Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

Lowell was grateful that he had turned his head the other way—at least his unsettled expression hadn’t been caught.
“Of course. You should.”
“You need to select trustworthy knights and make sure word doesn’t leak that I’m absent from the Grand Duke’s castle. And even if it does leak, we have to make it seem like I’m away for some other reason.”

Which meant spending the whole day together in the study like this would soon become impossible. The fact that he already felt disappointed by that struck Lowell as laughable. He kept his mouth shut while Felix continued, still gently massaging his waist.
“That brat is unlikely to make any sudden moves until he arrives in the capital and gets a clearer picture. Still, I’ll make preparations just in case, so there’s no need to worry.”
Felix’s tone, clearly meant to offer reassurance, couldn’t have been more kind.

“I’m not letting my guard down either, but… I believe nothing dangerous will happen in this castle. You’ll have prepared for everything before you leave.”
“Right.”
Felix turned Lowell’s body to look at his face. Lowell, unable to completely erase the sadness from his expression, gave a startled, awkward smile.

“There’s a magic sphere used for communication. Let’s talk through that every day.”
Felix instinctively picked up on Lowell’s anxiety and, without even realizing why, continued planning ways to ease his mate’s heart.
“I’ve never used one before. What do people usually talk about with a magic sphere?”

Feeling more like a sandbag than a source of support, Lowell suddenly felt guilty. He tried to act more cheerful. He didn’t need to ask—he had made countless phone calls in his past life—but he just wanted to say something, anything.
“I’ve never used it for anything outside of work either, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Then shall we decide now?”

“Would it be different from talking like this?”
Felix, who had made the suggestion himself, frowned slightly since he hadn’t really thought about what they’d say. Lowell reached up and tapped the wrinkle that had formed between Felix’s brows.
“You look better when you smile than when you frown.”

Felix finally realized why Lowell had touched his forehead and relaxed. It was a habit he’d developed unconsciously whenever something didn’t go ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the way he wanted or he was deep in thought—but he hadn’t realized Lowell had picked up on it.
“Hmm… To go back to your earlier question, I suppose it would be a little different from talking like this? When you can see someone every day, you know what they’ve done and how they’ve felt all day—but when you’re apart, that’s impossible.”
“Right. It would be different.”
Felix had never been far from someone he cherished, so this was a kind of situation he’d never had to imagine before. He had only ever thought deeply about one person: Lowell. Suddenly picturing a life without Lowell in it, he rubbed his chest.

“So I was thinking… maybe we could talk about something memorable from that day, or how we felt throughout the day? That would help ease the anxiety a bit.”
“I’m afraid it’d mostly be boring work talk.”
In truth, Lowell did want to hear about that work—but considering the unpredictability of the situation and the potential for someone overhearing their conversations with the magic sphere, especially staff working outside, he thought it was better to speak face-to-face.

I don’t know if magic spheres can be hacked or anything, but better to be cautious.
Having decided that, Lowell figured he should guide Felix, who clearly struggled to talk about himself, by giving a more specific suggestion.
“Then just share everyday things with me.”

When Felix looked at him with that completely confused expression, Lowell sighed inwardly. Despite being endlessly skilled with swords, magic, and strategy, Felix was clumsy when it came to basic communication. Thinking about how Felix had spent his childhood roaming battlefields, Lowell couldn’t help but feel bitter.
“For example, I might see a flower while out walking, right? Then I’d remember the time we visited the greenhouse together and feel happy. You can share things like that through the sphere. Little things that don’t seem like much, but still make you happy.”
“If it’s something like that, then it won’t be hard.”

He understood the explanation better than Lowell had expected. Planning to say more, Lowell realized there was no need for further examples and changed the subject.
“Then, since you’ll be busy soon, why don’t we take it easy today?”
“Sure.”

