“Melody!”
Finally released from the dungeon, Joseph staggered as he ran towards her.
He nearly fell several times, his legs weak. Upon seeing his sister after so long, he embraced Melody, who was overjoyed to see him, and they both cried.
“Melody, uh-huh, Melody.”
“Brother?”
Melody, tightly hugging Joseph’s neck, began to cry along with him.
“Why are you crying, brother?”
“Just, it’s so good to see you, Melody.”
“I’m so happy to see you too!”
Joseph then started to thoroughly check Melody, holding her shoulders and looking her up and down.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Did those strange men scare you?”
“I’m not hurt! The strange men were scary, but I was okay!”
Melody, unaware of her brother’s anxious heart, cheerfully responded.
“Good, that’s a relief. Really a relief….”
Joseph burst into tears again. Duke Adrian gestured, and the maids detached Melody from Joseph.
“Come on, Miss. Shall we go have some snacks?”
“Really? Are there lots of tasty things?”
“Of course.”
“But what about my brother?”
“Your brother will come soon. Go ahead and start eating.”
“Okay! Brother, I’ll go first!”
Melody waved at Joseph and followed the maids out of the room.
Duke Adrian quietly explained to Joseph, still shedding tears.
“Don’t worry too much. As Melody said, she managed quite well.”
“But how… She was surely taken hostage.”
“Melody seems to have significant magical talent. They probably intended to raise her as a magician for their use. That’s why they kept her alive even after everything turned chaotic.”
Joseph, who initially didn’t understand, finally grasped the situation and clenched his fists.
“They intended to use Melody after me… And I didn’t even know!”
“It’s fortunate, though. Thanks to that, Melody remained safe.”
“…”
“As I mentioned earlier, Melody will stay with the Adrian family. If you behave well, we intend to sponsor her and raise her as a magician. Celine has already agreed to teach her.”
Magic wasn’t something everyone could learn, especially not commoners. Even those with talent often couldn’t receive proper training.
Being taught by a magician of the Adrian family was an honor.
Still dazed, Joseph finally understood the duke’s words and prostrated himself at his feet.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I’m truly grateful.”
“Save your thanks for Rosette. It was her decision.”
“The young lady…”
Joseph sprang up.
“May I see her?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. I’ll come back to thank you later.”
Joseph, still slightly staggering, ran off. Duke Adrian watched him go and then headed to his office, ready to conclude all the matters.
Seeing the lavish snacks for the first time, Melody’s eyes widened.
“Can I really eat this?”
Joan replied with a smile.
“Of course.”
Melody hesitated, so Rosette, sitting opposite, handed her a checkered cookie, mimicking what Lucas had done for her in front of a grand breakfast.
After hesitating, Melody bit into the cookie and her eyes lit up. Rosette cautiously asked.
“Tasty?”
“Uh-huh.”
That was the start, and Melody began to eagerly eat the snacks. Following her lead, Rosette, munching on her snack, bravely continued the conversation.
“How old are you?”
“Me? Eight years old! How about you?”
“I’m eight too.”
“Friends then?”
“Friends?”
Rosette blinked blankly.
“We’re the same age, so we’re friends, right? Don’t you like it?”
It wasn’t that she disliked it. The term ‘friend’ just felt a bit unfamiliar.
Of course, I had friends my age at the orphanage too.
But the word ‘friend’ used for those kids back then and the word ‘friend’ for Melody and me seemed a little different somehow.
‘It’s not bad.’
In fact, it felt good. Rosette felt a slight bubbling in her chest and tapped her feet lightly.
“Since both of us are going to learn magic from Sister Celine, let’s get along well.”
“Okay!”
Joan, who had been listening to the conversation of the two children, hesitated for a moment.
Strictly speaking, Rosette, a member of the Duke’s family, and Melody, a commoner, couldn’t be friends.
But since Rosette liked it, she decided to let it be for now.
‘If Melody becomes a magician, she might receive a knighthood or nobility, then truly being friends with the young lady would be great,’ she thought.
Just then, a calm knock sounded, and Joseph Oser entered.
“Brother!”
Melody jumped off the sofa and ran towards him. Joseph lifted her up in his arms.
“Brother, try this! It’s really delicious!”
“Was Melody having snacks?”
“Yes!”
“But I have something to say to the lady, can you come down for a moment?”
“Yes!”
After putting Melody down, Joseph approached Rosette, knelt on one knee, and said,
“Thank you, young lady. Thanks to you, we were able to save Melody.”
“That’s because you changed your mind.”
“Still, if it weren’t for you, the Duke would not have been safe, nor would we have found Melody.”
“…….”
Joseph, still in the manner of a squire, placed his right fist over his left chest.
“I haven’t yet received the title of knight, so I can’t swear a knight’s oath. But I can promise you this: from now on, I will live for you, young lady.”
“For me?”
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.
