"Lily..." Emmelyn gave the bowl that contained milk to Mrs. Adler. Tears still flowed profusely from her eyes. "Can I hug my baby? I want to feed her."
"Oh, of course!" Lily quickly gave Harlow to Emmelyn. The new mother took her baby with difficulty and cradled the tiny baby in her arms.
Gosh... now, she could finally see Harlow from up close. The baby was still crying but now her voice had become so soft. She must be tired from all the crying and hunger.
Emmelyn felt really really sorry for Harlow. She wished things could have been different.
"Let me feed her, Your Highness," said Mrs. Adler patiently. "You can just pat her and soothe her. She needs to know that you are with her."
"Okay," Emmelyn said in a barely audible voice. She caressed Harlow's head dotingly and tried so hard to keep herself from crying. Her tears would fall on her baby and she didn't want that.
Even though such a young baby still looked wrinkled and red, Emmelyn felt such deep fondness for Harlow. She had seen her older sister's newborn babies. They all looked ugly when they were born, and only after a few months, they started to show their real distinct features.
Harlow's eyes were still grey like most newborn babies. Emmelyn was wondering what they would look like once they gained their real color. Would Harlow take after her father and had golden irises too?
That would be beautiful.
Emmelyn always thought her blue eyes were quite boring. She wished Harlow would look like Mars. She imagined their daughter would grow up to be as beautiful as Queen Elara.
Gosh.. she loved this baby so much!
Meanwhile, Mrs. Adler was patiently feeding the baby with the milk from the bowl using the spoon. It was difficult at first, but after Harlow accidentally opened her mouth to cry and tasted the milk, she instinctively licked the milk from the spoon and ate.
"She is so smart," the old witch commented. "And quite strong."
"You think so?" Emmelyn hoped Mrs. Adler didn't just try to make her feel better by saying those words. She hoped it was the truth.
"I agree with Mrs. Adler," Lily chimed in. "I've given birth to three babies and none of them are premature. Harlow didn't seem much weaker than them. So, I can only say that she is healthy and strong for someone with her circumstances. I think she will catch up with her growth soon."
"Oh, I hope you are right..." Emmelyn wiped her tears and rubbed Harlow's back. The baby had stopped crying and was now greedily sucking on the milk from the spoon. This ferociousness made Emmelyn want to laugh.
Goes, who did Harlow take after in this regard?
Maybe Emmelyn, the mom thought to herself. She had always been a foodie and she could eat a lot.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the chamber became solemn. Everyone went silent, busy with their own thoughts. Emmelyn was feeling devastated because she had to leave Harlow soon.
Mrs. Adler was thinking of the plan to carry out after Emmelyn was pronounced dead. While Lily was feeling so sorry to see Emmelyn and Harlow experience such cruelty and condemn the mad king for doing this to his own daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
When Harlow finally fell asleep in her mother's arms, Mrs. Adler stored the bowl of milk and cleaned up the bed. There was so much blood on the sheet and their clothes.
"Can you get up?" Lily asked Emmelyn. "I will ask the maid to clean up this place so you can rest."
"Yes," Emmelyn nodded. Lily took Harlow from her arms and let Emmelyn move from the bed to the couch. Once Emmelyn was seated on the couch, Lily gave Harlow back. Emmelyn mouthed her thank you.
She sat comfortably by leaning on the couch and cradled Harlow in her lap. The baby looked like a wrinkled little angel. Emmelyn wanted to kiss her over and over again, but she didn't want to wake her up.
While the two maids cleaned up the chamber, Mrs. Adler got some potions ready in the corner of the room. She would mix the sleeping potion and some extra herbs to help Emmelyn regain her strength while she was sleeping.
If all worked well, by tonight they would pronounce Emmelyn dead. It would be a good time since Mr. Vitas would do a check-up on the mother and baby.
Once they all thought Emmelyn had died, they would have to bury her tomorrow.
So, this was the perfect moment for Emmelyn to talk to Lily and gave the woman her last wishes regarding Harlow and her husband.
"Do you want tea?" Lily asked Emmelyn while holding the teapot. "I will ask the maid to make tea for us if you'd like."
Emmelyn nodded. "Thank you, Lily."
"Okay," Lily smiled. She turned to one of the maids and asked her to make tea in the kitchen and bring it to the chamber. The maid bowed down slightly, then she took the teapot from Lily's hand and rushed to the kitchen to get hot water and make tea.
She returned fifteen minutes later. The smell of tea immediately wafted in the chamber. It felt calming and for a moment, Emmelyn could forget about her sorrows.
Lily took the teapot from the maid and poured tea for the three of them. Mrs. Adler said thank you for her tea and went to the far corner to enjoy it. She didn't want to disturb the private moment between Emmelyn and Lily.
"How do you feel now?" Lily asked after sipping her tea. "Do you still feel pain?"
Emmelyn shook her head.
"No, surprisingly, everything feels much better now." She lowered her gazed toward her private parts and sighed. "I still feel pain down there though..."
Lily chuckled when she heard that. "Yeah... it's a given. You have just pushed out a human baby through such a small passage. It's only natural for it to tear or dilate to make way... It will be okay and will heal naturally. You just get a lot of rest."