duke of Adrian and his three children gave her so much love that she didn’t even have time to feel lonely.

But at this moment, she began to think about her mother’s existence once again.

Did my mother suffer like this when she gave birth to me?

Why did she abandon me so coldly after giving birth to me so painfully?

Did my mother never love me, not even for a moment?

At the same time, she was scared.

Could I, who didn’t even know what a mother’s love was, fully love this child?

Did I deserve to hold this child in my arms?

‘No, I’ll love them more than anyone else.’

Joshua had said that once.

Even though he didn’t receive love from his father, the Emperor, he would try to be a better father than anyone else.

So, Rose, you can definitely be a good mother too.