“Aw, why are you getting embarrassed over just shouting once, Nigel?”
Allen dragged Nigel, who was covering his flushed face with both hands, in front of his parents.
“Come on, dear. Don’t be shy, think of this as your own home.”
“I already like this young lady, she seems to have such a lively personality!”
Encouraged by the three, Nigel finally lowered her hands in surrender, and the three people with identical smiling faces looked at her with affection.
Nigel, her heart melting from the warmth of the Evans family, stepped into the villa amid their welcoming.
[This is the timeline separator]“…so Allen said they were destined to be friends and contacted her I don’t know how many times. Dear, you remember too, don’t you?”
“Of course. How could I forget? Allen, who used to lock his door refusing all the playmates we tried to give him since childhood, for the first time made a precious friend on his own.”
The warm, affectionate gazes of the Evans couple were directed at Nigel throughout the meal.
Nigel awkwardly handled her utensils, experiencing for the first time an atmosphere where she was constantly praised just for existing.
On the other hand, Allen, sitting across from Nigel, kept his head down throughout the meal, pretending not to hear his parents’ words out of embarrassment as he chewed his food reluctantly.
“It’s so lovely to see you eating so heartily, and I hear you’re also an excellent student, Nigel?”
“How did you know that?”
Nigel blinked, having been enchanted by the various delicacies pleasing her tongue and cleaning her plate.
“Why, Allen told us of course. You might not know this, Nigel, but Allen has praised you a lot to his uncle. Said you’re such a good child. I was curious why he praised you so much, but meeting you in person today, I can immediately see why.”
“As expected of a merchant’s son, your boy has had a good eye for people since he was young.”
“Indeed, it’s because of my good eye for people that I met you, my dear.”
Mr. Evans lightly kissed Mrs. Evans’ left hand.
Seeing their eyes full of trust and affection for each other, Nigel had a strange thought.
For instance, if her own mother had been alive, would her parents’ relationship have been this affectionate?
“Are you going to do that in front of my friend too?”
At that moment, unable to hold back any longer, Allen’s voice came out in a sulky tone.
“Why, it’s nice to see your parents being so affectionate.”
“Nigel, you don’t know. When these two work at the trading company, they fight as if they’re mortal enemies. Even I, their son, am too scared to enter, let alone the employees below them.”
Allen said, idly poking at his dessert plate.
“My, I wonder who Nigel takes after to be so sweet. Our Allen, on the other hand, I don’t know who he takes after with that sharp tongue of his. By the way, Nigel. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to see in this villa?”
Mrs. Evans smiled brightly at Nigel.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I know what Nigel likes. If we bring some snacks to the library, Nigel could stay there for a week.”
At the mention of the library, Mr. Evans’ eyes sparkled.
“Dear, do you have any favorite book genres?”
His already gentle voice became even sweeter.
“I don’t have any particular preferences. I tend to read anything that looks interesting, regardless of genre.”
Nigel’s answer filled Mr. Evans’ eyes with affection.
“That’s wonderful. My job involves collecting and pricing anything that can be sold, be it goods or information, so I’ve collected many first edition antique books as well.”
“Perhaps… do you have any by Paulo?”
“Of course! I even have the first edition of that famous short story collection.”
As Nigel’s eyes widened with interest, an excited Mr. Evans grasped Nigel’s hand and shook it vigorously up and down.
“My wife and son treat those worn-out books as worthless, not knowing their value, but I’m so glad to finally meet someone who appreciates them. Let’s see… Allen! Would it be alright if your father spends some time with Nigel?”
While Allen frowned, at a loss for words, this time Mrs. Evans seized the opportunity to address Nigel.
“Nigel, this auntie has always wished to choose clothes for a daughter, having only a son. If it’s alright with you, could you fulfill this auntie’s wish?”
Captivated by Mrs. Evans’ elegant smile, Nigel nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
“Allen, our beloved son. Therefore, I’ll be taking Nigel’s time tomorrow afternoon.”
As Nigel, now realizing where Allen’s passionate nature came from when it came to things he liked, looked back and forth between the two with a smile.
Allen, who had suddenly lost his friend to his parents and couldn’t play with Nigel comfortably, could only let out a hollow laugh.
And he found himself making the unreasonable complaint of why Nigel hadn’t been born as a man uninterested in books.
