It was sincere.
Murderous intent was seeping from Edan’s eyes as he looked down at Hillstain.
If I could feel it this strongly, Hillstain must have noticed too—he took a step back.
“If you come at me this hostile, will you kill Maxim?”
Hillstain smirked, lifting the tail of his sentence; his tone was unmistakably sarcastic.
“Do you really think Maxim holds that much value to me?”
Edan replied as if to say, “Do whatever you want.”
I was shocked.
Of course he’s valuable! Even if Maxim is Edan’s spy, he got imprisoned in the dungeon because of me—he can’t just die!
Anxiously, I glanced back and forth between the two men.
Unlike me, trembling with worry, they continued their conversation with relaxed smiles.
The problem was—their smiles were laced with murderous intent.
“When that incident comes to light, Her Majesty the Empress won’t stay idle. You know I’m her closest confidant, right?”
“Perfect. The Empress dislikes me anyway, so I might as well earn even more of her hatred.”
No matter what, Edan showed no intention of compromise.
No. Of course not. If this continues, everyone might end up dead.
At times like this, I must keep my wits sharp.
The best thing I can do right now is to turn Hillstain to my side. After all, what he wants is my healing power.
“I’ll give it to you!”
I hastily stepped between them. Edan’s brow furrowed severely in response.
“What did you say?”
“Master, I want to share my healing power with Sir Hillstain.”
Surprisingly, Hillstain looked taken aback—
As if to say, “You’re giving it away this easily, after all that begging?”
“Don’t move. Wait right there.”
I sprang up and headed toward the dining room.
Nothing’s impossible. Turning Hillstain to my side is advantageous.
At this rate, Edan might really kill Hillstain. Hillstain got effortlessly defeated last time, and he knows it—but he came anyway because he wants the healing power.
If things spiral out of control now, everything will go to ruin. Until I figure out a better plan, I need to maneuver things in my favor.
I returned to the parlor, carrying leftover apples and pepper instead of bananas.
“What is this…?”
This time, Hillstain’s expression crumpled.
Well, admittedly, it’s a strange combination.
I sprinkled pepper generously onto an unpeeled apple.
Hillstain’s face twisted into complete disbelief—like, “Are you kidding me?”
“Eat it.”
I held out the apple with deadly seriousness, and since Edan was glaring murderously with a blank expression, Hillstain absentmindedly took it and bit in.
Crunch. Crunch. I have no idea how an apple sprinkled with pepper tastes.
But at least Hillstain’s expression began transforming spectacularly.
When he was halfway through the apple, Hillstain suddenly bowed his head deeply and pressed his palm to his forehead.
“Damn. I’m insane.”
Edan shot me a disgusted look, but I deliberately pretended not to notice.
You don’t understand anything. This is ultimately for both you and me.
Hillstain, who had been letting out hollow, exasperated chuckles, finally lifted his head.
His previously cynical face was now brimming with overwhelming joy.
“How is this even possible? How can it be this perfect? Huh?”
Hillstain grinned broadly, his fox-like eyes curving like bows.
“Those bastards at the Temple are complete idiots.”
Hillstain leapt up from his seat and abruptly knelt before me.
“Lady Latieana. Let’s go to the Temple right now.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the true Holy Maiden, aren’t you?”
His attitude and form of address shifted instantly—to an almost burdensome degree.
Hillstain seized my hand, his eyes sparkling.
That uniquely probing, sly gaze I remembered from the original story washed over me.
“Let go of that!”
“What can I do for you? What must I do to keep receiving your healing power?”
“I said, let go of my hand…!”
Edan is right beside me, you idiot!
Predictably, Edan grabbed Hillstain by the collar, yanked him up, and threw him to the floor.
The moment I was freed, I darted over and stood firmly beside Edan.
The lingering sensation of Hillstain’s grip on my hand felt deeply unpleasant.
Hillstain, sprawled gracelessly on the ground, merely laughed and rose to his feet as if none of it mattered.
“Hah… How can something be this perfect?”
He muttered to himself like a genuine madman.
Had Edan not been there, he likely wouldn’t have hesitated to come over and do something bizarre to me.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction from merely infusing pepper with a small amount of healing power.
Of course… I knew that skin-to-skin contact with Edan produced an overwhelmingly pleasurable, intense euphoria—but I had no idea how such a light infusion of healing power would function.
Still, considering Ivy’s healing power as depicted in the original story, this reaction was plausible.
It was an utterly absurd, cheat-like ability.
