Became Pregnant With the Demon King’s Child Side 4

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Lowell stepped out from behind Felix, slightly raising the corners of his mouth while knitting his brows a bit. He looked both troubled and uncomfortable.

‘He can take it as me pretending not to know because I’m in front of Felix, or he can think I really have a bad memory and forgot. If we were close, he’ll think the former, and if not, he’ll likely think the latter.’

Either way, it was an answer that anyone with a modicum of tact would take as a cue to back off.

But Digory was no ordinary character.

“Oh dear, I think your memory might return if we have a conversation.”

Digory puffed out his chest and tried to take another step toward Lowell.

He seemed to want to show him something, but naturally, Felix blocked him.

Lowell was worried about what he should say to chase this man away.

“Uung, Papa, where are we?”

When Edwin, who was held in Felix’s arms, muttered while being fussy from sleep, the tense atmosphere snapped.

At that moment, even Digory’s expression, which had seemed like it would stay solid through anything, cracked.

‘My good son. How did he get the timing so right?’

Lowell suppressed the urge to kiss Edwin right then and there.

“It seems Edwin is hungry. I’ll have to go back to the carriage for a moment and give him some bread. I’ll come back out when things look ready.”

“I believe the preparations will be finished in about ten minutes.”

Tia, who had been observing the situation, relayed the information in a voice loud enough for even Digory to hear.

It was a move intended as a warning not to approach any further.

“Then I shall look forward to another opportunity.”

Digory took a step back, declaring that he would not give up.

‘It feels like the first button was fastened wrong.’

Lowell swallowed a sigh while stroking the head of the quietly waiting Edwin.

‘It’s not like Felix will feel a sense of crisis at this point… but I think he’ll be displeased or jealous.’

Lowell watched Felix, eyes lifting slightly, and was struck by a sense of puzzlement.

To his surprise, Felix looked entirely composed.

Even the overwhelming pressure he had exerted while speaking to Digory had vanished, prompting Lowell to blink in disbelief.

Yet, when he looked again, Felix still showed no signs of emotional agitation.

‘Is it because he trusts me? Or because I firmly told that man I didn’t know him? Or maybe… maybe he’s just matured so much that he’s beyond petty jealousy.’

Lowell entertained several hypotheses, yet he couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease.

Felix’s excessive gentleness felt more like a warning sign than a comfort.

“Edwin, do you want some bread?”

“I like bwed.”

Felix wrapped an arm around Lowell’s waist as he spoke to Edwin.

Even as they headed toward the carriage, Lowell’s suspicions didn’t fade.

Had it not been for Edwin singing a song with lyrics about how much he liked bread to a melody Lowell had never heard before, his mind would have been entirely consumed by his doubts.

“Edwin, is it good?”

“Yes! It’s yummy.”

Edwin accepted the bread Felix was tearing into small pieces like a baby bird.

With his cheeks puffed out, the boy worked his jaw busily.

‘He looks like a little squirrel.’

Lowell gently poked the child’s cheek.

Despite his father interrupting his meal, Edwin simply giggled.

He even nudged his face toward Lowell as if asking for more affection, leading Lowell to push his remaining worries to the back of his mind for now.

‘Maybe I’m overreacting. Or maybe I’m the petty one, feeling a bit slighted that Felix isn’t jealous.’

Lowell stole one last look at Felix’s face, but again, he found no trace of intense emotion.

“Papa eat too.”

Edwin pressed a piece of bread against Lowell’s lips.

It seemed the boy felt bad that Lowell wasn’t eating while Felix was focused solely on feeding him.

Although Lowell didn’t particularly crave the bread, he didn’t refuse and opened his mouth.

Edwin burst into a peal of laughter as he fed Lowell.

Usually, Edwin was a child of steady emotions, but he laughed easily like this whenever he was with Lowell.

“Papa, is it yummy?”

“Yes.”

Since Edwin had asked in the exact same tone Lowell used, Lowell replied in kind.

A smile played on the lips of Felix as he watched the two of them.

However, his hands were gripping the bread with such excessive force that he was practically shredding it.

“Your Highness eat too.”

Having successfully fed Lowell, Edwin now offered bread to Felix.

Felix could have just eaten the bread in his own hand, but he didn’t refuse his son’s offering.

“Your Highness, is it yummy?”

Having enjoyed Lowell’s reaction earlier, Edwin repeated the question to Felix.

“Of course it is, since Edwin gave it to me.”

Apparently satisfied with the answer, Edwin kicked his feet back and forth.

It was a lovely habit he displayed whenever his mood reached its peak.

Lowell leaned back, hoping no more trouble would arise.

But as was often the case, things didn’t quite go as planned.

“It is time to depart.”

At Tia’s words, the family of three stepped outside.

The preparations for the actual journey were complete.

‘I wonder if anything has changed.’

Lowell hoped this trip would be a peaceful one.

---

“Look who it is.”

The main event was scheduled for tomorrow, but since they had to stay at the Imperial Palace while in the capital, they had gone to pay their respects.

‘Is this the first time seeing him since that incident?’

The young Emperor acted playfully toward Felix.

He was the kind of person who made one think that some things never change regardless of how much time passes.

“Your Majesty.”

Before Lowell or Felix could respond, a firm voice cut in from the side.

Robin had simply called his name, yet the Emperor immediately looked mindful of him.

“I got carried away with jokes because I was glad to see you. Welcome back to Phoebus.”

“Thank you for providing a place to stay.”

“It is only natural.”

After a few formal exchanges, Lowell began to gauge when they should take their leave.

“By the way, I heard the eldest son of the Tian family has returned?”

The Emperor had reignited the spark of the issue.

“Why are you asking us that?”

Felix’s face contorted immediately as he replied in a stiff, cold voice.

The atmosphere in the audience chamber turned razor-sharp in an instant.

While watching Felix’s reaction, Lowell’s mind was filled with question marks.

‘Was the friendship between Lowell and Digory deep enough for the Emperor to mention it?’

Yet, the Emperor’s question made little sense if they had been lovers.

While he could be mocking to the point of rudeness, he wasn’t the type to bring up a past lover in front of a married couple for no reason.

“I only asked because I thought the Grand Duchess Lowell Lucas might find it uncomfortable. I meant no harm, so do not misunderstand.”

The Emperor emphasized his lack of malice by pointedly using Lowell’s new surname and title.

However, his words only served to further unsettle the listener.

With no new information provided, he had only highlighted that something untoward had once existed between Lowell and Digory.

“Thank you for your concern. It was something so insignificant I have wiped it from my memory, so there is no need to worry.”

“I am glad to hear that. Then Felix has nothing to concern himself with either. I only ask that you do not cause any incidents while you are in the capital.”

The Emperor tightly grasped the hand of Robin, who was greeting Lowell.

It was a clear signal that the audience was coming to an end.

“Then, we shall take our leave.”

The Emperor nodded in permission.

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