Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

To make matters worse, a snowstorm struck the following day.
"With all this snow… where could Gray have gone?"
Lowell let out his hundredth sigh as he stared out the window. That morning, he had nearly gone out to search the castle grounds, and it had taken Felix’s full effort to talk him down.

Felix sighed along with him, watching Lowell push his food around the plate, too upset to eat. So much for not getting attached, he had muttered, but Lowell was too preoccupied to even hear him.
"Let’s send someone to search around the castle. So quit worrying and try to eat a bit more."
"I'm not worried or anything. It’s just… with this snow, I can’t exactly tell the knights to go out there."

Lowell spoke with a face full of obvious concern, refusing the suggestion again and again.
"Trained knights won’t be troubled by a little snow like this. I’ll gather ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a few and send them out."
"R-really? Would that be okay?"

A glimmer of light returned to Lowell’s eyes. That alone was enough for Felix to know he’d made the right choice.
"Yes."
Felix shut the discussion down with finality, as if there were no need for further debate. He didn’t understand why Lowell was denying his own emotions so vehemently, but he worried the man might fall ill from the stress.

"Then I’m sorry, but… if she froze to death or something, the people who were feeding her would feel bad too, right?"
Lowell hastily cobbled together a reason why Gray had to be found. Felix looked at him with a cold, unreadable gaze.
If we find her, I’ll have them keep her in the servants’ quarters.
He’d found a solution: a way for the cat and Lowell to drift apart naturally without causing him more distress.

"I’ll have them report back once they find her. For now, get some rest. You’ve been on your feet all day without a break."
"Okay."
Finally realizing how worked up he’d been, Lowell sat down on the bed. Though the worry still simmered inside him, the sleepless night before let him drift off into a light doze. He leaned against the bed’s headboard, nodding off. Felix, unable to bear the sight, tried several times to coax him to lie down and rest properly. But Lowell would just shake his head and wake up, insisting, "I wasn’t asleep."

"Stubborn, aren’t you."
Felix had always known Lowell had strong follow-through once he made a decision. But this—this was a whole other level of stubbornness.
It was just around sunset, when Felix was thinking it was about time to call the knights back inside, that the sound of hurried footsteps echoed up the tower. A frantic knocking followed, uneven and sharp. Lowell snapped awake, blinking hard.
"I wasn’t asleep!"

"Right. Got it."
Felix turned toward the door, pretending not to notice the trail of drool about to slide from Lowell’s mouth.
"Come in."

Two knights stepped inside. Felix braced himself for bad news, but their expressions were surprisingly bright—no, flushed, even.
"W-we found the cat, sir."
"Is she—was she unharmed?"

Lowell leapt to his feet, voice sharp with urgency. The knights exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Yes, sir. No injuries. However…"
"If it pleases you, would you come see for yourself? I think you’ll be very pleased."

Caris, who had been standing behind them, piped up without warning. Since he was on friendly terms with Lowell, it must’ve been easier for him to speak up than it was for the other knights.
"You think I’ll be pleased?"
Lowell was already half-dressed. Felix didn’t love the idea of him going out in the snow, but seeing how excited he was, he couldn’t bring himself to stop him. He shot Caris a glare instead, and the man flinched.

"It’s not far! Just the stables next door."
No one had gone out recently, so the stables hadn’t been used by anyone besides the workers. If Gray had been there, no wonder she hadn’t been found.
"Let’s go quickly!"

Lowell hurriedly threw on the rest of his clothes. Felix, sighing, pulled out an extra coat and draped it over him.
"No matter how urgent it is, you have to dress warmly."
"We should get there before it gets dark."

Realizing how overexcited he must look, Lowell wound his scarf tightly and tried to calm himself. But his delighted steps gave him away, and Felix followed close at his side.
"Hold my arm. You’ll just fall again."
"Okay."

