Raven looked at me as if he were surprised, widening his eyes. Apparently, he hadn’t heard the news of my growth yet, just like Sione.
“…You’ve completely changed overnight. Is it really you, Bella?”
“Hehe, impressive, right? Now I can talk perfectly fluently!”
I struck a confident pose, proudly showcasing my well-prepared appearance.
Raven, who seemed momentarily taken aback by my carefully adorned look, chuckled belatedly.
“Your actions prove it’s Bella. I thought you were some relative who looked like you.”
“Even if someone like that comes, they won’t be as pretty as me, right? At least among the children father has, I’m the most outstanding.”
“Maybe it’s getting to your head. Your way of speaking is no joke, you.”
“You’re realizing that just now?”
I felt a refreshing joy experiencing the pleasure of a proper conversation after a long time, and I burst into laughter.
“But what brings you here? Raven, you don’t visit this way often.”
“Today is the day for potion extraction. Sione called me, so I dropped by.”
Ah, had time passed so quickly already?
Raven visited the laboratory about once a month to extract the magic power of the Benian race and turn it into a potion.
Sione was conducting separate research to reduce the frequency of Raven’s magic extraction, and recently, she seemed to have achieved some results.
“Is it not difficult to extract magic power? I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“All I do is sit inside a magic circle. No need to feel sorry.”
Raven, responding nonchalantly as if nothing happened, pointed inside the room.
“Did you come to see Sione? Go inside quickly. It might be difficult to welcome guests properly once she starts making potions.”
“Yeah, got it.”
Nodding, I entered the laboratory, leaving Raven behind.
Sione, who seemed to be sterilizing bottles that looked like potion ingredients, spotted me and jumped in surprise, springing up from her spot.
“Princess Bella! When did you grow up like this? And what is with that lovely dress?”
“Surprised, huh? I went to the dressing room secretly with the maids. I wanted to surprise Sione!”
“I need to take a closer look. My, even your facial features have become much clearer. It feels like suddenly becoming a parent.”
“Nobles’ children usually start going to school around the age of seven. So Sione is like a parent, too. She’s practically raised me.”
“How can you be so good at expressing yourself? Bella, who grows so well on her own, makes me so proud.”
Actually, Sione’s words weren’t true. My growth to this point was the result of the care and support of everyone around me.
At first, I was intoxicated by my immense talent and potential, thinking that everything was my achievement. However, I now clearly understood.
Having been born as a fragile baby and even experiencing a magical deficiency, a chronic illness, surviving in such good health was something that would have been impossible without someone’s help.
“By any chance, do I look oddly grown up and creepy? I was a bit worried it might be that way because I grew too quickly.”
“No way! In my eyes, Princess Bella still looks as cute as a baby. Even if you become a grandmother due to old age, it’ll be the same.”
Feeling Sione’s love, which remained unchanged from the past, all over my body, I laughed brightly.
It was astonishing even to myself that I could feel such a strong bond without a single drop of shared blood, relying solely on affection.
“By the way, did I bother you by coming here? I heard today is the day for making potions.”
“Ah, so you’ve run into Raven. It’s okay; we haven’t started the main work yet. The process of putting the potion into bottles to prevent magic leakage takes the longest.”
“…I consume at least three bottles of potions a day. So, does Sione make a hundred bottles alone? It seems too tough.”
“I have no choice. The task is too meticulous to entrust to someone else.”
According to Sione’s explanation, the red potion developed by Elga absorbs high-density magic power into the body, making it extremely dangerous if impurities are present.
Moreover, if by any chance the worker harbors ill intentions and contaminates it with poison, it could be life-threatening for me.
“At first, I received a little help from the Rosa sisters. But now, I handle all the work alone. It’s not that I don’t trust them, but handling people’s affairs is unpredictable.”
“I see. Is there anything I can help with? I’m not bad with my hands.”
“It’s okay, Princess Bella. Actually, it doesn’t seem like the workload will be that heavy this time. I found a groundbreaking method to upgrade the potion’s performance.”
Sione, excitedly revealing that she discovered a way for the potion to deliver the same effect as before even when consumed only once a day, couldn’t hide her enthusiasm.
Whether it was the celestial researcher style resembling her mentor Elga or the excitement from the new achievement, her greatly animated appearance was delightful to see.
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.