Chapter 255: First Rites
*Runze’s POV*
The quiet in the suite didn’t happen by accident.
It took Bael firmly—if respectfully—steering Grandmother, Mrs. Wen, and Ling Yue out the door a few minutes ago, citing the doctor’s strict orders that I needed uninterrupted rest. Even Grandmother didn’t argue against his unyielding, quiet authority once she saw how pale I was, contenting herself with a final, proud look at Siying before leaving for the main estate.
Now, as the door to the private suite glides shut, it cuts off the last lingering echoes of the hospital corridor. Night has fully settled outside, the suite falling into a deep stillness punctuated only by the soft, rhythmic hum of the bedside monitor and the distant sigh of autumn rain against the glass.
Mrs. Wen’s insulated container sits on the bedside table, steam rising from the dark, rich broth.
Bael doesn’t let me reach for it. He unscrews the lid, pours the liquid into a porcelain bowl, and sits on the edge of the mattress. His large hand steadying the cup, he brings it to my lips, watching me with a quiet, unyielding focus as I take small, slow sips. The heat spreads down my throat, slowly reviving a fraction of the strength lost during labor.
"You need to rest," Bael murmurs, his thumb catching a stray droplet at the corner of my mouth. His touch is warm, firm, and entirely grounded.
"I will," I rasp, leaning my head back against the pillows. Every muscle in my lower back feels bruised, my abdomen tight and aching with every slight shift. "It just feels... strange. How quiet it is now."
"It’s quiet because you can finally breathe," Bael says softly, setting the empty bowl aside. He reaches out, his fingers brushing over my damp temple, pushing a strand of hair back. "Leave the security and the rest of the world outside this door to me. Right now, your only job is to rest."
A soft, frantic snuffling breaks the silence from the clear bassinet beside the bed.
Siying shifts under her flannel swaddle, her tiny head turning from side to side. Her minuscule hands break free from the cloth, waving blindly in the air as she smacks her lips in hungry frustration. When she finds nothing, her small face scrunches up, flushed a deep pink, and a sharp, indignant cry suddenly rings out through the quiet room.
I freeze, my breath catching in my throat.
It is the very first time I have heard her cry, a raw, high-pitched newborn wail that pierces straight through the stillness and strikes something primitive deep in my chest.
As if answering her voice, a sudden, sharp tightness throbs through my chest.
For the past few days leading up to labor, my chest had felt heavy and tender—an uncomfortable, aching pressure that I had barely possessed the energy to process amidst the contractions. Now, triggered by the sound of her cry, something inside my body responds before I can even think about it. A warm, heavy ache spreads across my chest, and faint, golden droplets of colostrum begin to dampen the front of my thin hospital gown.
I gasp softly at the sudden tension, my hand instinctively coming up to touch my chest.
Bael’s eyes darken slightly as he notices the faint moisture staining the fabric. Without a word, he stands and carefully scoops Siying out of the bassinet, cradling her against his forearm. She continues to cry, her tiny fists kicking against the air as her face presses frantically into his shirt.
"She’s hungry," I say, my voice laced with a sudden, overwhelming urgency to hold her and soothe that sound.
I try to push myself upright, but a sharp ache across my sore core catches me off guard, making me wince.
Before I can strain myself further, Bael moves. He sets Siying gently in the curve of my arm, then climbs onto the bed behind me. Shifting his broad frame against the headboard, he wraps his left arm firmly around my waist, pulling my back flush against his broad chest to act as a solid, immovable support.
His physical support takes the burden off my aching muscles.
"I’ve got you," Bael whispers against my hair, his right hand helping me unbutton the top of my hospital gown. "Take your time."
With trembling fingers, I guide Siying toward my chest. The moment her tiny mouth makes contact with my skin, her wailing cuts off instantly. She latches with surprising, instinctual strength.
An intense wave of physical relief washes through me as the throbbing pressure eases, replaced immediately by a deep, aching warmth that spreads straight to my core. A single tear escapes my eye, slipping down my cheek as I watch her tiny jaw work in rapid, rhythmic swallows, her small fist pressed tight against my skin.
"Wow..." I whisper, breathless. "She knows exactly what to do."
Bael doesn’t answer immediately. His chin rests right above my shoulder, his warm breath fanning across the exposed skin of my neck. His gaze is dark, heavy, and intensely fixed on the sight of our daughter feeding greedily against my chest.
His right hand comes up, his long fingers carefully brushing over the side of my exposed chest, hovering just above where Siying is latched.
"Relentless little creature," Bael murmurs low in his throat, his voice dropping to a rough, possessive rasp against my ear. "Claiming what has belonged strictly to me without an ounce of hesitation."
A weary, breathless laugh escapes my lips, my cheek brushing against his jaw. "She’s your daughter, Bael. What did you expect?"
Bael leans in closer, pressing a lingering kiss against the sensitive pulse point on my neck, his hot breath fanning across my skin. His hand slides down to press firmly against my waist, holding me flush against him.
"I expected nothing less," Bael rasps softly, his tone laced with a quiet, fierce devotion that sends a shiver straight down my spine. "Let her take whatever she wants. I will build an empire for her to play in—as long as I have you beside me."
I cover his hand with mine, intertwining our fingers over Siying’s small body.
Siying feeds until her movements slow, her tiny mouth loosening as she grows drowsy and content. Bael carefully leans forward, taking her from my arms to gently burp her against his shoulder. His large hand covers almost her entire back, holding her with an extraordinary, practiced gentleness that looks almost surreal on a man of his stature.
Once he lays her back down in the bassinet, perfectly content and fast asleep, Bael shifts back into bed beside me.
He pulls the bedding over both of us, wrapping his arms securely around my waist and pulling me tight against his chest. Wrapped in his heat, listening to the steady, calm rhythm of his heart beating against my back and the soft snuffles of our daughter beside us, I close my eyes.
The long wait is over. With Bael holding me close and Siying sound asleep beside us, the exhaustion finally catches up to me, and I let myself sink into sleep.