The head of the prestigious Ludwig ducal family, which has served the imperial family for generations,and a figure who has been closely assisting Parnes for nearly twenty years.
Some people referred to Edward Ludwig as such:
The man who raised a tiger.
“His Highness Parnes is five years old this year, and they say he needs an aide by his side.Edward, would you serve him?”
The eldest son of the Ludwig ducal family.
Perhaps because he had five younger siblings, he felt a unique sense of fulfillmentin caring for or teaching others since his youth.
When his father recommended him for the position of aide to the Crown Prince,he couldn’t help but swell with hope and ambition.
To serve closely the one who would lead the Rennel Empire in the future—how proud and honorable that would be.
“I, Edward Ludwig, will serve His Highness Crown Prince Parnes with utmost devotion.”
However, when he first entered the imperial palace and met Parnes,he realized that what lay before him was not merely a vast, radiant sea.
Parnes was precocious to an extent unimaginable for a child his age.Even the servants and nursemaids secretly grumbled,“He’s so unlike a child, it’s frightening.”
“Your Highness, how about going outside to play with friends sometimes?Reading books and cultivating knowledge isn’t everything.”
“Easy for you to say. Ludwig, do I look like someone with time for that?”
The unique environment of the imperial family.
From the moment he could toddle, rigorous education began,coupled with the subtle pressure of one day bearing the weight of the Rennel Empire,which was then engaged in conflicts large and small with neighboring countries.
Under such influences, Parnes was becoming a child who calculatedthe size of the nation he would one day rulebefore he could even realize how beautiful the world could be.
“You, the sky and sun of the Rennel Empire, I humbly beseech:grant His Highness the Crown Prince time and leisure to explore the wide world.”
“So, it was you, as expected, filling the prince’s head with strange ideas.Edward Ludwig, you should know I’ve been lenient with youout of respect for my friendship with your father.”
“If this continues, Your Highness Parnes will grow into a lonely person!”
“An emperor is inherently a lonely position.Who dares to stand side by side with the emperor of a great nation?”
The emperor of the Rennel Empire at the time.
Parnes’s father was a highly authoritative figure.
His belief was that a monarch’s position was lonely and absolute,incapable of having equal friends,and naturally, Parnes was heavily influenced by this.
And then, decisively, after “that incident” occurred.
Parnes’s heart, which had seemed on the verge of openingthrough Ludwig’s long efforts, closed off completely.
He became an adult like a barren wasteland,showing no emotions to anyone, not even the faintest hint of a smile.
Yet, so simply, despite all that.
“How did such a thing come rolling into my palace?”
As if lightly mocking his closest aide’s tireless efforts and the years spent,a woman appeared who brought a small smile to Parnes’s face.
“With a face like a sulky acorn.”
The newer vassals who had only recently begun serving Parnesmight have thought it curious and moved on without much thought.
But not Ludwig, who had watched him since childhood.
When Parnes gave a faint smile, playfully bantering with Kasallin,and even seemed to enjoy the time spent conversing with her,
a single thought flashed through Duke Ludwig’s mind:
“Perhaps Kasallin, that woman, could stand side by side with His Majestyand walk toward a bright future?”
Though the process and form differed,if two people who seemed to bear indelible wounds in their heartscould soothe each other’s barren souls,
“Your Majesty, just earlier, a puppy was lost in the western garden,getting wet in the rain.”
“…What?”
If such a thing were possible,Duke Ludwig was willing to become a bridge connecting the two.
He would gladly offer help to Kasallin as well.
Though the blood flowing through their veins differed,and he could never dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with his lord,he could not help but love his master.
Gray storm clouds blanketing the sky poured down thick rain,making the spring season feel irrelevant.
Perhaps it was thanks to the rain fiercely lashing her cheeks.
“Now… I think I’m okay. I’m sorry.”
Feeling a belated wave of embarrassment, Kasallin squirmed out of his embrace.
Parnes hesitated, his hand lingering in the air as if reluctant,then silently let her step away.
It was a brief but intense embrace.
Her waist, caught in his arms until just moments ago,still trembled, unable to regain its calm.
Kasallin tried to return his coat,but Parnes grabbed her wrist firmly.
“Wear it while I’m asking nicely.Can’t you see it’s raining?”
“That’s not possible. You’ll get wet because of me.”
