Chapter 62

"Ugh, heuu… "

Kalia's labour pains have already lasted 6 hours.

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The darkness of dawn had long faded away and the red sun hung distantly in the sky. Somewhere along the way, the rain had stopped but it brought along the cold chill of dawn which lingered in the air.

The pain she had been enduring had been going on for so long that even the bystanders felt exhausted. Humming and Allen were waiting in the room next door, and only Simon kept watch by her side without a moment's separation.

'The time one spends in labour is different. In severe cases, mothers sometimes suffer up to 12 hours of pain. Even though it's been 6 hours, one can't lose hope. Though… Kalia's contraction intensity was stronger than the average.'

He said that there was a way to get the child out by putting a knife directly to Kalia's belly and pulling the child out.

However, it was not the preferred method, and the side effects were severe. It's left as a last resort for when both mother and child are in danger during natural birth.

Simon raised the temperature in the room.

'So far, there's nothing we can do but wait. Please hold her hand from her side. So that she doesn't feel alone.'

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Aftering he set the room to the right temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, he carefully lowered the humidity as well. Nevertheless, Kalia's pain did not diminish. She bit her lips so much that all of her lower lip was torn. Though her lips were bleeding, the rest of her face was as white as death.

Still, she didn't utter a word of pain.

The pains were coming at a minute apart now. Every time the concentration of pain went down, Kalia would groan, but never said that it hurt.

"Kalia. Kalia…"

Simon held one of Kalia's pale hand tightly in his and prayed to God for the first time. He also muttered without hesitation that he had done something wrong. He prayed to repent for every sin, no matter if he had committed them or not, as long as Kalia could hurt less, if even just a little.

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"Damn it."

Was giving birth this painful? Was it to make people bleed like this?

The children running around outside were not just born. From such suffocating pain, they struggled to come out into the world to burst into miraculous tears1. Every mother in the world displayed their strength and seemed so great in those moments.

He was just a wizard.

In front of a mother who bore death and tore flesh to bear life to a child, he was nothing more than a wizard.

Kalia couldn't even breathe properly. Heu. Seuu. Heuuu!

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How painful it must be, how agonizing it must be, how hard it must be. He just wanted to endure the pain on her behalf. It didn't matter whose child the baby was or why she hid away without saying a word now.

As long as she was safe and able to look at him, even if it's just with a blank face, and call his name again…. There was nothing else Simon would wish for.

With the way things were going, if she died, Simon was not confident that he could live on properly2.

'I'm going crazy.'

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He would even attempt forbidden magic to bring Kalia back from across the River of Death. He was willing and would gladly become the devil just to find her. Kalia was his salvation, his friend, his everything.

Simon closed his eyes and memories of a young Kalia flooded his mind.

***

"I'm Kalia, your escort from today on."

He had asked the Duke for her to accompany him to the Academy.

Read at euphoria-airlines.com. Else, Simon will zap you with lightning.

With her lemon-cloured hair tied in a high ponytail, she had bowed her head curtly to greet him before suddenly breaking into a bright smile as her eyes met Simon's. "Nice to meet you. It's been a long time since I've seen you."

Simon spoke gruffly, trying to calm his young3, beating heart, "When did you say that you saw me?"

"Well, it's been a long time. It was three years ago."

That time… It was when he was kidnapped.

"…. You remember that time?"4

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Kalia, who was about 10, laughed. "I remember it because you were so pretty. It was my first time seeing someone so lovely and like a small prince. So I chased after you like I was bewitched."

Were those words something that was supposed to make one's heart flutter?

Cool, pretty, cute, lovely.5 Simon has heard all sorts of things before but never before has those words sounded like compliments.

Until he heard them from Kalia.

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The young Simon shouted because one side of his chest tickled. "Don't laugh."

"What?"

"Don't laugh recklessly6."

….Because he was anxious whenever he saw her smile.

He couldn't bring himself to say those last words.

At this, Kalia had scratched her head awkwardly, a little embarrassed and didn't laugh very well after that.

…At least in front of Simon.

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So, when he saw her flirting and laughing with other people, he was very angry.

"I told you not to laugh, Kalia. Why are you having so much fun with those bastards?"

"Crazy7, I'm going to kill him. Why are you laughing with him?"

"Kalia. Are you going to keep flirting like that?"

In the end, Kalia got angry exactly 37 days later at Simon, who was scolding her laugh8 and right to laugh.

"Listen carefully. You were entrusted to me by the Duke but I'm not one of your family. I saved you, and I received what I deserve in return, but who are you to tell me to laugh or not? What bullshit!"

Read at euphoria-airlines.com or I'll send Simon's spirits at you. They'll kyuuu at you until you go crazy.

At that time, Kalia was more energetic than she was today. Just the same, unlike today's Simon, the Simon then was much more childish.

"What? Bullshit? Are you saying that to me?"

"Yeah, I did, to you. What, are you going to kill me? See if I care. I'm risking9 it today. Even if I'm a commoner, I don't think I'll starve to death outside anymore. Goodbye."

