The hour was growing late as the large, almost full moon crept into the center of the Summer sky above, casting a sharp light down onto the manor which sat overlooking a small, quaint town that had begun to settle for the night. Lights were blown out, carts and shops locked up tight and it all grew still. A soft breeze blew through the cool night air and brushed against few trees and shrubbery that encompassed the estate and town alike. However, the various insects and other wildlife that inhabited the gardens and trees around the estate were not the only living things moving this night. Screams of a woman echoed through the manor's premises, bouncing off of every surface possible and quickly kicking the maids and servants into motion. Everyone knew this day was coming but for it to arrive so soon could not be a pleasant sign.
It had all felt as if a single moment went by before the familiar Dressolini was forced from the room and made to wait in the now empty and silent halls, the only sound still emanating from his howling wife and bustling maids behind the closed door. Normally he would have fought back, wanting to stand by to overlook the whole ordeal as any man should, having had gotten into trouble for sticking his nose into less, but this time something was different. His face was near expressionless aside from a vague hint of concern. He was lost in his thoughts as he paced the long hall, a normal occurrence these past few months. With each turn he made his silk shawl followed, drifting behind him before falling once more against himself as he continued his seemingly never-ending pacing. The faint shouts, yelps and soon crying from behind the door only stuck into the Dressolini a few times, merely making him flinch before putting on his almost stoic expression once more.
It seemed as if an eternity went by before everything went near quiet aside from muted sobbing and finally the door opened. The emotion that followed was not that of joy or life but instead only sadness and dismay. Leonzio quickly perked up and marched towards the empty handed maid who had exited the room. "I…She..." the maid began to stumble on her words and surely the man's expression did not help soothe the poor woman. "My apologies, Duke Vauclain, but Lady Vauclain...s-she didn't make it through the process." The frail handmaiden struggled to hold herself together as she brought her hands up to her mouth. "And what of the child? What of my blood?" Leonzio practically barked out, seeming almost unphased by the news. The man did not wait for an answer and instead barged into the room, bumping into a servant as they attempted to exit. Pausing at the sight within the room, it surely wasn't pretty before he heard the quiet cries from the premature baby.
Upon seeing the Duke had entered, Marianne's main handmaiden had spoken up and began carrying over the child. "It's a boy, Leonzio and he seems healthy…" She spoke as best she could through the circumstance and handed off the newborn. The man glanced down to the child in his arms and his lips tightened as if he was trying to hide every emotion he had. He again glanced up to the bed to his motionless wife before glancing around the room. Letting out a shaky sigh he finally said, "Arrange for the body to be cleaned… And send word to the others…" He made his way to exit the room.
"Leonzio… Did you two ever decide on a name?" the handmaid piped up again with a pained voice. The now more distraught Dressolini paused and glanced down to the baby in his arms before nodding. "Gabriele."