“Are you afraid I’ll hold you responsible if I, the emperor, catch a cold?”
Struggling to fold a coat twice her size,Kasallin tilted her head as if puzzled.
“No?”
“If that’s not the reason, then why…”
“Of course, I’d worry if Your Majesty caught a cold.”
“You’re worried about me?”
“If you get sick, how tough would that be?Thinking you, the emperor, can avoid such things is a mistake.In the end, we’re all just fragile humans.”
Parnes couldn’t continue speaking, only drawing a short breath.
Due to the rain blurring her vision, Kasallin didn’t see it,but in that moment, a spark—whether of joy or surprise—flickered like a morning star in Parnes’s eyes.
It was the expression of a wanderer, lost in a dark cave for ages,discovering an unexpected hand of salvation.
“Come on, put the coat on.Lower your head a bit since I can’t reach…”
“…In the end, we’re all just fragile humans.”
Parnes gazed down at Kasallin, standing blankly,seemingly lost in sentiment for a moment,then quickly returned to his usual impassive expression.
“If I’m a fragile human, how much weaker must you be?I’ve indulged you, and now you dare speak so boldly to the emperor.”
“Sorry, but I grew up without a single illness.”
Though she’d become slightly frail since the carriage accident.
Kasallin swallowed the rest of her words, pressing her lips shut.
“So, you, who grew up without illness,why were you coughing and rummaging through the garden?I’d like to hear your excuse.”
“That’s…”
“…Enough. Let’s go inside and talk.”
He wrapped Kasallin in his coat like a blanketand led her to the nearest palace.
The rain grew heavier, forming deep puddles here and there.Each step splashed underfoot.
It was then, as she followed his lead to escape the rain indoors.
“It seems our maid has caused trouble again.”
Shallen approached as if he’d been waiting, speaking up.
Parnes’s gaze lingered briefly on the two umbrellas,large and small, in Shallen’s hands,then slowly shifted to Kasallin’s wet face.
The rainwater streaming down her cheeksdidn’t seem like mere illusion—it looked like tears.
“I’ll take her from here. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Was it your side that left this girl standing in the rain?”
At Parnes’s sharp question, Shallen’s breath faltered for a moment.
He quickly regained his composure and replied,
“Left her standing? If others heard, they’d misunderstand…”
“At the reading event, you promised clearly in front of many gueststhat you’d spend time with Kasallin whenever I needed her help.You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Of course not, but that’s…”
“Yet today, you called her away as if stealing her,and now you’re trying to take her without notice.It doesn’t seem like my imagination alonethat you’re intentionally breaking your promise and interfering.”
Would it be fair to take this as a provocation against me?
As Parnes spoke as if putting an end to the matter,Shallen bit his lip quietly, unable to muster a retort.
Parnes’s dry, emotionless eyes slowly shiftedand stopped on Kasallin.
“Hey.”
Without taking his eyes off her, Parnes spoke lowly.
Amid the subtle tension between the two monarchs,the attendants, who had been watching cautiously from a distance,hurried over.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Take this girl to her room and make sure she can warm up.”
“Understood. Kasallin Robepon, this way, please.”
Kasallin had no choice but to follow the attendant,glancing back repeatedly.
In the corridor where rainwater splashed,Parnes and Shallen stood facing each other in confrontation.
What conversation passed between them, she never heard.
Crouched before the fireplace, the only light in the dim room,Kasallin kept coughing dryly.
Her condition seemed worse than she’d thought.
But she had no time to linger over catching a mere cold.
As soon as the sun rose, she had to search for Rose’s ring,and next week, the hunting competition was scheduled,so she needed to prepare for that too.
“It’s fine. I’ll feel better after a night’s sleep.”
Kasallin curled up like a cat against the cold,wrapping herself in Parnes’s coat and drifting off to sleep.
The faint scent lingering on the collarguided her toward peaceful dreams.
“Why are you sleeping on the floor?”
Parnes’s voice tickled her ears in a half-dream,but she vaguely assumed it was a dream.
His voice, unlike his usual bluntness, was so tenderit didn’t feel real.
Kasallin shifted, unconsciously clutching his coat tightly.
Then, a low chuckle sounded.She felt strong arms gently lift her.
“What am I to do with you…”
In her dream, Parnes muttered something disapprovingly,but she couldn’t make it out.
Only the faint sensation of lips brushing her forehead lingered.
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
