Chapter 291 - : 291 Child Birth.

Charlotte cried out again as another wave of pain rushed through her body.

Her back lifted slightly from the bed, and her fingers tightened around Vivian's hand so hard that even his knuckles began to hurt.

Her face had already turned completely red, almost matching the color of her long hair. Sweat clung to the sides of her neck and forehead, making several strands stick to her skin.

Her breathing had become uneven a long time ago.

Every few moments, another contraction would come, giving her barely enough time to recover before the pain started building again.

"Push harder, Lady Charlotte! Don't stop now!"

The middle-aged woman standing near the lower side of the bed raised her voice while reaching both hands forward carefully.

Her expression remained calm despite the tense atmosphere in the room.

Several healers stood nearby as well, preparing clean cloths and warm water while watching Charlotte closely. The entire room was filled with pressure.

Charlotte gritted her teeth tightly as another painful groan escaped from her throat.

"Ahhh…!!"

Her body trembled from the effort.

Vivian stood beside the bed without moving even once.

His face had already gone pale long ago.

One of Charlotte's hands held onto him tightly while his other hand kept rubbing her forehead gently, trying to comfort her however he could. But the more he watched her suffer, the more helpless he felt.

Charlotte was not someone who complained easily.

Even after serious injuries during training, she would usually stay calm without making much of a reaction.

But now…

Seeing her in this state made his chest tighten.

Her brows were pulled together tightly, her breathing broken, her body shaking from the pain again and again.

Just watching it made his thoughts become messy.

It had already been nine months.

Her stomach had slowly grown larger month after month until everyone in the estate had started preparing for this day carefully.

And earlier today, while the two of them had been walking through the garden together, Charlotte had suddenly stopped mid-step before collapsing against him as the labor pains began.

Vivian had panicked immediately.

He had carried her all the way here himself without waiting for anyone else.

Now the medical section of the Zenithara Estate was completely busy.

The best healers and physicians inside the estate had gathered in the room, focusing fully on Charlotte and the child.

Another painful cry escaped her lips.

Vivian quickly leaned closer.

"Charlotte…"

His voice had already lost its usual calmness.

He looked toward the middle-aged woman again.

"Isn't there some medicine to stop the pain?" he asked.

His tone sounded strained now.

The woman did not even look away from her work as she answered calmly.

"No, my lord. There are ways to reduce pain slightly, but using strong medicine or spells during childbirth could harm the baby."

She continued carefully checking Charlotte's condition before speaking again.

"We cannot take that risk."

Vivian clicked his tongue quietly in frustration.

For the first time in a long while, he genuinely hated feeling powerless.

He had heard people talk about labor pain before, but hearing about it and seeing it directly were completely different things.

Charlotte's fingers suddenly tightened around his hand again.

Another contraction had started.

Her breathing broke apart instantly as pain spread through her stomach and lower back again.

Her body tensed hard against the bed while she lowered her head slightly, trying to endure it.

"Ahhh…!!"

Vivian immediately leaned closer again.

"Just a little longer," he said quickly. "Just a few more minutes."

He kept speaking even though he wasn't sure whether he was calming her or himself.

Charlotte's pain eased slightly after several moments.

Her chest rose and fell heavily as she tried to catch her breath.

Then slowly, she turned her head slightly toward Vivian.

Even while sweating and trembling from exhaustion, she still noticed the panic on his face.

A small smile appeared weakly on her lips.

"Why are you looking like the one in pain…" she said softly between breaths.

But before she could finish speaking, another wave hit her.

Her fingers suddenly crushed against his palm again.

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Her back arched harder this time as the pain forced another cry from her throat. Tears had already gathered slightly at the corners of her eyes from the pressure.

The middle-aged woman's expression sharpened immediately.

"I can see the baby now!" she called out.

Everyone in the room became even more alert.

"Push harder, Lady Charlotte! Just a little more!"

Charlotte bit down hard as she tried to push again.

Her entire body trembled from exhaustion.

She had already been going through this pain for hours, and her strength was slowly being drained away little by little.

Vivian could feel her hand shaking inside his own.

He moved even closer to her side.

"You're doing well," he said quickly. "Charlotte, look at me."

Her eyes slowly lifted toward him.

Sweat rolled down the side of her face while her breathing remained uneven.

"You're doing well," he repeated softly while brushing the wet strands of hair away from her forehead. "Just a little more."

Charlotte clenched her jaw tightly and nodded weakly.

Then another contraction came.

This time she pushed harder than before.

"Ummm…!!"

The pain spread through her entire body as she forced herself forward again despite the exhaustion.

The middle-aged woman carefully reached both hands forward.

"The baby is coming out more!"

The room instantly became tense again.

"Push again! Don't stop now!" she shouted firmly.

Charlotte cried out once more as she used the rest of her strength to push harder, her grip around Vivian's hand tightening so much that even his fingers began to ache.

"Ahhhh!!"

Her voice echoed through the room loudly this time.

Her face twisted from the pain as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Sweat covered her skin completely now, and her breathing had already become messy long ago.

"I swear… I'm never getting pregnant again!!"

Even while gasping from pain, she still forced the words out angrily.

Then, as if trying to fight against the pain itself, she pushed harder again.

The middle-aged woman immediately spoke up, her voice sounding more excited than before.

"Just a little more, Lady Charlotte! The legs are completely out now!"

Charlotte gritted her teeth tightly.

Her body was already exhausted after hours of labor, yet the pain still kept growing stronger every time she pushed.

This time, instead of grabbing Vivian's hand, her trembling arm suddenly reached higher and grabbed onto the collar of his clothes tightly.

Vivian immediately leaned closer without hesitation.

Charlotte wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him against herself, almost squeezing him like something to hold onto while she forced herself to focus through the pain.

"Ughhhhhhhh…!!"

Her entire body trembled violently.

Then suddenly, her eyes lost focus.

Vivian's expression changed immediately.

"Charlotte?"

Her eyes had started rolling slightly upward as her strength began slipping away from exhaustion.

Panic instantly appeared on his face.

He quickly held her cheeks.

"Hey… Charlotte."

He lightly slapped her cheek once.

There was no response.

The panic in his chest rose even further.

"Charlotte!"

This time he slapped her slightly harder.

Finally, her eyes focused again little by little as she gasped softly and returned to her senses.

Before either of them could say anything else, the urgent voice of the middle-aged woman rang through the room again.

"My lady, one final push! Just one more!"

Charlotte had only barely recovered her awareness when those words reached her ears.

Her face immediately twisted again.

"Fuck…!" she cursed weakly between breaths. "I'll pay you back once you come out…"

Even in this state, she still managed to threaten the unborn child.

Then she pushed again.

Vivian was still trapped tightly against her chest as she held onto him almost like a body pillow. Her grip around his neck and shoulders had become painfully strong, but he ignored it completely.

Right now, he could only focus on supporting her.

One of his hands rubbed her back carefully while the other held her shoulder steady.

"You can do it," he said quickly. "Charlotte, just one more time."

Another contraction crashed into her body before she could even recover properly.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Charlotte screamed loudly as she pushed with everything she had left.

This time the pain became so overwhelming that even her vision started becoming blurry.

Her pupils lost focus for a few seconds.

The room around her no longer felt clear.

The healers.

The lights.

The voices.

Everything started mixing together strangely inside her head.

She could barely make out Vivian's face near her.

He looked terrified now, calling her name while trying to keep her awake.

But even his face seemed blurry.

Charlotte felt her thoughts slowly drifting apart from exhaustion.

'Damn…'

'I'm definitely using protection next ti…'

"Waahhh!! Wahhh!! Wahhh!!"

The loud cry suddenly echoed through the room.

Charlotte's drifting thoughts stopped instantly.

The blurry haze inside her mind cleared little by little as everyone around the bed suddenly relaxed at once.

Then slowly, her tired eyes moved downward.

A very small child had finally appeared in the middle-aged woman's arms.