Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

“Grand Duke Felix. Sir Tony wasn’t there because of something I asked him to do. Dismissing him… it feels too harsh—”

“Tony is my knight. My order was to protect you. He failed to do that. That alone proves his incompetence.”
Felix cut Lowell off, his voice more resolute than Lowell had expected. What Lowell couldn’t know was that not exploding in anger was Felix already exercising an enormous amount of self-restraint.
“This won’t happen again. Sir Tony understands his mistake, and I’ve done a lot of reflecting as well. From now on, I’ll listen to everything you say about taking care of my body.”

“So you're asking me not to dismiss Tony? What, did the two of you grow close while I wasn’t looking?”
There was an unmistakable edge when he said close. He likely didn’t just mean a casual human fondness. That undercurrent of jealousy made Lowell’s temples throb, even in such a serious moment.
What part of me and Tony made you think that? We’re both only interested in you, you idiot.

Lowell tried to calm the frustration swelling inside him, reminding himself that Felix—who had never experienced romance—probably couldn’t read subtle emotional currents to save his life.
“He’s one of the knights you trust most. I don’t want to be the reason you lose someone like that.”
Both Tony and Felix flinched at those words. Tony—because he had never believed Felix trusted him any more than anyone else. Felix—because he was surprised Lowell even knew such a thing about him.

Lowell didn’t know exactly what Felix thought of Tony, but at the very least, right now, it was clear Felix /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ considered him trustworthy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left him in charge—or gotten this angry when things went wrong. The more someone is trusted, the greater the disappointment when they fail.
There aren’t many people Felix truly trusts.
Felix hadn’t imagined for a second that Lowell was asking this for his sake. He assumed Lowell simply felt guilty about someone being punished because of him. But then, when Lowell said it was for Felix’s benefit, it was as if a tightly sealed lock inside Felix gently clicked open.

“Then can you promise me, under that condition, that you’ll really start protecting your body?”
“Yes.”
Felix was satisfied, and so was Lowell—he had intended to be more careful anyway.

“Even so, I can’t entrust your protection to Tony anymore.”
Meaning that trust once lost wouldn’t be so easily regained. Lowell didn’t think it was his place to fix that part.
“Do as you see fit, Your Grace.”

In truth, Tony would be more useful at Felix’s side than his. And Lowell, who already anticipated Felix would now become absurdly overprotective, felt a headache coming on—but overall, it was a decent outcome.
I guess I’ll chalk this up to karma for acting without thinking until now.
However, Felix’s overprotectiveness turned out to be worse than Lowell had imagined. Even after the newly arrived priest, a specialist in pregnancy, confirmed everything was fine, Felix still insisted on carrying Lowell out of the infirmary in his arms. Embarrassed at the thought of being seen like that, Lowell squirmed, but Felix easily subdued him with sheer arm strength.
“Um, Your Grace… I can walk. Both priests said my arm should be fine as long as I’m careful for a couple of days.”

“I know.”
He said he knew, but clearly had no intention of setting Lowell down. He carried him all the way to the dining hall and gently placed him in a chair.
“Would you like some apple pie?”

It was the only thing Lowell had been able to eat lately, so it was an obvious offer.
“I’ll have it later. I want to try something else today—something healthy. I should eat better.”
At first, Lowell had been grateful he could eat anything at all when it came to apple pie. But it wasn’t exactly a balanced diet. He’d requested the kitchen prepare other options, hoping to discover something more nutritious he could stomach.

“We’ve brought the salad with apple sauce you requested.”
As usual, his food was served separately.
The head chef came out and began explaining the ingredients in detail. He seemed more nervous than yesterday, probably having heard about the whirlwind that had hit the castle earlier. Lowell cautiously stabbed the salad with his fork and brought it to his mouth. At first, when only the fresh apple taste came through, it wasn’t bad. But once the greens kicked in, his face started to scrunch up.

“Ugh.”
He covered his mouth and forced the bite down. Maybe if I use more apple sauce, it’ll be okay, he thought, lifting his fork again.
“I’ll have it removed.”

