Even If Flowers Bloom on a Broken Branch - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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105.
Lee Yeon let out a shallow breath.
She could feel every single moment of every day that her delivery month was drawing near. Even when she slept, drowsiness continuously washed over her body, and she needed the help of those around her just to rise from her seat.
“Your body is inherently weak.”
These were the worried words of the Female Physician as she offered the herbal tonic.
“Everyone is anxious, saying it is their first time seeing a pregnant mother’s pulse so weak. It seems you tend to swallow all your worries and stack them in layers inside, but doing so now acts as a poison to both your body and the royal baby in your womb. Do not keep things bottled up; please release them.”
At those words, Lee Yeon could only offer a bitter smile. The secrets she could tell no soul were packed so tightly inside this body that they had rotted and festered from being contained for so long.
Lee Yeon gently grasped the hand of the person sitting beside her.
“I do not do that anymore. In the past, I also had someone to share such words with.”
Hong Ran lowered her head slightly. With an expression full of uncontainable worry, she spoke to the Female Physician.
“What should we do if her pulse is weak? Is there a way to make it stronger?”
“She must take the offered herbal tonic every single time without miss, and even if her stomach feels uncomfortable, she must absolutely eat her meals.”
“Do not worry about that. I will stay by her side and ensure it is taken care of.”
Hong Ran spoke firmly, then looked at Lee Yeon.
“You heard her as well, Your Majesty? To take your herbal tonic, you must not skip your meals. Please do not think of it as a nuisance and listen to my nagging just a little.”
“I understand, I understand.”
Lee Yeon shook her head side to side, smiling as if Hong Ran were truly too much to handle. However, Hong Ran’s face remained filled with anxiety.
Lee Yeon’s food intake had noticeably decreased recently. Just when it seemed she had been eating well for a few months, her appetite had plummeted once again.
‘I heard the strength required during childbirth is no ordinary matter…’
It was a task where one staked their very life. Since her body was inherently weak to begin with, it became an even greater source of worry.
From that day onward, Lee Yeon also made an effort to mind her meals, and Hong Ran watched over her with utmost care by her side. Jinyul, who was tied down by the Royal Court, also sent people from time to time to check on her well-being and conveyed his heart to Lee Yeon through letters.
After spending a few weeks like that, a presence in Lee Yeon’s womb began to openly assert itself.
“Oh, it moved.”
Hong Ran looked at Lee Yeon with startled eyes. The hand she had placed on the heavily swollen belly fluttered into the air in surprise.
“Right here, it kicked right here. Does it not hurt?”
“It does tug a bit. There are many times I wake up startled while sleeping, too.”
“My goodness…”
“How energetic,” Hong Ran muttered, bringing her two hands together. She still wore a deeply moved expression from the vivid fetal movement she had felt against her palm.
By now, Lee Yeon’s belly was so full that she could no longer raise her body on her own. When sitting, standing, or lying down, Hong Ran and the court ladies had to support her, and after she nearly collapsed from a bout of dizziness, she was requested to refrain from strolling in the Daehee Palace Courtyard as well.
“They say the Sansilcheong is also spurring its preparations forward.”
When Hong Ran spoke, Lee Yeon nodded her head.
The Sansilcheong had been established in the pavilion where the palace maids of Daehee Palace used to reside. After various goods were carried in over the past few days, the Naeuwon and the female physicians were now busily moving back and forth. Their faces were taut with tension. It was entirely natural, as this was a momentous occasion where a royal descendant was being born for the first time in decades.
And Hong Ran spearheaded all of those affairs. From the day the Sansilcheong began to be set up, she had hardly left Daehee Palace.
“You are being of so much help in various ways.”
Lee Yeon sat by the window, watching that scene silently before letting out a faint smile. It was because Hong Ran’s face was reflected in the mirror resting on the side table.
She looked rigidly frozen, just like when she had first entered this palace.
“Why are you the one so tense? I am the one giving birth.”
“Since I cannot take your place in that danger and pain, I have no choice but to be tense. I am afraid because I dare not even imagine it.”
“The sentiment is mutual.”
