Kalia immediately fell into a deep sleep as if she had fainted. She was exhausted after enduring that much pain for 9 hours whilst conscious.
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Allen immediately prepared the necessary food: a nutritional meal for the mother and a watery soup for the child. From then on, Allen and Humming had more work to do.
Having kept an eye on the progress of the delivery and noticing Allen and Humming's work, the lord's wife told them, very politely and kindly, that she would cooperate in everything concerning Kalia and her baby. Allen and Humming were able to secure and set up a room for the mother and child thanks to the lord's wife, who had smiled kindly, saying that it had been a long time since the cry of a baby had been heard in this castle.
Simon had been looking at Kalia's face for a long time in the dark room, the curtains drawn for her comfort. Warmth from a ray of the red setting sun peeked through a curtain crack and stroked Simon's cheek. It was hard to tell what he was thinking from his impassive expression. As if they had suffered together all night, his cheeks were as pale as Kalia's. The smooth skin that garnered much praise was rough and his dazzling silver hair was a complete mess. Simon slowly lowered himself to sit by her side.
Read at euphoria-airlines.com. Or I'll tell the magic mirror to put Kalia's name into the list of candidates for Farquad's wife.
"You really…"
….Turn people's hearts upside down like this every time.
Simon let out a soft sigh and stroked her puffy cheeks. As his fingertips brushed against her moist skin, a shiver ran through his body.
"You worked hard. Good job, Kaia".
Even though she had turned him inside out1, she was still the brightest person in his eyes. She would be the strongest and sweetest mother he knew, and even after decades pass, she will remain the most beautiful person to him. Simon caressed Kalia's cheeks, gently pushed back the sweat-drenched hair from her face and looked at her for a long time. After a while, he gently grabbed her hand and pressed a long kiss to the back of her hand. It contained all his feelings of awe, relief and was a promise of commitment.
"I will protect you from now on. No matter what you look like and what secrets you have, it will be me," He murmured, holding her hands in his as if he was praying and kissed them deeply2, "….Because you're still you."
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And you're my world.
This incident made Simon even more certain of that.
***
"Awww, you're so cute."
Was it because he struggled in Kalia's stomach for so long?
The baby, who had finally come out into this world, fell asleep soon after crying. His scarlet skin radiated warmth and though he was stronger than most newborns, his small, huddled body looked infinitely small and fragile.
Humming peaked out the curtain and saw that it was still light out. She adjusted the white linen curtains and left them half drawn across the window so only some of the light shone into the room, making it a dimmer ambiance. On top of that, with Simon's careful touch, the air in the room was clean and even the temperature and humidity were just right. Perfect for peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.
"It's nice to meet you, Shasha."
Sitting next to Shasha's bed to watch the baby, Humming's eyes were curved like crescent moons. She looked at the baby with much excitement. It wasn't even her who had become a mother but the strangely elevated emotions swirling inside her were unfamiliar. Humming did not dare touch the baby's cheek and instead, settled her crossed arms on top of the crib's gate with her chin resting on her hand to look down endlessly at the sleeping baby.
Read at euphoria-airlines.com or Shasha won't stop crying for some reason.
His tiny face was barely the size of her fist. His sleeping face was calm, as if he was unaware of nothing else in this world, and his small, chick-like mouth3 was adorable.
"…Thank you for coming out safely. You don't know how long Kalia has been waiting for you. I waited a long time, too," Humming said in a soft lilt as if she were singing a lullaby, but then yawned without realizing it.
Humming, rubbing her blinking eyes with her fists, gently rested her head in her crossed arms on the crib.
"From now on, let's….get along well and…have a good time….together, ShaSha …." Her low-pitched voice gradually faded away.
Unable to overcome her lethargy, Humming eventually fell asleep where she was. A huge shadow fell over her sleeping form. Kalekshia stood in front of the small crib and looked at the sleeping baby. The small human woman who often followed Kalia had been put to sleep. There was nothing good about letting her see what was going on nor was there any reason for her to witness his actions.
The small up and down of his chest and relaxed, sleeping visage was lovely.
Read at euphoria-airlines.com. Or Simon and Kalia's misunderstanding will never be resolved.
Was it because of the racial4 nature of his love for children or for other reasons?
Kalekshia closed his eyes tightly at the rush of rising heat to his eyes when he looked at the baby. An indescribable affection rose within him. At the same time, he was flooded with unexplained feelings of anger and frustration.
This baby was completed5 with the help of his bloodline's magic. This type of magic only worked for a child who had the same blood running through their veins as the caster's.
"Baby. If you're really of my bloodline…"
He couldn't complete the thought and paused mid-sentence as he chewed the inside of his lips. Deep wrinkles marred his forehead as he frowned in contemplation.
'Then that child6 is also…'
He let out a sigh of indescribable emotions as his trembling fingertips were about to touch the baby's blushing right cheek.
Click.
Read at euphoria-airlines.com. And I'll curse both Simon and Kalia to hate each other 🙂
The tranquil silence was broken by the sound of the door being hurriedly pushed open and two sets of footsteps entering the room. Kalekshia, who had already sensed the two's approaching presence, was not embarrassed.
