Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

Between the two of them, the sound of the river flowing beyond the window brushed past.

Lowell took a moment to trace the meaning behind Felix’s words. Before Lowell could misread them, Felix spoke first.
"I meant that I don’t suspect you approached me with ulterior motives, or that you’ve been conspiring with someone else. I trust you."
At his words, Lowell’s lips naturally loosened into a smile—but at the same time, he felt slightly awkward. He was glad to have earned this much trust, yet it felt like Felix’s faith had no in-between.

"What if I betray you someday? What then?"
Lowell’s voice came out flat, as if drained. Felix let out a quiet huff. He reached out and gently stroked Lowell’s cheek. He couldn’t bring himself to even pinch it, afraid he might leave a mark on that delicate face. He replied softly, almost tenderly.
"If you were someone capable of betrayal, you wouldn’t say something like that."

"You can’t know that. The best liars always say the right things."
Lowell clung to the words, pushing back persistently. It sounded like a pointless thread of conversation, but this was Lowell’s unconscious habit—trying to ease the tension that had built up to the top of his head. He wasn’t aware of it himself, but Felix had already caught on. That was why he let the meaningless back-and-forth continue.
"I don’t think it will ever happen… but if everything you’ve done so far was just a lie to kill me…"

Felix’s hand, which had been caressing Lowell’s face, now touched his lips. His fingers tapped gently, as if testing them, like someone wanting to explore the inside. Even without a kiss, the gesture gave off a sensual intimacy. The greedy glint in Felix’s eyes only heightened that atmosphere.
"I’ll die gladly. So if that day ever comes, don’t feel guilty."
"..."

Lowell parted his lips. Felix’s finger tapped playfully against his teeth. There was no time to feel that something was off.
"Just think of me every day. Miss me. Grieve for the me who died for you—that’s all you have to do."
The tenderness and obsession mixed in Felix’s voice clung thick to Lowell’s eardrums. A shiver crept up his spine, melting away all the thoughts that had troubled him just moments before.

"You don’t have to go that far. I already think about you every day, Felix."
"That’s a relief. So do I."
Their hands intertwined. It was trust—solid and unshakable—that supported them.

"Your Grace, preparations are complete."
Until the knock came, they remained like that, just caressing each other's hands.
"Good."
***

"Head for the capital."
The moment Felix stepped into the carriage and gave the order, the knights—usually precise as clockwork—moved with a sudden, rusty hesitation.
"…Pardon? Didn’t you say you’d be heading to the castle?"

Tia spoke up on behalf of the confused knights. It was only after the words left her mouth that she realized she might’ve overstepped, but once spoken, they couldn’t be taken back. Fortunately, Felix didn’t scold them. He understood their confusion.
"The Crown Prince has summoned me."
Felix sold out the Crown Prince without the slightest hesitation. Judging from Felix’s earlier reaction to the letter, the knights suspected that wasn’t true, but voicing doubts against their lord was unthinkable. They could only guess that Felix had changed his mind during the brief conversation.

"Understood. We’ll prepare to head for the capital."
"Make sure the mages we contact en route leave no trace."
"Yes, sir."

The knights withdrew, and Felix unfolded a map to trace their route. He tapped his finger against the armrest.
"Once we leave this region, we’ll need to ride on horseback for a while. Will you be alright?"
It was a troubling question. Lowell’s body wasn’t the most resilient, and whether he could even ride properly was another issue.

Did this body ever learn horseback riding?
Nobles were generally taught from childhood—but Lowell had been cast off by his family, so it was entirely possible he’d never learned.
"I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up."

"And why would you need to ride alone?"
They both realized there’d been a misunderstanding.
"Did you really think I’d let you ride by yourself? Of course you’ll ride in front of me."

Lowell flushed. If he thought about it for even a second, it was obvious. Felix treated him like he’d fly away with the wind—there was no way he’d ever leave him to ride alone.
"I’ll make it so comfortable you could fall asleep on horseback."
Felix whispered this like a vow.

***
Contrary to Felix’s confident promise, Lowell had no room for sleep once they were actually on horseback.
At first, he was too aware of how closely he was pressed against Felix.

I thought I wouldn’t feel embarrassed anymore after everything we’ve done…
Being wrapped in Felix’s broad chest was fine. But the problem was below—Felix’s thick thighs were pressed right up against him, and something firm kept brushing against Lowell’s body. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, his mind kept drifting there.
In any other situation, he might’ve brushed it off with a joke—but now, Felix was only trying to protect him. It felt like Lowell was the only one entertaining inappropriate thoughts, which only made him more embarrassed. Of course, despite Lowell’s worries, Felix wasn’t entirely unaffected either. A subtle heat was stirring in him, too.

"Ahem… Are you alright?"
Felix cleared his throat and asked, noticing Lowell’s flushed neck. If Lowell had been able to see Felix’s face, he might’ve felt less guilty—but he was too stiff from the unfamiliar posture to even glance back.
"Yes… My, uh… my butt’s a little sore, but I’m okay."

They rode like that for nearly half a day before the knights who had gone ahead to contact the transport mages returned.
"Report."
"Yes, sir. As soon as we arrive at the village, we’ll be able to transfer directly to the capital."

Normally, Felix would have ended the conversation there. But this time, he gripped the reins tightly, as if something was bothering him.
"You made sure there were no leaks?"
"We contacted a guild known for discreet work in the nearby cities. They’ve grown recently and are said to be the most reliable."

Felix’s lips twisted. It would have been cleaner to use the transport mages they’d dealt with for years, but that risked information leaking back to the Emperor. This was a second-best option—but something about it didn’t sit right. And usually, Felix’s bad feelings didn’t come without reason.
"Alright. If I see anything suspicious, I’ll handle it myself."
He pulled Lowell close with more force. His heightened alertness was sharp as a whetted blade, cutting through the air and dousing the mood in cold silence.

They traveled for some time like that, until the tension in Felix and the knights grew noticeably heavier.
"We’re still quite a distance out, but the encirclement is tightening."
"Could it be the guild we hired was compromised?"

Lowell stiffened at the thought that this might be a trap from the aristocrats—but the more he thought about it, the less likely that seemed. He searched for other possibilities.
"That could be it… but it doesn’t seem like just the guild’s doing."
"Surround His Grace!"

Before any further explanation, the knights snapped into motion. Felix instinctively moved to the front, as was his habit as a commander—but glancing down at Lowell in his arms, he pulled back and slowed the horse instead.
"They’ll be on us in less than a minute. We’ll break through the front before we’re fully surrounded!"
At Felix’s order, the knights’ movements sharpened. The assassins—who hadn’t expected to be noticed—suddenly grew frantic.

"They’re not professionally trained."
Felix watched their disorganized maneuvers and quickly came to a conclusion.
"Then we only need to leave one or two alive."

His eyes flashed, and ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) dark magic began to seep from his body. The knights swallowed hard, waiting for his orders.
"Clear the front."
Without delay, the knights parted, leaving Felix a straight path. Once he saw the way was open, he plunged his black magic-infused sword into the ground.

What’s he doing?
Lowell’s eyes widened. He’d expected Felix to swing the sword, not this. The black magic flowed from the blade and sank into the shadows. That alone was eerie—but then the shadows, imbued with magic, took the shape of hands and leapt into the air.
"A-attack!!"

The hidden attackers screamed in panic.
It was the first time Lowell had ever witnessed a human-versus-human battle.