“Do you like it?”
“Me? Oh, it’s very clean and organized, which makes me feel calm.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes.”
Pleased that I successfully changed the subject, I continued to look around the office with a smile, keen to absorb every detail of the space.
“Oh, you’ve placed the flower I gave you over there.”
Suddenly, looking towards his desk, I noticed the flower I had given him as a gift.
“It fits the room better than the pot I brought.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Really?”
“It was better with the one you brought.”
That wasn’t just empty talk from me. I genuinely thought the current pot suited the flower more than the one I had brought. But Caern seemed to think otherwise.
‘Is he just being considerate because I regret breaking the original pot?’
Touched by his thoughtfulness, my heart fluttered again.
After that, we engaged in brief, casual conversation, mostly about Adelia – how she was doing and whether she was happy. We also talked about the flowers I planted in the garden today.
I thought about discussing garden maintenance with him but decided it would be better to speak to the servants about it later.
That’s when I remembered.
Although it was a bit late, I had one more gift for him. Feeling that the timing was right, I carefully took the gift out of my pocket and offered it to him.
“What is this?”
“A gift for you.”
“A gift? I thought the flower was the gift.”
“I wanted to give you this as well.”
Embarrassed, I tried to look away but then gathered my courage.
“I remember you lent me a handkerchief once, so I wanted to give you a new one.”
“A handkerchief?”
“Yes.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Caern unwrapped the gift, revealing the white handkerchief I had bought.
“It may not be as nice as the one you gave me, but I hope you’ll accept it.”
He remained silent, just staring at the handkerchief since I handed it to him.
“What does this mean? KH?”
Then, he looked up at me, pointing to the initials embroidered on the handkerchief.
“It’s your name.”
“My name?”
“Yes. The initials of your name.”
“But why KH?”
I was taken aback, despite having prepared an answer.
“Why not just K?”
“It seemed a bit empty with just one letter, so I added the next one as well.”
“Is that so?”
As I replied, Caern’s gaze shifted from the handkerchief to me, piercing.
I feared he might guess the true meaning, but I couldn’t let him discover it.
Regretting my decision yet trying to appear nonchalant, I smiled.
“Should I have just embroidered one letter?”
“No. It’s fine this way. I like it. Thank you for the gift.”
Relieved that he liked it, I calmed myself.
Now…
After giving the gift and having a light conversation, it was time to address the real matter.
“Duke.”
I began cautiously, looking at him.
“I actually have something to tell you.”
At my words, Caern nodded slightly, indicating for me to go on.
But my lips wouldn’t part easily.
I needed to speak, I knew that, but my mouth wouldn’t move.
“If you have something to ask of me, feel free to speak.”
“It’s just that… well…”
I wondered how Caern would react to my words.
I couldn’t predict it. Considering his usual demeanor, he might take it calmly, but given recent events, he could also get angry.
And either way, I knew it would be hard for me for a long time.
But it was something I had to face.
I couldn’t delay it out of fear.
‘I must do it.’
I can do it.
I encouraged myself and finally managed to start speaking.
“Actually, I’m planning to study abroad soon…”
He nodded at my mention of studying abroad.
“You’ve always wanted to study overseas. I’ll send servants to look after the mansion. How long do you plan to be gone? A month? Two?”
“Ah… The country I’m going to is quite far. It might take a while. But considering your age, Duke, I think we need to discuss our engagement…”
“Engagement?”
His eyes sharpened when I mentioned the engagement.
“What do you want to say about the engagement?”
His tone felt edgy too.
I observed his expression, which I hadn’t seen before, and continued.
“I’m grateful that you proposed to take care of me after my parents passed away.”
Caern’s face turned completely rigid.
It seemed the more I spoke, the worse the situation became.
But I couldn’t stop now.
“But if I go abroad, it’ll be years before I return. Maintaining an engagement based on your kindness doesn’t seem right. I can take care of myself now. I can’t keep relying on you.”
Caern leaned back slightly and crossed his arms, leaning on the sofa.
I hesitated for a moment but then steeled myself.
“There’s no need to maintain this formal engagement anymore. You should find a Duchess soon…”
Before I could finish, Caern, who had been mostly still, suddenly stood up.
I stopped talking as the ominous atmosphere intensified, and my lips went dry.
He stood up, but then there was silence. No words, no movement from him.
It was suffocating.
Our eyes met for a moment. His eyes, darker than usual, seemed to pierce into me.
I couldn’t tell what he was trying to say.
All I knew was he was extremely angry.
‘What should I do?’
But why he was angry, I had no idea.
And without knowing the reason, I couldn’t say anything.
Saying anything rash might only make him angrier.
So, I just watched anxiously as he slowly moved.
His steps were unhurried as he approached me.
Soon, he stood right in front of me.
Then his lips, which had been sealed all this while, finally opened, and a slightly rough voice came out.
“Formalities? Who ever said this engagement was just a formality? I must have greatly misled you. Let me say this again. No matter how much time passes, we will marry, and you will become the Duchess of this place.”
His voice was exceptionally low, and as I couldn’t immediately grasp the meaning of his words, I could only stare at him in a daze.
Once again, a heavy silence fell between us.
What did he mean by that?
I tried to decipher the meaning of his words, but perhaps due to the shock, my mind wasn’t functioning properly.
“…What? What do you mean by that…?”
After a long while, the only words that managed to escape my lips were those.
“It seems you don’t understand. What I’m saying is…”
It was then.
Knock, knock.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
