Rael’s first resolution was that she needed to leave this place. Well, she had always thought about it, but now it seemed more imperative than ever.

And her second resolution…

“Rubellan.”

During a rare breakfast together with Rubellan, Rael called his name.

“Yes, Senior.”

Rubellan smiled with narrowed eyes as he transferred vegetables onto Rael’s plate.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

“Speak freely. I’m always ready to listen to whatever you have to say.”

Rubellan spoke casually, seemingly wondering why she was being so formal.

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Her second resolution was to reveal her pregnancy. Since he wasn’t showing immediate hostility toward the child, her plan was to disclose this information and then gauge his reaction.

At Rael’s words, Rubellan froze mid-motion. Rael scraped away the fork that had stopped over her plate with her knife. The sharp sound of metal scraping against metal rang out as the salad dropped onto her plate.

Rubellan slowly put down his utensils and looked at Rael.

“What did you just say?”

His slightly stiffened expression suggested he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. This was certainly unlike his usual self. His visible agitation was quite a sight to behold.

“I said I’m pregnant. Me.”

She calmly put some salad in her mouth and repeated herself, while Rubellan scrutinized her closely.

“Pregnant, you say…”

He was clearly shocked by the news, behaving uncharacteristically. But something seemed off. Rael appeared too calm in his eyes.

“Why do you look so unbothered by this, Senior?”

How strange. A human pregnant with a demon’s child, yet so composed.

“Well, it’s no big deal. This was your purpose for bringing me here in the first place. I thought you’d be happy that it’s been accomplished.”

“Hmm.”

Rubellan’s eyes narrowed.

“You said you wouldn’t hand the child over to the mages.”

“So that’s why you asked that question before.”

Rubellan’s fingers slowly drummed on the table.

“Either way, I need to protect this child.”

From the context of their conversation, it sounded like she meant protecting the child from the Magic Tower, but Rael’s gaze was fixed directly on Rubellan. Her demeanor resembled a declaration of war.

“I want you to protect me and the child.”

Rubellan held Rael’s steady gaze for a long time. Her blue eyes shone without wavering. She should normally be dizzy and confused in this situation. Once again today, Rubellan found himself surprised by this human called Rael.

And he was surprised at himself too. More emotions than expected were mixing together, making him hesitate about how to respond.

A child.

A child, huh.

Rubellan silently repeated this ticklish word to himself several times.

After staring at each other in silence for a while, a smile finally returned to Rubellan’s face. Then he spoke.

“My happiness will be doubled. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Loving eyes, sweet tone, everything was ideally perfect. If they had been humans in love building a happy family, this would have been the perfect scenario. Rael smiled back at Rubellan.

Rubellan stood up, walked around the long dining table, and approached Rael. Her heartbeat subtly quickened as his footsteps drew closer.

He wrapped both hands around her shoulders and bent his waist. His face settled precariously close to her ear.

“Congratulations, Senior.”

* * *

What could he be thinking?

Rael sat in a comfortable rocking chair, pondering about Rubellan. She wondered how he felt after hearing her bombshell announcement.

Though he had clearly been shaken, Rubellan acted normally after offering his congratulations. His face remained relaxed as always, even showing more excitement than usual.

He even asked what name they should choose and whether she preferred a boy or a girl, maintaining his composure, at least on the surface.

How could she know what was truly going on inside his mind?

One thing was clear though: she needed to ensure he didn’t develop hostility toward the child.

Rael found this new side of herself unfamiliar. She never imagined developing maternal instincts just because something the size of a millet grain was growing inside her.

Especially in this situation, trying to protect the seed of a demon.

“This is perfect for a one-way ticket to hell.”

Perhaps this would be recorded not just as a single line in some history book, but as dozens or hundreds of lines.

“Hah…”

Her sigh was deep, and her mind remained congested with thoughts.

Her priority was the safety of herself and the child. After that, she needed to escape this place and give birth. Since she couldn’t be certain what thoughts filled Rubellan’s mind, leaving him to find her own path was a better choice than constantly worrying about his whims.