Felix clearly disagreed. The salad was whisked away at once. Lowell awkwardly set down his fork.
“Next is an apple risotto. It’s lightly scented and should be easy to eat.”
The risotto was an absolute failure. His stomach churned before he even took a bite, and the dish was cleared away before he could lift his spoon. Other apple-based dishes followed, one after another—but most ended in failure. The only minor success was the apple steak at the end, and even that—he only managed to eat half a slice.

Lowell began to wilt under the weight of his overly sensitive body. Trying to eat healthy wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
“If you can’t eat it, then don’t. Bring him the apple pie already.”
Felix, having had enough, snapped at the chef to hurry up. The moment the apple pie appeared, Lowell’s appetite returned. But it didn’t last long. As soon as he ate half a slice, his eyelids grew heavy. By the time he finished the whole piece, his head was nearly collapsing onto the table.

Guess it’s just been… too much for one day.
Lowell gave up on eating more and opted for sleep instead.
“May I head to bed now?”

“Go ahead.”
Once again, Felix carried him. Lowell’s room was right next to Felix’s. Dozing off in his arms, Lowell couldn’t even summon the energy to be embarrassed.
“Sleep well, Lowell.”

As soon as he was laid down, Lowell passed out completely. Felix stroked his sleeping face before stepping out of the room.
“I’ll be in the study. Keep watch—and if anything happens, notify me immediately.”
He addressed the two newly assigned knights in a stern voice. They nodded crisply in response.

The study, where Felix arrived shortly after, was now bathed in moonlight. He hadn’t had the time to appreciate how much the castle had changed, being too focused on Lowell. But now, seeing it, the place felt like a different world.
“So this is why he wanted to change everything.”
Once dark and gloomy, the study was now full of the light Lowell had brought with him. Instead of lighting a candle, Felix sat by the window and pulled out a book he’d found earlier.

It was about pregnancy.
According to the book, symptoms for pregnant male Omegas tended to appear about a week later than they did for females, but were otherwise similar.
Some Omegas were lucky enough to avoid morning sickness entirely, but most experienced it to some degree.

You’re telling me everyone goes through that? Do they all waste away like Lowell?
Lowell’s symptoms had been severe, but it wasn’t like he was wasting away. Felix, unaware of his own tendency to over-worry, kept reading.
“A husband can sometimes experience the morning sickness instead?”

Felix was already troubled by how much Lowell, with his frail body, was suffering. If only he could bear the pregnancy himself, he’d feel so much more at ease.
Why do Omegas have to give birth in the first place? Alphas are supposed to be sturdier. Lowell looks like he’d topple over from a strong breeze.
In reality, Lowell’s frame wasn’t that delicate—but Felix had long distorted the facts to fit his own irrational concerns. Still clinging to hope, he read the next line:

In Alpha-Omega pairs, morning sickness can sometimes be transferred—but only through “imprinting.” If an Alpha forms a one-sided or mutual imprint, they can often shoulder the symptoms instead. However, imprinting is an extremely rare phenomenon and not common.
Guess that’s not gonna happen for me.
Felix understood imprinting to be a miraculous bond formed between people who were deeply in love. There was no way something like that could happen to him.

Knock knock.
Just as he was lamenting, a knock came at the study door.
“Come in.”

If it were one of the guards, they wouldn’t have knocked. Suspicious, Felix still responded. The door opened—and to his surprise, it was Lowell. He was barely awake, eyes nearly shut.
“It seemed like he was looking for Your Grace in his sleep, so I brought him,” said the knight behind him.
Lowell staggered forward and collapsed into Felix’s arms. Then, smiling brightly, he rubbed his cheek against Felix’s chest. Felix had to fight the urge to kiss him. The book had just said that it was common in early pregnancy for Omegas to seek out Alpha pheromones in their sleep.

“Lowell…”
The young man in love held his beloved gently, heart full to the brim.
***

The next morning, the sound of dry heaving once again echoed in the dining hall.
“Urgh.”
But the one groaning this time… wasn’t Lowell.

“Your Grace?”
Felix stared down at the food before him—and at his own trembling hands—in utter disbelief.