Having greeted almost all of the acquaintances of the Duke and Duchess of Gloster throughout the garden, Alicia could no longer keep track of who was who.
In the end, Alicia, following Eric’s advice, responded with polite smiles and slow nods of her head.
Watching her, Eric whispered with the same expression.
“It’s a pretty good method, isn’t it?”
“It is, but you know, a doll that just smiles and nods dumbly, don’t you think it looks like one of those sets?”
“What would I know. You have to be grateful even for this.”
“They’ll hear you.”
Alicia retorted and lightly hit Eric’s arm.
But after about 30 minutes, Alicia also started to feel tired.
“Well done. Hang in there a bit more.”
“Until when do I have to do this?”
“I think I’m going to die.”
They asked and answered each other with their mouths shut tight.
Even though they no longer had the strength to nod, their faces still wore smiles.
After making a full round, the Duke and Duchess finally seemed satisfied and let them go.
“Now, take your time. We won’t disturb you anymore.”
“Yes, take a quiet walk. The flowers are blooming beautifully.”
“Shall we see you when we return?”
“What’s there to see. Everyone should go back on their own. Our business is done, so do whatever you want, whether you stay here or go out.”
“Underst……ood?”
Leaving the perplexed Eric and Alicia behind, the Duke and Duchess moved away with a lighthearted laugh.
After standing still for a moment, Eric quickly grabbed Alicia’s hand and pulled her.
“Let’s hurry. Before they change their minds.”
They hurriedly walked towards the opposite direction of the Duke and Duchess, and escaped from that place.
Finally, the hardest time was over.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]Once they were far enough to feel safe, a sigh of relief naturally came out.
Perhaps because the palace was unfamiliar, Alicia felt a strange sense of discomfort and her energy seemed to be drained, so she took deep breaths to calm herself.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“You’ve worked harder, Eric.”
“Let’s rest a bit now.”
“Shall we sit somewhere?”
“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“I’ll be fine after a bit of rest.”
“Let’s go over there and sit.”
Eric looked around and walked towards a table set up on one side of the garden.
It seemed like a good place to rest as it was quiet and shady.
“Ah. Um.”
Upon reaching the table, Eric awkwardly let go of Alicia’s hand that he had been holding all along.
“It’s okay. It was very fiancélike.”
“If it looked like that, it’s good. Sit down for now. Shall we have something cool to drink?”
“That sounds good.”
“Then stay here for a bit. I’ll go get it. Anything else you need?”
“Um. Just having something to drink is enough.”
“Okay, take a rest.”
While Eric went to fetch a drink, Alicia sat at the table and looked around.
‘Why did I feel that way.’
The palace was magnificent, the garden beautiful, and the people seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Although she didn’t particularly like crowded places, the novel experience was somewhat enjoyable for Alicia.
So it was strange to attribute the feeling of discomfort to unfamiliarity.
Just then, Eric returned with a cool cocktail and handed it to Alicia.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious. What about yours, Eric?”
“Well, soso.”
“Not good?”
“It’s a bit sweet.”
“Shall I switch with you? Mine is not sweet.”
Alicia swapped her glass with Eric’s.
“Yeah, this one’s better.”
Eric took a sip and nodded.
Even though he preferred liquor over cocktails, there was no room for choice.
“You two have good stamina.”
“I agree.”
Both of them stared at their parents, who were still wandering around, in astonishment.
“They seem to be holding up better than I thought? They look tired, though.”
“It’s not bad. The weather is nice, people are kind, flowers are pretty, and also.”
“?
Alicia smiled, suggesting it was nothing.
She had said she hated such banquets and lacked experience, but she turned out to be more resilient than she had expected.
She had noticed his tension quickly and he had held her hand the whole time and comforted her, and for that, she was grateful.
“Why on earth are we called together to see flowers?”
“But seeing pretty things improves your mood, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm. Then, what flower do you like?”
“What?”
“Among all these, which one?”
“Uh. Well.”
She hesitated for a moment and pointed to the snowdrops.
“If I have to choose, something like that?”
“Oh, something like that. It suits you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. More than that.”
When Eric shifted his gaze to where he pointed, a brilliantly beautiful rose bush came into view.
“Don’t I suit the flamboyant ones?”
“Huh?”
Alicia seemed to ask indifferently, but she shut her mouth because of an inexplicably cheap feeling.
She felt strongly as if she had made a mistake.
“Not that it doesn’t suit you, but.”
“Not that it doesn’t suit you, but?”
“Well, I mean. It feels like this atmosphere suits you better.”
“But?”
“Does anything matter?”
“Anything doesn’t matter? Does it mean you don’t care?”
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.
