Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

Lowell didn’t know much about Taishi. He glanced sideways, wondering if the knights might react in some way, but all three stood silently in perfect posture, not a hint of wavering in their expression or stance. Lowell decided to keep his explanation vague and aim for the answer he needed.
“There might come a time when His Grace has to leave Nyx. Last time, after he went out for the ritual and returned, his pheromones were a bit unstable. I’m wondering if it’s because of the one-sided marking.”

Thankfully, it sounded plausible enough. Taishi didn’t seem inclined to press further and gave him a simple answer.
“Hmm, His Grace didn’t mention anything in particular, but it does seem like being separated from you for a certain period triggers a pheromonal reaction.”
Taishi began digging through several books, eventually pulling out one with parchments messily wedged between the pages.

“When it comes to cases of one-sided marking, there’s no set pattern. There are trends, yes, but not every case lines up. Still, it’s clear that going more than two months without exposure to the bonded partner’s pheromones causes problems. You could say the tolerance range is from about a week to two months.”
Two months sounded safe enough—but there was no guarantee Felix would fall within that range.
He said it’d take about a week… I hope that’s enough.

It would be nice if things always went according to plan, but being off by a day or two was practically expected.
“What kind of problems can happen?”
“The inability to regulate pheromones is just the start. It could trigger a forced rut, or even impair one of the five senses. There’s no definitive list of symptoms.”

Her explanation was vague, but Lowell understood—it was the best Taishi could offer.
“Is there no way to prevent those symptoms?”
“Sending an item infused with pheromones could help, at least a little. It’s only a temporary measure, though.”

The fact that he could at least do something to help brought Lowell a sense of relief.
“Thank you. If you have any books on the subject, I’d love to borrow them… The ones you lent me last time didn’t have quite enough detail.”
“Ah, just a moment.”

Taishi gathered about five books, including the one she’d tossed aside earlier and another she had opened. Of course, the knights beside her immediately stepped in and took them from her.
“You’ll see when you read them—there’s no exact answer. But knowing something is always better than knowing nothing.”
Smiling kindly, Taishi pulled out two more books from a dusty pile. This time, Lowell quickly took them himself, refusing the knights’ help, insisting he could manage.

“Thank you. Just the explanation alone has already helped a lot.”
“Think nothing of it.”
After returning to the study, Lowell began looking into how to infuse pheromones into an object. Luckily, one of the books Taishi gave him covered the topic, so it didn’t take long to find what he needed.
For a quick, strong effect, it’s best to apply pheromones to fabric or clothing. For a long-lasting, subtle effect, it’s better to inject them into gemstones.

Until now, he’d either completely suppressed his pheromones or let them release naturally. But applying them to an object turned out to be surprisingly tricky.
Is it just me? Or is this actually hard for everyone?
Unlike people in this world, who were familiar with pheromones, Lowell wasn’t. Still, determined to try, he took the ring with the blue gemstone Felix had given him and attempted to coat it with his pheromones. At first, he wasn’t sure he was doing it right—but gradually, it started to feel more natural.

I guess I shouldn’t overthink it. I just have to concentrate on letting the pheromones flow into one place.
Visually, the blue gem didn’t seem to change at all, but when he held it up near his nose, it gave off a faint, sweet scent. Because he was the source of the pheromones, he had grown used to them and couldn’t clearly recognize the exact smell—it just seemed mildly sweet.
He kept working on it through the evening, until even Tia, who was watching nearby, was impressed.

“The scent’s gotten really strong. If His Grace carries that around, people might think you’re right beside him.”
“I can’t tell at all, honestly. Is it really that noticeable?”
“Yes. I think it’ll help a lot.”

Lowell flinched a little at Tia’s response and looked mildly embarrassed. He assumed she’d said it to ease his mind.
“Did I seem that anxious?”
“Not exactly… but you did seem very concerned for His Grace. The two of you are quite devoted to each other.”

