When the Cruel Dark Lord Tenderly Seduces (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
“What the…!”
She was now absolutely certain this wasn’t just her imagination.
Come to think of it, the distance between them also seemed to have grown much closer.
But hadn’t he been way over there just a moment ago…?
Nellia hastily stuffed the last bite of her strawberry tart into her mouth.
Then, she bolted from the spot as if fleeing.
The reason was an inexplicable sense of unease.
At first, she’d thought those glances were mere coincidence—but after the second time, she started wondering if the Duke was watching her with some hidden intention.
That left her with an uneasy question.
“Why…?”
Why had he been staring at her?
If she were some stunningly beautiful heroine, she might have felt flattered by the Duke’s attention—but objectively speaking, her appearance wasn’t particularly eye-catching amid this glittering party.
So instead of trying to figure it out, she chose to avoid it altogether.
Just then, Nellia ran into her parents, who had returned after exchanging greetings with guests. Layton was nowhere to be seen—only the two of them stood alone.
Lily asked with a worried expression.
“Nellia, there you are. Do you happen to know where Layton went?”
“Layton…?”
“He said he’d be right back from the restroom, but he still hasn’t returned….”
With anyone else, they’d just assume an adult could find his own way back—but since it was Layton, she couldn’t help but worry.
Even during the week after Nellia had awakened in this body and realized she’d transmigrated, Layton had kept getting into completely unexpected trouble.
He’d once followed a stray cat over someone’s garden wall and ruined their yard, and another time gotten into a street brawl with thugs after drinking late into the night.
His behavior was simply unbelievable for someone his age.
“I’ll go look for him.”
“Alright, Nellia. I’m counting on you.”
Lily gave Nellia’s shoulder a gentle pat before disappearing again to greet other guests.
Nellia walked through the party venue, scanning diligently for someone wearing deep violet formal attire.
“Where the hell did this guy suddenly disappear to?”
Layton was nowhere to be found in the entire hall.
Seriously, where on earth was he causing trouble now?
With a sigh, she turned her head—and noticed a slightly ajar door in a secluded corner.
She didn’t know where it led, but it might be worth checking out, just in case.
Creeeak.
Beyond the door lay a terrace overlooking the first floor.
The ceiling was adorned with a grand chandelier and delicate lights, all casting their glow onto something below.
The place had the atmosphere of an exhibition hall—clearly designed to display something important…
Craaash!
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the unmistakable sound of something “very important” breaking echoed through the air.
Nellia felt a sinking dread as she slowly peered over the railing.
There, on the first floor, stood the very person she’d been frantically searching for—Layton.
And he was standing there utterly frozen.
“Ugh, I had a bad feeling about this… He really went and caused trouble.”
As Nellia hurried down to the first floor, she saw a broken necklace on the ground—and Layton staring down at it.
“What did you do?!”
“Uh… Nellia?”
Layton blinked in surprise as he looked up at her.
“I was just curious about this necklace, so I picked it up to take a closer look—but I accidentally dropped it…”
Nellia pinched the bridge of her nose.
Did this guy never learn basic manners?
Every museum or gallery clearly says: “Look with your eyes, not your hands!”…
“But what even is this thing, that it’s displayed alone in such a huge space?”
Was that really the issue right now?!
The real problem was that he’d touched—and dropped—this clearly expensive necklace, snapping it in two!
And here, in the Imperial Capital, no less!
Her head was pounding.
“…Wait a second.”
A necklace displayed alone in such a grand space…?
And that luminous blue gemstone set right in its center—it was unmistakably…
“Tears of Elena…!”
Nellia’s headache worsened until it felt like her skull was splitting open.
Layton had just recreated the very incident Nellia had caused in the original story.
“What should I do?”
Should she call someone?
While Nellia was deliberating how to handle the situation—
“Who did this?”
A chilling voice came from a distance.
Startled, she turned her head. Leaning sideways against the wall beneath the lights stood a man.
“Who is that…?”
