“Hah, what are you talking about?”
Cardin, already shocked enough by Annette’s previous words, felt like he was hit on the back of the head yet again as he let out a deep sigh.
“Why would I ever want such a thing… Hoo.”
Cardin couldn’t hide his disbelief and incredulity as he sharply inquired.
“I’m sure the proposal I sent to Heyworth specifically requested a princess of noble lineage as my bride. When I saw Princess Annette’s name in the acceptance letter, I was relieved that the king wasn’t so obtuse as to misunderstand my request… Could it be that I was mistaken?”
With this relentless question, Annette’s mind went blank.
It sounded as if from the very beginning, he wanted her, Annette, not Brigitte, as his bride.
No, it wasn’t just an impression – that’s exactly what it was. That explained why he was getting visibly upset, even behind his mask.
Feeling somewhat queasy, Annette pondered.
“I’m sorry. But she’s still a princess of your country, and shares blood with the father.”
Cardin seemed to have calmed down a bit as he apologized.
“It’s okay,” Annette quickly replied. Honestly, she wasn’t bothered by Cardin’s doubt about the king of Heyworth.
But it seems it wasn’t just the king who misunderstood.
‘Really, was the ‘noble lineage’ referring to me?’
Of course, the former queen of Heyworth came from a prestigious noble family, and the current queen Esther was of common birth, but still…
“Princess.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Do you still not understand?”
“What do you mean…”
“I’ve wanted Annette Heyworth, you, as my bride from the very beginning.”
“…!”
Annette stopped breathing for a moment.
Her mind was in turmoil, slightly dizzy.
“Perhaps, you’ve mistaken someone else for… me. Right…”
Barely moving her stiff tongue, she uttered what seemed like an incredibly foolish statement.
“So, you don’t really know much about me…”
Even as she hesitated to ask, “Haha,” Cardin laughed lightly and shook his head.
“Princess. I probably know much more about you than you think. I had to rack my brain to make sure Heyworth wouldn’t refuse to let you go.”
Annette’s eyes blinked rapidly in utter confusion as Cardin leaned forward, sharing his secret.
“When sending the proposal, my brother said that simply stating my desire to marry a princess would be enough, considering my notorious reputation. There were rumors that the king of Heyworth was so foolish, he couldn’t recognize a real gem and only cherished fakes.”
While Annette didn’t mind hearing that the king was now considered foolish, she focused on Cardin’s words.
He seemed very pleased as he continued.
“Still, just to be sure, I included a condition.”
It was a little spiteful trick, in case the king was too dumb to understand, or someone too greedy tried to exploit the situation. Little did he know that this trick would cause such a misunderstanding with his precious princess.
“So, Your Grace, you’re saying…”
Cardin, almost pleadingly, asked, “Do you really think I consider you noble?” as he looked intently at Annette.
And uncharacteristically for the usually arrogant Cardin, he admitted it very clearly.
His thoughts were short.
To Cardin, Annette was not just noble but almost sacred. To him, it was an obvious qualifier he thought of while thinking of her.
Also, logically, since the former queen of Heyworth came from a noble family, he believed that even the kingdom of Heyworth wouldn’t misunderstand it.
“Ahem.”
Feeling embarrassed, Annette coughed artificially as she thought back to her appearance before her transformation. Even then, her hands, like Cardin’s, were not rough.
‘I was born with monstrous regenerative abilities, being called a seed of the demon beast, and the Duke, being of Alkan royalty, must have been blessed by the gods.’
It was strange how their different origins led to similar outcomes. But, thinking about it, meeting someone like him under these circumstances was even more astonishing.
“Ah, it’s so tiny…”
Overwhelmed, Cardin unwittingly murmured as he held her hand. He pressed his forehead to the back of her hand in a respectful gesture and continued to hold it, seemingly fascinated by its smallness.
Annette slightly raised her eyebrows. Not even the Emperor and Empress had fawned over her childlike state, but Cardin seemed to be enjoying it too much, which slightly wounded her pride.
Unable to precisely pin it down, she found Cardin’s attitude of treating her like a child particularly irksome.
“My hands are not usually this small.”
“Huh?”
“You know, I’m 24 years old.”
She felt ridiculous saying it, almost like a childish complaint. But Annette held her head high, remembering that Cardin was two years younger than her.
“I know.”
Cardin responded without teasing, his eyes serious and direct. Annette felt her cheeks warm up.
Thinking she’s just a marriage pawn, yet he’s being so gentle. Could it be that she wasn’t just reduced to a child in his eyes…?
‘No way.’
Feeling overwhelmed, Annette quickly withdrew her hand. She needed to address something that had been bothering her.
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.
