The Dead Villainess Is Pregnant With The Male Lead's Child (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Ugh… Uwah!”
Veronica quickly hugged the tree trunk to keep from falling.
Fortunately, she avoided the misfortune of falling from a great height.
“Phew… That was close.”
But her cheek stung—probably scraped by the rough bark.
Sitting on a tree branch for a long time was far from easy.
With her completely untoned body, even maintaining balance was difficult.
Moreover, trapped with nowhere to run, she couldn’t relax, fearing attacks from snakes or insects.
Time seemed to crawl unbearably slowly.
“Killion, hurry back.”
Veronica muttered to herself.
Even though it was just idle chatter, it somehow eased her tension.
Suddenly, Veronica felt as if she were the tragic heroine of a story.
So she began speaking in an increasingly dramatic tone, as if reciting lines from a script.
“Oh, Killion. Please come back. I beg you. My Killion, come back to me!”
At first, it was just playful acting that made her giggle.
But gradually, Veronica became more immersed in her performance.
“Brave hero, my beloved hero! I miss you!”
The lines flowed effortlessly, and conveying emotion felt as easy as eating cold porridge.
However, since she was hiding, she had to be careful not to raise her voice.
“Killion, come back to me! To my side, where I wait for you! Oh, Killion!”
Perhaps she had become too absorbed in her over-the-top acting—Veronica didn’t notice someone approaching at all.
Not until she heard a familiar voice.
“I’ve returned, Your Highness. To your side, where you awaited me.”
“Ah… Huh?”
So startled and flustered, Veronica froze with her mouth still agape.
She desperately wished she could vanish on the spot.
Killion looked up at her, his whole face beaming with a cheerful, radiant smile.
She’d never seen him look so genuinely happy.
‘That’s definitely a teasing grin. Ugh… What do I do now?’
In Killion’s hand was a basket woven from large leaves, filled generously with wild strawberries.
He extended the basket toward her.
“I picked some wild strawberries. They’re plump and delicious. Thanks to last night’s rain, they’re perfectly clean too.”
“…”
“These are for you, for waiting for me. I hope they suit your taste.”
“Stop it! Don’t mention that—it’s embarrassing! My face feels like it’s about to burst into flames!”
Veronica quickly snapped back, trying to silence Killion’s mouth.
Killion thought her pouty expression and averted gaze were utterly adorable.
Meanwhile, inside Veronica’s mind, chaos reigned—somersaulting, rolling forward and backward in utter panic.
‘Ah… Why do I keep making a fool of myself in front of this man? Why did I do that? Why, why, why…!’
A weary sigh escaped from deep within her lungs.
[This is the timeline separator]Veronica and Killion returned safely to the secondary palace without encountering another attack.
The entire Imperial Knights Corps had searched for them all night.
The Emperor and Empress embraced Veronica, shedding tears.
“It’s alright. You’re back alive—that’s all that matters!”
“Thank you, Veronica! You must have suffered so much!”
To an outsider, it would have looked like the heartfelt tears of parents who worried all night for their daughter—but Veronica knew better. She recognized their acting skills were exceptionally refined.
“Sir Killion, thank you sincerely for protecting our Veronica.”
“No, Your Imperial Majesty. Rather, I feel deeply ashamed that Her Royal Highness the Princess was dragged into this incident because of me. There were masked assassins lying in ambush, clearly targeting me.”
“What? What did you say? How could such a thing happen!”
The Emperor shouted in outrage.
His voice boomed so loudly that the Empress beside him flinched, grimacing and covering her ears in surprise.
“Your Majesty, please ensure the culprits are captured and a thorough investigation is conducted into their backers.”
“Of course! We must apprehend those rotten scoundrels immediately and uncover their mastermind! Sir Killion, you shall lead the search operation as overall commander.”
“I accept your command, Your Majesty.”
Before leaving, Killion stood before Veronica.
“I hope you rest and recover well upon returning to the palace, Your Highness.”
“Yes, I will. Though I think you should take care of yourself first, we can’t delay capturing the culprits… Good luck.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Killion bowed deeply and kissed the back of Veronica’s hand.
Watching his retreating figure as he mounted his horse and vanished with the knights, Veronica felt a pang of regret.
She already missed him.
[This is the timeline separator]The search for the culprits in the forest continued all day, yet yielded no significant results even as the sun began to set.
They were discussing whether to extend the search perimeter when—
A knight came running breathlessly and spoke to Killion.
“Your Grace, you must come see this.”
“Very well. Lead the way.”
Where the knight led him, masked assailants were locked in fierce combat with imperial knights.
Most of the masked fighters already lay bleeding on the ground; five knights were closing in on the last two survivors.
‘What is this…! I explicitly ordered them captured alive for interrogation into their backers!’
A fierce fire blazed in Killion’s eyes, which had been calm until now.
He immediately drew his sword and plunged into the fray—keeping the masked men alive was now urgent.
But perhaps it was already too late.
Just as Killion charged in, a knight’s blade pierced the torso of the last masked assailant.
“Kuhh!”
“Aaargh!”
