Chapter 344: A New Life
"...Haa..." I pant, exhausted, a soft sound of discomfort escaping me as I try to steady myself against the bed. The smell of blood in the room is foul, and I’d really like to be able to leave, but being chained up doesn’t help much.
"Are you alright, Evelyn?" Saluvia asks, holding my baby. Giving birth was excruciating. Even with the pain reduction, it was still hellish pain—maybe because of the magic.
It felt like my body was turning to dust. I didn’t expect childbirth to be so awful. I suppose if it had been a normal pregnancy instead of one brought on by magic, it would have been easier.
After all, I have a 95% pain reduction, and if I felt that much pain even with it, I wonder how terrifying it truly is to have a baby without it. Of course, maybe because it was a magical birth, the pain reduction didn’t activate, and that’s why it hurt so much. That’s more plausible, honestly.
"Y-Yes, I am... I just have some lingering pain, and the smell of blood in the room bothers me," I murmur as Saluvia cleans my baby. She’s quite cute, as far as babies go—a light-skinned little one with very short hair of a purplish hue, pale and washed out, close to lilac, with black scleras and eyes with white pupils.
"She looks just like Esther..." She reminds me entirely of Esther. Visually, the only things she inherited from me are her hair and her pupils—and even the hair turned out light because of Esther’s white hair. So only the pupils resemble mine.
But even the scleras of her eyes are black, just like Esther’s. And with that, I know Esther won’t be happy. She didn’t want someone who looked like her, which makes me sigh.
"Give her to me, please," I ask Saluvia, who hands me my daughter. She isn’t crying, which is somewhat of a surprise. She’s so tiny and fragile, and the feeling is different from just creating a puppet. It brings a strange sort of smile to my face.
’I actually kind of like this...’ Creating a puppet is like carving something from wood. It doesn’t give you the feeling of truly having created life. But having a daughter is completely different. It really is the sensation of having generated a life with my body.
"..." Soon I hear the sound of the door opening. Saluvia quickly uses magic, which drastically reduces the smell of blood in the room. That calms me down. It’s not good for Esther to smell my blood.
"Evelyn, I see you’re done..." Esther says, approaching. Her tone is somewhat cold, and her way of speaking makes it seem as if I wasn’t just giving birth but doing something far simpler. But as soon as she sees our daughter in my arms, her face twists in disgust.
"Two years, and this little brat was born looking like me?" She doesn’t mince her words in the slightest and says one of the worst possible things in this context.
"ESTHER!!" I scream at her for the nonsense she’s spouting.
"Don’t yell at me! You said she could be a Mini-Evelyn! Look at her face—it’s exactly like mine!! She doesn’t even have your pointy ears!! She’s like a copy of me with different-colored hair and white pupils!!"
"Don’t treat our baby as if she’s a failure just because she looks like you. At least she doesn’t look like Nerina—"
"Provoke me again and I will lose control. Don’t mention other women in this situation," she says, as if her look of disgust toward our daughter isn’t a problem.
"Then wipe that ugly look off your face. If our daughter ever comes to me and asks why you hate her, I swear I will cheat on you with the first woman I see, and don’t think I’m afraid of the consequences," I attack her with the only thing I know will hurt her.
"...Tsk. It’s not like you could ever look at other women."
"If necessary, I’ll create one. Just so you know, I have other bodies outside this place. So if you’re going to keep that expression, leave and come back when you have a better one."
"Ha! As if I’d leave and let you be alone with that ugly, wrinkled little thing. Seriously, why is she like this?"
"Esther, now you’re just throwing a tantrum. She was just born—of course she’s going to be a little wrinkled!! She was submerged in fluid. Besides, she’s your spitting image, look." I lift her carefully, holding her as she opens her tiny eyes and stares at Esther.
"...Very UGLY. She looks like a scarecrow, honestly. Just because she has a few traits like mine doesn’t mean anything."
"Don’t call her ugly. She’s beautiful!" She isn’t actually ugly. Sure, her skin is a bit wrinkled, but all babies are like that. She came out of me less than half an hour ago. By tomorrow, she’ll probably look a little better.
"...Seriously, why did our daughter have to be like this? She doesn’t even have joints like a puppet. She doesn’t resemble you at all," Esther speaks with pure indignation, and it’s true—our daughter barely looks like me and has far more traits from Esther.
"Well, it must be because it was a pregnancy through magic, and my magic isn’t very strong. But I like that she looks like you. I bet she’ll be quite strong."
"Her strength matters little," Esther heads for the door, leaving without even managing to hide all the disgust she feels for our baby.
"Esther, you’re a piece of trash of a person." When I say that, she stops at the door before leaving and turns to me.
"You love that same trash, so don’t try to criticize me as if I’m worthless when you act like a bitch who can’t live without me," she speaks with an unpleasant harshness, revealing a side she normally doesn’t show.
"Are you that angry at a baby? Do you think she’s going to steal your place? Then you shouldn’t have RAPED me on that damn island and put a baby inside me," I scream at her, my emotions running high. I just gave birth, and I’m not very patient.
And for the first time, I use a real word for what happened on that island. I know it was my fault, and my words provoked it, but it’s true that I was forcibly impregnated and hurt in a terribly cruel and sadistic way.
"Then you shouldn’t have gotten involved with another girl on that same island. You know what, it doesn’t matter. You’re right. I am disgusted by this little parasite you just gave birth to, and he couldn’t even do you the favor of looking like you."
"I’m only not killing him because we have a contract. So take care of this little parasite on your own. What happens to her matters little to me, and I won’t pretend to love her. The only thing I love is you, and only you," she says, slamming the door and truly leaving this time, not even offering the support I need right now, after I’ve just given birth.
"..." I bite my lips until they bleed as the baby starts crying, perhaps because of the noise from the door. I embrace her, drawing her close to my chest, while Saluvia, who stayed silent and only observed, remains quiet.
’Esther is such an asshole...’ I can’t believe how stupid love can be. I fell for such a terrible person, and I can’t help it, even though she’s cruel.
"Haa... Saluvia, how is Kali’s health?" I ask, using the name Esther chose. Even if it’s not a name chosen out of love, it’s still one of the few things Esther will give this child. I highly doubt Esther will give her anything else.
"It’s excellent. Her health is outstanding, and her magical power is comparable to Esther’s when she was born."
"Huh?"
"Ah, yes, you wouldn’t know. As the royal physician, I had access to records and even went to see some of the throne candidates when they were born. Kali currently has as much magic as Esther had when she was a newborn. That doesn’t speak to your daughter’s talent."
"But it is a good indicator that she is healthy in every aspect and has a great affinity with Hikishin," Saluvia says as I gently rock my baby, calming her. It’s strange caring for a baby, but I do my best, more out of instinct than truly knowing what I’m doing.
"I-I need a bath. Could you prepare the bathtub for me and also a place for you to take care of Kali while I bathe?" I don’t trust Saluvia much, but I know she would take extreme care with my daughter because this baby has immense chances of inheriting my title in the future.
"Alright. It’s also most appropriate for you to take a bath so the bed sheets can be changed and the environment sterilized," she says, going to the door beside us that leads to the bathroom.
"...By the way, Evelyn, I suggest not provoking Esther too much like you did just now. I know you did it because you’re stressed and your emotions are muddled since you’re vulnerable after childbirth."
"But Esther is dangerous, and I don’t doubt she could find a way around your contracts to hurt this child. So don’t anger her again," Saluvia gives a serious warning before closing the door, leaving me alone with that grim advice.