“So, who will be your future husband? The Crown Prince or Fernando?”
“Retin Butler!”
Her sympathy for him vanished at his amused expression.
“The Crown Prince proposed to be your partner?”
Fernando furrowed his brows, asking his knight. The knight, standing straight, responded.
“Yes, I heard it directly from the butler of the Clare family.”
“When?”
“They had just received the letter when I visited.”
Fernando threw his sword down in frustration, ending today’s training abruptly. The other knights in the training ground bowed as he turned to leave.
“Why Etienne of all people? Just because they had tea once.”
Even though he had intervened in that occasion, Fernando couldn’t comprehend why the Crown Prince would propose to be Etienne’s partner for the ball.
Attending as partners would virtually confirm their close relationship. That’s why Fernando found the Crown Prince’s behavior baffling.
The knight silently followed Fernando, aware of his dissatisfaction. Though Fernando claimed Etienne and he weren’t close, the knight wisely remained silent.
“Shall we visit the Clare family?”
Fernando nodded, then changed his mind.
“No, let’s go to the palace.”
Maybe it would be less burdensome for Etienne if he directly dealt with his rival.
To appear merely as a kind and innocent friend to Etienne, Fernando resorted to cunning.
“Fernando intervened again.”
Upon hearing Alex’s report, Lehart varied the pitch of his voice as he spoke, a sign of his displeasure.
“Don’t you think the Crown Prince is the one intruding?”
Alex pointed out the situation bluntly.
“Me, intruding?”
“Why would you interfere between two sixteen-year-olds?”
“What’s wrong with an eighteen-year-old getting involved with sixteen-year-olds?”
“Honestly, it doesn’t seem appropriate.”
Alex, also eighteen like the Crown Prince, wondered why the Crown Prince was behaving this way.
“It would look better if they attended the ball hand in hand.”
“What’s so good about that?”
“It’s cute and fresh.”
Lehart gave Alex a look of injustice.
“Alex, if someone heard you, they might think I’m thirty-eight. I’m only just eighteen.”
“Eighteen is still an adult. And those two are still minors.”
Alex drew a clear line, prompting Lehart to stand up. Alex thought the Crown Prince was about to leave in a bad mood.
However, Lehart stopped in front of a mirror. Looking at his reflection, he turned to Alex.
“I think I look good enough to match Etienne.”
Alex refrained from giving Lehart the response he wanted.
“Anyway, since both the Crown Prince and Fernando have made proposals, the decision is up to that lady. I wonder who she will choose, but it seems like Etienne will be the center of attention at the upcoming ball, not Count Pigment.”
In the rapidly spreading social circles, who Etienne would choose as her partner was undoubtedly a hot topic.
“Now I’m really curious to see who she will choose.”
As Alex stepped back, Lehart looked at himself in the mirror again.
“But should we really let her make the choice? I’m worried she might be frowning over who to pick.”
“Etienne? Maybe she’s enjoying the pleasant dilemma.”
“It’s not a pleasant dilemma. She might really find it difficult.”
For most young ladies, such attention would be welcome. Since Etienne was no different from any ordinary young lady, Alex couldn’t easily agree.
“So, I’m thinking of helping her make that choice easily.”
“What are you planning?”
Lehart had something unusual in mind again. Alex looked at him uneasily, and Lehart met his reflection’s eyes in the mirror.
“Just eliminate the other options.”
With an expression as if he had a great idea, Lehart left the room, and Alex sighed alone.
“He’s probably trying to outmaneuver Fernando.”
It seemed more likely that the two peers would match better.
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.
