.sixty one.
-
"I will never accept that monster as our child. Not if he'll be the reason that you're leaving me."
-
As her pregnancy progressed within the next few weeks, Minji seemed to get worse instead of better. She took all the vitamins her doctor gave her, she ate the healthiest foods, she got plenty of rest, and avoided all kinds of stress by distancing herself from Eun's family at the palace. Now whenever there was a family event or a religious ceremony at the palace, Eun always went by himself, informing the family that she had to stay behind because of her delicate pregnancy. It was almost as though the child were draining her life force, but she had already been weak to begin with and he was just trying to survive within her womb.
When more weeks passed by, she was barely even able to get out of her bed because she was just so tired and weak. Her baby bump had barely grown, as opposed to it growing a lot when she was pregnant with the first two. Eun had the doctor come in to check on her on a weekly basis and he was always giving the prince's wife a look of pity.
"I don't understand." He said, perplexed after having observed her for six weeks in a row. No matter what he did, and no matter how many vitamins he gave her to take, it just wasn't enough for the growing child. "Your wife is following my instructions perfectly, and the child wants to live. But he is fighting so hard to stay alive that he is killing her slowly." The words sent a prick in Minji's chest, and she once again thought to blame herself. She wasn't strong enough to bear this third child. But as long as he could be born good and healthy, she didn't care what it might do to her own health.
Eun could only watch on with concern as it happened. Her skin had lost its color, her body was frail and weak, barely hanging on to her fragile bones. There were dark circles under her eyes that were ever permanent, even though she always got a good night's rest. Yet, even despite everything that was happening, she always managed to smile for him because she didn't want her husband to worry for her. And she didn't want him to blame their child if something terrible were to happen. Minji was already prepared to accept her fate, as she felt her body slowly withering away with every passing day.
"What can we do?" The tenth prince looked to the doctor for an answer.
Minji could already imagine what their only alternative was and she was ready to fight against it. Her worst fears came true when the doctor gave his response. "Its still fairly early in the pregnancy, so...I can prescribe some herbs that will essentially expel the fetus from the womb."
Minji gave a quick shake of her head, refusing to go along with that solution. "We will not do that. He is my child and I will not let you touch him." There was a glare on her face, directed at the doctor for even suggesting such a thing. She knew from her health classes that after a few weeks, a fetus was able to listen and even comprehend certain things, to the point where they would grow to recognize and even love their mother's voice. She could not bear the thought of killing a human being that was part of her and her husband, a tiny human being who already loved her. How could she betray him like that.
"its for your own good. He's killing you, jagi." Eun tried to reason with her, and Minji felt her heart break. She knew that Eun loved their child as much as she did, but he also wanted her to live, and he would choose her over their unborn child any day. Still, it broke her heart to hear those words come out of his mouth. Their child could hear him and from very early on he would know that he was unwanted by one of his parents.
The doctor also offered some words in hope of convincing her. "Don't think of it as a child yet, your highness. Think of it as a leech that is sucking out your life force. You need to expel it before it's too late."
