Song Kiro looked at the Third Manager. He could only guess from the stony expression on the manager's face what mix of emotions were running through his head.
He turned away, looking at the flailing infant, with its tiny features and boisterous energy.
He shook his head.
Song Kiro did not know what would happen to it, but he didn't need to in order to feel pity.
The Mo Family took in hundreds of infants every lunar cycle. Not one of them was ever seen from again.
Song Kiro always felt bad about their fates, but this infant had so much 'personality' that the feeling was heightened.
While the members of the Song Family were caught up in disappointment and distress, Mo Seris only felt relief.
He had taken a huge gamble trying to snatch up Song Horo's useless baby in advance. It was a great blessing in disguise that the Third Manager had not taken him up on the higher price.
If he had taken the infant back to the steward, only to learn that he had been fleeced, a stern reprimand would have been the least of his concerns.
All Mo Seris could think was that his intuition had failed him, but luck had been on his side.
The one who would truly be feeling bad was Song Horo, who had given up the great opportunity to sell his child high, only to find that he would be forced into selling it low. No matter what, Mo Seris was satisfied with this outcome.
On the bed, Rao Isana watched as emotions played out on each person's face. The infant that she had given birth to was still kicking and moving its arms, full of life.
She too had begun to think that her child was talented, thinking up various names, as she anticipated how her life would change.
Watching him grow up from a baby to a boy. From a boy to a man.
She had been fooled.
For a second, she harbored a trace of hope. Even if it wasn't talented, was there any way that the child could be kept?
In the upper echelon of the Song Manor, the other households were either exempt from selling their infants, or else they only needed to sell one.
And yet, she had already given up three.
So, was there any chance that Song Horo would make an exception this time?
She suppressed the hope. With how resolute Song Horo was, wanting to take on the sins of the entire family for himself, he would never allow it.
Rao Isana did not want to cry, but the tears came to her eyes unbidden.
With what they had already done as parents, it nearly broke her to think back on it. And it was happening all over again.
Mo Seris was carefully observing Song Horo's expression, trying to catch a hint of his regret, when he heard the sound of gentle sobbing.
Rao Isana was crying.
Mo Seris moved his head slightly. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched. The pretty girl with a womanly aura was holding an arm across her face. It was clear that she was trying to stop herself from breaking down entirely.
He suddenly felt more restrained, no longer in the mood to gloat.
"Take…him…away."
Rao Isana's words were broken up and muffled. Considering the implications, they were harsh words.
Once the child was taken away, she would never see it again. And this was the fourth child…
Rao Isana had to keep reminding herself that it was all for the good of the family.
Tears continued to fall down her face, dampening her clothes. She turned away, not wanting to watch. When she looked back, her child would be gone.
Song Horo sighed. After going through various emotions, he now just felt hollowness and pity.
Pity for the child. Pity for his wife.
He looked down at the vigorous little infant. Poor child.
The fate was undeserved, but then again, it was not uncommon. The brutalities of the world were never in short supply. Only the immortals knew how many atrocities took place in silence.
Song Horo signaled to Song Kiro for the infant to be taken away.