[This is the timeline separator]While Allen might not feel the same, Nigel was enjoying an extremely satisfying vacation.
On the day of arrival. After finishing an early dinner, she toured Mr. Evans’ antique book collection in the large library of the villa’s annex.
Even though the villa’s collection was vast, Mr. Evans tempted Nigel with sweet words, saying that the main house was filled with even more precious books, and suggested coming to the main house for the winter break. Nigel’s heart wavered helplessly.
The conversation, which was meant to be brief, grew longer and longer until past midnight when Mrs. Evans came to say it was time for Nigel to rest and recover from her travel fatigue.
As Mr. Evans’ rich experience constantly stimulated Nigel with new perspectives, she felt quite regretful when the conversation ended.
The next day.
Nigel woke up late, rubbing her sleepy eyes, helped with brunch, and then went to a clothing store with Mrs. Evans.
At first, she wasn’t particularly interested in fabrics, clothing, and accessories, but thanks to Mrs. Evans’ extensive knowledge, she became intrigued.
For instance, she learned about wars that had broken out over fabrics produced in certain regions, how popular designs were created and how trends were set, and various other topics.
After hearing these stories, Nigel’s perspective on fabrics and accessories changed significantly from before, which was refreshing.
Moreover, as Mrs. Evans explained and chose clothes that suited Nigel’s body type one by one, Nigel couldn’t help but be touched by the warmth of her care.
After buying clothes to wear during their stay at the villa, it was already evening.
The dinner table was filled with stories about Nigel.
Allen sat with his arms crossed, sulking because he didn’t know when Nigel would return to Tillin, and his parents had stolen that precious time.
“…She seems more like their own child than I do.”
Allen muttered his complaints quietly, but they were already drowned out by the laughter of the other three.
However, soon after. As his parents’ voices began to list the good qualities of Nigel that he knew, Allen found himself nodding along and chiming in agreement, his arms no longer crossed.
Thinking about it again, there were many good points to his best friend getting along well with his parents.
It was clear that his parents trusted Nigel more than their own son Allen, which meant they would easily allow him to play with Nigel in the future.
Also, since Nigel seemed to like his parents quite a bit, he could use them as an excuse to invite Nigel over to his house or villa during every break.
…But there was one thing that even Allen couldn’t give up, and that was having Nigel all to himself when they played.
It was even more frustrating that even his mom and dad had done it, but he was the only one left out.
“Nigel, let’s play together all day tomorrow! We haven’t properly seen the beach yet, right?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
As Nigel nodded willingly, Allen finally felt his appetite return.
“Son.”
At that moment, Mrs. Evans called out to Allen as she set down her wine glass. Her face was flushed.
“If you’re going out tomorrow, could you do an errand for Mom? It’s about delivering high-grade magic stones to the workshop, but I hear there are many pickpockets among the servants these days due to the influx of tourists in Obeliu. So who else can I trust but my own flesh and blood? Oh, of course, I trust you too, Nigel.”
Mrs. Evans gave a slight wink.
“You’ll do this favor for Mom, won’t you?”
“Yes, yes. As long as you don’t interfere with my time playing with Nigel.”
“Alright, love you son~”
Mrs. Evans got up from her seat and planted a kiss on Allen’s cheek.
“Mom! Nigel’s right here!”
Allen’s face turned bright red.
“Oh? Then I should do the same for our Nigel, shouldn’t I?”
Mrs. Evans also kissed Nigel’s cheek, who was sitting next to Allen.
“Ugh, Mom! What are you doing?”
Ignoring Allen’s protests, Mrs. Evans put her arms around Nigel and Allen’s shoulders in an embrace.
“Well then, my pretty Sienna Magic Department babies, please take care of the errand tomorrow.”
After withdrawing her hands, Mrs. Evans gave an elegant smile and left the dining room, escorted by Mr. Evans.
“How old is Mom to still be giving cheek kisses?”
Allen vigorously rubbed the spot where his mother’s cheek had touched with a napkin.
But Nigel, experiencing this feeling for the first time in her life, was too dazed to even think of touching her face.
“Nigel? I’m sorry, my mom is like that sometimes. Are you shocked?”
“…No.”
Nigel tried to answer while hiding her tingling feelings.
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.