He slowly raised his head at the sounds and said to the one who appeared through the open door, "Oh, I don't think it's good to be out and about yet."
Kalekshia's eyes scanned her still puffy face.
It was Kalia who was bewildered.
"I thought you went back to the Fairy Forest." Kalia's subdued voice shook in surprise.
When she took a step into the room, her gait faltered a little and she subconsciously frowned a little without her realizing it. This was because of the aftereffects of giving birth.
"…See, Kalia. I told you to just stay in your room because you haven't recovered yet." A voice with tones of anxiety, stress and worry mixed in sounded.
"Come here. Lean on me." Emerging from behind her, Simon naturally wrapped an arm around Kalia's waist and gently maneuvered her closer to him. A warm, large hand firmly supported the small of her back.
In response to the unfamiliar touch, Kalia looked at Simon with slightly strange eyes.
A little while ago, when she unknowingly opened her eyes, she was surprised to find Simon's face so close to hers. Although she was a light sleeper, Simon had sat by her side so quietly and carefully to guard her that she didn't sense his presence at all despite her sensitivity.
Their eyes had met as soon as she opened her eyes and when he had caught her attention, his eyes had bent like bows.
'Awake?'
He called her name in an affectionate voice unlike anything she'd ever heard him use, leaving her blushing involuntarily. All the while, one hand of his tightly held her hand in his whilst the other stroked her cheek. As if she was in one of her dreams, his eyes and voice were right beside her and he had stared at her with infinitely sad yet tender eyes.
She couldn't help but be confused.
Read at euphoria-airlines.com. Or I'll make Kalia so dense she will never understand Simon's feelings.
As soon as she woke up and Simon had left her side to give her some privacy, Humming had come by to check on her and told her that he had stayed by her side all throughout her labour until he was kicked out. Kalia also remembered the feeling of her hand in his and his voice, murmuring sweetly to her through her cloudy consciousness.
'It's okay, Kalia. It's okay. I'll protect you.'
'…I wish I could have endured it in your place. Me, instead of you.'
'If you're having a hard time, bite me. You can scratch and bite as much as you like, so don't hurt yourself…'
His voice echoed exceptionally clear in her mind, despite her blurred memories from her haze of pain. The way his hand had come to rest on the small of her back in his anxiety was unfamiliar. His eyes that persistently followed her figure no matter how far away was also unfamiliar. The feeling of being treated like glass in fear that she could break just from walking alone was both unfamiliar and strange.
All of him – his actions, his eyes – were so strange and awkward that Kalia was a little uncomfortable with him for the first time since meeting Simon. To be precise, even meeting his golden eyes would make her heart beat at a different pace, and she felt as if the insides of her palms were being tickled.
Suddenly, she became aware that she was feeling a bit shy in front of him.
"I… I'm fine, Simon." Her eyes locked with Simon staring gaze and she furtively moved her butt away in a nimble movement.
Read at euphoria-airlines.com. Or Kalekshia will turn into the protective, disapproving father-in-law and he doesn't approve of Simon being with Kalia.
Not taking his eyes off Kalia, Simon leisurely asked, "What's okay?"
"I mean, my body is okay."
Lips quirking up, he firmly supported her retreating waist again. His gaze on Kalia was strict but warm. "But why do you stumble every time you walk?"
"I didn't stumble?"
"You stumbled. You frowned here as if you were in pain." Simon gently rubbed Kalia's forehead with one finger.
There seemed to be a fire concentrated between her eyebrows where his fingertips touched. It was strange.
Why did it feel so awkward when he was just doing stuff like rubbing her forehead and supporting her waist?
Though Kalia was usually insensitive to these things, she couldn't help but be aware this time round. That gaze….Simon's changing eyes kept making her feel strange. During their time apart, what the hell happened for those beautiful golden eyes to make her feel unfamiliar and new every time they made eye contact?
Read at euphoria-airlines.com or per a kdrama classic, one of the leads gets amnesia halfway through the story.
"I'm not in pain, just a little uncomfortable."
"Really? Where are you uncomfortable? Do you want me to heal you? It's like you're walking on heels." Unexpectedly, very unlike her, Kalia blushed as the serious face, drawn in concern and peering down at her, drew closer.
'...No, if you ask me where I feel uncomfortable, I don't think I can give you an answer....'
"What, does it so much that you can't even speak? Just lean on me, Kalia." Simon smiled at Kalia, who flushed in embarrassment.
That ambiguous smile and innocent look of his seemed as if he knew something but was pretending like he understood nothing. What made it all more annoying was that these perceived changes were something that could make you crazy but were so small and trivial that your guard couldn't be kept up for long. 7
'Crazy. How come he became more beautiful after not seeing him for so long?'
"Or should I hug you like this? That's not bad for me either…"8
With a gentle pressure, Simon's hand gripping her waist pulled her firmly towards him. His actions, though strong, didn't feel coercive and his hand, a solid presence on her waist, didn't feel oppressive. Rather, his hug supported her with enough pressure to make sure she could stand and walk comfortably.
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"No, you really… Why are you… Ah…?"
Translator's Corner
Image 1: (but imagine it with both of Kalia's hands)
Image 2: