197 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Chapter 197
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It was labor that started earlier than expected. Mother was quickly moved to the bed, and the midwife, who had been contacted, arrived quickly with women to help her and began assisting the attending physician.
Hot water and towels kept coming into the room. Each time the door opened slightly, a piercingly sharp groan escaped.
Interspersed within it was the midwife's voice, encouraging Mother and calmly guiding the delivery.
"Now, nothing's wrong, right?"
Roena looked at me with an anxious expression. We, who had been abruptly pushed out of the door, were aimlessly pacing, staring at the door.
Everyone was out of their minds, having been kicked out without properly deciding on Margo's punishment.
"She'll be fine."
The attending physician had rushed over just as the amniotic fluid broke, and I had been holding Mother's body firmly, so she wasn't in a dangerous situation due to physical impact.
However, she had screamed too much beforehand and was emotionally agitated, so her physical exhaustion was significant. The question was whether Mother could endure the arduous labor process.
I looked at the blankly standing Margo and said to the maids,
"Lock her in an empty room."
"Sissae!"
"Lower your voice. Where do you think you are, raising your voice like that?"
"B-But."
"No buts, Roena. So, follow my judgment. I don't want to involve you. No, please don't make me suspect you."
Everyone in the mansion knew that Margo blindly followed and cherished Roena. They also knew that she would do anything for her.
But now, an incident had occurred where Margo tried to switch the baby in Mother's womb with a daughter, and she was caught, so it was only natural that suspicious eyes were directed at her.
I pointed that out. So that Roena could no longer take Margo's side. She had gone against Margo's wishes for me before, so there was no way she wouldn't do it this time.
Then Roena averted her gaze, avoiding my eyes. It wasn't a direct answer, but it was as good as agreeing.
The maids roughly grabbed Margo's shoulders and stood her up as Roena took a step back.
Her bone-thin body swayed weakly like a reed due to the rough touch. Sadly, Margo was abandoned by Roena again at a crucial moment.
"Tie her up tightly so she can't escape."
"Sis, I don't think it needs to go that far. Look, Margo is old. She probably doesn't have the strength to escape. So, please reconsider. Tying her up will hurt a lot."
"Roena, if you want to show mercy to Margo, start by proving that the writing on the doll isn't her handwriting. Then I'll listen to you. And don't interfere in my affairs anymore."
"Please, Sis. Mother and everyone else are misunderstanding. So, if we talk it out through conversation..."
Slap, her cheek turned to the side with the sound. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me.
More precisely, at my hand, which was frozen in the air, and my palm, which was swollen red.
Roena's one cheek had a clear red handprint on it.
"Get a grip."
I said to Roena in a cold voice.
"Don't let your petty affection sway you and make you forget what's important. The person you should think about first isn't Margo, but Mother. My mother, who is suffering more pain because of her. But not only that, you're taking Margo's side even in this urgent situation where the newborn sibling might be in danger? Even in front of me?"
The cold voice that came out was so sharp that I was surprised myself.
In reality, I wasn't that angry. I was just worried that something might happen to Mother and the baby in her womb.
In fact, today's events should have happened after the baby was born. Regardless of the baby's gender, it was a fact that Margo had done something bad, so it would have been a big blow to her.
But an unexpected accident - you said you spilled water - happened, and thanks to that, I had no choice but to present the prepared testimony. It was to catch her firmly while we were at it.
Of course, I was worried about Mother's reaction in the midst of all this, but I swear I didn't intend to cause such a big stir that it would bring on labor early. It's just that the situation turned out badly.
I suppressed my anxiety and continued,
"Go to your room and stay there, Roena. This is an order."
"An order? Are you giving me an order now?"
Roena asked back as if she couldn't believe it. She seemed more shocked that I was talking to her like a subordinate than that her cheek hurt. I raised my chin with an arrogant gaze.
"Why shouldn't I? Tell me, who is the one leading this house? Above all, I have a responsibility to lead you in the right direction."
And I looked at the people around me, and they seemed to have realized that I was the only one leading this household, as they hurriedly moved and pretended not to know Roena and Margo.
"Go to your room, Roena. You don't deserve to be here. Attend to the young lady."
I said to Roena's maid. They were already under Marie's control, so they had no choice but to listen to me.
Roena didn't want to go, but the maids grabbed her hands and urged her to return to her room, so she looked at me again as if she couldn't believe it.
"I told you, you have to trust me. And you promised me you would. But what's the result? You always turn away from us whenever something like this happens. So, don't look at me like that. My heart aches just the same."
With Margo dragged out, there was no way there would be anyone to take Roena's side. Even the butler was silent, so how could it be otherwise?
The head maid, Mlang, was rather frowning and urging the slow-moving maids to listen to me quickly.
In the end, Roena was chased out to her room in a state not much different from Margo. The servants whispered as they watched, but their voices were no match for the rumors the maids would spread, so I wasn't worried.
"Young lady, shall I silence them?"
Mlang approached me quietly and asked in a small voice. I shook my head and said to her,
"No, spread it in more detail. Also, tell them about the wounds that Mother and I have received."
"Yes."
It was natural to hide something close to the family's shame, but revealing it so openly was to lower Roena's reputation and turn the sympathy pouring out to her to me.
So, I specifically instructed this to be leaked to the side where the family's Order of Knights was. I was curious to see what kind of appearance they would show if they found out that the angel they admired so much had such a huge flaw.
"What are you planning to do with Margo?"
The butler asked me with a worried face. This wise old man was trying to protect his loyalty to the adoptive father by separating Roena and Margo.
I looked at the door from which groans were leaking and answered in a low voice.
"What would I know? I'm just following the examples of other noble families."
The disposal of a maid was entirely in the hands of the mistress, so when she committed a major fault, she would not only fail to receive the wages she had worked for, but also be beaten and kicked out.
But what Margo was known to have committed was too serious to be simply called a major fault. Especially if the gender of the child tormenting Mother was a girl.
"Margo will have to hope that an heir is born."
At my words, the butler closed his eyes and let out a groan-like sigh. Perhaps because of the affection he had for her over the years, he was hoping that I would show even a little mercy.
His work was limited to external matters, so he tried not to touch the maids' work as much as possible, and he was still trying hard to do so, but people's hearts were not easy, so he couldn't help but let his emotions flow out like this. So, I continued as if adding to it.
"I'll talk to my aunt. So, butler, just keep watching as you are now."
"Is that an order?"
"You're asking the obvious."
The butler swallowed his saliva and bowed his head to me. He was disappointed to know that my attitude hadn't changed.
Meanwhile, the groans that Mother was letting out were still getting louder in the room. Maids soaked in sweat came out with basins full of blood and towels soaked in blood, and then repeatedly went back in. The painful screams continued without ceasing.
Should I have soothed Mother and sent Margo out?
An ominous feeling lingered, and even regret arose.
Then, suddenly, I remembered the cookie I had received from the tea shop. More precisely, the contents inside it.
That day, I sat alone on the bed late at night, holding the cookie in both hands and forcefully breaking it apart.
Inside, there was a long piece of paper rolled up. It must be the prophecy the owner was talking about.
Curious, I pushed the rolled paper with my finger and spread it out neatly. On the inside of the rolled paper, there was a picture of a flower reminiscent of a rooster's comb and a letter written in the language of the Eastern Continent.
I recognized the name of the flower at a glance. There was no way I wouldn't know. This, called 'cockscomb' in the Eastern Continent, had entered the social world as a fad for a while because of its funny shape.
This is because the meaning it contained was complicated compared to its unattractive appearance, which attracted everyone's interest.
Adultery, bizarreness, eternal life, and unfading love.
In other words, the fact that a flower was drawn so beautifully on the prophecy paper was nothing more than a reminder of the flower's meaning.
Looking back now, there was no other flower meaning that fit better than this. I was entangled in adultery, not adultery, because of the Crown Prince, I was caught up in bizarre events due to those preparing for the rebellion, and I had lived a quasi-eternal life because I had returned against death.
And I couldn't refuse Sir Aires's kiss. Yes, as if telling a story of unfading love.
The language of the Eastern Continent was also easy to read.
Chaos (亂).
As the prophecy said, chaos was increasing both personally and nationally, so how could it not be? The fate contained in the cookie accurately faced the reality I was in.
But there was no advice on how to move forward. It just illuminated the path ahead as if the path was up to me.
As if that was the natural order. As if I would finally understand the meaning of the prophecy only after experiencing everything today, like that.
At that moment, a tearing scream was heard, and then suddenly it became quiet. It was the moment when I, flustered, was about to move as if to kick down the door.
Very faintly, the baby's cry was heard, and then some of the maids opened the door and came out, moving busily. Their faces were full of fear rather than joy that a baby had been born.
"What's going on?"
I grabbed the hand of a maid whose apron was soaked in blood and asked in a sharp voice.
The maid didn't recognize me at first as if she wasn't in her right mind and shouted for me to let go, but soon bowed her head with a surprised expression and said in a trembling voice.
"Madam, Madam is in critical condition..."
I immediately shook off the maid's hand and went into the room. Mother's groans grew louder and then smaller between the faint cries of the baby. The attending physician was busily moving, quickly giving orders to the people.
A terrible smell of blood stung my nose. The room was filled with the smell of blood to the point that it was difficult to think that it was because of the blood shed during childbirth. The sheets in front of me were so red that they were dripping blood to the floor.
"The bleeding won't stop. Damn it! We don't have enough hemostatic agents. When did I tell you to bring them, and you still haven't come?!"
Is this reality?
I slowly walked to the bedside. Mother's face was as pale as a corpse. Her breathing was so shallow that it was difficult to tell if she was even awake. Terrified, I grabbed her limp hand.
"Mother, are you tired and sleeping? I don't even know my sibling's gender yet. You have to tell me. If not you, who will tell me, huh?"
I should have told Margo not to plot. No, I should have abandoned my greed earlier and taken care of Mother first.
Why had I overlooked the fact that something might happen because it was an unprecedented birth? I was so heartbroken by my own foolishness that I wanted to bite my tongue.
