“My lady!”
Her amethyst hair rippled in the air as she collapsed. Roderick’s large hand quickly reached out, firmly supporting her back.
His gaze naturally fell on her face and neck, now stained with blood from her nose and a long gash on her neck. Her nightgown dress was soaked red.
The pungent smell of blood lingered bitterly in his mouth.
“My lady…”
He was breathless, the thought of her possibly dying sent a cold shiver down his spine.
The woman in his arms felt so fragile, as if she might disappear if held too tightly.
“Sister!”
Noel’s cry sounded almost like a scream.
“Kid, heal her now.”
“I can’t! Not now. We have to get out of the forest first.”
Roderick’s face contorted with desperation. He laid Diana down and called his deputy.
“Daren!”
“Yes, Commander.”
Noel, unable to stand still, used his sleeve to stop her nosebleed.
“First aid. Bring the medical supplies.”
Daren, battered from Roderick’s attack, managed to bring out the supplies, his body covered in deep wounds, but alive. Had it not been for Diana, they all would have died.
He felt a profound sense of relief and gratitude.
“I’ll do it.”
“I will.”
Roderick, now showing rare emotion, attended to Diana himself. He stopped the bleeding and wrapped her wounds. Though the bleeding stopped, she remained unconscious.
After descending from the tree, Noel ran ahead, leaving Feliche staring blankly.
A ringing sound echoed in his ears.
Collapsing, Feliche reached for the bag. The glowing stones inside had lost their color and crumbled.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Feliche clenched his trembling hands.
‘I almost killed my brother.’
He meant only to research the curse. The realization that his actions almost led to a disaster made his body uncontrollably shake.
Who panicked the most when Diana collapsed? Though Roderick looked unharmed on the outside, his state was worrisome.
“Commander.”
“Take the kid and follow me immediately.”
“What?”
“We’re leaving now.”
Roderick carefully wrapped Diana in robes and cloaks and gently lifted her.
“I’m coming too!”
“You’ll be in the way.”
“Me too! I want to stay with sister!”
“Brother, I’ll clean up and bring her.”
Feliche firmly held Noel’s hand. His expression was dark, but no one paid attention.
“Alright.”
Watching Diana being taken away, Feliche silently bid farewell, gritting his teeth to hold back tears.
“Thank you. For saving my brother. Thank you.”
He vowed to repay this debt no matter what. While Feliche was lost in his thoughts, Noel glared angrily at the bloodstains Diana left behind.
“If anything happens to sister, I won’t let it go.”
As the knights slowly got up and tended to their wounds, Noel muttered ominously, but his dark words went unheard.
“I’m sorry, Commander.”
“Are you trying to compensate for your incompetence with apologies?”
Roderick’s voice was sharp as a blade. The priests trembled but diligently responded.
“We’ve treated the wounds on her neck and internal injuries, but we don’t know why she hasn’t regained consciousness…”
Roderick roughly brushed back his hair.
He couldn’t remember how he got out of the Black Forest.
They joined with a waiting servant and reached the nearest village to the forest.
The first healers they called were these incapable priests who couldn’t even recognize a curse.
“Get out.”
He tossed a heavy purse of gold coins without even looking at it. His gaze remained fixed on Diana.
“We’re here to help if there’s anything more…”
Seeing the gold, a priest blurted out nonsense. A servant by Roderick’s side hastily shooed them away to avoid upsetting their master.
“Alright, you’ve done your part. Please leave now. The Schwarz family plans to make a significant donation to the temple soon. So, please go.”
The servant almost pushed the priest out and closed the door.
He cautiously observed his master. Normally inscrutable, Roderick appeared notably unsettled.
Is he about to explode? In the tense silence, Roderick finally spoke.
“The carriage?”
“We’re arranging one from nearby. The ones from the North will take too long. It will be here shortly.”
“Leave.”
As the servant bowed, curiosity overcame him.
“Who is that lady?”
Oops. He spoke without thinking again. His grandfather’s curse about his curiosity ruining him came to mind.
Contrary to his expectation of a thunderous reaction, Roderick’s voice was calm.
“Diana Beatus.”
Diana. Beatus? The servant gasped inwardly. The Beatus family was one of the most powerful in the central government.
“Did you kidnap her?!”
“…”
“You went to find young master Feliche and came back with a central noblewoman in such a state. It’s strange! She looks severely injured. Has your frenzy returned?!”
“One more word.”
“Yes?”
“One more word, and you’ll live the rest of your life with a ripped mouth.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Leave.”
The servant hastily left the room, his face pale.
The inn room, poorly soundproofed, let in various noises from outside.
The atmosphere around Roderick and Diana was stagnant.
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.