Of course, she had absolutely no intention of returning to the Magic Tower. Weren’t they worse than demons?

The mere thought made her shudder. Going back to her hometown was too predictable.

A place where she could avoid both the Magic Tower and Rubellan. As she pondered, Rael’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Ah.”

Yes. That place would work.

It was probably the only place beyond the reach of demonic eyes and ears.

* * *

“How are you feeling today?”

Esh had been checking on Rael’s condition since morning. She thought that, being a demon unfamiliar with human pregnancy and childbirth, she had much to learn in advance.

“Well, ten months will pass in the blink of an eye, so we need to prepare quickly. A crib, rattles, diapers, blankets, clothes… I wonder if I have an eye for such things.”

“How about we go shopping for them together?”

Esh, who had been arranging the bedding, couldn’t hide her dismay at Rael’s suggestion. She likely felt a chill whenever Rael showed any desire to leave the castle.

“I’ll talk to Rubellan about that.”

Rael had no particular intention of making things difficult for Esh. On the contrary, she felt grateful because Esh had given her a good idea.

“Is there anything specific you want to eat? Don’t humans crave sour or sweet things during pregnancy?”

“I’m not sure. Right now, I don’t feel like eating anything.”

“That’s not good for your body or the baby. If not a meal, at least have some fruit.”

In truth, her loss of appetite stemmed more from her complicated feelings about the current situation than from pregnancy. Of course, food smells did make her nauseous, but not to the point where she couldn’t eat at all.

“Then let’s take a walk with Kali and head to the dining hall.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Esh was pleased that Rael, who had seemed down for several days, wanted to go for a walk.

“Kali.”

“Grrrr.”

When Rael called Kali, she responded from a dark corner of the room. Kali extremely disliked sunlight, so she usually hid in the shadows like this.

“What have you been eating to grow so big?”

Despite not having met that long ago, Kali had grown twice her original size. When they first met, Kali must have been at her smallest and youngest. Though even then, she hadn’t really resembled a cute puppy.

When Rael went to the garden with Kali, Yuswen was there. The garden in front of the Demon King’s Castle was barren after the terrible hybrid flowers had been burned.

“Yuswen, are you planting something new this time?”

“Ah. Lady Rael.”

Yuswen awkwardly nodded at Rael’s appearance. He was holding a handful of branches from the garden trees.

“It seems difficult to grow flowers that humans cultivate.”

“Oh. I saw that disaster myself, so I understand.”

Yuswen sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

“Right. It would be cruel to plant flowers that can’t take root here.”

“There are beautiful flowers in this realm too.”

“How about not planting anything?”

Yuswen tilted his head at Rael’s words. Her response was unexpected since he thought she would prefer a beautifully maintained garden.

“…It just seems like this place is too dangerous for anything to sprout.”

Rael said this with a faint smile.

This place truly didn’t match the word “life.” Plants or humans, nothing should take root here.

“Right, Kali?”

When Rael smiled and patted Kali, the wolf rolled on the dirt ground, showing her belly just like she did with Rubellan. While scratching Kali’s belly, Rael scanned the garden with her eyes.

Perhaps this place would be best suited to the barren appearance it had when she first arrived. No warmth should dwell here.

“The heat seems to be breaking.”

Yuswen said, taking off the hat he was wearing. As he said, the hot summer was already passing. Soon autumn would come, then winter, and after that, spring.

“It’s the first time I’ve wished spring wouldn’t come.”

Spring was indeed Rael’s favorite season. How could anyone not love that green and warm season? But now, Rael wished more than anyone that spring would not arrive.

She hoped the warm breeze wouldn’t blow, flowers wouldn’t bloom, the earth wouldn’t be dyed green with the scent of grass, and most importantly, that the life within her wouldn’t sprout in this place.

“In that spirit, you should stop being so playful too.”

She felt bitter seeing Kali following her like an owner. There shouldn’t be anything here to grow attached to.