At the firm, low-baritone voice, Lee Yeon and Hong Ran turned around at the same time.
As the doors opened wide to both sides, the court ladies and eunuchs could be seen standing on either side with their heads respectfully bowed, and Jinyul was walking right through the center of them.
Jinyul offered a bright smile.
“The master of Yeonheidang shares a very similar thought with me. I, too, often find myself thinking that I wish I could take her pain upon myself.”
“How could it be otherwise?”
As Hong Ran pressed her hands together and bowed, Jinyul nodded his head and looked at Lee Yeon.
“A very brief window of time opened up, so I came to see you, but the Naeuwon happened to arrive, saying it is time for your medical examination. I was hoping to hear together whether the child is healthy; would that be alright?”
Even after Jinyul became the king, he did not drop his honorifics with Lee Yeon.
If anything, he might mix casual and polite speech when they were entirely alone, but in front of others, he strictly elevated and respected her. Because he treated her as someone precious, everyone else held Lee Yeon in even greater esteem.
Lee Yeon smiled and nodded her head.
“Yes.”
When Lee Yeon answered as such, a royal physician from the Naeuwon and three female physicians entered the room.
“…?”
A flicker of wonder passed over the faces of Lee Yeon and Hong Ran. Usually, a single female physician would enter to check her pulse, but today, the three who used to take turns doing the job had entered simultaneously.
Instinctively, Hong Ran grew wary.
“For what reason are the three of you entering together?”
“We believe we must examine her pulse in greater detail.”
The eldest female physician spoke. She spoke respectfully, but she could not look straight at Lee Yeon, as if something were weighing heavily on her mind.
Lee Yeon willingly extended her hand.
“Do so.”
Perhaps because the king was watching, the hands of the female physician who carefully supported her wrist with both palms trembled faintly.
The female physician who took her pulse remained silent for a long time.
“…”
At the silence stretching out far too long, Hong Ran clutched the skirt of her dress slightly. It felt as though the tips of her fingers were turning cold.
Without releasing her hand, the female physician raised her head, only to lower it once more. Finally letting go of Lee Yeon’s hand, she sent a meaningful glance to the other female physician.
At that, the second female physician took the same wrist, while the third female physician checked the opposite wrist.
“…”
The court ladies’ countenances darkened as well. They had perceived that something was amiss.
Jinyul quietly gripped his knees.
“Is there some sort of problem?”
The female physicians exchanged glances with one another.
It was a very brief moment, but it held both hesitation and extreme caution within it.
After a brief silence, the female physician slowly opened her mouth.
“We have words to report, Your Majesty.”
At that single sentence, the air inside Daehee Palace froze completely. Hong Ran and Jinyul looked at Lee Yeon at the same time.
With a hardened face, Jinyul spoke.
“Speak.”
“The pulses… overlap.”
“Overlap?”
Jinyul countered immediately. His gaze fell upon Lee Yeon’s belly.
The female physician paused for a moment as if choosing her words, then carefully continued.
“The pulse we are catching is not just one. In our opinion, it appears to be twins or more.”
“…!”
Hong Ran’s eyes flew wide open. Lee Yeon also blinked as if startled.
“You mean there is more than one?”
“Yes.”
The female physician lowered her head as she spoke.
“Therefore, we believe that is why your belly is so full and your body finds it so arduous.”
With a startled face, Lee Yeon looked down at her own stomach.
She had thought it was simply because her body was weak. She had thought it was uniquely difficult because it was her first pregnancy. However, the life dwelling inside here was not just one.
‘Two, or even more.’
So that was why you played so rowdily inside my belly, she thought, a belated laugh escaping her lips.
“…”
Jinyul took hold of Lee Yeon’s hand.
His face also shone with joy, but worry was laced within his eyes. The danger of childbirth had just multiplied.
The female physicians, having composed themselves, bowed deeply from the waist and spoke.
“The delivery may be brought forward much earlier than the expected date. Starting from today, we shall watch over you with even more exceptional care.”
And a few weeks after those words were spoken, red blood stained the royal bedding, and white smoke immediately rose from the chimney.
It was a day that called for great celebration.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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