"I... I think I'm about to give birth..." Ivy Shen frowned, lowering her head to look at her pant leg. There was a sudden warm gush just now—she was definitely not a child who would randomly wet herself. So, it had to be what people always called 'her water breaking.'
Once your water breaks, it's basically the universe flashing a big neon sign: Baby incoming!
"Ah, she's about to give birth? Ivy's about to give birth?!" Butterfly Rogue screamed, clutching his face and wobbling around, having absolutely no idea what to do.
"What do we do, what do we do, what are we supposed to do?" Caleb Miles actually dropped his beloved abacus and grabbed Butterfly Rogue by the shoulders, shaking him nonstop. "Tell me, what am I supposed to do?!"
"Ivy, Ivy, Ivy..." Adrian Night, usually the picture of cool, was now totally freaking out, just chanting her name like a broken record.
"Stop standing there like idiots! Go get the midwives!" Yvonne Li yelled, seeing all these men running around in a total panic.
Hearing that, Ethan Chu blurted, "Okay, okay, I'm going now!"—practically tripping over himself in his rush.
Lucian Vane took a deep breath, tried to play it cool, then swooped up Ivy Shen and sprinted for the tent like he was running from a fire.
"Darling, darling..." Eli Crane clenched his fists, eyes glazed over, standing there like a lost puppy.
"It's happening, is this really happening?" Even Eli Crane, usually the chill doctor, looked totally flustered—she was really about to give birth, their kid was really coming. Sure, they'd all known this day would come, but now that it was here, everyone was completely thrown for a loop.
"The midwives are here! The midwives are here!" Every time Ethan Chu heard Ivy Shen's name, he could never stay calm—now she was having a baby, and he was even more of a nervous wreck.
He burst in, dragging Madam Jin with two more midwives trailing behind, panting, "They're here, they're here!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please slow down!" Madam Jin, the palace's most experienced midwife, called out anxiously. Seeing the emperor so frantic made her just as nervous—clearly, the imperial consort meant everything to him.
Behind her, Madam Yin and Madam Bao—the legendary golden triangle of palace midwives—followed close. Madam Jin had delivered both Ethan Chu and his sister Chu Xiyan back in the day.
You could tell her credentials ran deep.
"Hurry up, you two! Move it!" Ethan Chu snapped, annoyed that the other two midwives were lagging behind.
"Mercy, Your Majesty, mercy!" Madam Yin and Madam Bao nearly dropped to their knees in panic.
"No kneeling, just hurry up!" This was no time for ceremony, Ethan Chu barked, waving them off.
"Madam Bao, go get the water boiling! Madam Yin, come with me inside!" Madam Jin commanded, steady as ever.
"Yes, ma'am!" Madam Bao spun around and dashed off to the spot they'd prepped last time.
"Quick, I need help here!" Ethan Chu started barking orders. The commotion had already woken up half the injured soldiers, who stumbled out of their tents, ready to assist.
"What are you all staring at? Get back to sleep!" Ethan Chu roared, bossy as ever.
The soldiers ducked their heads and scurried back into their tents, not daring to poke their noses out again.
"Everyone out! Leave this to me!" Madam Jin declared, sweeping her gaze over the crowd and issuing her royal eviction notice.
"I'm a doctor, I can help!" Lucian Vane piped up, refusing to budge.
"Me too! I'm staying!" Ethan Chu squeezed inside, clearly desperate.
Seeing this, Madam Jin dropped to her knees and kowtowed before looking up: "Your Majesty, you absolutely mustn't! Men aren't allowed during childbirth—it's a huge taboo!"
"I'm not scared, so why are you?" Ethan Chu shot back, his temper flaring. This old lady was getting more annoying by the minute.
"Ah, it hurts...!" Ivy Shen cried out, frowning in agony. What was going on? She'd watched her relatives give birth in her past life, and sure, it hurt after the water broke—but not this much! Why did it hurt so much now?
Could it be that the Serpent Realm and the human world really were worlds apart?