Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child

"I’ve planted quite a few spies here and there, you see."
The Crown Prince offered the vague explanation with a shrug. Felix stared down at him with sunken eyes, as though the remark wasn’t even worth replying to. That reaction could easily have offended someone else, but the Crown Prince merely rolled his shoulders lightly and continued without taking it personally.

"As soon as I was informed that Duke Felix was headed this way, I also received word that a black mage had self-destructed nearby. Wouldn’t it be natural to make the connection? If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have had the faintest idea where to track them. But since the target was a former comrade—Duke Felix—I could make an educated guess."
"I understand how you came to be here. But that doesn’t explain why you came personally."
Felix rephrased the sentiment, Just shut up and tell me why you really came all the way here, with polite wording.

"Important matters should be handled in person."
It was the same reasoning he’d used when he’d brought Robin.
"You changed the plan suddenly. I needed to understand why."

The Crown Prince glanced around as he spoke, his meaning implicit: there were too many people present to speak freely.
"I’ll explain. Let’s go inside."
The knights, understanding the atmosphere, remained stationed outside the cave. Only the three escorts assigned to Lowell were permitted to follow inside.

"I was wondering if perhaps you had lost faith in me because I didn’t work harder to prevent your being summoned under treason charges."
"You’re not far off."
"Oh dear. All we’re trying to do is eliminate those who seek to control the Emperor—and yet you put it that way?"

The Crown Prince cut off Felix’s words with a sarcastic curl of his lips and continued on in the same snide tone.
"So then—what’s the reason you didn’t stick to the plan to round up the noble faction on the day of the ritual? I do hope you have an explanation I’ll find satisfactory."
Even though Felix’s position had become more dangerous, the Crown Prince hadn’t taken any special measures. And now, he was demanding an explanation like he was the only one who had been inconvenienced. Felix was long used to the Crown Prince’s cold demeanor and didn’t get angry—but Lowell, listening from the side, let out a hollow, incredulous laugh, tinged with fury.

"I don’t understand why you’re being so overbearing when we share the same goal. We felt threatened and responded accordingly. That’s all."
"You speak as if I stood by and did nothing. Didn’t I inform you in advance?"
Despite Felix subtly signaling him to back down, Lowell glared and spoke directly to the Crown Prince. Still, the Crown Prince didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow in response.

"You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Your Highness—you know why the noble faction, or more precisely the Emperor, is going so far with this fabricated charge to summon Felix, don’t you?"
That sharp accusation finally provoked a reaction. The Crown Prince, who had maintained a constant air of composure, instantly glanced toward Felix.
"How do you know that? As far as I know, even Felix doesn’t have that information."
"Tell me first. Then I’ll speak."

Lowell didn’t show his usual mild expression. He bore down with a sharp glare, cornering the Crown Prince.
"Don’t dance around it. Speak clearly."
Felix had a rough idea what they were discussing, but stepped in to clarify the subject of the conversation.

"They need you for the ritual. To be precise… you're one of the required sacrifices. The summoning ritual they’re performing requires both black mages and a massive amount of magical power."
Lowell let some of his anger dissipate when he heard the Crown Prince use the term “summoning ritual” instead of “resurrection ritual”, and “great magical power” instead of “blood of a blood relative.”
Maybe he softened it deliberately so Felix wouldn’t get emotional.

Lowell glanced subtly at Felix, checking his expression.
Even if he already knew the content, I’d only spoken about it in speculative terms until now. If I suddenly speak with certainty, it might strike him as odd.
But Felix simply accepted it. Not because he failed to notice the shift, but because he prioritized understanding the situation and seeking a solution.

"You left that part out deliberately, didn’t you? To hold the ritual while Felix is in the capital—he was the bait."
"Go on, let’s hear more."
"If the ritual is rushed, there’s bound to be more leaks of information. And the surveillance on Your Highness will loosen. The information was given either to be spilled during transport—or to maintain appearances after Felix returned unharmed."

Lowell’s decision to go directly to the capital had been driven, more than anything, by his distrust of the Crown Prince. Even if their goals aligned, he couldn’t consider someone an ally if they were using different means.
"Rude—but not a bad deduction. It’s fairly accurate."
The Crown Prince, in contrast to his earlier forceful tone, responded calmly.

"But if I really intended to use Felix as bait, I wouldn’t have told him anything at all. I know he’s not stupid enough to accept betrayal and still deliver information."
"Then…"
"I trusted in the Duke’s power. I expected he’d move in line with my intent."

The Crown Prince shrugged again, clearly leaving the rest of the explanation to Felix.
"I only know fragments, but magical restraints don’t work on me. Not completely, anyway. If I amplify my magic all at once, I can cause them to explode. Not only that, but I can nullify spells cast within a certain ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) range. So even if I were forced into the ritual, I could escape at any time."
It was only possible because Felix’s magical capacity was unprecedented.

"Exactly. If the Duke gave me the location, I planned to strike. If you want to call that bait, well, I won’t argue."
"Then you should have told us sooner."
"If he acted like he knew, they would have grown suspicious."

To Lowell, who prioritized Felix’s safety, that explanation wasn’t fully satisfying—but from a purely logical standpoint, it made sense.
"Then how did you come by this information? And what’s this ‘other plan’ you mentioned?"
"I found a set of encrypted documents when I was still in the Clarke household. At the time, I didn’t even realize they were encoded—didn’t think they were important. But after Your Highness mentioned the Clarke family’s involvement in this plan, I recalled them and pieced it together."

Lowell’s explanation sounded weak even to himself. He had thought up dozens of excuses—but none of them were fully believable. The most realistic story was that he had been a pawn of the Clarke family and had defected because of his love for Felix—but it didn’t make sense for a mere pawn to be entrusted with such valuable information.
"Do you really expect me to believe that? Maybe you’ve managed to fool this lovestruck Duke, but even a passing monster would laugh at that explanation."
As expected, the Crown Prince sneered.

"Isn’t the reliability of the intel more important than its source right now?"
"Couldn’t it be that you’re trying to lure us into a trap?"
"Then I’ll tell you what I know first. If even one detail differs from what Your Highness has already verified, you’re free to kill me right here."

"Lowell! How can you say something like that?!"
Felix roared, his voice echoing through the cave. But Lowell didn’t waver.
"I only said it because I’m certain it won’t happen."

The Crown Prince rubbed his chin, amused.
"Then why reveal this now?"
"I figured that if I left time to think, Your Highness would only dig into the source and fall deeper into suspicion. And more importantly…"

Lowell let out a deep sigh before continuing.
"I know where the final ritual site is—but not the temporary staging ground they’re using for preparations. Still, in order to hold the ritual, they need to draw the magic circle and inject magic into it for at least two weeks. So now that we’ve hit this point, I was finally able to confirm the information I had was correct."
The Crown Prince caught that Lowell had casually dropped the distinction between the mock site and the real one.

"Fair enough. I can’t say I trust you completely, but your information is worth checking out."
With that, the Crown Prince finally reined in his hostile tone.
"But even if we head to the capital, Lowell—you can’t come with us. You know why, don’t you?"

The question was directed at Lowell, but the Crown Prince’s eyes were on Felix.
"I understand. I never intended to go all the way to the capital. If they’re sending people to restrain me, then sending Lowell back to Nyx would be even more dangerous—so we traveled together up to this point."
"Then what was your plan after that?"

Even though they were talking about him, Lowell had nothing to say. In this world, power often stole the right to speak.
"I planned to send him by boat to an island town we’ll reach next."