If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 248

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“Sir Cain is waiting outside right now. He’s just hoping everything will go smoothly for you and the baby.”

“Outside…”

At that, Agatha seemed to relax a little. But her relief didn’t last long—almost immediately, her face contorted in pain again, and her cries once more filled the room.

There was no more time for distraction. Every second counted. At a signal from the midwife, Charlotte, Liana, and the four maids worked together in perfect sync.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Agatha had thought she was no stranger to pain, but now she realized how wrong she’d been.

No matter how many times one faces pain, you never truly get used to it—and everything she’d endured before seemed trivial compared to labor.

It felt like her whole body was being crushed. She could barely breathe; her vision flickered in and out, plunging her alternately into darkness and blinding whiteness. Just when she thought she might lose consciousness, Charlotte would gently take her hand and softly reassure her.

Don’t let go, don’t fall asleep, just a little more, you’re doing so well…

Without those words, faint as they sometimes seemed, Agatha might have slipped away completely.

There were moments when she wanted to run from the agony. In her delirium, she thought she saw her mother—the one she missed so desperately—standing at her side. Her father was there, too, but as always, he said nothing before quietly fading away.

The ache of that loss almost overwhelmed her, but then Cain’s face floated into her mind. The father of her child—where was he now?

In the middle of this torturous pain, Agatha found herself desperately seeking Cain. She didn’t know why it was him she called for, only that her longing for him felt as vital as her need to breathe. She wasn’t even aware that she had spoken his name out loud.

“Miss, push! Just a little more!”

Everything around her felt unreal. They say that when the pain is too much, your mind retreats to protect you—maybe that was true.

“Miss, if you grit your teeth any harder, you’ll hurt yourself. Open your mouth, just a little.”

As Charlotte tried to change the cloth in Agatha’s mouth, Agatha bit down hard, barely noticing what was between her teeth as she pushed with every ounce of strength.

“That’s it, just a little more… just a little…”

“Give it everything you’ve got!”

The voices of the midwife and Charlotte echoed in her ears. She felt utterly spent, but they kept urging her on. Her trembling fingers clutched the bedding for support.

“I see the head! Your Grace, just a little more!”

Every time she wanted to give up, the midwife’s encouraging words pulled her back. Just a little more, it’s almost over…

She had no idea how many hours had passed. All she could remember was that her water had broken after a brief conversation with Christian, and then she’d been brought to the birthing room that Charlotte had prepared.

It had been morning then, but now it was deep into the night.

Time lost all meaning as Agatha fought through the agony, hoping that peace would finally come at the end of it.

She’d long since stopped wondering whether her child would be a boy or a girl. All she wanted was for the pain to end, so she pushed with everything she had left.

Her whole body felt as if her blood vessels might burst. She’d strained so hard her head spun; every breath sent pain shooting through her ribs.

It hurts so much. She was so tired.

She missed her mother. She missed the father who, for all his faults, had always smiled at her with warmth. And Cain…

“Ugh…!”

“You’re almost there, Miss! Really, just one last push!”

That word ‘last’ gave Agatha the will to keep going. With one last effort—every ounce of strength she had left—she gave the final push.

She felt something hot rush out from below, and her arms fell limply to her sides.

“Waahh….!”

A baby’s loud, healthy cry filled the room.

“He’s here, Miss! Your baby is here—a strong, beautiful son!”

A son. She had a son.

But Agatha had no strength left to reply. Charlotte’s words faded as Agatha closed her eyes, utterly spent.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“Waahh….!”

The cry they’d all been waiting for rang out loud and clear. At the sound of the baby’s wail from behind the door, a dozen knights in the hallway jumped to their feet in unison.

“Has the baby arrived?”

“The young Duke is born?”

“At last!”

Cain shoved past the excited crowd, desperate to reach Agatha’s side—so much so that Karon and Rubens had to haul him all the way to the end of the corridor to keep him from bursting through the door.