However, the unease did not easily subside, and more and more people began to gather around.
Duke Hart found the space he was currently standing in stifling.
Normally when this many people gathered around him, Count Clint would start to make his appearance to rescue him, but even he was nowhere to be seen.
In the end, Duke Hart excused himself from the people around him, claiming that His Majesty had summoned him, and escaped to a secluded corner of the party hall.
There, he discovered a door that should have been kept closed, wide open.
‘The guard must not have locked the door properly.’
The place connected to the door was where the necklace made of Elena’s tears was stored.
It was usually shown off to foreign dignitaries who visited.
‘People rarely come to this place.’
Duke Hart thought this place was perfect for resting, and opened the door to enter.
He then collapsed onto a chair placed in the shade of the secondfloor terrace.
But his peaceful rest didn’t last long.
Clang.
The sound of metal hitting the marble floor echoed.
Duke Hart slowly lifted his body and looked down below the railing.
On the floor, the necklace made from Elena’s tears had fallen, and beside it stood a brownhaired man.
The man cautiously picked up the necklace and looked around. From his surprised expression, it was clear he knew he was in trouble.
“What…what should I do.”
The man was flustered and didn’t know what to do, when the door suddenly swung open.
And someone ran in.
Duke Hart’s eyes widened at the sight of the person who ran in.
‘That woman is…….’
Surely she was the lady he had been looking for.
But the woman herself did not notice him tucked away in the corner and rushed down to the first floor in a hurry.
“What have you done!”
The woman scolded the man.
Her highpitched voice echoed through the space.
The moment he heard her voice, the Duke knew.
‘So it was the lady who helped me that day.’
It was fascinating.
‘Don’t ever come down to the city again.’
Her angry tone now was very different from the worried voice he heard that day, but he was sure it was the same person.
However, he had no time to soak in his feelings. Prince Carlos soon appeared.
‘This isn’t going well.’
Carlos asked the brownhaired man.
“Did you make this?”
The man flatly denied it.
Seeing that, Duke Hart clicked his tongue internally.
He understood the desire to avoid the situation, but it was a lie that would soon be caught.
“There is a magic orb here that monitors this place. I’m sure if we check the record, we can see who woke it.”
Carlos’s words visibly rattled the brownhaired man. Duke Hart stroked his chin, watching the man.
‘He’s about to spill.’
However, the situation took an unexpected turn.
Thud!
The brownhaired woman next to him knelt on the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
The woman slowly looked up at Carlos.
“……I did it.”
Duke Hart’s eyes widened as he watched.
‘Why……?’
Surely she knew that an object displayed here was no ordinary item, and she must have known that the man made a mistake.
Duke Hart’s heart pounded rapidly as he leisurely observed the situation until now.
He didn’t know exactly why the woman was taking the blame, but he admired it.
Even though she hadn’t committed the act, she willingly knelt.
Suddenly, he was filled with curiosity and a glimmer of hope.
‘If she’s like that, maybe, even after seeing my true self, she might understand.’
It might be a leap, but it was something he desperately wanted.
He wanted to know more about the woman.
No, he needed to know.
Eventually, he revealed himself and lied to Carlos, saying he was the culprit.
Carlos seemed suspicious of him for suddenly claiming to be the culprit, but since it was just a suspicion, he asked him to restore everything perfectly and left.
The woman seemed to think it was strange that he, who suddenly appeared, was helping her.
There was a hint of caution on her face.
The woman also seemed to be unaware that the animal she had saved was him.
‘Well, that might be better.’
If she knew his true identity, those big eyes might get scared quickly and wouldn’t look at him.
But his mind was at ease.
He now knew her face as well as her name. Now, wherever the woman was, he would be able to find her.
Duke Hart stepped back without regret and said,
“Nelia. Let’s meet again next time.”
Sooner than you think, within quite an early time.
Duke Hart, who was climbing up to the second floor, turned around. A recording device installed in the ceiling was twinkling.
With a flick of his hand, the video device made a fizzing noise and turned off.
‘The destruction of evidence has to be perfect.’
Then Duke Hart walked away again as if nothing had happened.
[This is the time separator]The duke, on his way to meet the Emperor, revisited Nelia’s face he had encountered.
‘Really, like a small animal.’
Her appearance, crouching and staring at him, was exactly like a squirrel with a lot of caution.
Come to think of it, why was Nelia wary of him?
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.
