Because.
‘They’re not my people anyway.’
To them, Yerpi was no different from a duchess who had fallen from the sky.
They merely disliked being caught whispering among themselves, but even if they were related, they weren’t bound by any obligation to trust her.
Yerpi placed her cup down and nodded.
“Yes. It seems you have something to say about the young master.”
“More than that, it’s about the maid who takes care of the young master.”
Surprised by the unexpected remark, Yerpi turned her gaze to Pepe.
Dante avoided people and shied away from revealing even his own appearance.
But he wasn’t like that with everyone.
“Senior Meidi serves as Young Master Dante’s nurse. And Young Master Dante only opens his heart to Senior Meidi.”
That directly explained why Raymond favored Meidi.
Yerpi, silently listening to the maid’s words, asked,
“Is the young master not close with the people in the castle?”
“No. It’s just that… his appearance is rather unique…”
Pepe cautiously trailed off.
But even that much revealed a great deal about Dante.
‘He has complexes about his appearance.’
But conversely, it meant Dante possessed enough intelligence to have such complexes.
‘Since when has he looked like that?’
Even though this land was unusual, there were no humans with reincarnated forms like his.
The maid continued, as if sensing Yerpi’s inner thoughts.
“The maids here were mostly replaced about ten years ago for certain reasons, but most of them still know about matters concerning Young Master Dante.”
According to the maid, Dante had taken the form of a reincarnated being modeled after a dragon since birth.
Because of this, the previous duchess who gave birth to Dante had fainted upon seeing the child’s appearance.
‘So that’s how it was.’
Just as everything finally made sense, another memory crept into Yerpi’s mind.
‘Ah, I remember.’
Why Meidi in the original story had insisted on becoming Yerpi’s personal maid.
‘If this is true, then Meidi shouldn’t become a maid.’
The following resolve, the tangled doubts—none of it was missing as that night passed in turmoil.
***
It was the same night.
In the thick darkness blanketing the castle, it wasn’t moonlight that illuminated the path, but the faint glow seeping from the office.
How long had he been there?
Raymond, reviewing documents under the bright light, suddenly crumpled the paper he was reading in his hand.
His table was in disarray from his irritable behavior, and the pen in his grip bent nearly to breaking, as if he couldn’t concentrate.
Raymond stared at the pen, twisted but not quite broken.
Yet unlike his gaze, his mind was entirely filled with thoughts of his wife.
Had his silence about ‘that matter’ during breakfast been hesitation, or merely his instinct to conceal a weakness?
He couldn’t tell.
‘I never expected this to become an obstacle.’
Raymond officially registered Dante Growen, his nephew, as his biological son.
However, Dante had a critical flaw, rendering him ineligible to inherit the succession.
This was unprecedented even in history.
Still, Raymond desperately hoped that one day Dante would transform into a human form.
If Dante could shed his beastly appearance and become human, the succession would naturally belong to him.
Protecting Dante and striving to make him the heir had long been Raymond’s duty—a responsibility borne from losing his elder brother and being left alone in this world.
Even now, that feeling hadn’t changed.
But how to explain this to Yerpi was the problem.
The marriage contract already stated she had no obligation to produce an heir.
Yet the fact that Raymond already had a child—regardless of whether it was his brother’s bloodline—was an entirely different matter.
Though he had never hesitated to voice his decisions before, this time was different.
Because.
‘She already sees me as a bastard. If I tell her I’ve got a kid too, how thrilled would she be?’
Yerpi’s wary gaze still lingered in his mind, tormenting him.
If only he hadn’t turned his back on Yerpi when he first welcomed her as his bride, perhaps he wouldn’t be regretting this now.
This belated regret was precisely why he couldn’t focus on the documents.
Yet on the other hand, he couldn’t understand why he was even agonizing like this.
‘Why am I so concerned about what that woman thinks?’
Repeated anguish made his irritation flare.
