Helena took that final step.
“Helena!”
Then, from behind, she heard splashing and a faint shout. Someone was calling her name urgently.
But nothing changed. It was probably a hallucination.
Perhaps a farewell cry from her, longing for love she didn’t deserve.
‘Will anyone mourn for me?’
Before she could wallow in sorrow, a new wave overtook her, dragging her deeper into the ocean.
The light piercing her vision blurred, her ears rang.
The end was near. The suffocating pain was comforting. All sensations faded.
As she was about to lose consciousness.
Splash!
“What are you doing!”
A stern voice erupted beside her. Simultaneously, not just her head but her entire upper body was pulled rapidly above the water.
The cold air filled her lungs, reawakening her numbed senses. She gasped reflexively, struggling, but did not sink again.
Helena felt a strong pressure around her waist. Something solid was wrapped around it. Someone was desperately pulling her, swimming hard.
‘Let go, let go…!’
Her attempts to free herself were in vain. The tighter she tried to push, the stronger the grip around her waist became.
Eventually, the water level lowered to Helena’s chest. At that moment, a large hand supported her back, and an arm slipped behind her knees, lifting her up in an embrace.
After the struggle, the exhausted Helena stopped resisting and went limp.
She could barely breathe, her head resting against the chest of a stranger. Her body felt as heavy as a rock, perhaps from swallowing too much water.
As she managed to barely lift her blurry gaze, droplets continuously fell onto her face.
Due to the backlight, it was unclear whether it was the man’s tears or seawater dripping from his hair.
Before Helena could fully cough out the water she had inhaled, the man waded through the waves onto the shore.
Only when they reached a place untouched by the waves did he kneel down on the sandy beach.
“You can’t do this, Helen. You can’t lose consciousness. Helena!”
Helena trembled all over, like a cornered mouse.
Her water-soaked body felt so cold. Yet, his intensely hot breath kept enveloping her.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, repeatedly kissing her, desperately whispering her name with each breath, as if it were burning his skin.
With a voice she heard for the first time, yet not for the first time, he kept calling her name.
Those earnest voices followed her thoughts, like a last breath wandering in Helena’s mind.
Why is he crying for me?
Why is he calling my name so desperately?
Why won’t he let me die as I wish?
Who is he, to cling to me as if I’m his everything?
Then, as the clouds parted, sunlight illuminated him like a spotlight. Under the pale light, his features and face slowly became visible.
Helena observed his face as if caressing it with her eyes.
Hair like melted moonlight, pure silver; eyes like comforting lilac.
Despite his overall clean and warm appearance, his distinct nose and jawline made his overall impression seem rugged.
A man more suited for a battlefield covered in the scent of blood than a spring meadow.
That man was crying.
Holding her as if he would crush her.
“Don’t leave me alone. Stay with me. Please, please…”
She wanted to respond, but Helena’s efforts turned to nothing.
His voice, incessantly damp and fading, grew fainter. Her eyes slowly closed in resistance to the overwhelming exhaustion.
“Helena, please…”
As the man made his final plea, Helena silently prayed.
Let this be it, let me stop breathing forever.
The last goodbye they had exchanged on that night.
⌜You have to find me.⌟
Thirteen years had passed since then.
It was a fleeting whisper, a momentary promise, now faded enough to be forgotten.
But no matter how much time covered him with blood and slaughter, Helena’s existence only grew clearer. Far from fading, it became more distinct.
He wasn’t sure if his feelings for her remained the same, but he needed to see her again. Somehow, he had to find her.
Until then, a thirst that nothing else could quench seemed to persist. Therefore, Ian clung to that single promise and headed blindly to the shores of Putua.
Never in his dreams had he imagined witnessing such a scene.
“Helena! Helen!”
The red hair spread in the blue water was chilling. It seemed as if the sea itself was dyed with blood. She was drifting to a place where he could not reach her.
Ian’s teeth clenched tightly. An unbearable sense of guilt overwhelmed him.
Had he arrived too late? Was that why she had made this choice?
All the emotions he had harbored on his way here, surviving solely on the determination to protect her.
‘I cannot lose you like this.’
Without hesitation, Ian plunged into the sea. He battled the rough waves and finally managed to save her.
Holding her slumping body, calling her name, he made her spit out the water. But Helena increasingly became motionless.
It was as if she was refusing to wake up. Ian’s heart was burning with despair. He couldn’t think of anything.
He hugged her tightly and whispered frantically. He kissed her water-soaked forehead repeatedly, pleading.
And in defiance of all his waiting, Helena closed her eyes.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
