It was unfortunate, that this couple so in love, would soon be torn apart by what she would believe was what the Architect wanted. Had she done something wrong in the world? Did she make a poor decision? These were questions that she wondered every single day throughout her pregnancy. Of course, she also wondered if her baby would be okay, maybe more often than those other questions she wondered.

Now, who is she, you might ask?

She is an Ardainian with a rather poor lifestyle for the time being. She had the opportunity to choose wealth and luxury over true love, honestly though, which would you pick, if you had to choose between one or the other? Well, in her head, only true love was the right choice, so that's what she went with.

Her name was Aelita. She had light hair, any darker and it would fall under 'auburn'. Her skin was light, and she wore light clothes to go with. She had green eyes the color of emeralds, and a smile as bright as the sun. She truly was happy, even though she was dying. No one knew this though, except for her husband.

Her husband, who no one knew the name of. He kept to himself often even when engaging in the small discussion of purchasing food, literature, antiques… Only Aelita knew his name, and out of respect, she told no one. Though, no one important was still in her life, but him. Her parents disowning her upon seeing her choose true love over their family name, and his family having passed on.

Though, it was just that, that made Aelita think the Architect was punishing her. Her family disowning her, this deadly illness that her husband couldn't afford to cure, possibly the loss of her baby…

"Please Architect, do not let my baby die," she would pray, hands folded in front of her face, as she sat at the foot of her bed, on the ground. Once again, her husband would be working late, in hopes to even get a few extra gold for them to spend or save up in their savings jar. After the task was done, Aelita figured maybe it would be nice to go on a walk outside. After all, her last living moments should be the ones that she spends doing things she would enjoy; her hobbies, reading, enjoying the… not so fresh air of Mor Ardain. Maybe she would get to see a friend or two, before having the baby or… dying.

She would go on her stroll in the marketplace now, smiling at all of the people there, greeting most of them if not all. They all returned those smiles, but in those smiles, was a hint of sorrow- sorrow that Aelita did not see. Though, by the time she would make it to the halfway point of her walk, the imperial castle's gate, she would feel a sudden cramp- it was tolerable, but not for long. With the illness she was struggling with, her body refused to let her handle more than a few contractions, before passing out. The last thing she heard, was the voice of an Ardainian Soldier asking if she was okay, then telling guards to take her to the hospital- something she wouldn't be able to afford.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

He never got a break; not a chance to go see her during the time of labor. In fact, the only way he even was able to find out, was after an hour of searching for his beloved wife, only to find out from the guards that she was taken to the hospital.

"Shit," he would cuss under his breath, as he then quickly, but half heartedly, thanked the guards. Next stop, the hospital- a place they certainly couldn't afford to be. With a sigh, he said to himself, "why couldn't she just listen, when I said not to leave the house until after that damn baby was born?"

He did not hate Aelita's child, though it wasn't entirely something he had wanted her to have. He wanted her to be happy, yes, but after finding out that she would most likely die from this child, and that the child would probably die as well, he would be damned if he ever attached himself to the thought of having an actual… family. So he kept to himself when the child was mentioned, and often did not acknowledge any discussion of the baby.

This meant that Aelita had full control over deciding things like their baby's name- Lukas, for a boy; Helena, for a girl. He didn't care for either name, but like mentioned, he didn't want to get attached to something that would probably die within just a few hours anyways.

The man pushed his way through the doors of the nearest hospitality center, where his wife would be. Though soldiers and nurses would attempt to stop him, he was no force to be reckoned with, and made it to his wife right away. Sleeping with the child in her arms, looking so peaceful… he couldn't dare wake her from her nap. After all, he could tell she was alive, as was the baby. With not another word, he would simply exit the area, and wait just outside of it. Nurses exchanged worried or confused glances, but would say nothing of it.

The next morning, around sunrise, a nurse would approach him, handing him what seemed to be the expense. Examining it, he handed it back to her while saying, "we can't afford this." The nurse would look at him with confusion, but then sighed.
"Well then, she can't stay here. We will get her and the baby ready to go home once she wakes up," she would say, before walking off- only to stop for a short moment once more, and say to him, "it's a girl, by the way."

His eyes widened upon the information, but he remained silent, listening to the woman's footsteps fade away with distance. Soon, his wife would be returned to him, in a wheelchair, as she held the baby girl in her arms. Now, the wheelchair wasn't the best, and probably was nowhere near sturdy, but normally, the mothers would have plenty of time to recover before being sent home. Aelita was unlucky in that regard.

"Oh, you are here," Aelita would say sleepily, which followed up with a yawn.
"Why would I not come? This is your baby, after all," her husband said in response.
"OUR baby," she would mention to him, "this is our baby, you know. She is yours as much as mine."
With a sigh, he would respond, "I know."
The rest of their walk home was in silence. Several times would Aelita doze off, and the baby was quite silent.

The days were often quiet, too, ever since the baby was born. Aelita and her husband were not as romantic with one another anymore, though maybe that was because she had gotten significantly weaker, and unable to fight off this disease she seemed to have- it seemed to her husband that doctors didn't even care. He hated Mor Ardain and their empire These people tended to not care, he felt.

However, this day was particularly different.
"Sweetie…"
He heard the rasping voice of Aelita from the bedroom, which he had altered to fit her liking, while he would sleep on the dusty and beaten up couch. He entered the room, to see his wife coughing up a storm, red from irritation. He would sit beside her on their bed, as she held their baby.

Aelita's eyes were watery. Not from irritation, but from sadness. She knew it was her time, but had to know a few more things before she were to pass. She looked to her beloved husband, as their baby would sleep in her arms.

"Do you… do you hate her?"

Her question was blunt, but she wanted the truth.

"What? The baby? No, of course not-"
"You haven't held her once… you haven't spoken to her, you haven't-" she would be interrupted by a coughing fit once more, showing signs of being significantly weaker. Her arms would tremble too, as she held the girl.
"H-haven't sung to her… o-or…" she starting to see the light, but shook her head weakly in attempts to have a few more minutes with him, and their child.

"I want you to make me a promise," she said to him quickly, as she knew her time was coming to an end much sooner than she was hoping for.
"I want you to… to love our baby, even when I am gone. It.. it's not her fault, that I am… dead."
She sighed.
"This… would've happened regardless."

"N-No, please," Her husband said, denying the fact that he would lose Aelita very soon.
"We'll find a cure! Just hang in there a little longer, please, Aelita!"
She shook her head no, before weakly holding out the baby to the father. Her eyes blinked as she struggled to keep them open.
"No… it's… become painful. I wish… just for our baby," she would smile sadly. Her hands shaking slightly faster, as it was now a burden to hold her child. Her husband quickly grabbed hold of the baby, so she would be burdened no longer. She knew these would be her last words.

"To have a good life, with a father who… loves her."

With that, her body was that of a husk, but her spirit at peace now. The man teared up upon the sight of the dead body resting in the bed. He held his child, as tears would of course, fall from his face. Holding the baby in his arms, he would finally speak to her.

"I'm gonna make sure you have the best life," he whispered to the baby, "the best life I damn can, my baby…"

"My baby Helena…"