The light behind him was so bright she could barely keep her eyes open to look directly at him.
More urgently, someone else had witnessed the whole scene.
Before Nellia could decide what to say, Layton scowled and spoke first.
“Who the hell are you?”
The man’s voice rang out.
“You’re the one who did this.”
“If I said I didn’t, what then? And who do you think you are, speaking to me like that!”
Of course it was you…!
Not only was Layton shamelessly lying, he was even getting angry.
In stark contrast, the man remained completely unmoved. Though his face was obscured, Nellia could almost picture his expression—cold as a winter gale.
“The necklace was perfectly intact just moments ago. Yet now, it’s like this.”
“…It was already like this when I got here.”
The man tilted his head slightly. His shadow shifted under the light.
“Can you truly say that with certainty?”
“Yes…!”
Layton shouted back defiantly. The man’s gaze locked onto him, staring intently.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me the truth now, and I won’t demand compensation.”
Layton clenched his fists tightly and glared back at the man.
“I already told you—I didn’t do it…!”
The man raised his hand, pointing toward a corner of the ceiling.
“There’s a magical surveillance device up there. The recording will clearly show who broke it.”
Nellia suddenly grew suspicious of the man’s identity.
“Who is this guy…?”
He spoke as if he knew this place like the back of his hand—and as if he alone had the authority to decide compensation for the necklace.
Just as she wondered about his true identity, the man stepped forward.
As he moved out from under the bright lights, his face—and even his hair color—became sharply visible.
Hair like ash-gray, monochrome as if dipped in ink, and eyes as black as the night sky.
In that instant, Nellia realized—
This man was none other than Carlos, the very person she’d desperately wanted to avoid.
“Oh, come on.”
Stunned to learn her dreaded encounter was finally happening, Nellia stood frozen—until Layton’s voice snapped her back.
“What—what?!”
Hearing about the recording device, Layton looked utterly panicked.
He fidgeted restlessly, like someone about to do something reckless.
Nellia grew anxious.
The man before them was Carlos—the male lead and Crown Prince of this world.
Yet Layton had no idea who he was.
Nellia glanced quickly at Layton.
Cornered, he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, looking ready to throw a punch like some thug.
Surely he wouldn’t…? Nellia stared at him in disbelief. Then, Layton gave her a meaningful look and mouthed silently:
“I’ll knock him out—run.”
Nellia was horrified. She never imagined Layton could be this utterly clueless.
“Damn it.”
Carlos was an elite swordsman of the highest rank.
Meanwhile, Layton had spent his whole life lounging at home—and there was no way he could knock out Carlos.
Not to mention, he absolutely shouldn’t!
Then she remembered Carlos’s words:
“I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me the truth now, and I won’t demand compensation.”
Though those words probably no longer applied, she couldn’t just stand by and let Layton make things worse.
Sigh.
“Layton… I swear I’ll kill you later.”
Steeling herself, Nellia squeezed her eyes shut.
Then—
Thud!
She dropped to her knees on the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
Slowly, she looked up at Carlos.
“In truth… it was me.”
Inside, she ground her teeth in frustration.
Why did she, who’d done nothing wrong, have to take the blame herself?
But it was still better than letting Layton recklessly attack Carlos and ruin their entire family.
Carlos stared down at her.
“You’re saying it wasn’t him—but you?”
“Yes… it was so beautiful, I just wanted to touch it, and I accidentally…”
She could feel Layton’s shocked gaze on her, mouth hanging open.
But she also knew he wouldn’t step forward to confess.
“Do you even know how much that necklace is worth?”
She knew it was astronomically expensive. Nellia simply pressed her lips together tightly.
“Not even selling every treasure in the Imperial Palace could cover its value.”
The Crown Prince’s icy stare bore into her.
“I clearly gave you a chance just now. I said I’d let it go if you confessed honestly.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Nellia lowered her head.
“Is it already too late…?”
Just then, footsteps echoed from the staircase.
The sound reverberated through the space, drawing everyone’s eyes upward.