If even a knight was saying something like that, he must’ve been wearing his heart on his sleeve without realizing. Lowell felt a sudden urge to crawl into a hole—but soon decided it wasn’t a bad thing.
If that kind of talk spreads and softens the rumors about Felix, that would be for the best.
Thinking of it that way made the embarrassment bearable. Twiddling the ring between his fingers, Lowell thought that if Felix came home late again today, he’d give it to him in the morning. Lately, he’d been so tired he often fell asleep before Felix even returned.

“Lowell, are you in?”
But before he could finish the thought, the study door opened and Felix walked in. Despite having worked several days with barely any sleep, he didn’t look tired at all.
“Yes.”

“If you don’t mind, shall we return to the tower early tonight?”
“Sure.”
It was a proposal with no reason to refuse, so Lowell quickly moved to stand beside him.

“How’s your back?”
“Better. I think someone’s been massaging me in my sleep.”
“I see.”

Lowell had realized, half-awake, that Felix had been giving him massages. He’d even set things up for Felix to take credit—but instead, Felix had just acted like it never happened. Rather than teasing him about it, Lowell decided to express his gratitude honestly.
“Thank you… for taking care of me even while you’re busy.”
“That’s just what I should be doing. Ignoring someone carrying your child when they say they’re in pain? That’s what trash would do.”

“Where’d you learn that?”
“Books.”
Lowell wanted to ask what kind of books Felix was reading but swallowed the question. He doubted the answer would be particularly useful.

“Let’s go inside.”
As Felix opened the tower door like it was nothing, Lowell kept spinning the ring between his fingers. Now that the moment had come, he couldn’t understand why he was hesitating.
“Lowell? Are you feeling unwell?”

When Lowell didn’t respond and just stood frozen at the entrance, Felix asked, confused. Snapped out of his trance, Lowell let out a small “Ah,” and stepped inside.
“It’s not that… I just have something to give you.”
“What is it?”

Felix casually asked as he unwrapped Lowell’s thick muffler. Lowell, awkward and unlike himself, held out the ring that had warmed in his hand from holding it too long.
“Could you… lean down a little?”
Felix hadn’t seen what Lowell was holding, but he obediently bent down as instructed. He ended up nearly folding in half to meet Lowell’s eye level. Lowell slipped the ring, now tied to a cord, around Felix’s neck and tapped his shoulder gently to signal he was done.

“This is…”
There was no need to ask why—Felix’s nose was instantly filled with the scent of Lowell’s pheromones. Though Lowell was standing right in front of him, it felt like he was being held close in Felix’s arms.
“It’s my engagement ring. So when you come back, you’ll have to return it.”

Felix looked down at him silently, then finally replied with difficulty, “All right.” His expression said he was too overwhelmed to say anything more. Rather than adding clumsy words, he simply looked at Lowell and pressed his lips to the ring. The gesture felt almost sacred—like being kissed himself, it made Lowell’s heart ache.
“Could I borrow Your Grace’s bracelet too?”
“Is this a trade?”

Felix asked as he swiftly removed the bracelet from his wrist ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) and slipped it onto Lowell’s arm. Due to their difference in size, the bracelet was so loose it looked like it might fall off. Without a second thought, Felix knelt down and removed it again.
“Your Grace?”
Lowell tilted his head in confusion, then laughed aloud when he realized Felix was trying to fasten it around his ankle.

“Perfect fit.”
It was still a bit large, but at least it wouldn’t fall off like it would on his wrist.
“You’ll have to give it back when I return.”

“Yes.”
They went to bed a little earlier than usual. When Lowell moved his leg, the gem on the bracelet made a soft clinking sound.
“Take care while you’re away.”

“You be careful too.”
“No need to worry. You’ll be back soon anyway.”
“Tia knows how to use the magic orb in the tower. Contact me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”
With that, their simple conversation ended, and for the first time in a while, they both fell into a deep sleep.
And the next morning, when Lowell opened his eyes—
Felix was already gone.