Chapter 298: Chapter 263: William and Anna

In the following days, Arthur found himself enjoying long-lost tranquility and leisure. Apart from spending time with his family, occasionally inspecting the surrounding construction and attending Cabinet meetings, these were almost all of Arthur’s daily tasks.

Australasia was also low-key during this time, with hardly any international actions apart from the ongoing domestic construction.

Like this, more than half a year passed by quickly, and it was soon September of 1909.

Since it was confirmed that Queen Mary was pregnant last Christmas, nine months had already passed.

Now that it was almost time for the birth, the royal palace was on high alert, and Arthur was waiting for his heir.

Especially in the last month or two, Arthur was on high alert, and even conducting office work almost by Queen Mary’s side.

According to the doctors’ conclusions, Queen Mary’s due date was roughly around mid-to-late September, within a few days.

Starting on September 10th, Queen Mary moved into the private hospital’s delivery room within the royal palace, equipped with more advanced instruments to better care for her.

The birth of Arthur’s heir was a significant event for all of Australasia. Most of the Australasians were following the news, and the Cabinet Government tactfully reduced the number of times they reported to Arthur, handling some less important government affairs on their own and postponing those that could be delayed.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The Queen is going into labor!” A maid rushed into Arthur’s office, shouting at Arthur.

This maid was one of Queen Mary’s personal maids, who had been granted permission by Arthur to enter the office for important matters, so the royal guards did not stop her.

Arthur, who was reading the government report, immediately dropped the documents in his hand and hurried to the private hospital.

Fortunately, the private hospital was not too far away from Arthur’s office, and in just a few minutes, he arrived outside.

“Stay here, Arthur. You won’t be able to help by going in, but you might cause more chaos.” Princess Louise quickly spoke as she saw Arthur wanting to enter.

Arthur nodded helplessly and sat down on a bench outside.

“How is it going?” Arthur asked.

“Everything is going smoothly so far, and it looks like the delivery will indeed be today. Wait patiently, Arthur. You’re a monarch, after all. What does it look like to be so anxious?” Princess Louise responded.

It was no wonder Arthur was anxious, as childbirth in this era was still a dangerous task. It was the beginning of the 20th century, an era when medical technology was not well developed.

While it was not as severe as ancient times when a common cold could kill, entering the delivery room was definitely an event that posed a life-threatening risk.

By Princess Louise’s side was Duchess Elizabeth, who had traveled thousands of miles from Russia more than a month ago.

Duchess Elizabeth was the wife of Duke Sergei, and Queen Mary’s foster mother.

Since Duke Sergei and his wife did not have their own children, they treated Queen Mary and her siblings as their own.

After hearing that Queen Mary was about to give birth, Duchess Elizabeth traveled a long way from Saint Petersburg to Sydney just to take care of Queen Mary personally.

Even though she knew Australasia had good medical conditions and plenty of servants, there was still a difference between taking care of her own child and others looking after her.

After greeting Duchess Elizabeth, Arthur continued to sit outside the door and wait.

One had to marvel at the complex relationships within European royal families, as the unborn child in Queen Mary’s belly already had an impressive background.

Besides being an Australasian prince or princess, he (she) was a distinguished member of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family, a direct descendant of the British royal family, a nephew (niece) of Edward VII, a cousin (niece) of Emperor William II of Germany, an outer nephew (niece) of Tsar Nicholas II, and so on.

Already involving the three most powerful monarchic countries in the world, continuing further would reveal more than ten countries with blood ties to the child.

Such a background could not be considered ordinary, and it was the true reason for the glory of European monarchism.

Since announcing Queen Mary’s pregnancy, congratulatory and concerned telegrams had been pouring in, making Arthur truly feel the enormity of his family connections.

Of course, a significant reason for this was the rise of Australasia and its good relationships with Britain and Germany.

Only those with a blood relationship were allowed to send telegrams, and Arthur could not ignore these, which was perhaps the trouble of having many relatives.

However, such a connection was something others could only dream of. As a member of the European royal family, Arthur naturally understood how important it was to maintain relationships with other royal families.

As long as there was no conflict of interest between himself and other nations, getting along well with everyone was a tacit choice.

After all, no one could guarantee that their own family would not fall from grace, and these connections and relatives would at least provide a fallback option to survive when the time came.

As everyone waited, time passed by the minute and the second.

About three or four hours after Arthur arrived at the hospital, the sound of crying finally came from the delivery room.