LUCIA

Epilogue 3

The door to the bedroom opened and the midwife came out, along with an assistant that was sent from the palace. The woman nodded to Hugo, who was staring hard at her.

"A lovely baby girl has been born. Both mother and child are fine and healthy. Congratulations."

Everyone around bowed their heads, uttering 'congratulations' to Hugo who was heaving a long sigh of relief.

"Can I go inside?"

"There are still some things left to take care of. Please wait a little while longer."

After waiting for an hour more, Hugo was finally able to go inside the room. The bedroom was quiet. People were moving around quietly and focused on their own work, not caring whether the Duke had entered or not, but Hugo was oblivious to all this.

His gaze was instantly transfixed to his wife, who was lying on the bed, and he headed straight for the bed.

Lucia was drained from the labor pains and she had been unable to get a wink of sleep throughout the delivery. The midwife had instructed that even if she didn't have any breast milk yet, she should put the baby to her breast, so she did so and immediately fell asleep after a moment of breastfeeding. With the severe pain gone, she couldn't win against the sweet temptation of sleep that was crashing into her.

Hugo looked at his wife's clearly exhausted face for a while. Her complexion was pale and her lips were dried up. Her disheveled hair was soaked with sweat and clinging onto her face and forehead.

He slowly sat down on the bed, taking caution to avoid shaking it, then he swept her hair up, revealing her round forehead. As he watched his wife sleep like she was dead to the world, his heart ached with distress.

"Will she be okay? Is she really fine?"

Deep down in his heart, Hugo was still anxious. Even though he had checked the records from Philip's hideout several times, he couldn't shake off his fear that even that might be a trick Philip pulled.

As the due date drew closer, Hugo was more worried to meet the new baby than joyful. He was afraid that his wife would grow anxious if she saw his anxiety, so he didn't let it show. But he often woke up at dawn and stayed up all night watching his wife sleep.

"The Madam suffered for a long time because it was her first time giving birth, but she had a safe delivery. You should hold the little miss, Your Grace."

Noticing that the Duke hadn't mentioned seeing the baby at all, the midwife brought it up first. She had delivered many children in the royal family for decades, but it was her first time seeing a husband whose eyes were locked onto his wife's face, without paying any attention to the baby.

The midwife received the sleeping and recently washed baby girl from the assistant, then she handed her over to Hugo.

"Hold her, Your Grace."

When the midwife urged him a few times, Hugo awkwardly received the baby in a helpless manner. By his side, the midwife advised him on how to hold the child.

'It's so tiny?'

This was Hugo's first thought as he held the baby. It was so small and helpless for the being that was so energetic in his wife's stomach. The baby who had changed his wife's personality and tastes, was so weak for him to see her as the main lead that had been flaunting her presence for the past several months.

'It looks strange.'

The baby hadn't lost the redness all over her body yet, and there was still swelling on her face and eyes. ­­If Hugo had seen the baby after it had just been born, he would have been shocked. Right now, the baby was clean and fuzzy because it had just been bathed.