The room had been prepared in advance. Inside, Song Kiro found a bucket of water, washing cloths, and a fresh change of clothes. As he cleaned himself up, Song Kiro could not help but think about the infant again.
In his years of delivering babies, he had never seen one that made such an impression on him. This was quite the accomplishment, as Song Kiro had even delivered babies with immortal fates.
Even though no agreement had been reached in the bedroom, from the parties involved it was clear what its destiny would be. All that remained to be settled was the final price.
Song Kiro suppressed his dissatisfaction.
A minute later, he left the side room. His outfit was pristine, without the slightest blemish. No one would have imagined that he had just conducted a messy birth.
Despite the struggles of the infant, his assistants had already cleaned it by the time he walked out. It was tucked away into a cradle, wrapped in a fresh swaddling cloth and a blanket.
Song Kiro could see the blanket shifting, bit by bit. It was clear that the infant still had not stopped its incessant movement. As though possessed by a demon, it swung its arms and kicked its legs continuously.
For a moment, Song Kiro wavered.
Should he go back into the bedroom to listen to the negotiations?
It was what he typically did after the preparations were complete, but there had never been a direct order from the Third Manager.
With his current mood, he wanted to delay his return.
After weighing his options indecisively, Song Kiro decided to follow his heart. Under the eyes of his assistants, he walked in the opposite direction, towards the grand hallway.
He pushed the solid door ajar, and slipped out of the stifled atmosphere.
Immediately, Song Kiro felt himself blanketed in sound.
Hearing that the lady of the house was giving birth, a small group of servants had crowded around the door. Maids, manservants, and guards from all parts of the residence were chattering to each other, oblivious to the world.
Standing apart from the rest were two guards with distinctive emblems on their uniforms. They were big burly men with perpetual scowls frozen on their faces, the retainers from the Mo Family who had escorted the representative over. They seemed to exist in a world of their own.
The dissatisfaction that Song Kiro was repressing suddenly flared up.
These busybodies were making a spectacle out of a tragedy, all for the Mo Family to witness.
"Disperse," Song Kiro bellowed, cutting through the noise.
A sudden silence emerged, as the various servants stopped talking in an instant, shock and fright apparent in their eyes.
Even though Song Kiro worked under a different manager in the family, his work took him to all the separate households. As such, they knew who he was, and were familiar with his pleasant disposition.
As the Medicine Master of the Song Manor, his position was not low. Song Kiro answered only to the managers, and could directly order servants around as he so chose. However, despite outranking servants like them, he never abused his power.
Some, upon seeing him walk out of the room, had even expected that he would address them in a friendly manner. But instead, he had shouted angrily.
They found it hard to juxtapose his overbearing tone with the easy-going attitude he carried previously. Regardless, it was clear that he was in a bad mood.
Without being clear on what had happened, they knew it would be trouble if they stayed.
A moment after he had shouted, Song Kiro watched as the servants scrambled in fear. Many did not even turn their heads once. They ran back towards their designations, where they were expected to be working.
Soon, the only ones who remained were the two retainers from the Mo Family. They had watched impassively.
Were they judging him?
Song Kiro found himself thinking about the Mo Family. Although he usually avoided thinking in such directions, he had always hated the family to his very core. A childbirth was supposed to be a joyous moment, but due to the Mo Estate, it had become among the worst moments in a person's life.
Now, as he thought about it, he felt sickened to the core.