Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

The nobles who had conspired in the plot and survived were publicly beheaded. The only exception was Count Clarke. He was attacked in prison by an intruder and killed in a way so brutal, it was difficult to put into words. Thanks to this, there was insufficient evidence to punish the family itself, but it was clear they had now fallen entirely out of favor with those in power. That was the official story. Behind closed doors, everyone agreed in whispers: the Clarke family had only survived because of Duke Felix.
It’s obvious who did it.
Lowell rubbed his tired eyes with one hand and shut the document. He no longer had any interest in the news from the capital.

After this much, the Crown Prince can handle the rest on his own.
He glanced over at Felix, who was busily stamping documents. In his opposite arm, Edwin—having just finished his milk—was fast asleep. Though large for his age, in Felix’s arms, he looked small.
They’ve hired all those caretakers, and yet he insists on carrying him around every time.

Felix behaved as though he wanted to carry Edwin in his mouth. Whenever Edwin opened his eyes, Felix would gaze endlessly into those blue irises—and then turn back to Lowell. It was so sweet that Lowell often ended up watching the two of them in silence.
“Where are you going?”
As Lowell rose from his seat, Felix’s eyes shifted instantly. Even with Edwin present, the watch over Lowell hadn’t loosened in the slightest.

If anything, it’s gotten even stricter.
Despite what he’d threatened, Felix hadn’t locked Lowell away in the tower. But from the moment Lowell got up to the moment he fell asleep, not once did Felix take his eyes off him. Lowell had even overheard that Felix had handed over all training duties to Tia.
“Are you skipping sword practice again today?”

“Yes. Everyone’s been working hard—they deserve a break.”
The knights who supposedly needed rest were currently covered in dust, sweating it out in the training yard. Seeing doubt in Lowell’s eyes, Felix averted his gaze and added like an excuse:
“Besides, I have to take care of Edwin, don’t I?”

As if no one else in the entire estate was capable of looking after Edwin but him.
“The wet nurse is waiting in the next room.”
Felix clamped his mouth shut and patted Edwin’s back. Lowell found it so endearing, he held back a laugh and instead spoke in a mock-serious tone.

“Are you trying to trap me inside your gaze forever?”
“If that were possible, I would’ve done it already.”
A soft, pleasant laugh rang through the room. Felix’s erratic heartbeat settled into rhythm with the sound.
“I’m not joking, Lowell. Be thankful there’s no magic in this world that can shrink a person.”

“Why? Planning to carry me around in your pocket?”
“No—I was going to commission a precious custom-made box to carry you in. But you’re right; a pocket might be the safest place after all.”
Watching him spout such absurd nonsense so seriously, Lowell pulled a book from the shelf.

“What would I need that magic for anyway? I only stood up to get a book. You can stop worrying.”
“Fine.”
Though Felix replied, he didn’t take his eyes off Lowell until he was seated again with the book in hand. Lowell waved the thick volume in the air for show, then sank into the couch. Only then did Felix’s hands return to their task.

"Hide what you love from the gods. They are too jealous to leave beautiful things untouched."
A blasphemous opening line for a book said to have come from the Empire, which worshipped many gods. The content concerned humans dragged into war as collateral damage in divine power struggles.
They always come up with justifications for these things, when really it’s just rulers fighting each other.
Blinking his dry eyes, Lowell felt sleepiness creeping in—perhaps from watching Edwin nap just a moment ago. Felix, buried in the backlog of work left behind during their time away from the ducal castle, suddenly spoke as though recalling something.

“Robin has disappeared.”
It was a surprisingly serious piece of news, but it didn’t shake Lowell from the pull of sleep.
“That’s a big deal. Still, I doubt Robin’s the kind of person to disappear without a reason.”

His voice, soaked in drowsiness, held no trace of tension.
“They say it happened the day after the Crown Prince confessed to him.”
Lowell’s eyelids, which had been fluttering as he tried to read, finally fell shut. He made a few more attempts to open them before surrendering entirely and lying down on the couch.

“That must’ve been a shock for him.”
“Right. The capital had only just begun to stabilize, and now it’s back in chaos again.”
Felix’s low, heavy voice carried a trace of excitement.