Nellia’s eyes widened as she stared at the figure descending the stairs.
“…!”
It was unmistakably Duke Hart, walking calmly downward.
The Duke, now standing close by, glanced down at the broken necklace.
“Oh dear. I dropped this necklace earlier—seems a crowd’s gathered while I was off fetching someone.”
The Crown Prince frowned.
“What do you mean, Duke Hart?”
“I accidentally dropped it just now and went to call for assistance.”
Duke Hart answered with a gentle smile that didn’t quite match his supposed confession.
“…What?”
What was going on now?
Layton had clearly been the one to drop it.
She had taken the blame for him.
Yet suddenly, Duke Hart appeared, claiming he was the real culprit.
Nellia, Duke Hart, Carlos, and Layton.
Amid the confusion, their gazes tangled together.
Carlos was the first to narrow his eyes and speak.
“This girl already admitted she dropped it because she found it beautiful.”
“The necklace was already broken—the young lady simply mistook herself as the cause.”
Duke Hart calmly replied to Carlos, then turned to Nellia and extended his hand.
“…Is he asking me to take it…?”
Nellia stared blankly at Duke Hart—until he reached out himself and gently helped her to her feet. For a fleeting moment, his gesture felt exceptionally courteous and kind.
Still dazed, Nellia looked up at the Duke before quickly lowering her gaze. The whole situation was overwhelmingly confusing.
Layton had definitely broken the necklace—so why…?
“Isn’t that right, my lady?”
While she hesitated, Duke Hart gently prompted her. Nellia found herself nodding absentmindedly.
“Huh? Y-yes…”
Duke Hart gave her a faint, approving smile.
She knew this wasn’t the time to be admiring his face—but up close, that smile was genuinely mesmerizing.
Even in such a tense moment, its effect was profound. Truly, he was a dangerously captivating man.
The Duke turned his attention away from Nellia and faced Carlos.
“I was trying to straighten the necklace, but I accidentally dropped it.”
“…”
“I know a skilled artisan who can restore it. Fortunately, the main gemstone seems undamaged.”
Though Duke Hart offered a solution, Carlos still looked displeased.
“It must be restored exactly as it was.”
“Of course.”
Duke Hart answered with a calm, warm smile.
Even if he was a scheming mastermind, his composure in handling the Crown Prince was truly impressive.
With a fierce glare sweeping over the three of them, Carlos turned and walked away.
Once Carlos had vanished from sight, Layton grumbled.
“Man, what a rude bastard. Who the hell does he think he is, acting like that…”
“That gentleman is His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Carlos.”
Duke Hart answered in his stead.
Only then did Layton realize he’d been speaking rudely and raising his voice to the Crown Prince.
“Oh… oh no…”
Layton turned deathly pale.
“Good thing it ended without further trouble. This room should’ve been locked—but I suppose a guard made a mistake.”
Of course.
It never made sense that Elena’s relic—supposedly an imperial treasure—would be left unsecured like this.
“So that’s why original-Nellia made the same mistake…”
Lost in thought for a moment, Nellia looked up when someone tapped her shoulder.
She saw Layton, his face ashen.
“Nellia… I’m heading back in first.”
Nellia quickly grabbed his arm to stop him, then whispered quietly while glancing at Duke Hart.
“You can’t just leave! Even if not to me, shouldn’t you at least thank the Duke…?!”
He’s about to fix the necklace you broke!
But Layton, now fully aware he’d nearly provoked disaster by yelling at the Crown Prince, seemed utterly hollow inside.
Without another word, he slipped his hand from Nellia’s grip like a zombie and disappeared through the door.
“…”
“…”
In the end, only Nellia and Duke Hart remained.
“…I should probably thank him on Layton’s behalf.”
She didn’t know why Duke Hart claimed responsibility—but since she’d been the one kneeling, he likely assumed she was the true culprit.
Nellia lifted her head to express her gratitude.
His silver eyes stared directly at her—so intently it felt unnervingly heavy.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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