Yet he lacked the courage to immediately storm out and confess the truth to Yerpi.
That fragile girl would faint if she heard such a shocking revelation in the middle of the night.
‘Yes. If she collapses again this time, it would be serious.’
She already seemed frail; if she kept losing consciousness one after another, it would severely damage her health.
At the very least, she was the duchess and his wife—so this level of concern fell well within the bounds of what a contractual partner could reasonably offer.
That was all there was to it.
Just as Raymond tried to console himself,
Knock knock. A knock broke the silence in the office.
Only then did Raymond snap out of his brooding and survey the mess on his desk.
He swept the clutter to the lower side of the table and called for the person beyond the door to enter.
Soon, the door opened, and Johan stepped into the office.
Upon entering, he tilted his head, looking puzzled as he asked,
“I heard a loud noise. Did something happen?”
“Nothing. More importantly, your report?”
When Raymond feigned ignorance, Johan shrugged and got to the point.
“It’s the report regarding the incident in the Spring Territory.”
The report contained details about the recent Pinkbell group issue, along with another emerging problem now gaining attention.
Raymond’s brow furrowed.
Seeing his increasingly serious expression, the aide added his opinion.
“It’s highly likely the Pinkbell gathered en masse into the grasslands to avoid ‘that territory’.”
Reincarnated beings had already been observed twice fleeing in large migrations to escape the problematic zone that had recently emerged, and the movement continued.
“We need to find a solution. For now, strengthen patrols and focus on monitoring whether the affected area expands further.”
“Understood. As for reports on other territories…”
Johan proceeded to report, in order, the seasonal territory summaries compiled by other units, starting with the Spring Territory.
Raymond seemed to be listening attentively, but in his hand, the severely bent pen continued to suffer alongside his inner turmoil.
***
Morning dawned over Growen Castle.
New maids had been assigned to the duchess’s chamber, busily cleaning and organizing the room.
After finishing breakfast, Yerpi decided to take steps regarding the matter she had pondered last night.
‘Let me meet Dante.’
Since hearing about Dante from Pepe yesterday, the child had been on her mind even more.
A child born different, possibly abandoned even by his own mother.
She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but she couldn’t help seeing her own past overlapping with Dante’s—she simply couldn’t leave it be. And above all,
‘Meidi worries me.’
The conduct of the maid, the only one Dante had opened up to, was far from good in Yerpi’s understanding.
No, it was extremely bad.
Yerpi wondered what kind of bond existed between the two.
To find out, meeting Dante and speaking with him directly was the best course.
‘Where could Dante be now?’
When they first met, he had been crouched in a hidden corner of the garden—clearly, the child disliked places where people passed by.
By now, Yerpi was already picturing Dante’s appearance.
Large, bright yellow eyes with vertically elongated pupils. Ears flared like wings. A small, sleek black body. And a long tail.
The image that naturally came to mind was exactly…
‘Like a black cat.’
The tiny dragon looked just like a cat.
His sensitive temperament, movements, and unique cuteness—all of it matched.
‘First, I should look in places a cat might be.’
After this chain of thoughts, Yerpi reached a decision.
The secluded corners of the garden.
The narrow alley between two walls.
Deserted side paths and even the treetops.
So she wandered throughout the vast castle all morning, and only met Dante in the afternoon.
Dante was crouched atop a sunlit wall in the most secluded part of the rear garden, fast asleep in the sunlight.
‘He’s really small.’
It was strange enough that he had the form of a dragon.
But more than that, his tiny, cat-like frame, and the thick tail tapering to a point, swaying slowly below the wall—it was mesmerizing.
“How cute.”
It was a genuine sentiment, though she had muttered it almost unconsciously.
She had spoken very softly, yet the sound startled Dante.
‘Could it be…’
His eyelids twitched, revealing golden pupils.
Haaah—!
Even as the small dragon startled and flinched, within his eyes was reflected Yerpi.
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.
