.sixty three.
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"Take care of Jinki and make sure he becomes someone healthy and strong. Someone we can all be proud of."
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Eun arrived home almost an hour later, annoyed that he had been held up so long at the palace. He stood uncomfortable by the gates, while the guards scrambled about nervously, telling him that the horses were being prepared. The same words they had been feeding him for over an hour. The tenth prince was so annoyed and wanted to leave the palace, that towards the end, he almost wanted to make them carry him home. But he though about his request and gathered that his wife wouldn't like that. While he had been raised to think that he was above the servants in every way, Minji always told him that it wasn't nice to treat people like that. A person was a person, no matter if they were a servant of the palace, or the king himself.
He walked up the small path that led to the house and a smile graced his lips as he saw his wife there. She was lying in the grass, seemingly taking a nap while waiting for him. The tenth prince walked up slowly, his sour mood from having visited the palace was dissipated with the very sight of her, and he was suddenly filled with the desire to cuddle up next to her. All of his worries melted away in that moment and he didn't think about the problems of the last few months--how he didn't want their child, how Minji was too weak to even care for their other two little ones, and how she was wasting away giving up her live for the child she had already even named. Jinki if it was a boy, and Eunji if it was a girl. She didn't tell him that she had chosen Eunji because it was a combination of their names--Eun and her real name Minji. Instead, she told him it was a name to match with Eunbi.
Minji told her husband with excitement, despite seeing the disdain on his face, that she had a feeling their baby was going to be a boy. She often referred to him as Jinki.
But as he got closer, he saw the pained look on her face and immediately knew something was wrong. He hurried to her side and knelt before her, grabbing her shoulders and trying to shake her awake. His words were whiny and shaking with worry for her health, something he attributed to the child she was carrying. His child. In some way, he also blamed himself for her misfortunes.
"My wife." He cried, cradling her in his arms. He could barely see the rise and fall of her chest as she took a breath, and that gave him some relief. He quickly then picked her up in his arms and carried her inside, noticing the wooden step was missing. He thought nothing of it, as he wanted to get her inside as soon as possible.
One of the maids saw him carrying his unconscious wife and bowed her head quickly, making an offer. "Your highness, shall I go summon the doctor?"
Eun could not hold his tongue and lashed out at her, blaming the maids for not having taken care of her properly. Though Minji was present, she was not conscious to subdue him in his anger. "I should have you whipped for your uselessness. I counted on you stupid maids to watch over my wife, to make sure she was well, and you couldn't even do that. The least you can do now is bring us her doctor." His dark eyes were now brimming with tears as he hurried past her, down the small hallway towards the bedroom.
The tenth prince made it to the bedroom and laid her down on their bed, cupping her face in his hands as tears streamed down his face. "Please don't go without me." He whispered to her, placing wet kisses all over her face. "I don't want to live without you." He continued, pressing his forehead to her cheek as he continued to cry.
Minutes passed by before her eyes fluttered open, her dainty hands taking a hold of his which were still cupping her face. She felt the moisture of his tears staining her face and couldn't help but let a frown form on her lips. "What's wrong, love? Why are you crying?" She asked him with confusion, already having forgotten what happened to her earlier, and how he found her upon his return. It all came rushing back to her as a sharp pain shot from her pregnant belly that made her want to double over in pain. "Eun...what happened? Something's wrong with the baby. Get the doctor here, now." She cried out in pain.
