Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child chapter 38

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“Are you asking us to just endure it?”

“Do you really think this kind of behavior is acceptable?”

The voices abruptly fell silent after those words.

‘They must’ve heard I was coming. The last speaker sounded like Hamilton, the Steward.’

When Lowell finally opened the door and entered, the room seemed bustling with activity as though nothing had happened.

Yet, the strained atmosphere betrayed the underlying tension.

‘Servants who usually avoid each other are suddenly mingling.’

In the absence of the Grand Duchess and her attendants, the duties within the Grand Duke’s residence were clearly divided.

The long-serving staff, who had been around since the previous Grand Duke—or even longer—handled household management and Felix’s personal needs.

Meanwhile, newer servants dealt with menial tasks.

The old staff were aligned with the Steward, Henry, while the new staff sided with the Butler, Hamilton, and head maid.

‘To put it simply, it’s the Butler’s faction versus the Steward’s faction.’

The Steward and maid had been nominal positions under the previous Grand Duke.

However, Felix’s prolonged absences due to war had given them an opportunity to assert influence.

‘They’ve always seemed at odds, but it looks like tensions escalated this time. Normally, newer servants shouldn’t have much say, but things must’ve been poorly managed.’

Lowell quickly pieced together the situation and adopted an innocent expression.

“What happened here?”

“There was some noise while carrying heavy items. We apologize for causing a disturbance.”

The Steward’s overly humble tone strongly implied, ‘Don’t get involved.’

Butler Hamilton, frowning deeply, seemed frustrated by the Steward’s initiative in responding.

“Oh, so there wasn’t an argument?”

Feigning ignorance, Lowell asked as if genuinely curious.

He didn’t expect an honest answer but wanted to gauge their reactions.

‘Judging by the overall atmosphere, this isn’t just a personal dispute. The recent dismissal of many servants—most of whom were from the newer group—must’ve been the spark. The Steward’s faction would naturally harbor grievances.’

Keeping his composure, Lowell gave a faint smile while observing everything keenly.

“Of course. We’ll ensure nothing disturbs you further, Young Lord.”

Hamilton’s response met Lowell’s expectations.

It was only natural to downplay any conflict among servants while showing proper respect to Felix’s partner.

“Yes, we’ll make sure there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

The Steward’s words, however, carried a different undertone.

‘There’s nothing for you to worry about because it’s none of your business.’

The Steward likely believed he’d masked his intent well, but Lowell saw through it immediately.

‘He thinks he’s subtle, doesn’t he? Ridiculous.’

Stifling a laugh, Lowell looked around again before clasping his hands together, pretending to be satisfied.

“It’s fine. These things happen while working. I hope I didn’t disrupt anything by coming down.”

Smiling graciously, Lowell turned and left, inwardly pleased with himself.

Felix’s absence had made it clear—it was time to reorganize the dynamics among the servants.

‘The first step is figuring out the power struggle between these two factions.’

Lowell began considering who might be willing to speak candidly.

‘The knights might give honest answers, but they’re probably clueless.

Most of their time is spent with Felix, so they wouldn’t know much about the household dynamics.’

His next thought was Hamilton, who seemed loyal to Felix.

However, Lowell quickly dismissed the idea.

‘Someone that responsible wouldn’t reveal internal conflicts to me. If Felix asked, he’d treat it as an order, but sharing with me would feel like creating trouble.’

What Lowell needed was someone less responsible but with a small sense of indebtedness to him. Without hesitation, he called for Hamilton.

“Butler, could you bring someone to my room? A servant with short brown hair, freckles, and about this tall. They brought me a meal once, and I wanted to ask them about it.”

“Understood. And please, feel free to call me Hamilton.”

Hamilton had grown noticeably more affable since realizing Lowell wasn’t here to undermine Felix.

“Then I’ll call you Hamilton.”

Lowell wasn’t someone who missed such details, so he anticipated that his plans would flow more smoothly from now on.

Not long after Hamilton left, a soft knock sounded at the door of the study.

“You, you called for me…”

The person entering was visibly trembling, their hands shaking uncontrollably.

‘No wonder they’re terrified. They’re the only servant who wasn’t dismissed that day when I took in the injured worker who fell off the ladder. They must think I called them to confirm what they’ve been hiding.’

The servant had been spared dismissal simply because they weren’t present during the incident, having been sent out on an errand.

Lowell had realized this when the servant first began serving meals but had chosen not to mention it.

After all, it wasn’t something worth firing them over, and he figured they might prove useful later.

‘And here we are, proving me right.’

With a slightly amused expression, Lowell opened his mouth to speak.

“Yes, I have something I’d like to ask you.”

At those words, the servant turned pale as if about to faint.

It was clear they’d spent each day in sheer terror, waiting for their secret to be exposed.

“There’s no need to be so nervous.”

“Pardon?”

The servant’s voice cracked with surprise.

“I have no intention of telling the Grand Duke about what happened that day. In fact, I know you were the first to call for help, out of concern.”

“R-really? Truly?”

The servant was overwhelmed by the unexpected stroke of luck.

For a brief moment, they doubted if this was a trap, but they quickly realized Lowell had no reason to do so.

“Why would I lie? If anything, I feel bad for not putting you at ease sooner.”

Lowell spoke with a tone of gentle kindness, not bothering to hide the hint of benevolence in his demeanor.

The servant, comforted by his warm attitude, began to breathe a little more steadily.

“May I ask your name?”

“I’m Xenia, Xenia Shen, my lord.”

Xenia bowed repeatedly as she introduced herself.

Having been tightly wound with anxiety, her body relaxed almost to the point of collapsing from relief.

“Well, Xenia. It’s true that I have something to ask. I thought you’d be the best person to know.”

“If it’s something I know, I’ll answer anything.”

Although she might feel differently once her emotions settled, Xenia was currently filled with a sense of loyalty.

Lowell had just saved her from the dreadful fear she’d been living under, and she couldn’t help but feel an instinctive fondness for him.

‘It’s fleeting, but I’ll make sure it lasts.’

Lowell softened his gaze, adopting a more affable tone.

When combined with his striking appearance, the effect was powerful.

“Don’t just stand there. Please, take a seat across from me.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t—”

“It would make me uncomfortable if you didn’t. This might take a little while.”

Hesitantly, Xenia was drawn in by Lowell’s charisma and sat down in the chair opposite him.

“Given what’s happened, I’m concerned there might be some dissatisfaction among the people who were dismissed. It worries me because I was the reason they were let go.”

Lowell sighed, his expression forlorn.

Xenia, startled by his vulnerability, waved her hands frantically.

“That couldn’t be! In fact, most of them were relieved it ended with just being dismissed. There are some masters who ensure their former employees can never work elsewhere.”

As Xenia explained, she pointed out that the Grand Duke, Felix, had simply dismissed them without further retaliation.

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