Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 175
The Good Fortune Consulting Company had been struggling for quite some time.
At its peak, it had branch offices in three major districts of the inner city, with a wide range of services, from maid training to temporary security and shopping companionship. Customers could purchase almost any service, and their clientele included not only outside visitors but also many from the Wolf and Monkey Families who would entrust them to find suitable employees.
But those glorious days were in the past. The second-generation owner who took over from his father was too aggressive, trying to expand the family business across the continent’s various kingdoms. This overreach resulted in a broken financial chain, causing several branches in White Bridge to close, leaving only the original company on the outskirts, which was barely surviving. With business greatly reduced, during the auction period, the Good Fortune Consulting Company even gave employees an early holiday so they could “participate in the celebration”—as if their meager wages could buy anything at the auction.
As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse*. Although the company had faced multiple bankruptcies, the main office still looked impressive from the outside. The entire five-story building was theirs. The doorman, who had finished dinner early, planned to go to the boiler room for some hot water before it got completely dark, but he was knocked out as soon as he stepped out the door.
*Idiom referring to a person or thing that is no longer at their peak is still superior to those who never reached their level of accomplishment.
“Will he be alright?” Prima couldn’t help but ask. The doorman seemed old, and Amber didn’t appear to have held back.
“Get inside,” Amber said briskly, knowing what he was doing. He dragged the doorman into his small room, quickly tying him up securely.
Priscilla held onto Prima’s hand tightly. Prima didn’t dare delay, helping Priscilla up the front steps. There was just enough twilight left outside to see their footing.
“We can’t turn on the lights here. Anyone passing by on the street might see. Priscilla, can you still manage the stairs?” Prima used all her strength to support Priscilla, feeling her tremble.
Priscilla shook her head silently. Both she and her brother were naturally slender, a family trait, but she wasn’t as healthy as her brother. She had almost died of illness on the long journey when she first married, leaving Pennigra, and would have if her husband hadn’t been part of the royal family with ample resources.
This time felt even worse to her. The physical pain was bearable, but the fear for her unborn child made her pale, terrified of any mishap.
Amber came running back in after quickly surveying the ground floor, breaking into a locked reception room, and helping Prima settle Priscilla on the carpet, covered with a sheet.
Once Priscilla lay down, Prima drew all the curtains tightly shut before lighting the candles. Kneeling on the carpet, she gently comforted Priscilla, trying to sound confident even though she was terrified because she had no idea how to help deliver a baby.
Amber was even more at a loss than she was. After abandoning the carriage to mislead their pursuers, they discovered another group was also tracking them. Erica had diverted them alone, managing only to say, “Emerald will lead reinforcements to find you.”
There hadn’t been time to think then, but now settled, Amber grew anxious. In his view, Emerald was still a lazy, gluttonous hatchling, unable to grasp the urgency of the situation. Though their pursuers were temporarily misled, they needed a doctor, not reinforcements.
Regardless, they couldn’t let their own panic affect Priscilla. Prima forced herself to stay calm, directing Amber to find the boiler room or a kitchenette to prepare hot water while she gathered all the s she could find to elevate Priscilla’s upper body to help her breathe more easily. She kept talking to her, urging her to eat something for strength, as she looked very weak.
“I think it will go smoothly,” Prima whispered. “I wonder if the baby will be a boy or a girl.”
Priscilla, though lacking the strength to chat, knew she must stay conscious. She had Prima unbutton her nightgown, placing a worried hand on her belly.
“I once hoped for a girl,” she said. “The child’s father seemed to think so too. In our previous home, he prepared pink baby linens. But if you asked him seriously, he’d say gender doesn’t matter.”
Talking about the child improved Priscilla’s spirits a bit. “But now I think it’s greedy. A healthy child is more important than anything.”
“Didn’t the doctor say things look good?” Prima monitored her breathing, wiping her sweat. “Don’t worry. I brought all your bedside medicines, and Erica has gone for help. She said someone would come soon to assist us.”
Prima was curious about why Priscilla had left her husband and home to come to White Bridge at such a time, ending up without any family nearby. But she didn’t ask.
Priscilla shook her head, worry etched on her face. She had no time to ponder why enemies had suddenly attacked her without warning—Dwight and Louis surely hadn’t expected it either. Everyone was caught off guard.
When they left, Erica had immediately contacted Shivers. Their communication magic had no time lag, and she didn’t doubt the Brandenburg Knights’ capabilities. But now, on the verge of giving birth, Shivers could protect her but might not be able to help with childbirth.
It was a relief to have Prima with her. If Erica had to leave and only Amber was left, she feared she might panic and cry.
“Amber, go outside,” Priscilla said to the red-eyed boy. “Walk along the street… but be careful. Look for places with a seashell emblem, which could be shops or homes, or find someone in black uniform with white gloves.”
She handed a brooch to the boy. “Show them this and say you’re looking for Louis.”
Prima’s eyes widened, recognizing the Elder brooch that belonged to Louis.
This token, like Khalif’s ring, could represent someone to some extent. Louis had given such an important item to Priscilla?
Amber said nothing, nodding and running off. He knew he couldn’t do more to help there.
