15. Snow Moon Flower – 13
In conclusion, it seems that a woman named Ariel did not have a body that was suitable for giving birth to a child. No, to be more precise, it seemed that not only Ariel, but all women in the profession of priests had those characteristics.
Tack, Tack.
I can still remember it clearly. It was one of those days when there was a fierce snowstorm outside the window.
The heat from the hearth in the middle of the cabin protected it from the bitter cold and the blizzard.
And a man was holding his child, who had just been born into the world, in his arms.
The child, who was only as thin as the first snow that had fallen on a tree branch all night long, seemed to be sleeping soundly in her father’s arms.
The man gently caressed the child with trembling hands, as if touching a handicraft made of glass, and then, as if he could not stand it, he gently put the child in his arms on the seat next to the mother.
It was a truly thrilling day when her child was born into the world, but no one in the room could hastily open their mouths.
…because everyone was witnessing in real time the horrific scene of a mother’s belly split in half after giving birth.
Since the child could not come out through natural childbirth, the woman had no choice but to cut her own belly in order to give birth.
Since it was impossible for a proper doctor to exist in a small rural village, a doctor who had once worked as an apprentice under a doctor in the city could not help in the birth of a child.
At least, the enormous divine power inherent in the woman’s body was helping her heal naturally.
That, at this moment, did not give the man a reason to breathe a sigh of relief.
That would also be the case, because the reason why the woman went through difficult labor for several hours to give birth and struggled in pain was because of that goddamn divine power.
“This is a very presumptuous question, but have you ever been in a priestly position where you can handle divine power?”
“…Yes, but.”
The man quietly nodded his head at the apprentice’s question. Anyway, even at this moment, he noticed the split abdomen healing itself naturally, so he realized that hiding it would be useless. And there were surprisingly many priests who ran away with other men because they were blinded by love.
“This is a fact I also learned when I was studying under Master’s school, but women with divine power generally say that it is difficult to give birth.”
“…why?”
“I don’t know the detailed principle, but it’s basically because the divine power held in the bosom contains the nature of trying to restore the body to an ‘optimal state’ as much as possible. Conversely, the divine power that your wife possesses can determine the state of your pregnancy…”
The man hurriedly covered his mouth, as if he couldn’t bear to hear him with his own ears.
“…If possible, please limit the explanation to that point. Teacher.”
Even so, she didn’t want to hear about the fact that she and her child were treated as “impurities” by the divine power. In this place where Ariel might be listening to all this conversation, especially.
“Currently, your wife is in a state where all the vitality and divine power that you have in your body have been exhausted because you gave birth in the form of a cesarean section during difficult labor. This time, somehow, the mother and child were all unharmed, but if-”
The man nodded his head quietly at the abbreviated statement that if there was a second birth, there was a much higher chance that such a bad memory would not happen then. He also hated seeing his wife in so much pain.
“…Don’t worry. I mean, I’m really fine.”
And that was when The woman who had been unconscious just before opened her eyes and smiled softly at the man.
“The child also seems to be all right. I’m really glad, really-“
Perhaps because of the aftermath of childbirth, the woman’s complexion was pale, but despite this, the woman carefully touched the baby lying next to her, not even paying attention to her current condition.
Even though it was soundly asleep, the baby was smiling softly at them, wriggling its tiny hands in its sleep, as if it knew that the mother who gave birth to it was caressing its body.
…And to her eyes, the whole sight was just wonderful and dazzling.
As a child, her dream was to become someone’s mother. Like her own mother, her only wish was to be someone’s good wife and someone’s kind mother.
I was just a doll in a cage who was born and raised in the Imperial Kingdom and knew nothing about it.
Beyond time and space, she fell in love with a certain man like a miracle and eventually became that man’s only woman and even became the mother of a child.
The woman couldn’t be more proud of that fact.
A child born between you and him.
It was as if he could affirm himself and his child, affirm this love he was enjoying, and affirm the destiny he was destined to accept.
Because she was already the mother of one child. Because today, when the child was born, no one could replace him unless he himself blessed the child’s birth.
…but it was scary at the same time. I was scared and scared, and my body couldn’t stop shaking. A doomed future. endless winter. The future, when everything came to an end, was clearly lingering in her mind.
Rather than fighting against the ‘winter witch’ to overcome the future, she made the choice to run away with everything, and the only option left was to face ruin quietly. Even at this moment, I couldn’t be sure if it was the right choice for her, who had committed an irreparable sin against everything in this world, to give birth to a child after pursuing her own happiness without taking responsibility for anything.
