Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

Felix made Lowell’s worry seem unnecessary. With one turn of his body, he used the centrifugal force to knock away the Crown Prince’s sword. The force was far greater than anything shown so far—enough that the Crown Prince staggered and, while trying to block the follow-up, dropped his sword.

"Ah…"
Lowell hadn’t seen exactly what happened, but he realized that Felix had counterattacked. His legs gave out and he sank back down onto the bench. Robin clicked his tongue in disappointment but then turned to Lowell and grinned.
"Do you know why His Grace agreed to the spar?"

"I’m not sure."
Lowell, drained of energy, replied in a deflated voice. Robin gave a knowing little laugh.
"If sword aura had been allowed, it might’ve been different—but they say His Grace is the only one who could never beat him purely in swordsmanship. So whenever something important comes up, he sparred with him to assess his own condition."

Lowell sat up, intrigued by the unfamiliar information, and listened closely.
"Most people don’t even compare, so it’s hard for him to properly gauge his condition through normal matches. And he’s the type who hates making decisions without certainty."
There were very few who could stand against the Crown Prince, the continent’s youngest Swordmaster. If sword aura had been permitted, Felix likely wouldn’t have won so easily. And of course, if magic were allowed, the outcome would’ve been different yet again. So comparing a sparring match to a real fight was pointless.

"I see. Thanks for telling me."
"No, not at all. I just thought you seemed a little on edge."
Spoken with a cheerful face, it was a sign of Robin’s perceptiveness. Thanks to him, Lowell was finally able to enjoy Felix’s victory without reservation.

"The sparring match is over!"
Felix, apparently with no intention of continuing, wiped the blood off roughly and walked toward Lowell. The Crown Prince also tidied his clothes and followed at Felix’s side.
"You did well."

Lowell looked at the blood still trickling from Felix’s neck with a pained expression.
"You said you wouldn’t get hurt…"
To Felix, this kind of wound was no different from an insect bite, so he hadn’t paid it much attention. But seeing how distressed Lowell looked made him feel oddly anxious—like he needed to do something to ease him.

"I let it happen to create an opening. It’s not serious enough to be called an injury, so there’s no need for that face."
"Your Highness doesn’t fear injury, so there’s hardly any difference between your feints and real movements. Even knowing that, it’s hard not to fall for it."
The Crown Prince shrugged and chimed in to explain, but it didn’t lift Lowell’s mood. From far away, it hadn’t seemed that bad—but up close, seeing blood continue to flow made it impossible to ignore.
"Then I guess I’m allowed to get a wound like this too, huh?"

Lowell, sulking, reached out and gently placed a finger near the wound. He couldn’t bring himself to actually touch it, but the gesture made it clear just how worried he was.
"How is that the same? You and I have completely different bodies."
Felix bent forward so Lowell could reach more easily, but scowled as he said it.

"It’s not different."
Lowell’s voice was soaked in emotion. Felix, having raised his voice in frustration, immediately calmed down.
"It’s not different at all… Don’t get hurt."

That soft, sinking voice made Felix stop and meet Lowell’s eyes.
"All right. From now on, I promise—I won’t let even a small scratch touch me."
"Okay."

Watching the two of them from beside them, the Crown Prince muttered to Robin with a baffled expression, "I don’t know if that’s even the Felix I know anymore."
"Please go get treated."
"I’m fine… No, okay. I’ll go, so just rest."

Felix had been about to brush it off, but when he saw Lowell’s face crumple with distress again, he stood up. He feared that if he refused again, Lowell might one day refuse treatment when he himself got hurt.
"Robin, could you go with him? Please make sure he applies the medicine properly."
Robin hesitated for a moment, not catching the intent behind the sudden request, but soon stood up.

"Yes. I’ll be right back."
As Felix and Robin left, the Crown Prince plopped down in the seat beside Lowell. Letting out a deep breath, Lowell sat back down as well.
"Why’d you send Robin with him?"

"I thought you had something to say to me."
"I’ve been thinking… Was the Earl’s heir always just pretending to be stupid? You’re nothing like what I heard."
Well, that’s because I’m a completely different person now.

Lowell suppressed the truth he couldn’t share and rubbed his neck. Talking with someone like the Crown Prince was exhausting in every way. Taking time for this conversation had been a deliberate decision—and not one made lightly.
"Felix will be back soon."
The subtle pressure to get to the point made the Crown Prince’s face go blank.

"Fine. This is more convenient for talking anyway."
He quickly lost interest in Lowell again.
"Is the child inside you really Felix’s?"

Even Lowell, who had mentally prepared himself for whatever might come out of the Crown Prince’s mouth, was stunned speechless by that first question. The knights pretending not to listen nearby also stirred slightly.
"I don’t know why you’d ask something like that, but yes."
"I hope he continues to love you."

Lowell resisted the urge to cradle his head in his hands at the cryptic remark. Noticing Lowell didn’t follow, the Crown Prince seemed to realize he hadn’t explained properly and continued.
"If it were the Felix I used to know, he would’ve rejected this offer. No—he wouldn’t have even replied to the first suspicious letter I sent."
Now Lowell understood what he meant. If this were the old Felix, he never would’ve responded to the Crown Prince at all. The only reason he acted now was because of his powerful desire to protect Lowell.

"I don’t know if this change in him is good or bad. But it’s helped with what I’m trying to accomplish, so I hope it lasts as long as possible. And for that to happen, it’s better if the child is his."
It was a deeply self-centered statement. But Lowell didn’t expect anything else. He understood this man’s position and hadn’t hoped for anything better—so he wasn’t even disappointed.
Why in the world does Robin like someone like this?

Still, it was hard not to question Robin’s taste.
"I don’t know how long Felix’s feelings for me will last."
Lowell found it absurd that he was revealing thoughts to the Crown Prince that he hadn’t even shared with Felix.

"But I’ll do my best to preserve things as they are, so you don’t need to worry."
"Right. Can’t have the biggest collaborator becoming a liability."
The Crown Prince looked satisfied, then continued in a lighter tone.

"Still… I didn’t think you’d be able to change that stiff man like this. Did you cast a spell or something?"
"I didn’t change him."
"No way. Everyone’s saying the Clarke family’s little fairy changed the Grand Duke. Some are even spreading rumors that you’re controlling him with black magic."

Plenty of groups wanted to use Felix as a sacrifice—so rumors connecting him to black magic were bound to spread further. For now, the emphasis was on Lowell, but soon it would be shifted toward black magic. Still, correcting rumors that had already spread through the capital was beyond Lowell’s ability.
That’s the Crown Prince’s job.
Lowell decided to ignore the meaningless remarks and just finish this tiresome conversation properly.

"That change must’ve come from Felix himself. Without his own will, it wouldn’t have happened."
"So you’re saying it had nothing to do with you?"
"I’m not denying I had some influence. But I’m saying that no one can force another person to change just because they want to. Humans can’t change other humans."

It was a warning directed at the Crown Prince. He was always plotting to shape Robin into what he wanted—but in the end, it would have to be Robin who chose to change himself. A single sentence wouldn’t reform a man like this, but Lowell hoped his words might someday affect the Crown Prince’s choices.
"That’s an interesting way to put it."
That was all the Crown Prince said.

"Lowell."
Just then, as the conversation came to a natural close, Felix returned. Lowell stood up. The Crown Prince, quiet and subdued, didn’t say anything further—and before dawn the next morning, he quietly left the estate.
Finally, I can breathe.

Or so Lowell thought.
But that’s when the real problems began.