“Yes, I know. We’ll meet there.”
Upon the Duke’s answer, Carlos swiftly turned around and left without any other word.
Nelia and the Duke also moved on. On their way back to the office, Nelia offered an apology.
“……I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
The Duke looked at her.
“Why are you sorry, Nelia?”
“I responded poorly, prompting His Highness to make such a suggestion.”
“No. I thought this was bound to happen at some point.”
“Yes……?”
The Duke smiled ambiguously.
“I knew His Highness had interest in you, but it appears deeper than I thought.”
Nelia pondered upon the Duke’s words.
The Duke didn’t know, but Carlos had once needed her assistance when his arm had temporarily lost function.
Maybe the dinner invitation was Carlos’s way to express his gratitude. That made more sense.
Nelia subtly expressed her opinion that Carlos was not interested in her personally.
“Maybe His Highness doesn’t dislike you as much anymore. That’s why he suggested dining together.”
The Duke shook his head.
“Rather, it would make more sense if he’s planning to kill me at that dinner.”
At the cynical remark, Nelia’s expression darkened.
‘……That can’t be.’
Even if he dislikes him, would he really invite him only to harm him?
Yet, Nelia thought she should pray for the dinner invitation to pass without incident from today onwards.
(This is a time separator.)
That evening, Nelia sought the Duke’s permission and returned home.
She knew that the Duke would turn into a snake if she was too far away, but she couldn’t help it. She was worried about Layton who had come to the palace during the day.
‘If the Duke stays quietly in his room, turning into a snake won’t matter……’
Alternatively, there were drugs to maintain his human form.
Nelia returned home, exchanged brief greetings with her parents, and looked for Layton.
Fortunately, Layton was in his room. She had been worried since he’d been going out frequently these days.
Upon opening Layton’s room, she saw books piled high on the desk.
‘He’s reading……?’
Nelia entered the room, unable to contain her astonishment.
Layton took quite some time to notice her presence.
He must have been very engrossed in the book…… which was even more puzzling.
“Oh, Nelia. You’re here.”
“Why were you at the palace today?”
Nelia got straight to the point. She was thinking of quickly wrapping up the conversation as she suspected that the Duke was waiting for her.
“I told you. I want to see the necklace I dropped again.”
“So, why do you want to see it?”
Had he already forgotten the accident? It could have been a major issue.
For a moment, Nelia felt the urge to grab Leighton by the collar and shake him.
“You know I’ve recently been interested in the Duke, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
Just a few days ago, Leighton was speculating about the Duke. In fact, his speculations were sharp enough to make her sweat.
“I was just curious if the noble Duke had any secrets, but it turns out there’s nothing special.”
Nelia internally sighed in relief.
She was worried that Leighton might somehow find out about the curse, but it seemed he hadn’t noticed anything.
“Instead, I found out something more interesting.”
“…What is it?”
Nelia tensed up again. A strange excitement mixed in Leighton’s brown eyes.
“The Duke is recently investigating Siegfried’s Heart.”
Leighton said, with a teasing expression.
“You might not know, but Siegfried’s Heart is quite remarkable. It’s known to grant the wish of the seeker.”
“That sounds really impressive.”
Nelia, who already knew, responded casually. Then she asked, looking at Leighton.
“Do you really believe that Siegfried’s Heart exists?”
So far, only commoners considered Siegfried’s Heart to be a legend. Only some nobles and royalty who had faster access to information knew it actually existed and were looking for it.
“Of course! Otherwise, why would your Duke investigate it?”
Nelia concealed her sense of defeat. It seemed that Leighton firmly believed Siegfried’s Heart exists.
“The reason I visited the Duke’s residence during the lunar eclipse was to discuss Siegfried’s Heart.”
Leighton had evidently gone to the Duke to get information about Siegfried’s Heart, using his employment there as a pretext.
Nelia frowned when she knew the truth.
“The Duke’s investigation into Siegfried’s Heart is by the Emperor’s command. But I doubt he’d share that classified information with you.”
She mixed in a lie, but mentioning the Emperor should be enough to discourage him.
Then Leighton shrugged his shoulders and said,
“It’s fine. I don’t need to talk to the Duke anymore.”
“What?”
“I’ve scoured all the books about Siegfried’s Heart in recent days. Even visited the back alleys of the capital.”
Seeing his desk, she knew he’d read a lot, but he’d also visited the back alleys of the capital?
Those back alleys were the streets of the night.
Nelia knew well that all sorts of rumors originated from there, as it had been mentioned in the original work.
She could confidently say that it was also the origin of rumors that the Duke was gay.
As if it was no big deal, Leighton was excited.
Moreover, something surprising came out of his mouth next.
“Combining all the information I’ve gathered, the answer to Siegfried’s Heart is in that necklace from the royal family.”
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.