Seeing the attackers collapse, coughing up blood, Killion leveled his sword at the knights.
“I distinctly ordered them taken alive—didn’t I?”
His voice was colder and heavier than ever before.
The knights hastily sheathed their swords, visibly flustered.
“Your Grace, we had no choice! They ambushed us from behind first—we panicked and drew our weapons.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Look—our own wounded are in very poor condition too.”
“We sincerely apologize for disobeying your order, but please understand the urgency of the situation, Your Grace.”
The knights knelt, pleading earnestly.
If it was true the masked men had attacked first from behind, Killion couldn’t fault the knights.
Still, he found the entire situation deeply unsatisfactory.
“I’ve heard your side. Whether this was justified or outright insubordination will become clear once we investigate.”
“We’ll cooperate fully with the investigation, Your Grace.”
“Which unit do you belong to?”
“The Second Knights Division.”
The Second Imperial Knights Division was primarily responsible for guarding the Crown Prince and securing the Crown Prince’s palace.
‘Could this have been the Crown Prince’s order—to eliminate the masked assailants first, erasing all evidence and witnesses?’
It was still just a suspicion.
To confirm whether it was mere conjecture or truth, he needed concrete evidence and witnesses.
‘But there’s nothing at all.’
A shadow darkened Killion’s face.
Just then, a knight collecting bodies called out.
“Your Grace! This one’s still breathing!”
“Excellent! Do whatever it takes to keep him alive! He could be a crucial witness to uncover the mastermind!”
“Yes, understood!”
[This is the timeline separator]The appointed time had finally arrived.
It was time to visit the magic-item shop Pelos on Maken Street.
Of course, her reason for leaving the palace today was once again her “prearranged tea appointment with Killion.”
Around the time she finished dressing, Sandra arrived.
As always, she seemed compelled to inspect Veronica’s outfit and deliver thinly veiled criticism disguised as advice.
Following Sandra’s instructions yet again, Veronica changed shoes and swapped necklaces twice before finally receiving permission to go out.
“You seem quite close to Sir Killion now—it’s lovely to see.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
Veronica deliberately glanced at the wall clock as she replied.
Her action clearly conveyed: *I’m pressed for time, so please wrap up the small talk quickly.*
But Sandra wasn’t one to be so easily dismissed—she always had to say what she came to say.
“Veronica… you spent the night alone with Sir Killion. Surely nothing… happened?”
“Nothing happened? Whatever do you mean, Your Majesty?”
At Veronica’s innocent question, Sandra sighed deeply as if utterly exasperated.
“At moments like this, you mustn’t let your guard down—you need to firmly stamp your claim. Stamp it!”
“A stamp…?”
“Oh, don’t play naive with me! Is there really more than one way for a man and a woman to truly stamp their claim on each other?”
Sandra’s beautiful face, eyebrows twitching as she smiled slyly, sent chills down Veronica’s spine.
‘She’s telling me to sleep with Killion. Giving that kind of “advice” to her own daughter? Disgusting!’
Veronica wanted nothing more than to storm out on the spot—but she clenched her teeth and endured.
Inside, she seethed. Even if she truly were Sandra’s biological daughter, would she really speak so bluntly?
‘No… Her Majesty’s mind isn’t quite right—blood relation probably wouldn’t have mattered.’
Unaware of the storm raging behind Veronica’s poker face, Sandra continued her lecture.
“Veronica, now is the time to fully embrace your femininity and ignite Sir Killion’s masculinity to its peak.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”
Not wanting to hear—or understand—another word, Veronica gave a quick nod, finally escaping the uncomfortable situation.
[This is the timeline separator]Veronica went first to the magic-item shop Pelos and met the old cobbler who repaired shoes.
As soon as he saw her, he said:
“Go to the shoe store Shalard and say you wish to order shoes made from Bullian Mountain leather. Then, he will appear.”
Following his instructions, Veronica headed to a shoe shop called Shalard.
The shop had an exotic atmosphere and displayed many uniquely designed shoes that ignored current fashion trends.
Their shapes and materials were wildly diverse.
Standing before the shop attendant, Veronica recalled the old man’s words and repeated them exactly:
“I’ve come to order shoes made from Bullian Mountain leather.”
“I see. Please follow me to the waiting room so we can take your measurements, madam.”
Veronica followed the attendant deeper into the shop.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (128)
Still mixed feelings about your changing rapport .
What sort of twisted divine message is that ? Seriously
killion is beginning to genuinely like her highness
Inline Comments (416)
"It’s fortunate you’ve finally realized, even if late. You’re simply too dim-wit
I think the Empress character has a narcissistic mother personality — she uses her daughter as a mirror for her own glory and doesn’t see her as an independent person
All the way back to his room, Killion grumbled to himself.
Awww this makes me feel sad for my younger siblings
“Just thinking about how many more banquets I’ll have to attend on this pilgrima
Wait a minute is this the saintess? I didn’t even realize
YOUR COMMENT
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.
Log in to comment.
VKotaku28
Oh killion … don’t catch unnecessary feelings and complicate things