“Beheaded?”
Bonita’s eyes trembled in shock, rigid with fear. The dreadful rumors she had heard about Duke Lysianthus flashed through her mind.
“They say Duke Lysianthus has gone completely mad. There are screams heard from the mansion at night.”
“That’s creepy. Could the rumors be true? You know, the ones about him locking up people he dislikes in the dungeon and using them for black magic experiments.”
“Come on, man. Black magic in this day and age?”
“Then is it just plain torture? Ha ha.”
These were the stories she had heard from drunken men in her old neighborhood, used as conversation fodder over drinks.
“But why has the Duke gone mad? Born a noble with everything, why would he do such things?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s bored with all he has, playing with us poor folks like toys.”
“That’s terrifying… This is why I hate those noble lords.”
At the same time, the image of the somewhat foolish, fidgety Luke came to mind.
“You do resemble Elodie. Truly…”
“Really, I like it. Dad, may I open your gift now?”
“Bonita, sit next to daddy.”
“Ugh…”
Bonita let out a small groan.
It was the first time a grown man had treated her so kindly.
So the rumors must be false, but her heart raced inexplicably.
“But there’s no one around. Is the Duke’s estate garden always this quiet?”
“Shh. Don’t you know? The Duke hardly allows servants in this part of the garden.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, obviously, this area was where the Duchess used to live… Huh!”
The brown-haired man talking in a hushed voice screamed in shock upon noticing Bonita.
“Hic!”
Startled by the man’s outcry, Bonita hiccupped.
“A kid? Why is a kid here?”
“…You idiot!”
The red-haired man next to him kicked his companion’s shin and whispered irritably.
“There’s only one child in the Duke’s estate! Are you a fool?”
“Huh…! That’s right!”
“What’s going on here?”
As the two men bickered, Aria rushed over and shielded Bonita behind her.
“I’m Dominic, and this hot-tempered friend is Leo. We’re the priests summoned by the Duke.”
“Priests?”
Aria blinked in surprise.
Upon a closer look, indeed, the two men were dressed in plain white priestly robes, lacking the distinctive emblem of the temple, which she hadn’t immediately noticed.
“But why priests…”
Muttering to herself, Aria soon realized the reason.
Bonita and Catherine. Priests.
‘They’re here for a paternity test.’
That was the only logical conclusion.
She felt no betrayal.
Given Luke’s behavior, it seemed that his intent for the paternity test was not about himself but rather an official procedure to declare to others that the child was his.
“I see. Please, come this way.”
“Thank you. And, if you don’t mind, may I ask for the lady’s name?”
Dominic cautiously inquired, as Aria looked to be in her early to mid-twenties. He used “Lady” as a general term, unsure whether she was married.
‘That’s right, I almost forgot.’
Aria hesitated slightly, feeling awkward.
For almost three years, as ‘Elodie,’ everyone new she met had addressed her as ‘Lady’ or ‘Madam.’
Trying not to reveal her discomfort, she cleared her throat softly.
“I’m Aria Hilton. Now, Bonita, since the priests have business to attend to, let’s return to the mansion.”
“Okay.”
Bonita held Aria’s hand, or more precisely, three of her fingers. Aria bit the inside of her cheek.
‘So cute!’
It was unclear whom she resembled to be this adorable.
Meanwhile, Dominic and Leo exchanged subtle glances and whispered.
“Hilton? Was there such a noble family?”
“There are so many nobles. Well, a family like the Duke’s might have noble maids, not just regular ones. She might be one of those.”
“Really? I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere…”
“Man, you’re not trying to hit on her, are you?”
“Leo, what do you take me for?”
Dominic protested with an aggrieved expression, staring intently at Aria’s retreating figure.
‘Really, she seems familiar… Am I mistaken?’
A soft knock sounded.
“Your Grace, the priests have arrived. Would you like to go down to the parlor now?”
“They arrived quite quickly.”
He stood up promptly, more hurried than usual. Ed, following him, thought to himself.
‘Of course, he must be anxious.’
He had seen the Duke’s odd behavior since he first met his daughter. To him, the Duke’s current actions seemed inevitable, though not any less unsettling.
Naturally, for such a precious child, he must be eager to officially declare her as his daughter as soon as possible.
Already, rumors were quietly spreading among the nobility, each person chattering this and that.
The speculations varied, from the ordinary guess that this was another scam to the ludicrous rumor that the baby, thought to have been stillborn, was resurrected through black magic.
‘How could anyone revive the dead? People sure have wild imaginations.’
Of course, Ed also didn’t know how Bonita, supposedly stillborn and buried, could have returned.
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.