In the reception room, only Priscilla and Prima were left. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Prima couldn’t ignore the brooch, and Priscilla knew it. But whenever she tried to explain, a contraction made it impossible to think. The intervals between her painful expressions grew shorter, making Prima anxious. She kept wiping Priscilla’s sweat, holding her hand tightly, glancing at the wall clock now and then, praying Erica would arrive soon.
If things got really bad, she hoped Erica could escape safely. Without help, she would have to assist Priscilla in giving birth.
As long as those terrible enemies didn’t find this hiding place.
Just as she was praying, there was a commotion outside, making Prima jump. The reception room faced the street. She tiptoed to the window and peeked through the curtains.
It was dark outside, and the streetlights were on. She feared seeing those tall, flat monsters from before but quickly realized it wasn’t them. A group of men with clubs and shovels ran down the street, shouting and cursing, followed by faint hoofbeats.
Prima noticed some men had blood on them, which startled her. She quickly closed the curtain, afraid the men might notice this unoccupied building as a hiding place.
“It’s the auction celebration,” she told Priscilla. “Besides the guests inside, there are many lively activities in the inner city. Look, there’s no one working late in this building. They must have taken a holiday to join the festivities.”
Priscilla didn’t question her description, focusing on regulating her breathing. Prima listened anxiously to the noises outside, praying the ill-intentioned people wouldn’t find their small hideout. After some time, there was a sudden noise at the door, making Prima jump.
She hurriedly wrapped Priscilla in a blanket, glanced around, picked up an iron hat stand as a weapon, and went to the door, determined to strike first if anyone came in.
“Prima!” Someone called from the hallway. “It’s me.”
Prima paused, quickly opening the door to see Amber running towards her, followed by…
A rabbit-headed man?!
She was so shocked she forgot to lower the hat stand. The rabbit-headed man, seeing her, said, “It’s okay, Prima. Be careful not to hurt yourself.”
The hat stand, shaped like a vine, had many sharp protrusions. It was a decent weapon but could easily injure the user if handled too forcefully or excitedly.
Prima reluctantly lowered the hat stand, looking disheveled and breathless, her clothes wrinkled from kneeling on the floor for so long. Being addressed as a lady in this situation made her realize she must look quite a mess.
“Priscilla!” The rabbit-headed man’s companion ran past them to the center of the reception room, kneeling beside Priscilla and touching her forehead. Priscilla couldn’t help but cry when she saw him.
“It hurts a lot,” Priscilla said.
Dwight held her but dared not touch her swollen belly. He hadn’t expected his sister to be in such a predicament. He had read many books, but none on how to deliver a baby—only brief mentions he couldn’t recall.
For the first time, the proud Duke of Brandenburg felt powerless. He instinctively looked back at Charlie.
But Charlie wasn’t looking at him.
Charlie scanned the room, asking Amber, “Where’s Emerald?”
Amber, wondering why the first question was about the bird (or not), instinctively answered, “Released.”
“Did Erica release it?”
“Erica told me to release it,” Amber said, unable to help asking, “Should we—” find a doctor?
“No.” Charlie interrupted, striding to the window and yanking the curtain open.
“No!” Prima blurted, but it was too late. The streetlights outside illuminated the room.
“We’ll be discovered,” Prima protested timidly.
“Yes, but how will they find us if we don’t open the window?” Charlie agreed, then lifted the window sash.
Even Amber was shocked. He glanced at Priscilla lying on the carpet, frowning as he moved to stop him, but Dwight spoke first.
“Amber,” he said sternly.
Amber stayed put, still angry and confused about the shopkeeper’s actions.
Dwight watched Charlie, who stood by the window, pulling a whistle from his seemingly bottomless coat pocket and blew it hard. From Amber’s angle, it was clear he used his abdominal muscles.
Yet no one heard the whistle.
Priscilla’s contractions started again, curling up in her brother’s arms. Charlie didn’t turn around, continuing to blow the whistle out the window, determined not to stop without a response.
But who was he calling? Without a sound, who would respond?
Amber, puzzled, joined him at the window. The night wind grew stronger, sounding like it was getting closer—
Something was approaching fast!
Charlie stopped blowing the whistle, quickly pocketing it and stepping aside. He dragged over a heavy single chair. Almost immediately, a fast-moving blur crashed into the chair, landing with a thud.
Everyone was speechless in shock. It was Emerald! And it wasn’t alone. It had something in its beak—
A pigeon.
“Let go of the doctor, Emerald,” Charlie coaxed. “He might not be used to such high-speed travel. Good bird. There…”
He gently took the pigeon from Emerald’s beak. The pigeon shook its wings and transformed into a slender man.
“Forgive me, I feel a bit nauseous,” the man said. “Where are my glasses? Ah, found them. Good thing I wasn’t wearing them…”
He put on a pair of crystal glasses. His face was calm (but extremely pale) as he looked at everyone.
“Where’s the patient?” he asked.
Behind him, Charlie closed the window with a bang.
The author has something to say:
Based on my observations of the rabbit-headed shopkeeper, Dwight expected him to bring back some novel, strange, and unexpected trinkets, but after a round, he only bought some whistles, small sprayers, and such, filling a bag with odds and ends. – Chapter 69
Does anyone remember Dr. Salman?
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