The stables were crowded with knights who had returned from their search. Tia, standing in the center, lit up the moment she saw Lowell and waved enthusiastically. The others kept a distance, as Gray seemed a little wary of them. Lowell cautiously made his way through and gasped.
“Wow!”
The stables glowed with soft orange light, warm and cozy. There, nestled deep in a thick pile of hay, Gray was licking her freshly born kittens.

“Gray!”
Lowell called her name, voice thick with emotion. Gray, who had been nervously eyeing the crowd, turned and looked directly at him. Her meow was raspy, but unmistakably warm.
“Can I come closer?”

As Lowell approached slowly, Gray didn’t seem to mind. She flopped onto her side and waited for him. Once he was close enough, Lowell bent over to get a better look at the kittens. There were four of them in total, ranging in color from pure black to snowy white.
Like the ink ran out as it went.
Lowell let out a soft, joyful laugh, the kind that made his earlier anxiety feel absurd. Felix was mildly annoyed to see Lowell so absorbed by something else, but seeing him that happy melted the tension away.

“Don’t they look like mice? How are they so tiny?”
Lowell whispered, clutching at Felix’s sleeve, eyes wide like he was witnessing some ancient miracle. But to Felix, it was Lowell’s smile—not the tiny animals—that was truly magical.
“What should we name them?”

Lowell gently petted Gray’s head. She should’ve been touchy, considering the circumstances, but she purred deeply under his hand.
"Didn’t you say you weren’t getting attached?"
Lowell gave a sheepish laugh and withdrew his hand.

"W-well, yes. But it’d be hard to call them anything without names."
Felix swallowed the urge to ask what the hell they’d need names for in the first place.
“You can name them however you want, but make sure they get enough food. Once the mother calms down, have them all sent to the servants’ quarters. That should be fine, right?”

Felix’s tone was firm. Lowell looked visibly disappointed but nodded and mumbled, “That sounds good.”
Gray, oblivious to their conversation, rubbed her head into Lowell’s hand, asking for more affection.
“They’re trying to nurse.”

The blind kittens squirmed toward Gray’s belly and began to suckle. Even Gray, distracted by Lowell, turned and dutifully looked after her children. Lowell, watching in a trance, murmured absentmindedly:
“Should I be doing something for my baby, too?”
“Why do you suddenly ask that?”

Lowell brushed back his hair with a hint of embarrassment.
“I mean… Gray came all the way into the Ducal Castle to find the safest, warmest place for her kittens. And now she’s taking such good care of them.”
“You can’t compare animals to people.”

“They’re not that different, really. Sometimes you learn more from animals.”
Lowell kept petting Gray while pondering if maybe it was time to start prenatal bonding.
“If there’s something you want to do, just tell me.”

Felix couldn’t fully follow Lowell’s delicate train of thought, but as long as it wasn’t dangerous or involved going somewhere, he had no intention of stopping him.
“All right. I’ll think it over a bit more.”
“If you’ve seen enough, let’s head back. Your cheeks are already turning red.”

“Understood.”
With eyes full of regret, Lowell stood up.
Back at the tower, Lowell tried to think of something he could do for prenatal bonding—if only to keep Gray’s image from lingering in his mind.

Better to do something I’m already good at than stress myself over something unfamiliar.
It suited him more to stick with his strengths. That narrowed it down.
And I can’t exactly exercise like this.

He turned to Felix, who had just come out from a wash.
“Felix, do you think I could learn painting?”
Lowell had studied art therapy and discovered he had a real knack for drawing. He liked it too, so it seemed like the perfect choice.

“That’s not difficult.”
“I’ll draw a portrait of you, too.”
Lowell spoke with calm confidence. Felix smiled back. The cat incident seemed resolved at last.

But a week later, on the day Lowell’s art instructor was supposed to arrive, Gray showed up outside the tower with her kittens in her mouth.
And just like that, Felix’s plan to keep Gray out of Lowell’s sight crumbled to dust.