Why does it sound like Felix is enjoying this?
It was strange enough that he’d even brought up something he normally wouldn’t care about.
“Why… do you sound so happy…?”

The question emerged, slurred by sleep, but Felix seemed to understand it just fine.
“He was always so composed when it came to others. But now that it’s his own problem, he’s flailing—it's amusing, honestly.”
When no reply came, Felix looked up. Seeing Lowell lying fully at rest, he set down his pen and walked over with Edwin still in his arms.

“Sleep comfortably.”
He draped the folded blanket over Lowell and gently stroked his hair.
***

Lowell woke from a light sleep to the sound of a baby’s laughter. He turned his head naturally—and there was Felix, asleep in a shaft of morning sunlight.
He barely sleeps at night these days.
Lowell clicked his tongue, thinking of how Felix would always be either watching him or playing with his fingers when he awoke. He didn’t seem embarrassed at all—if their eyes met, he’d immediately lean in for a kiss.

It’s honestly a miracle he held back this long. He wasn’t joking when he said he was worried I’d collapse from lack of sleep.
Admiring the picture-perfect scene before him, Lowell reached out and lifted Edwin, hoping Felix could rest a little more comfortably. Normally, Felix would’ve sensed the movement and snapped awake—but today, he didn’t even stir.
“Mm... hnn.”

Though Edwin liked being in Felix’s arms, he especially loved it when Lowell held him. Lowell thought it was only because he didn’t get to hold the child as often. But Felix firmly believed the baby preferred Lowell—and, strangely, didn’t seem to mind that fact at all.
Didn’t they say even babies can judge character?
Shaking his head, Lowell worried Felix’s doting had doubled again. Edwin, thinking it was playtime, reached for Lowell’s dangling hair.

“It’s about time for a feeding, huh? You were so patient.”
Lowell said softly, watching Edwin move his lips in search of food. The baby must have suddenly realized he was hungry—he started working his mouth and preparing to cry. Not that it would be a full-blown cry; just a few tears, likely. But Lowell didn’t want to wake Felix, who had finally fallen into deep sleep, so he quietly slipped out of the study.
“Let’s go get some milk.”

“I’ll accompany you.”
Tony, who had skipped training to serve as guard, looked at Lowell’s arm with barely concealed worry. Edwin was a bit heavy to carry for long, but not enough to justify the panic.
“It’s just next door. Sir Tony, are you feeling better now?”

Lowell adjusted Edwin in his arms. Tony, still frowning, opened the nursery door.
“Yes. It really wasn’t anything serious.”
“You don’t need to speak so formally, you know.”

Lowell teased. Tony frowned deeper and bowed his head.
“Please forget the past.”
The wet nurses, seeing Edwin enter, couldn’t hide their excitement and jumped to their feet. Of course, it «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» wasn’t just because Edwin was so adorable—Felix rarely let anyone else near him during the day, so sightings were limited to nighttime.

“Welcome.”
“He seems hungry.”
“Oh dear, it’s just about that time.”

One of the nurses expertly took Edwin and immediately dazzled him with a series of playful gestures. The child, who had been pouting at having to leave Lowell, was completely distracted and broke into a wide smile.
“Does he sleep well at night?”
“Of course! And you wouldn’t believe how often he smiles.”

Lowell sat in a nearby chair and watched as Edwin drank his milk. As one would expect from a rapidly growing child, he emptied the bottle in no time.
I completely lost track of time again.
Realizing he’d been watching too long, Lowell rose, thinking it was time to return to the study.

Bang!
A thunderous crash echoed through the entire castle. Edwin flinched and began crying, and Lowell froze in place. A past battle—one he’d thought long forgotten—resurfaced in his mind all at once.
“Lowell! Where are you?! Lowell Clarke!”

But Felix’s desperate voice snapped him back to the present, slowly loosening the fear in his body.
“Call the knights!”
His command, laced with terror, rang through the halls. Sensing the urgency, Tony quickly threw open the nursery door.

“Lowell!”
Felix burst into the room without hesitation. In his hand, a black sword shook uncontrollably, and the shirt buttoned to his throat was soaked through with cold sweat.