In a room with the curtains drawn in a rather intricate little manor, a female servant was looking at the pale-faced woman on the bed with an anxious expression. "Mistress, please eat something. The midwife said that you're going to give birth in the next two days, but you haven't eaten anything for so many days; that won't do."
Miranda was lying on her side on the bed, and her abdomen was bulging as if she were about to give birth at any moment. However, her swollen face was extremely pale, and she opened her eyes in a feeble manner to look at the bowl of porridge in the servant's hands. Her throat moved, and her stomach began to churn. She retched a couple of times before closing her eyes again, and shaking her head as she said, "I can't eat; take it away."
She knew that she had to eat something for the sake of her child, but she really couldn't do it.
No matter what it was, she would begin to vomit as soon as she put it into her mouth, and there would be nothing left in her stomach aside from stomach acid. She still couldn't even drink a spoonful of porridge.
Even when she had given birth to Angus, this hadn't happened.
She recalled what the midwife had said to her after she had given birth to Angus, and that she couldn't have any more children in this lifetime. Otherwise, she would die, and a wry smile appeared on her face.
She didn't tell Gjerj that she only wanted to give birth to a daughter for him, even if it meant risking her life.
"But …" The servant still wanted to say something.
Right at this moment, Miranda's stomach suddenly moved, and a pained expression immediately appeared on her face. Her body curled up like a prawn, but she gripped the edge of the bed tightly to prevent herself from moving too much. Her pale face was instantly drenched in cold sweat, and she cried out in agony.
"Mistress!" The servant hurriedly put down the bowl of porridge in her hands before rushing over in a flustered manner, but she was completely at a loss for what to do at the sight of Miranda's curled up body. She screamed, "Someone! Mistress is about to give birth! "
Not long after that, the door of the room was pushed open from the outside, and two elderly women in headscarves quickly strode into the room. One of them quickly made her way over to the bed before grabbing onto Miranda's hand with one hand and gently stroking her stomach with the other.
Miranda's belly gradually stopped moving, and the pain on her face also lessened a lot. However, after this round of torment, her face became even paler. She lay weakly on the bed, and even her breathing became a little weak.
The two midwives looked at Miranda on the bed, then looked at each other. They both sighed softly, got up, and left the room again.
There were already many people waiting outside the door. Parber was holding Parmer's hand tightly. Angus was being coaxed by a maid. The servants were all standing not far away, praying for their kind mistress.
Gjerj's father, Old Williams, had a grave expression on his face. Some of the important members of the Williams Family were also present. Seeing the midwife come out, they hurriedly asked with concern, "Has the child been born?"
"Master, she hasn't given birth yet. She's having contractions. However, this also means that the child is about to be born. It's just that …" The midwife hesitated.
"But what?" Old Williams asked.
The midwife hesitated momentarily before saying, "Madam's belly is much larger than normal, so this child is most likely going to be bigger than normal. However, Madam's body is currently extremely weak, and this is her fourth delivery. It's most likely going to be very difficult for her to give birth to the child …"
Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing this. Everyone knew that Miranda's condition during this delivery wasn't very good. The last time she gave birth to Angus, she almost had a brush with death. However, who would've thought that the situation this time would be even worse?
"What do you mean by that?" Old Williams' expression also changed, and his voice involuntarily rose a few octaves.
The other midwife wore a grave expression as she said, "Master, I can only tell you about the current situation. In Madam's current condition, there's no way that she can give birth to the child. However, the child is about to be born, so you have to make a choice before the next contraction. Do you want to save her or the child?"
Everyone in the courtyard looked at Old Williams. No matter who it was, such a choice would be a cruel thing to do. Their expressions were somewhat unbearable.
"Mother!" Parmer's eyes immediately reddened.
"Big Brother, is Mother going to give birth to a little sister for us?" Parber looked up at Parmer with anticipation on his little face.
Parmer looked down at Parber, and his Adam's apple bobbed, but he still nodded firmly, and replied, "Yes, Mother is going to give birth to a little sister for us …"
"That's great! I like little sisters!" An elated smile appeared on Parber's face, but the smile on his face gradually disappeared. He looked at Parmer with a perplexed expression, and asked, "But … Big Brother, why are you crying?"
Old Williams stumbled slightly, and only managed to steady himself by holding onto the tree beside him. He looked in the direction of the room with a pained and conflicted expression on his face. He looked around, and yelled, "Where's Gjerj? Where did he go? "
"Young Master … Young Master said that he went out for a while, but he didn't say where he was going …" the butler replied.
The midwife was a little anxious as she said, "Master, we have to make a decision now. If we delay any longer, Madam will most likely …"
"This … This … If I make a decision, Gjerj is going to hate me for the rest of his life …" Old Williams slammed a fist into the tree beside him, and heaved a heavy sigh.
There were already some young female servants in the courtyard who were sobbing softly. Miranda was such a kind person, and she treated them as if they were her own family.
Grief spread throughout the courtyard, and even Angus seemed to have been affected by it, and he began to cry loudly.
Old Williams hung his head in dejection, but he still couldn't make up his mind.
No one in the courtyard dared to say anything, and they could only sigh in silence.
The two midwives were stomping their feet anxiously. They had been midwives for decades, and had seen situations like this before, but what could they do? In this situation, they could only save one child, and as the family, they had to make a decision. If they delayed any longer, they could lose both children in the end.
"Save … save the child! Father … Please save the child … I can feel that this is a daughter; Gjerj has always wanted a daughter … "
Just as everyone in the courtyard fell silent, Miranda's feeble yet determined voice sounded from the room, and there was a hint of relief in her voice.
All of the women in the courtyard burst into tears, and even the men couldn't help but turn away to wipe their tears.
"Mother! Don't leave us, Mother! Mother … "Parmer let go of Parber's hand, and ran toward the room. He collapsed in front of the door, and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Sigh …" Old Williams heaved a heavy sigh, and his tightly clenched fists broke through the rough bark of the tree. He looked up at the midwives, and squeezed out a few words from his throat with great difficulty, "Save the child …"
"Even if you want to save the child, you can only save the adults!"
A thunderous voice sounded from outside the door, and Gjerj rushed in with sweat all over his body. He was holding a large clay jar tightly in his hand, and he said, "Parmer, open the door!"
"Father!" An elated look appeared on Parmer's face as he stood up, and pushed open the door with all his might.
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