That day, the two of them read the same book together and toured the greenhouse, which was slowly being cleaned up. After sunset, they returned to the tower and talked late into the night. Mostly it was Lowell speaking and Felix giving short replies. Even after more conversation than usual, Lowell kept blinking his eyes, unwilling to fall asleep—but eventually, drowsiness won.
Well, I am pregnant. Of course I’m going to be sleepy.
Felix watched as Lowell finally fell asleep. His words had begun to slur long ago, but he stubbornly resisted sleep until Felix gently shut his eyes for him. Soon after, he had drifted off.

“I hope you dream well.”
All stimulation eventually becomes familiar. That’s why torture is escalated gradually or changed in method. No matter how painful something is at first, the same degree of pain will become familiar with time. Pain, being the strongest sense, is most often like that—Felix had always believed as much.
Only Lowell is the exception.

He had overturned even the truths Felix once thought unquestionable. When Felix stared into those sea-deep eyes with golden waves surging inside, his chest still stirred. No—far from adapting to it, the feeling had only grown more chaotic than before.
His voice was the same. People always said that a beautiful voice was like birdsong, but Felix found such comparisons insulting. No animal cry could compare to Lowell’s voice. Every time he heard it, his ears would tingle.
But more than anything, it was Lowell’s words that he could never get used to. He always said things that shook Felix’s heart in completely unexpected ways—like today, when he spoke as if he looked forward to staying in contact.

He said remembering the greenhouse with me made him feel happy.
The thought that Lowell felt the same as he did made Felix’s fingertips tingle. Sometimes, the overwhelming stimulation Lowell gave him was indistinguishable from pain. But now, Felix was ready to welcome even that pain.
“Lowell.”

He spoke his name like a confession. As always.
Until the moonlight gave back its radiance to its master, Felix whispered that name again and again. As if in desperate prayer to a god.
***

The next day, the castle became quietly chaotic. That might sound contradictory, but it meant that while everything appeared normal on the surface, many things were happening behind the scenes.
The people Felix had carefully selected and trusted were on high alert, ensuring no secrets leaked out. Those assigned as Lowell’s bodyguards were included among them. As a result, Lowell found their proximity stifling—they were close enough that if he tripped, he’d fall right into them—but he didn’t complain, knowing it was all under Felix’s orders.
“I think I should go see Priestess Taishi.”

Instead, he decided to visit the priestess to resolve a matter that had been bothering him. It was something awkward to ask in Felix’s presence, so in a way, he was relieved that the man was busy.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Caris, having forgotten the brief awkwardness between them, immediately looked ready to inspect Lowell’s body on the spot. She didn’t even notice Tia’s sharp glance silently telling her to dial it back.

“No, it’s not that. I just have something I want to ask. There’s nothing wrong with my body.”
Lowell, surprised by their reaction, waved his hand, realizing he hadn’t explained himself properly.
“Well, that’s good to hear. But just in case, I still think it’d be smart to get checked out.”

It wasn’t that Tia disagreed with Caris out of irritation—she was equally concerned. She just found Caris a bit too dramatic. Since he didn’t expect the visit to take long, Lowell agreed easily. When they arrived at Taishi’s prayer room under close guard, she welcomed him as though she’d been expecting him.
“It feels like it’s been a while since we last saw each other.”
“Even though we live in the same castle, it’s hard to run into each other unless there’s something going on.”

“Yes, I’m not the type to wander the halls much.”
Taishi didn’t press him, quietly waiting for Lowell to speak. Glancing subtly at the guards, Lowell could tell from their expressions that they had no intention of leaving under any circumstances. In the end, he stopped hesitating and opened his mouth.
“There’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Of course. Ask anything you’d like. Though I can’t promise I’ll have the answer.”
Lowell tried to act casual, but maybe his tension showed—Taishi responded playfully. Tapping his fingernail against his finger, Lowell lowered his voice and asked:
“What happens if someone who’s been one-sidedly marked gets separated from the one who marked them?”

“The distance and the amount of time apart—both matter a lot. Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
Lowell now stood at a crossroads: he had to decide whether or not he could truly trust Taishi.