If I had no purpose, upon learning the truth, I could have ended the lives of Rahert and Medea with a single stroke. But I did not do so because I have a goal.
To save the Northern Duke and the Northern Duke, Sion Belpast.
And to live a life different from my previous one.
These are things I couldn’t achieve with the ways I have learned and lived by.
Just a moment ago, the Northern Duke offered me a lifeline to take that first step towards these goals. Therefore, I must seize it well.
I do not wish to cause even the slightest harm to the Duke. So, persuading the South now falls upon me.
“Lady Medea, I hope you will not harm what is mine again,” the Duke said. His lips still held a smile, but his eyes did not. Medea trembled under his tremendous pressure.
Once the Duke closed the door, only Medea and I were left in the room.
“Explain what is happening, Bella,” Medea growled softly.
I knelt before her on one knee, just as I had in front of her moments before my death in my previous life.
“Lady, do you believe everything the Duke said? I am still only Bella for you.”
“Ha, do you expect me to believe that now?”
“Since I was five, the moment I began to have memories of life, I have had only one master – you, Lady. You were the only one who treated me as a human and called me a friend.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Her voice was still angry, but slightly calmer.
“I thought I wanted to stay by your side as long as I lived. Until the day you reach the highest position.”
“…”
“But… the day the Northern Duke entered here, I realized something while watching the Southern jasmine crushed under the hooves of Northern horses.”
I bowed my head even lower.
“Maybe my place is not by your comfortable side. Maybe I need to go to a harsher, more dangerous place to protect you.”
Medea’s red eyes searched me.
“Without trampling the North, I might not be able to raise my master to a higher place.”
“Bella, speak plainly.”
“Amidst the cheers of the people, I thought. The North will be a threat to my master. To defeat them, we must plant our people within them, but it’s extremely difficult to plant someone from the South in their midst.”
I lowered my voice.
“Perhaps the visit from the North is a blessing from heaven. To seize this opportunity, I must become the Southern spy within them.”
I raised my head to meet Medea’s eyes.
“I decided to gain the trust of the Northern Duke.”
“Why did you mention the poison to the Duke?”
“I do not know all of the Duke and Lady’s plans, but mentioning the poison had no downside. If he did not succumb to the poison, he would think it was due to his caution, and if he did, he would remember me, the one who warned him. Regardless of the outcome, I would remain in his memory, so I had to take that gamble.”
“I did not use poison on the Duke.”
“…I guessed as much. That it was the Duke’s own ploy.”
“Why didn’t you consult with me first?”
“Even if it failed, it should end as my fault alone.”
Medea remained silent for a long time.
I endured that silence, adding one last statement.
“If you cannot trust me, then kill me. I will gladly accept the punishment for deceiving my master.”
She was lost in thought for a long while, and then she finally spoke.
“Did you know the Northern Duke would do something like this today?”
“I was shocked, but… it turned out well. I can be a double agent now.”
“Double. Agent.”
Medea rolled those words in her mouth, savoring their taste.
“I can infiltrate the North and extract their information while pretending to be on their side. Would that make me more useful to you, Lady?”
I looked up at her, posing the question.
She tested me, asking, “Why do you want to be helpful to me?”
“I hope for a world where not lineage, but character and ability, qualify one for the throne. The world you, Lady, will create.”
It was heartfelt. The Northern Duke, Sion Belpast, embodies both character and ability.
Medea’s red eyes trembled. Did she recall these were her own words?
“I might deserve death for saying this, but… that’s what I believe, my Lady.”
“……That’s an admirable thought, Bella.”
Her voice shook slightly, as if overwhelmed with unspoken emotions.
“Bella, I will discuss your situation again with my father. We’ll see if you can work as a double agent without being sent away.”
“That would be ideal, but I will abide by your decision, Lady. Even if it leads to my death, I alone will be responsible for my actions.”
“Admirable indeed.”
Medea seemed genuinely impressed.
She knelt down and hugged me, then implored, “Never, I will never abandon you, Bella. So, you must survive.”
After she left, I murmured softly, “I’m the one abandoning you, Medea.”
The next morning, someone knocked on my door.
In the South, no one would knock so politely.
When I opened the door, there stood the Northern Duke, casually dressed in snug black pants and a white shirt.
My heart leapt out, startled.
“What brings you here!”
I blurted out like a soldier, then immediately regretted it.
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.