Well, they were only 12 year old children, so they were like that. In particular, Simon had no significant friends until then, so he was more vulnerable to relationships with peers. When he heard that Kalia was leaving him, he was strangely desperate. The memory of his heart dropping was still vivid.

He hurriedly grabbed Kalia's wrist as she was about to turn away and said, "Sorry."

Words that he had never said before left his mouth more easily than he expected. The words of apology came out of nowhere, surprising even himself. Surprisingly, he said sorry casually.

Read at euphoria-airlines.com and I'll make sure Kalia and Simon have no more misunderstandings. (Actually, I can't but I'll translate the misunderstanding….)

"I'm sorry. So just stay."

"...What, what's wrong with you?"10

"I'm sorry. I just – I thought we were friends. But I was angry because you were close with someone other than me."11

A flustered Kalia looked at Simon strangely.

He cleverly made the face his mother took out when she wanted something from his father12. Eyes drooping, he even imitated hesitatingly biting his lips and looked at the other with gentle eyes.

"...You thought I was a friend?"

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"Yes. Even now, I still think so… Aren't we friends?"

Kalia seemed confused by Simon's disheartened voice. Simon didn't miss the opportunity. He took a step closer and brought his face close to hers. This was also another one of Helena's moves that she frequently used on the Duke. When she was at a disadvantage, she would get close to him and whisper. The more disadvantaged she was, the closer she drew to him. With just that, the Duke would forgive her each time with a red face.

He was unaware but he strongly resembled Helena in that moment. Well, he did often hear that he had a lot of his mother in his appearance.

"Can't you be my friend?"

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"No, if you say it like that, I…."

"…..No? You don't want to?"

Kalia, who was struggling with her words, blushed. Scratching her cheek, she finally sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "Okay. Let's be friends. But you can't pick a fight like that from now on. If there's anything you want to say to me, don't beat around the bush, just tell me right away."

"Okay, I will, Kalia."

"Well… I should get going."

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Having calmed down her excitement, Kalia's bright demeanour and voice suddenly became polite again. Simon couldn't help but feel sad and sorry at that. Though she was angry and had retorted back at him, he still liked how she openly treated him candidly.

He had felt special.

"Kalia."

"What?"

"Since we're friends, you don't have to talk like that anymore. Feel free to speak openly to me."

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Kalia spoke with embarrassment, "But I'm a commoner, and you're a noble."

"Am I going to become a commoner?"

"Not but, that's impossible13."

"It's not impossible."

Read at euphoria-airlines.com and if Kalia's running you down, that means Simon will be close behind.

"...No, it's impossible, Simon. There's no need for that." Seeing Simon's expression, Kalia quickly added, "I'll just become a person who can talk to Simon comfortably14." The smiling Kalia nodded cooly and continued. "That would be faster."

And Kalia really became such a person.

Of course, it was Simon who silently carried out the invisible work from behind her to help her put on her wings, but Kalia didn't need to know that15.

***

"…..How can you fascinate me so much and be so ignorant to it, Kalia."

With a gentle hand, Simon wiped Kalia's sweaty forehead. Her eyes, tightly closed in pain, fluttered open at his touch.

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"Simon," Kalia called his name in a rough voice.

In the midst of this, he felt like a madman for thinking that her voice calling him was nice.

'Kalia, since when have I been crazy about you?'16

"Kalia. Are you all right?"

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"You, why….are you here."

"Because you're here."

At Simon's casual reply, Kalia had the same strange gaze as when she first heard that she was a friend. Seeing her sluggish eyes, Simon just smiled silently and kissed the back of her hand once again. Just like you do to someone precious.

Flinching, a surprised Kalia stared at him.

Lovingly caressing the soft flesh held tenderly in his hands, Simon whispered to her in the world's sweetest voice, "I'm not going to ask or let you ask anything right now, so just focus on yourself and feeling better."

A light red flushed her pale cheeks, giving her blanched face more life, but that soon faded away. The pain had come back, evident from the frown she bore on her face. A groan escaped out from between her clenching teeth.

Read at euphoria-airlines.com or you will become the imperial palace and you know how often Simon blows that place up….

"Oh, oh… hhhhn!" She was clenching her teeth, forcing herself to hold back the noise she wanted to make.

Seeing her in more pain than ever, Simon bit his lips. Then suddenly, a bracelet on the wrist he wasn't holding caught his eye.

'This…'

In the chaotic situation, he hadn't paid attention to the other wrist that had been hidden out of sight by her belly. However, upon closer inspection, he saw that it was no ordinary bracelet.

But how in the world did this bracelet get on Kalia's wrist?

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Simon reached out to examine the mysterious spirit bracelet wrapped around Kalia's wrist. At his touch, Kalia opened her eyes wide and stared at the bracelet.

"…ia."

"What is it, Kalia?"

Kalia, whose teeth were already clenched, clenched the fist of the hand wearing the bracelet as if she was gathering strength.

'When the baby is about to come out, call me. Don't forget my name.'

Another groan burst out from between her trembling lips.

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"….ia."

'Tell me, my name.'

"Gaia!"