LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 171
Anriche was smoothly entering the later stages of her pregnancy.
Her belly had grown quite round, making movement somewhat uncomfortable.
Fortunately, aside from the morning sickness during the early stages, it had completely disappeared, so she was able to eat without any trouble.
Her family treated Anriche as if she would fly away in the wind or be extinguished if they weren’t careful.
“Riche, your legs are swollen. Would you like me to massage them?”
Alexei personally massaged Anriche’s legs,
“Dear, are you feeling bored? Should I bring you a snack? I heard they baked peach tart in the kitchen earlier…”
Delphina was eager to feed Anriche something,
“Mother! Did you know babies can hear sounds from the outside even while in the womb? Should I read a storybook to you?”
Liliana showed a precocious concern, unlike her usual self,
“Mom, I finished my writing homework today.”
Even Elliot, who usually disliked doing homework, took the initiative to finish his work.
Anriche couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Elliot, you finished your homework before nagging?”
Is the sun rising in the west today?
Elliot replied seriously, tilting his head.
“You told me, right?”
“Hmm?”
“That I should be a responsible older brother to my little sibling.”
…Oh, right.
She had said that, but Anriche blinked in bewilderment.
To think the word ‘sibling’ would have such an effect…
Meanwhile, Elliot and Liliana sat closely beside Anriche.
They gazed at Anriche’s rounded belly with rapt attention.
“Mommy.”
Elliot called out to Anriche in a sweet voice.
“Is our little sibling doing well?”
“Of course, they’re doing well.”
Elliot swallowed nervously and continued,
“I want to greet the baby.”
“Me too…”
Liliana also chimed in, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
‘Those kids?’
Anriche couldn’t help but chuckle and intentionally pushed her belly forward.
“Alright, greet them.”
The children cautiously placed their small hands on Anriche’s belly.
“Hello, little one?”
“We’ve decided your name…”
The children began to chatter excitedly with the baby inside Anriche’s belly.
“If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Beatrice; if it’s a boy, Benjamin.”
Liliana explained gently.
“The meanings of those names come from an ancient word that means ‘happiness.’”
Elliot asked the baby again,
“We chose the names together with Dad and Grandma. Do you like them?”
Even though the baby couldn’t hear them, the kids maintained serious expressions.
They were so adorable that Anriche stifled a laugh that was about to burst out.
‘Thinking about it, the family discussed for days just to choose that name…’
Numerous names were suggested and discarded.
They even looked through the family history books to find names from their ancestors.
Had Liliana not discovered those names in the ancient dictionary, the baby might have been born without a name!
Just then…
“Oh!”
Anriche felt a sensation as the baby kicked her belly.
The baby was moving.
“Oh, the baby moved!”
Elliot jumped back in surprise.
He looked up at Anriche with a face full of excitement.
“Mom, did our sibling just move?”
“That’s right.”
Anriche nodded happily.
“I guess they’re greeting Liliana and Elliot.”
“Wow…”
Elliot gasped in awe.
At the same time, he turned to Liliana with wide eyes.
“Lil, did you feel that? The baby moved!”
“Yes, yes! I felt it!”
Liliana nodded vigorously, her verdant eyes shining with anticipation.
“For a baby to be so lively already, they must have an incredible talent for physical activity!”
“What?”
Elliot looked incredulous.
However, Liliana was already imagining a hopeful future.
“What if they want to learn swordsmanship? I’ll teach them well!”
“Seriously… is that all you think about?”
Elliot shook his head as if he were fed up with it.
Then Liliana shot him a sideways glance.
“It’s not like that! I just…”
Liliana gently caressed Anriche’s belly with a tender touch.
“All that matters is that the baby and you, Mother, are healthy.”
The affection in her youthful voice was so warm that Anriche felt a tightness in her chest.
***
Time passed, and labor began.
Anriche entered the delivery room she had prepared in advance.
Doctors, including her physician, carefully examined Anriche’s condition.
The Balua family had all gathered in one room, waiting for Anriche to safely deliver her child.
However, each family member was dealing with their anxiety in their own way.
“…”
Alexei, for one, was pacing back and forth around the fireplace, keeping his mouth tightly shut.
“Um, Mother… do you think she’s alright?”
“She will be.”
Liliana and Elliot sat side by side on the sofa, holding hands tightly.
Their faces were filled with tension.
“Alexei, aren’t you nervous just sitting still? Are you the only one feeling anxious?”
Delphina scolded her son.
Then, with an elegant gesture, she lifted her teacup to take a sip, but…
“Ahem.”
Her hand trembled so much that she gently set the teacup down again.
She was afraid the tea would spill if she wasn’t careful.
Alexei looked at his mother with a disinterested gaze.
“Well, you don’t seem much different from me, do you?”
“Humph!”
Delphina turned her head away with a huff.
Just then, the door opened.
Jane entered the room.
“Lady Anriche has given birth to a baby! It’s a beautiful girl!”
“What?!”
“Oh my!”
At Jane’s excited voice, everyone in the room jumped to their feet.
***
Anriche welcomed her family, cradling the baby in her arms.
“Oh, you all came?”
She smiled wearily at her family.
“Riche, are you feeling alright?”
“You really went through a lot, dear.”
The family rushed to Anriche’s side.
As Anriche proudly showed them the baby, she beamed.
“Look, it’s our daughter.”
“Oh my…”
Delphina stared blankly down at the baby.
“So, this child is…?”
“Beatrice. Your granddaughter.”
The baby had Anriche’s features, with soft, dark brown hair growing like fine fluff on her head.
“The baby… looks so much like you, Mother…”
The first to speak was Liliana.
“Was Mother like this when she was little? She’s so cute…”
After staring at the baby in a daze for a while, Liliana concluded with a determined voice.
“I want to be a good sister to Beatrice.”
“Me too!”
Elliot added enthusiastically, looking at the baby with a face full of emotion.
At the same time, Alexei opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
“Riche, really…”
After a brief pause, as if he had choked up, he continued,
“You really went through a lot.”
In that moment, Anriche noticed.
There were tears welling up in his eyes.
‘What’s to be done if even a duke like Alexei is so emotional?’
She inwardly grumbled while feeling her own nose tingle.
“Would you like to hold her?”
Anriche offered the baby to Alexei.
He carefully accepted her.
The sensation of the tiny, warm baby squirming in his arms was heavenly.
‘Oh.’
Then, Alexei froze in place.
The baby blinked her eyes and looked up at him.
The moment her blue eyes, resembling Alexei’s, stared at him blankly,
‘This can’t be.’
Alexei felt his heart swell with emotion, making it hard to even breathe.
At that moment, Elliot gasped and asked Alexei,
“Dad, are you crying?”
“…It’s not like that.”
Alexei tried to deny it, but his throat was already choked up.
“After all, you’ve already had Elliot, so what’s with the fuss…?”
Delphina said teasingly.
Elliot shot a dull look at his grandmother.
“And you’re crying too, Grandma.”
“W-when did I cry?”
Delphina exclaimed in shock.
At that, tears started to stream down her cheeks.
“…”
“…”
After a moment of silence, the family burst into hearty laughter.
-fin.