The problem was—it was now my power.
Meeting Hillstain’s gaze, lifted sharply between silver strands of hair, sent chills down my spine.
Maybe it was because I knew Hillstain was a pervert.
I clutched Edan’s sleeve.
“I won’t go to the Temple. Keep my healing power a secret. If you reveal the truth to the Temple before I do, I’ll never use my healing power on you again.”
“Agreed.”
“Also, release Maxim immediately.”
“Then may I come back? Preferably for direct healing, if possible…”
“No! I will absolutely never do that.”
Hillstain’s mouth snapped shut. His suddenly icy expression frightened me slightly, but right now—I held the upper hand!
This was the perfect moment to make excuses—and to subtly reinforce Edan’s authority, who seemed to be barely suppressing his anger beside me.
“M, Master won’t allow it.”
“True enough.”
Fortunately, Hillstain appeared satisfied with that answer.
He’d witnessed just how obsessively Edan clung to me—and Edan himself seemed quite pleased that I was watching his reactions. Seriously, no matter how I think about it, I’m the one in charge here. The energy expenditure is no joke.
“In exchange, I’ll give you this pepper. Take it. It’s infused with my healing power—sprinkle it on your meals every day and eat it. Don’t get caught.”
He nodded.
In an instant, Hillstain’s entire demeanor transformed.
[This is the timeline separator]Hillstain’s steps, as he practically danced out of the fortress as if chased away, were light as air. He even waved cheerfully at Edan’s subordinates encircling the hill.
Just hours ago, this was the man who’d growled, “Anyone who blocks my path will die.”
“By order of His Grace, no one may enter without invitation.”
“Her Majesty summoned me—I’m on my way to see her.”
“Prove it.”
“Don’t you get it? The fact I’m sweet-talking you instead of killing you on the spot should be proof enough.”
“…….”
Though absurd, Edan’s men accepted his words—they knew all too well how terrible Hillstain’s relationship with Edan was, considering Hillstain was practically the Empress’s lapdog.
At least the fortress remained intact, and he’d exited without major incident—that was a relief.
That is, if you ignored how he now smiled incessantly, as if he’d become a completely different person.
Though Edan’s subordinates stared at him like he was insane, Hillstain’s steps remained light, his mood visibly elated.
He clutched the small pepper container in his hand as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
“This is why Prince Edan went mad over Latieana.”
Though Hillstain occasionally served as the Empress’s personal guard when using his abilities, his greatest daily drain came from training the imperial knights with special powers every dawn.
It meant he suffered consistent side effects daily—though not as severely as Edan.
That was why he visited Ivy most frequently and persistently.
Direct, skin-to-skin blessings were far more pleasurable and better at suppressing side effects than any potion.
In this context, secrecy was an unexpectedly enormous advantage.
When was the last time he’d felt his mind this clear?
“Latieana Merigold. Latieana Merigold… Latieana Merigold!”
Haha. Laughter burst from him.
He’d thought she was pretty even at their first meeting—but now, it was beyond that level.
Hillstain murmured, lost in thought, recalling Latieana’s cherry-blossom-pink hair and large, clear, watery eyes.
“I want her.”
It was a power on an entirely different dimension from Ivy’s.
This wasn’t merely a matter of quantity of healing power. Even the previous Holy Maiden hadn’t reached this level.
Even after receiving healing, a dull ache always lingered somewhere in his mind.
But Latieana’s healing power erased it completely.
The overwhelming euphoria he felt the moment pure energy surged through him like waves, filling his entire body shortly after biting into the apple—was indescribable.
Honestly, had Prince Edan not been there, he would have pounced on Latieana right then and there.
A perfect power found nowhere else.
If Ivy’s power was a single ray of light discovered in profound darkness, Latieana’s was the sun over an open meadow.
Thanks to this flawless, seamless healing, Hillstain’s lips curled into a grin of pure bliss.
“I’ll never let her go.”
If he could receive her blessing, he’d crawl between her legs, lick her feet—anything to stay by her side.
Hillstain smiled, his eyes curving upward.
[This is the timeline separator]“Maxim! Maxim!”
In the dead of night, Cole descended toward the underground dungeon.
It was a dark, damp place where not a single ray of light could be seen without torches.
Maxim, curled up in the gloom with no way to tell if it was morning or noon, lifted his head.
“Cole?”
“Maxim!”
“Cole! It’s me! I’m here!”
Maxim fumbled along the wall toward the bars, straining toward the approaching light.
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
