When I didn’t get out of the carriage, deep in thought, the coachman asked in a careful voice.
“Where would you like to go?”
“I’d like to organize my thoughts for a bit, could you take another round nearby?”
“Yes, Miss.”
Looking at the passing scenery while lost in thought was an old habit of mine.
As I was silently immersed in my contemplation, I suddenly remembered Askan’s existence.
It was so quiet that it felt like I was alone, but on second thought, Askan was also riding in the carriage.
When I turned my head, I could see Askan looking at me. I wondered when he had started watching me, but didn’t think much of it.
“Should I have let you off with Noxia? I have something to think about on my own……”
A beat later, I noticed Askan’s pupils were sinking low. I stopped speaking before I could finish my sentence.
His current demeanor reminded me of the look of a predator observing its prey.
‘What is it?’
I couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the sudden change in the atmosphere.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
In response to my question, Askan replied in a voice even lower than usual.
“I think I’ve mentioned this before.”
What?
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but it’s just uncomfortable. Please be frank if there’s something you want.”
What on earth did I do?
No matter what Askan thought, he had been obedient so far. I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly saying this.
Then something crossed my mind.
It was the time when I praised him for being cute and stroked his head.
‘Could it be because of that……?’
I was so dumbfounded for a moment that I couldn’t speak.
Even in my dreams, he didn’t make a sound even when whipped, and now he’s reacting like this to a single compliment of being cute?
Thinking about it, Askan, who was always obedient and listened well, showed a displeased expression when he showed me the stars in the night sky.
At the time, I just thought he was annoyed by my sudden change in attitude, but now I realize that might not have been the whole story.
“Ha, haha.”
I found myself letting out a chuckle.
Maybe he’s never been called cute before.
The sound of my sudden laughter twisted Askan’s expression oddly.
‘What should I do with him?’
I briefly forgot because he was too mature. Askan, who was a terrible villain in the novel , was still a boy.
Just a moment ago, I was lamenting my fate, having taken over as Tanashia……
But seeing Askan’s unexpected reaction made me burst into laughter.
He may appear prickly on the outside, but in fact, he’s not used to someone treating him kindly.
That innocence felt so palpable that his warning seemed more like cute petulance.
“Come on, when you say things like that, it makes me want to treat you better.”
Confusion flashed in Askan’s eyes at my words. He seemed taken aback by my unexpected response.
Seeing this, I burst into laughter again.
It felt like I was seeing what was inside the tough walnut shell for the first time.
[This is the time separator]When Noxia arrived at the Brelof mansion and entered the room, the waiting maids flocked to her.
Knowing that Tanashia and Noxia had gone shopping together today, the maids’ concerns were far from minor.
“Miss, was everything alright?”
“Obviously, it’s predictable. Miss Tanashia said she would choose the dress, and then played a trick, didn’t she?”
“Surely she must have recommended the most unremarkable dress in the costume room.”
In fact, given what Tanashia had done in the original work, it wasn’t a wrong statement.
But today was different. That’s why Noxia spoke in a rather stern voice.
“Don’t say such things. Thanks to my sister, I could choose a dress that fits my heart. Every single one was so beautiful that you can’t imagine how hard it was to choose.”
“Sigh, our lady is so kind, what do we do about it?”
The maids who did not directly see the situation didn’t seem to believe Noxia’s words at all.
Noxia was frustrated, but she had no way to prove it.
If they saw the dress she chose from the costume room, they would swallow these words, but it was not due to arrive at the mansion until a few days later.
“Seriously though. You’ll be surprised when you see the dress that comes from the costume room.”
“Lady, you shouldn’t say that. Miss Tanashia may play tricks in the middle, so you need to be prepared. There is talk of a plan to ruin the dress you will wear at the royal ball this time.”
If the story went as in the original work, the maid’s words would have been right.
The maids’ reaction was natural, considering that Noxia had been tricked by Tanashia and fell into trouble more than once or twice.
But this time, Noxia was sure. She couldn’t put it into words, but somehow she knew.
“Something is different from before.”
Even when Tanashia overthrew the water due to Noxia’s lack of control last time, she just let it pass.
Normally, it would have been a huge uproar to the extent that the family would have been turned upside down.
Above all, the words Tanashia had said then still vividly came to mind.
Don’t nag the weakhearted Noxia to show her power anywhere in the future.
Weakhearted Noxia.
Tanashia had never called Noxia that way, even once she had grown up.
And that was not all.
She even tried to give away the red diamond set she received as a gift from Orland, so Noxia ended up receiving accessories she hadn’t even thought of.
Noxia had jewels, but it was significantly meaningful that Tanashia was trying to give up.
Noxia always wanted to get closer to Tanashia, so such changes were more than sweet.
When she said she would help choose the dress, she felt like she wanted to cheer.
Even when they arrived at the costume room, Tanashia chose Noxia’s dress before her own and sincerely recommended a design that suited her.
She picked her own dress without even trying it on.
It wasn’t just Noxia’s attitude that had changed. She forgave the employee who made a mistake in the costume room without fuss. It was not like Tanashia at all.
It wasn’t a change noticeable enough for everyone to catch on, but something had definitely changed.
‘Maybe we could go back to the way we were.’
When they were young, Tanashia took care of Noxia more than anyone and loved her.
Noxia still vividly remembered the days when she looked at her with loving eyes, always calling her ‘my sister’.
Everything changed after Noxia awakened her ability to control water.
She could not forget Tanashia’s face full of despair, as if she had lost the world, when she first became able to move water.
She always prayed. She prayed to be able to go back to the way she was with Tanashia.
Maybe God really listened to Noxia’s wish.
Now, it felt like she might be able to go back to that time, which seemed to be the only time in the world.
Suddenly, she remembered Tanashia stroking Askan’s hair in the costume room.
‘I wish she would stroke my hair too….’
She thought how nice it would have been if it was her.
Noxia was very jealous of Askan.
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.
