Relay-messaging is truly an arcane art: from "Miss Feng's belly hurts terribly" to "might be premature labor," and finally to the message Prince Nolan receives—Serena Feng has given birth prematurely.
One can easily imagine how panicked and unsettled Prince Nolan is at this moment!
And indeed, Prince Nolan has never been so terrified—not even at Destiny Cliff.
Prince Nolan is utterly unable to think. All he knows is to run forward, to reach Feng Manor as fast as possible, to get to Serena Feng's side—never considering that he is neither an imperial physician nor a midwife, and even if he arrives, he won't be able to help.
Before this, Prince Nolan never thought pregnancy and childbirth were so dangerous—after all, every woman goes through it. But ever since he learned Serena Feng was pregnant, he privately researched extensively, only now realizing how many women die each year giving birth.
The imperial physicians even say that childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell—and that’s not even considering premature labor. Premature babies are hard to raise, and mothers are also harmed by it.
"Serena, nothing must happen to you."
"You're all I have left. You're all I have."
......
Prince Nolan sprints the entire way, completely ignoring the shadow guards behind him, not caring whether they can keep up. All he knows is that he must be by Serena Feng’s side right now—nothing, not even the sky falling, could stop him.
Inside Feng Manor, the imperial physicians diagnose Serena in her room while the midwives wait outside. If the physicians say it's time to deliver, the midwives will take over from there.
"Heavens above, please let Her Ladyship not go into premature labor." The midwives look anxious—their worry is no less than anyone else's in Feng Manor.
If something happens to Serena Feng, their whole families won't survive either.
"Heavens above, let Her Ladyship and the child be safe and sound."
All four midwives mutter prayers under their breath. Even though they're flustered inside, none dare show it; each forces herself to wait calmly outside the room.
The imperial physicians inside aren't faring much better. Four of them take turns examining Serena Feng; the diagnosis is: she suffered uterine contractions and some bleeding, but there are no signs of premature delivery.
A narrow escape. If it had been premature labor, everyone would be scrambling.
Serena Feng is in terrible pain, but her mind is still clear. Hearing the imperial physicians' verdict, she finally lets go of the anxiety gripping her heart.
"Imperial physicians, write a prescription." She isn't skilled in obstetrics—especially not in such a dangerous case. Even if she dared diagnose herself, she would never dare prescribe for herself.
There's a reason doctors don't treat themselves. In the same situation, she could prescribe the best medicine for a patient. But when it comes to herself—and with imperial physicians present—she instinctively refuses to write her own prescription, afraid her judgment will be clouded and she'll miss the best treatment.
"Yes." The imperial physicians finish writing the prescription, but don't know who should review it.
They all know the child in Serena Feng's womb belongs to the Emperor, but the Emperor isn't here, and there's no one in Feng Manor who can make decisions. So...
"Give me the prescription." Serena forces herself to sit up, takes the prescription from the imperial physicians, glances over it to confirm it's correct, and hands it to Summer: "Go decoct the medicine." For this, she only trusts her own maid.
"Yes, Miss." Summer's nose stings with emotion; she grabs the prescription and rushes out.
Before, she thought Miss was too proud, refusing to forgive Prince Nolan out of stubbornness. But just now, as a fellow woman, Summer felt real sympathy for Serena Feng.
If her heart weren't truly broken, Miss wouldn't choose to suffer alone during pregnancy rather than be with Prince Nolan.
Miss has endured too much.
As soon as Summer leaves, Spring and the others rush up to ask, "How is Miss?"
"Sister, Sister... Feng Jin wants Sister." Only now does Feng Jin dare to speak up.
"Miss is fine, she just needs bed rest. Feng Jin, be good—Miss is tired now, come back a bit later, okay?" Summer says briskly, and before anyone else can ask more, she waves the prescription: "Autumn, let's go decoct the medicine."
The two maids hurry away. Only then do the imperial physicians come out; Spring wants to go in and serve, but the physician pulls her aside and whispers, "Spring, this pregnancy is extremely dangerous—nothing can be overlooked. Now that there's bleeding, Her Ladyship mustn't get out of bed before delivery. You'd best find an older woman from the clan who has given birth, to stay with her and explain what she must watch out for."
The manor is full of young girls who've never had children—they don't know what can or can't be done. The midwives know a little, but they can only help during delivery.
"Thank you for the advice, Doctor. I understand." Spring's eyes redden as she wonders where she could possibly find such a woman.
Someone from the Phoenixfield Clan? They're Serena Feng's kin, but not truly close to her. To them, she's just their Mistress.
After weighing all the options, Spring realizes that if something happens to Miss, she doesn't have a single close person by her side.
Sigh... Spring forces a smile and enters the room, so Serena won't worry.
"Miss..." Spring starts to speak, but suddenly feels a chill behind her. She turns and sees a gust of wind sweep past—no one in sight. Just as she's wondering if she's imagining things, she hears Prince Nolan's voice, trembling despite his effort to suppress it: "Serena..."
With a thud, Prince Nolan collapses to his knees at Serena's bedside. Anyone unaware would think Serena Feng was dying.
It's unbearable to watch.
Spring covers her face and quickly ushers everyone out of the room, afraid the Emperor will later remember and have them all silenced.