Raise Him As My Child

It was dark and was raining heavily outside, with the thunder as loud as fireworks.

[TUESDAY]

[TIME-9:30 PM]

At The Hospital:

After giving birth, Lina woke up and heard a baby crying. She slowly turned her head and looked at the baby lying on her side.

As soon as Akihiro heard that Lina had woken up, he rushed to see her. He opened the door and saw his wife and a cute baby lying on her side. With a gentle smile on his face, he kissed Lina on her forehead and thanked her for giving him such a beautiful baby.

Lina looked around and asked Akihiro, "where is Emilia?"

Akihiro did not want to hide the news from Lina, so he told her to be strong and not to get too emotional when she heard the truth. He told Lina that Emilia had met with an accident.

When Lina heard the news, tears started rushing down her eyes.

Is this a dream? She thought to herself.

She then asked him, "how did it happen?"

"The carriage in which Emilia and her baby were traveling lost control fell and off the cliff", He said.

She couldn't control herself and became unconscious. Akihiro panicked after watching her collapse and called the doctor.

The doctor who had arrived tested Lina and told Akihiro that Lina had become unconscious due to the shocking news. The doctor told him not to talk about it anymore and told him to comfort her when she woke up.

After a few hours, Lina slowly opened her eyes and looked at Akihiro, who stood beside her worriedly.

Akihiro asked Lina how she was feeling and then hugged her and told her everything will be fine.

Lina hugged him tightly and started crying again.

After calming down a little, she asked him, "do you have any news of her baby? "

"Some of our men found her baby in the forest." He then said that it was a miracle that the baby was still alive.

Akihiro then brings the baby inside and gives it to Lina. She looked at the baby and told Akihiro that he looked like his mother, those big eyes, small lips, and a dimple when he smiles.

"So, what are we going to do with him, Lina?"

"His mother was my best friend. People approached me due to my power and status as the head of the Yotsuba. She was the only person who talked to me without expecting anything. "

"Even though she was one of our family servants, irrespective of our status, we became close friends. Since the day I was born, I have never had a friend. I was treated differently and told that I had a big responsibility and had to work hard and protect everyone in the family. "

"The loneliness got worse since I took charge as the family head, but everything changed when I met Emilia. We used to talk for a couple of hours also share our secrets, and that was the first time I forgot about everything and felt like a free woman. She was like a sister to me. "

"I know how it is to be lonely, and I will not let this child suffer the same loneliness. Therefore, I have decided something. "

"I am going to raise this child as my own. Will you support me, honey? "

"I will support you no matter what decision you make, but the family elders will never agree to this. "

"Who said I am going to tell the elders?", Lina wiped her tears and told Akihiro, "They won't accept the baby only if they knew it was her child, but what if I told them that I had twins. "

Akihiro then told Lina that there was one more thing bothering him.

"What is it?", Lina asked.

Akihiro said, "those with low magic power or no magic get treated horribly, as magic is everything in this world."

"We members of the Yotsuba family are considered the strongest after the royal family in the country."

"When a child turns 16 years old, he needs to take the magic power examination and prove that they are worthy of becoming a knight."

"According to our family rules, a person who fails the exam must leave the family immediately. "

"The boy is not royal or noble but a commoner."

"His magical power will be low compared to others. What will you do if he fails to prove himself?"

"Let's think about it when the time comes", said Lina.

Lina then called her 5-year-old son Arthur and showed him both the babies. He looked at both the babies and kissed them on their foreheads. His mother smiled and told him that you are now a big brother. Come what may, you must protect both of them and never let anything dangerous happen to them. Even if we are not here, be sure to always take care of them.