“How much will it amount to if the debts in the count’s household are settled…….”
No matter how much Pellio complained, the money coming into his hands would soon become his lifeline.
Ermedillin was not at all concerned about his irreverent attitude.
“How extravagant is the Count? If you sell just a few paintings hanging on the wall, the debt can be solved quickly.”
Ermedillin, who had naturally expected the Count’s household to be impoverished due to enormous debt, made an effort to hide her surprise.
‘Turn the daughter into a beggar, and indulge themselves in luxury with that money?’
Anyway, it’s fortunate that an enormous fortune has been created thanks to their extravagance.
“Did you know that His Majesty is protecting Ferdinand?”
“It was originally the child that Duke François had; I rescued him.”
“You did?”
“Yes. After all, it’s not a child that has anything to do with adults’ affairs, is it?”
‘What does he look like? How old is he? Looking for his mother?’
Suddenly, the questions poured into her head all at once.
“But why would His Majesty…….”
“His Majesty is not an easy person. Of course, he knew beforehand how I or the Empress would act. Legally, His Majesty is the Empress’s husband, so he is also the child’s guardian. I could not refuse the request to hand over the child’s trust.”
“Ah… I see. Thank you. I’ll pay the retainer fee right now…….”
“No. I have already received it from His Majesty.”
“From His Majesty?”
Surprised by the unexpected answer, Pellio recalled the conversation he had with Anri last night.
“The child’s biological mother is not the Empress, right? It’s right to hand over the child to the biological mother.”
At Pellio’s firm response, Anri chuckled as if he had expected it.
“The biological mother? Do you know how much that woman loves young children?”
“Yes?”
“The younger they are, the purer their blood, making them good material for curses.”
“Of course, I know there’s such a rumor, but isn’t it her child?”
“Hmm. Shall we bet? Whether that woman really loves her child or not?”
“A bet?”
“Yes. If she tries to give up the trial for the child during the trial, I’ll take the side of the Empress. I’ll even pay the retainer fee. But if the Empress ignores the child’s safety and hurries the trial, don’t accept the retainer fee. And you’ll work in the palace for me, following your father. How’s that?”
Pellio did not want to bet on an innocent child, but he accepted the bet to get a firm answer from the inscrutable Anri that the child would not be harmed.
“Fine. But if I win, I have one more request. Actually, I’m more concerned about the child than the Empress. If I win, promise me that you will never harm that child.”
“Ha ha. What will I do with the child? Just for the purpose of monitoring the Empress.”
He couldn’t give the child back to the biological mother, but this much was somewhere?
Pellio believed that he had made the best choice in a situation where he had no confidence that Ermedillin would be a good mother.
‘What if that witch really tries to give up the count’s property for her child? I’m looking forward to what choice the Empress will make in court tomorrow.’
“Yes. His Majesty has already paid, so the Empress doesn’t have to worry.”
“Ah, is that so? But why would His Majesty…….”
‘Didn’t he hate me?’
“It’s because the Empress is human.”
“What?”
“Not a witch. Because she’s human. That’s why he paid the retainer fee.”
“What are you talking about…….”
In fact, even as he made a bet with Henri yesterday, Pellio didn’t know that Ermedillin would really try to stop the trial for her child.
He simply harbored a very small hope for the sake of that little child in the Emperor’s clutches.
But this witch, no, the Empress really intended to give up the Count’s estate for her child.
Pellio’s belief that Ermedillin deserved to die as a witch began to crack little by little.
Startled by his heart that had begun to waver, Pellio left the palace without any further explanation, leaving a stupefied Ermedillin behind.
After Pellio left, Henri approached Ermedillin.
His icy blue eyes stared at Ermedillin’s purple pupils for a moment.
It was just an instant, but Ermedillin felt like he was scanning the depths of her soul.
“You are human too?”
“Yes?”
Ermedillin looked at Henri with a puzzled face as he suddenly came close, looked down at her with an incomprehensible look in his eyes, and said the same thing as Pellio.
“You were human too.”
Valliere was staring with eyes cold enough to freeze at any moment, but Henri didn’t care and gently brushed a strand of Ermedillin’s hair behind her ear.
Looking up from below, Ermedillin was breathless at Henri’s divine beauty, but she realized what he meant in an instant.
Because she was not a witch but a human, because she was a human who was swayed by blood, he helped her.
A human who’s caught in a weakness is easy to use.
‘Well, that’s the way it is. There’s no way he helped me without any ulterior motive.’
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.
