"No," Alaric shook his head firmly. "Actually, it is a magnificent sign. It means their bodies are fully formed, their spiritual roots are solidifying, and they are preparing to breathe the air of this world on their own."
"Then why do you and Nessa look like you're preparing for a battle?" Lin Wan asked, catching the subtle, significant glance exchanged between the elder physician and his assistant. "Tell me the truth, Alaric."
The old physician let out a slow, heavy sigh, pulling his hands into his long sleeves.
"Your body has begun its final preparations, My Lady. The sinking weight you felt, the shifting energy, the subtle tightening—they are the subtle signals that the cradle is opening."
Lin Wan's fingers tightened against the velvet fabric of the daybed.
"How long do I have?"
"That, no mortal physician can answer with absolute mathematical certainty," Alaric admitted honestly. "Childbirth is a doorway that opens according to its own divine timing."
