Yannick had discreetly vanished at some point. In the ensuing silence, Adel looked at her feet before gathering the courage to glance up at Valentin. He seemed to be pondering the meaning of her words.
“…….”
During that time, Adel took the opportunity to observe Valentin closely. His handsome face had a healthy glow, and his slightly lowered eyelashes cast nice shadows on his cheeks. His throat twitched with stable breathing, and his body, standing close, radiated warmth.
Every ‘sign’ emanating from him was that of a living person. There was no trace of ominousness or malevolent monster influence.
‘I wore the necklace blessed by the High Priest from Grita, and he seems unaffected by it.’
Valentin was still lightly holding her elbow.
‘If a malevolent power had brought him back to life, surely one of the many priests guarding the coffin at the time would have noticed.’
She thought rationally.
‘Right after he woke up, a priest anointed his forehead with holy water and prayed. If he were a monster, he couldn’t have remained so calm.’
Her intense suspicions were gradually eroded by rational memories. If a monster had truly entered Valentin’s body, it wouldn’t make sense for him to recover so smoothly.
The Ansgral family was favored by Morrig. Sacredness, unreachable by malevolence, was ingrained in their lineage. Magic and holy power being opposing forces, if a stupid and unlucky monster had inhabited him, trouble would have arisen long ago.
‘It was an overreaction from the start.’
Adel breathed a sigh of relief.
‘There’s no record of a monster breaking through Morrig’s Curtain. The sudden commotion among the animals might be due to another monster approaching the outer walls.’
As reason returned, she felt increasingly embarrassed. Panicking over superstitions to the point of calling the hunting dogs was shameful. Her ears burned with humiliation.
‘Maybe this time, Grita was mistaken? Of course, His Highness has changed remarkably, but it could be due to his time on the battlefield. Grita’s neck wounds might not be from a monster. Maybe the healer was wrong…’
“Adel.”
Lost in thought, she was brought back to reality only when her face was suddenly held. Valentin’s large hands gently pressed and lifted her cheeks.
His expression was somewhat anxious.
“Ah.”
Adel looked at him, puzzled, then realized she had been lost in her thoughts in front of him. It was an unprotected and rude behavior. Her cheeks instantly flushed.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to suddenly appear today…”
“…….”
“How are you feeling?”
His well-formed lips moved as if to respond. The voice that barely emerged was like a murmur. Adel, not expecting to hear coherent speech, tilted her head. Since he had awakened, the only clear word he had pronounced was ‘Adelheid.’
Just as she thought it would be the same now, it happened.
“O, alw…ays…… fine…….”
“Your Highness?”
“Bo, dy… is….”
His words were unclear, but they carried meaning. Adel, surprised, widened her eyes. Until this morning, he hadn’t been able to utter a single word, but now he was forming somewhat comprehensible words. There was only one plausible explanation.
Adel joyfully grabbed the sleeve of his garment.
“You just spoke, didn’t you?”
“Bo, dy… comes… back….”
“We need to get you stable and check your body first. Just wait a moment, I’ll call the butler.”
As soon as Adel hastily stepped forward, Valentin grabbed her wrist. Her forward motion was abruptly halted, causing her to lose balance. She was about to crash into the stone wall. Just before her body hit, Adel reflexively closed her eyes tightly.
“…….”
A heavy impact hit her shoulder, but the expected pain was almost nonexistent. Only after she opened her eyes did Adel realize why.
Just before colliding with the wall, Valentin had thrust his hand between her shoulder and the wall.
“My goodness.”
Adel, startled, immediately checked Valentin’s hand. It was caught between the protruding stone wall and her shoulder, crumpled awkwardly. Valentin’s hand was badly torn, bleeding profusely.
Blood drained from Adel’s face. It would have been better if her shoulder had hit the wall. Her face contorted with guilt.
“Th-This wound is serious. At this rate, your hand will be completely… Does it hurt a lot?”
Valentin, however, seemed indifferent to the wound on his hand, as if he couldn’t even feel the pain.
“……My, goodness.”
While Adel busily examined his hand, Valentin, who had been quietly observing her, finally spoke. Adel quickly looked up. His voice was unclear, somewhat slurred.
“The wound is, seve, re. This way… it’s not safe, does it… hurt?”
“……Your Highness?”
“Yo, ur… High… ness…”
Only then did Adel realize that Valentin was attempting to mimic her words. She stared back at him, blinking in bewilderment.
‘So, what’s happening here?’
Before she could fully grasp the situation, Valentin moved swiftly, grabbing her arm. It was as if he had anticipated what she would do next.
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.
