Chapter 758: Chapter 759: Everyone leave
Kian returned faster than anyone expected.
The door covering was pushed aside first, and the cold air from the corridor followed him into the room. His white hair had a faint dusting of snow on it, and his blue eyes were still cold enough that anyone who saw him would understand he had not gone out to ask politely. He had gone out like a king choosing the safest hands in the village for Isabella, and from the way the two women behind him stood carefully, it was obvious he had picked them himself and terrified half the corridor while doing it.
The first woman was older, with thick gray hair braided down her back and a strong round face that looked as if she had seen too many births, fights, fevers, and foolish males to be frightened by much anymore.
The second woman was younger but still older than Isabella, with warm brown skin and a calm mouth. Both women carried wrapped bundles of clean cloth, herbs, bone tools, and small clay jars.
The moment they saw Isabella, their faces changed.
They bowed quickly.
"Lady Isabella," the older woman said, and her voice carried real respect. "We came as fast as we could."
The younger woman’s eyes were bright with both worry and excitement. "It is an honor to help you."
Isabella was lying against the furs with one hand on her stomach, and even though she tried to smile, another uncomfortable pull moved low inside her body at that exact moment. Her fingers tightened slightly. Cyrus felt it before anyone else, and his hand immediately moved to her side, while his pink eyes watched her face like he was reading every breath.
The two women noticed too.
At first, they looked ready to move quickly because they had expected the birth to already be happening. With the way Kian had gone to fetch them, and with the way half the palace had clearly been thrown into worry, they seemed to think Isabella would already be in strong labor by the time they arrived.
But then the older woman looked at her more carefully.
She noticed Isabella’s breathing was still even most of the time. She noticed the pain came and went slowly. She noticed Isabella could still speak and even glare when Osiris shifted too loudly near the doorway.
So the woman paused.
The younger woman also paused.
They both looked slightly confused, though they hid it well because this was Isabella and nobody wanted to look foolish in front of her.
Isabella saw their expressions and said weakly, "It hasn’t started properly yet, right?"
The older woman came closer and nodded. "It may be beginning soon, but it has not fully started. Your body is preparing."
Isabella let out a breath. "Good. I knew my body was being dramatic but not fully committed."
Zyran, who had been near the wall, almost smiled but held it back because Cyrus still looked like he might bite someone.
The women came forward and placed their bundles down near the side of the bed. Then they looked around properly for the first time.
Kian was inside.
Zyran was inside.
Osiris was inside.
Shelia and Ophelia were inside.
Cyrus was right beside Isabella.
Glimora was curled near Isabella’s side like a small white guard beast who had decided that no law in heaven or earth could move her.
For a moment, the two experienced women looked around as if they had accidentally walked into a village meeting instead of a birth room.
The younger woman’s ears twitched again.
The older woman opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, then closed it because perhaps it was not her place to ask why half the palace was crowded into a room with a pregnant female.
Cyrus spoke before anyone else could.
"Everyone leave."
His voice was calm, but it was the kind of calm that made nobody want to test him.
Osiris immediately straightened. "Everyone?"
Cyrus looked at him.
Osiris nodded at once. "I understand."
Zyran lifted one brow. "Even me?"
"Yes," Cyrus said without looking away from Isabella.
Zyran looked offended for one breath, then saw Isabella’s tired face and swallowed the comment that was clearly trying to climb out of his mouth. For once, he did not argue.
Kian did not like it.
That was clear from his face.
He stood near the doorway with his eyes fixed on Isabella, and every part of him looked as if walking out of the room went against his own beast instinct. But Isabella looked at him and gave him a small nod. She was tired and uncomfortable, but her gaze was clear.
"I’ll be fine," she said.
Kian’s jaw tightened.
Still, he turned and left first because he knew if he argued, the others would also linger.
Zyran followed after him with a small sigh. Osiris moved too, though he kept glancing back like he was afraid something would happen the moment he stepped out. Shelia held Ophelia’s arm gently and guided her toward the door, because Ophelia already looked like she might cry if Isabella so much as breathed wrongly.
By the time they left, the room felt wider.
Quieter.
Warmer in a different way.
Only Cyrus, Isabella, the two women, and Glimora remained.
Cyrus glanced at Glimora.
Glimora stared back at him.
"She should go too," Cyrus said.
Glimora’s ears flattened instantly.
Isabella’s hand moved to the little beast’s head. "No. She stays."
Cyrus hesitated.
"She won’t disturb," Isabella said, and her voice became softer as Glimora pressed closer to her palm. "She knows."
The little white beast looked up at Cyrus then. There was no greed in her eyes this time. No stolen meat. No proud little attitude. She looked worried, and that worry made her seem much younger than usual. Her small body was close to Isabella’s hip but not touching her stomach, and her paws were tucked carefully under her as if she had understood that Isabella was fragile right now.
Cyrus looked at her for a moment longer.
Then he nodded. "She can stay."
Glimora’s ears lifted slightly, and she pressed her head into Isabella’s hand again.
The older woman watched this and her face softened. "A loyal little one."
Isabella smiled faintly. "Stubborn too."
The younger woman knelt near the bundles and began arranging things. "Stubborn beasts often guard the best."
Glimora looked very pleased with that even though nobody knew if she understood every word.
Now that the room had settled, Isabella told the women what she could say.
She did not mention demon blood. She did not mention Cyrus’s secret. She did not mention that her babies might carry something powerful enough to press against her body from the inside. She only said that her stomach had been tightening, her back had been uncomfortable, and she had felt strange heat and pressure since morning.
The older woman listened carefully.
Cyrus sat close and said nothing unless the women asked. He was watching everything. The way Isabella breathed. The way the women touched her. The way the room smelled. The way the herbs were placed near the fire. Every few moments, his senses reached for the hidden thing inside Isabella, checking whether the demonic energy was rising again.
The younger woman warmed a cloth near the fire and brought it over. "May I place this at your lower back?"
Isabella nodded.
The warmth helped more than she expected. She let out a soft breath, and Cyrus immediately looked at her face.
"It helps," she said before he could ask.
Only then did his expression ease a little.
