Chapter 375: A Little Surprise from Mary

Mark had been pacing in circles around his room for hours.

He was incapable of doing anything else.

On the other side of the wall, Emilia, Luna, Rose, and Cali had been in labor since noon.

All four had drunk Emilia’s potion at the same time, just as they’d agreed, and ever since, the palace had turned into an anthill.

Midwives coming and going, buckets of hot water, piles of towels, and voices arriving muffled from the adjoining room.

He had tried to stay inside, of course.

The problem was that, after asking for the tenth time whether everything was going well, the palace’s most veteran midwife, an elderly elf, took him by the arm and practically dragged him out.

"Fathers only get in the way. We’ll call you when it’s necessary," the old woman said with absolute calm before shutting the door in his face.

So Mark ended up doing the only thing he could do.

Wait.

Mark kept repeating to himself that everything was under control.

After all, Emilia had checked the potion to exhaustion, the empire’s best midwives were in there, and Aria had prepared every detail in advance.

Everything should turn out fine.

But the hours kept passing.

And the more time went by, the harder it was to convince himself he had no reason to worry.

Mark had assumed, perhaps too naively, that labor would last a couple of hours at most.

But the sun had already set and nobody had come looking for him.

He was starting to seriously consider walking through the wall when one of the midwives finally came out to update him on the situation.

And, as expected, everything was going according to plan.

The only reason the process was taking so long was that all four were first-time mothers, and first labors were rarely quick.

Emilia’s potion, moreover, wasn’t designed to shorten the time, but to keep them stable, reduce the pain, and prevent complications, so until now there was no medical reason for concern.

Mark listened to the explanation, thanked the midwife, and went back to his room.

Nothing changed.

He kept pacing back and forth, looked out the window, and ended up rubbing his face with both hands as he tried to endure the wait.

Shortly afterward he heard Luna shout something rather unkind through the wall about him and what she planned to do to his genitals as soon as she got out of there.

Mark didn’t know whether to feel terrified or relieved, though he decided that the fact Luna still had the strength to threaten him was probably a good sign.

With that small comfort, he ended up sitting on the edge of the bed. He rested his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands in front of his mouth, and tried to concentrate solely on breathing.

That was when he noticed something in front of him.

Sitting on the floor, right by his feet, was the little shadow demon Mary had given him.

He didn’t remember summoning it, but there it was anyway, its tiny body made of darkness and those two glowing dots fixed on him as it tilted its head slightly.

Mark watched for a while as the little demon spun in circles trying to catch its own tail, and the scene distracted him momentarily.

Since the last time he had tried to contact Mary, without much success, the creature had remained completely mute.

Mark still tried some nights, when the palace was quiet and his wives were asleep, but he never got anywhere.

Even so, that little shadow kept showing up every now and then.

"I wish you were here, Mary...," he murmured almost without realizing it.

An instant later, two arms slid around his neck from behind.

They were slender and warm, and they crossed over his chest with a familiarity Mark knew perfectly well.

He felt the weight of someone leaning against his back, the brush of a lock of hair against his cheek, and soft breathing.

"You don’t have to wish that, darling," a voice whispered beside his ear. "I’m always with you."

Mark didn’t need to turn to know who it was. He quickly raised his hands and took Mary’s, lacing his fingers with hers.

"Why did you take so long?" he asked, his voice hoarser than he intended. "I called you so many times I lost count... I even started to think you didn’t want to talk to me anymore."

"..."

"You have no idea how much I’ve missed you."

Mary let out a little giggle against his ear.

"Really?" she said in a teasing tone. "Because from what I saw last night, you seemed to be handling my absence quite well."

"Mary..."

"I’m serious, it was pretty entertaining watching you enjoy your new little fetish."

Mark squeezed her hands in his.

"Not a single day has passed since I came back that I haven’t thought of you... Every night, before sleeping, I wondered where you were, how you were, and whether you were all right."

Mary stayed silent for a few seconds before hugging him tighter.

"...That was too romantic."

"It’s your fault."

"Mine?"

"Yes. Before I met you, I didn’t say things like that."

Mary laughed softly and settled onto his shoulder.

"Then I guess I’ve done an excellent job."

Mark simply let himself be wrapped in Mary’s embrace while the muffled voices of the midwives kept drifting in from the next room and the little shadow demon sat in front of them.

That closeness accomplished something he hadn’t managed all day.

It made him relax.

At least until he felt a strange pressure against his back.

It took Mark a second to pay attention to it. Then another to realize it came from exactly the height of Mary’s waist.

It was something round.

Firm.

And definitely too big to ignore.

He frowned, slowly let go of her hands, and turned on the bed to see her better.

Mary was kneeling behind him on the mattress, her white hair slightly tousled and a small smile on her lips.

She wore that tight mesh outfit she usually favored, a fabric that at that moment did absolutely nothing to hide the obvious.

Her belly.

Round, prominent, and impossible to ignore.

Mary rested both hands on her stomach and gave him the most mischievous smile he had ever seen on her.

"Surprise."