"What's real?"
Dier heard Domnal's voice and looked in the direction of his gaze, then saw the scene Domnal had witnessed.
"It's the Prince, in such a hurry. Now do you believe me?"
Dier then said to Domnal with a hint of triumph.
"Hey, you actually didn't lie to me, that's a miracle. I thought you were trying to get back at me for that time you tricked me. I didn't expect it to be true."
Domnal muttered subconsciously, and his words naturally displeased Dier. That guy was spouting nonsense again, and he never seemed to change that bad habit.
"Your mind is filled with these things all day long... When have I ever lied to you? On the contrary, you're the one spreading false information all day long."
"Alright, alright, I was wrong, I was wrong."
Facing Dier's accusation, Domnal quickly admitted his mistake, or else he would be nagged endlessly.
"But we'd better go find our friend now."
However, after scolding the Gael for a while, Dier changed the subject.
"Huh? What?" Domnal was inevitably a bit confused by him.
"Of course, we're going to collect money! Did you forget how generous the Prince was when Lady Zoe's pregnancy was confirmed? There will definitely be a large-scale almsgiving today or tomorrow."
Looking at Domnal's expression, Dier felt a surge of frustration. This guy was sometimes smart and sometimes foolish, and he didn't know what was wrong with him.
"You're right, we need to prepare and get more then."
After this hint, the Gael also realized what was being talked about and immediately responded.
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Rostislav's mood was now as urgent as a burning flame. He rode his horse directly through the city gate guarded by his personal guards and arrived in front of his palace.
The Prince's palace was a three-story brick and tile building, an extremely rare existence in the land of Northeast Rus' and the center of power in Northeast Rus'.
In front of the palace gate stood a stone statue from the Eastern Empire, a recent gift from a merchant, which added a touch of culture to the Prince's residence.
Normally, Rostislav might have admired it, but now he had no such thoughts. Passing through the fully armed guards, Rostislav entered the great hall, which also served as an audience hall and could be used as a banquet hall.
Upon entering the hall, one could immediately see a massive aurochs skull on the wall, its huge horns particularly striking. It was a trophy of the Moscow Prince, the head of the giant aurochs he had killed single-handedly, earning him the nickname "Aurochs Hunter."
It was placed there to display the Moscow Prince's martial prowess to visitors.
The Prince did not linger his gaze on the aurochs skull. He went straight to the third floor. The second floor was the Prince and his wife's chambers, and the third floor was where the palace's birthing room was located.
Along the way, guards constantly saluted Rostislav. For the safety of his wife's childbirth, Rostislav had brought in hundreds of personal guards and attendants to fill the palace, vigilant against any possible attack.
Soon, Rostislav arrived in front of the birthing room, where many people were already waiting, including Moscow Bishop Luka Zhidiata, Leo Pappas, the administrator of the Moscow government, and the Persian physician Ibn Hain.
Ibn was conversing with Leo, and as Ibn spoke, the tension on Leo's face eased. Behind the door where these two stood was Zoe, who was in labor.
Outside the door, dozens of spear-wielding guards stood densely packed, their faces covered by mail veils. These were Zoe's eunuch guards.
And behind the door, beyond the eunuch guards, although the wooden door had excellent sound insulation, the Prince could still hear his wife's painful cries.
The screams twisted Rostislav's heart, and he wished he could rush in immediately to be by his wife's side, but in the end, he restrained those impulsive emotions and suppressed them. He knew rushing in would only cause trouble.
Several officials made way for the Prince, but Rostislav still paced anxiously in front of the group of guards, at a loss.
Rostislav called Ibn and asked about his wife's condition. The Persian doctor immediately patted his chest and guaranteed that the Prince's wife's childbirth would be absolutely fine and safe. They had been preparing for so long, so there would definitely be no problems.
Upon receiving the doctor's assurance, Rostislav's tension eased. For a husband, no news was more comforting than this.
The Prince's heart was still filled with various thoughts. He was now both expectant and fearful, looking forward to the birth of his child, but also afraid of whether he could raise the child well.
These two feelings alternated in Rostislav's heart like day and night, making the Moscow Prince's heart extremely conflicted.
Overall, however, the Prince's anticipation in his heart still outweighed his fear, after all, no matter what, that was his first child.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened. The eunuch guards immediately made way, and several maidservants came out from inside. Along with the open door came the loud cry of a baby, and they brought good news.
Both mother and child were safe, and it was a boy.
The Prince was the first to rush in. He saw his wife lying exhausted on the bed, resting. Childbirth had drained almost all her strength. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her clothes were soaked with perspiration, and her beautiful black hair looked as if it had been run through water.
The midwife placed the Prince's son in his arms. Rostislav looked at the tiny infant, at its wrinkled face, and listened to its clear cries. Rostislav felt a sense of unreality. Is this my child?
He immediately reacted, realizing he was being foolish. This was his son! The Prince held his little darling and swayed Foolishly, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.
At the same time, everyone else was busy. The Persian doctor directed everyone to do this and that, and told the maidservants to quickly bring the prepared medicine. As for the others, they stood at the door, not daring to enter rashly and disturb the Prince and his wife.
Rostislav was clearly not good at taking care of children. No matter how he rocked him, the little fellow kept crying. The Prince thought of his wife, and seeing that Zoe had recovered somewhat, he placed their son in his wife's arms.
Zoe's eyes, which had been full of fatigue, lit up at the sight of her son. She held the little thing in her arms, and the son obviously preferred his mother, for in a short while, the little fellow stopped crying.
"Zoe, thank you so much."
Looking at his wife, Rostislav said sincerely, and Zoe merely returned a few gentle smiles to her husband.
"Rostislav, what do you plan to name him?"
Rocking their son, Zoe asked her husband, and this question made the Prince's body stiffen subconsciously. Oh no, he had subconsciously avoided this matter recently, and he hadn't thought about it at all. He had no preparations now.
Seeing her husband like this, Zoe's gaze also became displeased, thinking that he couldn't have forgotten to name the child, could he?
And with this thought, her brows also furrowed.
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