King Adrian had always wanted a charming daughter, however, his queen and other consorts had only born princes. This was all brought on by a curse casted upon Cerulean nobility many generations ago. Ever since then, no power or sorcery could break the curse, causing the nobles to marry off their sons to foreign noble ladies.
The Royal Family and the pure-blooded conservative nobility gradually lost their power due to foreigners marrying into their family. The Royal Council feared that the kingdom would grow vulnerable to invaders if they continued to accept foreign blood, so they resorted to marrying noble sons to the high ladies of the kingdom in hopes that the curse wouldn't take effect if the men didn't marry a noble blood. Yet no daughter had been born.
Worried that Cerulean Kingdom would be destroyed, King Adrian fatefully prayed for a daughter, but after his youngest son was born, his faith dwindled.
Nine months before the full moon, Neverendin flowers started to bud and the cry of the Janome bird echoed throughout the land, signs of abundance and prosperity respectively. The Royal Council investigated why these two phenomena were occurring at the same time, before it came to their attention that the fifth concubine was carrying a child. Hopeful, the king searched for the best midwives and healers and sent them to Concubine Luna’s side, making sure that everything was taken care of and no harm would come to their unborn child.
Every day the clock struck twelve, raspy cries were heard throughout the lands. On the first day, the heavens cried alongside it. The cries became louder and the flowers continued to bud. The prophecy.
A week before the full moon, heavy rains poured down on the whole country. Two days later, the Neverendin flowers started to bloom while the Janome birds roamed the city sky. And on the day of the moon showed its full glory, Concubine Luna got in labor.
“Is my child born yet?” the king asked again, like a broken clock who cuckoos even after the alarm passed has already passed. The man who is known for his iron hand and towering figure is currently pacing back and forth nervously, his hands tremble and his forehead full of beads of sweat. Sometimes, his lips would tremble and he’ll let out a shaky sigh once in a while.
“Not yet, Hwan.” Answered his aid, Arman. [1: Hwan = Cerulean equivalent for the term Your/His Majesty or King]
A lady snapped her fan close. She sighed. “You must calm down, My King. Conceiving is hard and tiring for everyone.”
“I agree with Consort Alicia, My King.” Avria said. “Hearing you pace back and forth and ask if the princess is born yet; the midwives might think that you are getting impatient and try to speed up the process.”
“What Consort Alicia and Concubine Avria said are correct, Hwan.” Arman seconded.
Upon hearing this, the king tried to calm himself for he didn’t want anything bad to happen to either his wife or his child. Although he no longer walked back and forth and was now standing in one place, his stance is not that of a king nor a proud man. He leaned his weight in one of his right, tapping his thighs continuously.
Managing to calm the king at least a bit, no one bothered to tell him about how much of a joke he looked right now in fear of angering him and complicating the already complicated birthing. All three wives who were currently in the waiting room almost simultaneously rolled their eyes. The king had already seven sons having one pair of twins, he had been in the waiting side of the delivery room six times and he’d never acted the way he’s acting right now; which irritated Consort Alicia as she’s one of the people who gave birth to his children. This made her detest the soon-to-be mother and daughter pair more and more as time ticked by.
‘Aren’t I your most favored wife? Why didn’t you act this way when I was giving birth to your sixth son? I would prefer it if you paced and shook the way you’re doing right now when I was sticky and feeling ugly during that hurtful day. But now that I think of it, you coming inside the delivery room to accompany me speaks a lot for itself. It truly shows that I am not like your other wives. However, you defied the midwives’ orders that time which might have put me in a dire situation. Ah, so hateful. I don’t even want to be here. Why is that queen in name not here? Why am I stuck waiting at an awful place for a mere tribute to give birth to another loathsome creature?’
As Consort Alicia’s thoughts went haywire, the king started to pace back and forth again, biting his fingers in an attempt to stop himself asking if his child is born. He didn't know what he was feeling, he’s both excited and frightened at the same time. His whole life, he prayed for this day to finally come. But now that his prayers were being answered at this very moment, he’s become agitated and anxious. He could feel butterflies in his stomach but he could also feel his insides churn. Even though he already went through with this for seven times, he couldn't help but feel as if this was his first time being a father. Well, this was his first time fathering a daughter. He couldn’t put a word to the emotions surging through him right now, all he knew was how he wished he was the one giving birth instead. Not because he is worried for his wife, but because he wanted nothing bad to happen to the child.
The door opened and a cry was heard from the inside, a midwife walked out of the room and announced, “It’s a princess, Hwan. Concubine Luna has given birth to a very beautiful princess.”
The king’s eyes widened as he excitedly entered the room. He saw a young midwife holding a white-haired baby. His heart thumped harder while seemingly skipping a beat. He stopped on his tracks, tears formed on his eyes, his lips trembled. “A princess… it’s a girl… my daughter…”
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