And, perhaps aware of her agony and anguish, the man quietly throws words of consolation toward her. No, I throw words of blessing to forgive her sins.
“Don’t think about anything. Today, I just want to congratulate you on the birth of your child. Because today is an auspicious day when a child was born into this world, isn’t it? So let’s sincerely welcome and love the child as much as today. Because we are the parents of this child.”
“…Ah, Cain.”
“…and, actually, I’m glad. I’m really happy that you gave birth to my child. Although I know very well that there is not much time left for my family to be together and that there is not much time left for happiness in the future, I still want to congratulate you on the birth of this child. Because at this moment, this child just looks so lovely.”
“…I.”
But the woman faced the man’s smile and couldn’t help but smile at him. Although she was a woman with an unshakable heart as a mother, she could not possibly look at the madly lovely child with her own eyes. The happier you are at this moment, the more frightening the ending that will come at the end of happiness.
“…Cain, so I-”
Towards the woman who is trying to say something to the man with a trembling voice, the man smiles softly and gently hands the woman a baby sleeping soundly next to her.
“Come on, hug me. Please hold our baby with your two hands.”
The woman unknowingly stretches out her hands and takes the child from the man. The newborn baby was as light as a feather, but in the woman’s hands it felt heavier than anything else in the world.
“Determine. The child’s name.”
At the man’s urging, the woman eventually squeezes her own voice and opens her mouth.
“…Tia. Tia Fon, Estelle.”
It was a name that had already been decided. After the woman had a fetus, the name she decided to give to her child after putting their heads together and going through dozens of hundreds of troubles.
A name that means ‘hope’ in the ancient language.
…The name that contains their distant and small hope.
“Don’t worry now, Ariel. I think we’ll do just fine. Because we are the father and mother of this child.”
As an action, not a word, the man reaches out and gently caresses the woman’s hand without showing any mixed emotions.
The warmth that the man delivered was only a comfort to the woman.
****
It’s spring.
It’s spring.
It’s spring.
And, it was spring again.
“Mom! Mom!”
Ariel, who was sitting in front of the stove in the cabin and sewing, sighed softly as she saw Tia jumping up and down in front of her.
“Tia. My mother always told me You are not allowed to run around inside the house. What are you going to do if you get hurt running around like that?”
“But there’s so much snow outside that I can’t run around…”
Ariel looked out the window without realizing it.
The time is probably early March.
It was clear that it was now time for spring to ripen, but outside the window, the snow had not melted yet, so all I could see was the scenery covered in pure white. Although a little nervous, she shook her head and cleared the bad thoughts from her mind. That is simply the result of the snow not yet melting due to the recent unresolved weather.
…No, it must be.
“Certainly, it would be impossible to play outside when there is so much snow.”
“Yeah, so I can run around the house for today, right? Is that so?”
Ariel smiled bitterly at Tia, who looked at her mother and asked such a question with twinkling eyes. Who on earth does this child resemble, likes to run around like a wolf, and is such an idiot-
“no. Mom is sewing right now. Don’t disturb Mom at work, let’s go outside and play with Dad.”
Just then, a malicious laugh is heard from behind Tia.
“Dad!”
“Yes, my princess.”
Tia, who had been out for a while and found her father now back, jumped at him and laughed.
“Ariel, now that it’s like that, I’ll go outside for a while and play with Tia. I’ll only play around here, so don’t worry too much.”
“Yes, honey.”
As long as my husband stays with Tia, there’s nothing to worry about. The husband she knew was someone who put Tia first no matter what.
Ariel, who was so relieved, watched with a smile as Tia went outside together tightly in her father’s arms.
happy.
The last few years with him and Tia, I was so happy that I wondered if it was right to be this happy.
I don’t need anything more. She just needs her husband and Tia.
If the two of them are always and everywhere, a woman named Ariel will be happy until the day the world ends.
Ariel, who was so absorbed in sewing with a smile, felt something strange and looked out the window.
“…ah.”
Snow was falling.
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March, the season when the greens should come out and buds should sprout.
From the sky, snow was falling.
As if the temperature had dropped below freezing, pure white breath was leaking from her mouth. This was obviously not normal.
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My heart is pounding. Her instincts as a woman, and as a mother, had taught her clearly what the only answer to this situation was.
“…no way.”
Realizing what that meant, Ariel unknowingly dropped the sewing tool from her hand.
It finally started.
…The endless winter, and the endless nightmare, has finally begun.
