I Became a Mother of a Sub-Male Son

Plod, plod.

 

The sound of footsteps began to get closer. Without being able to do anything, she curled up as much as she could and trembled. A rat in a prison. As the high priest said, her current situation was exactly like that. If they continued like this, they would end up in the same situation as the men who were caught and fell to the floor. Just thinking about it was so scary that she couldn’t think of anything. She couldn’t even figure out how to escape. A little while ago, the High Priest put out the eyes of two men with just a wave of his hand. There was no way she could run away from someone like that in the first place. She chewed her lips. She didn’t want to die in vain at the hands of that crazy person. But how? In a situation where there was no answer, tears even came to her eyes.

 

Plod, plod.

 

The sound was now very close. Soon the box lid will open.

 

“Should I take a look at the rat’s face?”

 

She closed her eyes tightly at the voice she heard right above her.

 

Tweet.

 

Just before the lid opened, a small bird sound was heard. This bird song… The moment she realized that it was going, her stomach churned again and she started vomiting. She urgently covered her mouth and tried to hold it in somehow. She held back the vomiting with her eyes tightly closed, but when she felt better and opened her eyes again, she wasn’t in a box. She was in the same forest where she had briefly parted ways with Rex earlier.

 

As she looked at Rex in front of her and was about to open her mouth, she curled up in a fit of coughing.

 

“Cluck cluck!”

 

“…Puh, purr?”

 

Rex walked around her and cried.

 

She coughed for a long time, and when I finally calmed down, she just fell limp. There was no strength in her entire body. She just let out a slow breath as she felt the overwhelming sense of helplessness.

 

“Whoa…”

 

Licking.

 

At that time, something slimy touched her face and then fell. When she looked up, she saw Rex licking her cheek with his tongue.

 

“…don’t do it…”

 

She frowned and tried to stop Rex, but it was no use. He hit her cheek so hard that it wouldn’t be surprising if it made a dent in it.

 

“…hey. Thai rascal.”

 

Her arm began to move slightly and he pushed Rex’s muzzle away with her hand.

 

“I told you not to do it.”

 

As she sighed and rocked his body back and forth, Rex grabbed her hair in his mouth and pulled it hard.

 

“Aya!”

 

She screamed as she felt her head being ripped out.

 

“It hurts. Don’t pull it!”

 

Despite her cries, Rex paid no heed to her and started pulling her hair, but at some point he let go. She lay down on the pavement again and blinked for a moment.

 

“Is this really… huh?”

 

As she was trying to get up, she was stopped by the strange white light feather on Rex’s snout. It was definitely true. Those feathers belonged to a small white bird she knew.

 

“Give me that. What you have in your mouth.”

 

She urgently stretched out her hand toward Rex’s snout. Rex, realizing the meaning of her actions, quickly backed away. Then he opened his mouth and swallowed the feather.

 

“Hey, why are you eating that!”

 

“Purung!”

 

Rex snorted and opened his muzzle wide as if showing off. She looked inside his mouth, where the feather had disappeared without a trace, and sighed.

 

“Why on earth are you doing this to me, huh?”

 

“Purring.”

 

“Let’s find out why you brought me here.”

 

“Purung!”

 

“You understand what I’m saying, right? Is that so?”

 

Huh. Rex snorted several times and tore. Seeing that uncooperative behavior, she sighed and laid down on the pavement. She was exhausted and was about to close her eyes to rest for a bit, when she started hearing the sound of horse hooves from far away. When she turned her head, she saw the Duke and knights riding on horseback in the distance. At that moment, strangely enough, a part of her heart stirred. Ironically, it seemed like my sense of reality was finally coming back.

 

From here in the forest to the place where the altar was, and from where the altar was again here in the forest. She didn’t know how she managed to move from place to place at the perfect time, but she felt fortunate that she had safely escaped the crisis. The Duke jumped off his horse and ran towards her. He was glaring at Rex, who was far away, then stood right in front of her and lowered his upper body.

 

“You…”

 

She met his gaze looking down at her from close and impulsively stretched out his arm. She held the Duke’s neck tightly and slowly inhaled. A cool yet familiar scent passed her nose.

 

“…I want to go back to the mansion and rest. Please pick me up.”

 

Now she was just tired and wanted to go back and rest. It’s true that she should make some excuse, but she didn’t want to even do that right now. The Duke, who was quietly looking down at her, slowly lifted her body. The Duke, who had placed her first on the back of Rex, who was watching nearby, got on him right after.

 

The Duke hugged her from behind with one arm and held the reins with his other hand. He spoke to the knights behind him.

 

“Let’s go back to the mansion first.”

 

“All right.”

 

With those words, the Duke pulled the reins hard. Soon Rex started running. She buried her face completely in his chest and closed her eyes. At this moment, she couldn’t think of anything. She was just filled with a desire to surrender herself to the strangely comfortable feeling. She felt his eyes on her head, but her eyelids were so heavy that she couldn’t lift them. She completely surrendered her body and threw her consciousness into the rushing waters.

 

* * *

 

The body seemed to slowly float and then was lifted upward.

 

Blink blink.

 

Through her open eyes, she could see the familiar ceiling. This was her room… After thinking about it for a while, she turned her head to the side and took a deep breath when she met dark red eyes.

 

“…Wow, what a surprise.”

 

“You’re finally waking up now.”

 

“Have you been here the whole time?”

 

“Then maybe it’s not possible?”

 

“No, that’s not it…”

 

She trailed off for a moment and then changed the topic.

 

“Did I sleep more than that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How much?”

 

“You slept for twelve hours. I’m so tired.”

 

“Twelve hours…”

 

She blinked quietly and exhaled, saying, “Ah.”

 

Now she remembered everything. What did she witness before she lost consciousness? Her body began to tremble as the horrific scenes flooded her mind. At that time, a cool touch touched her forehead.

 

“I don’t have a fever.”

 

As she listened to his lightly muttering voice, she gradually began to calm down.

 

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

 

“I never worried.”

 

When she suddenly saw the Duke’s face with a straight face, strangely enough, a smile escaped her.

 

“You’re mistaken…”

 

“Okay, I won’t get you wrong. The Duke has never worried about me. That’s okay, right?”

 

He pursed his lips. Even though silence fell in the room, the air did not feel uncomfortable. She just let out a slow breath and got up. His throat felt burning and he wanted to drink water. At that time, something smooth touched his lips. There was a cup of water right in front of me that she couldn’t tell when it was held out. She looked at him a little surprised and then gulped down the water in the cup he held out to her.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Okay, just come up with an excuse. I’ll listen to you especially.”

 

The Duke sat diagonally in his chair with his arms crossed. She took a moment to catch her breath and clear her mind. After deciding where to start and how far to speak, she opened her mouth.

 

“I’m talking about Rex, Duke. You didn’t dispose of him by any chance, right?”

 

It was because of Rex that she got to this point, but in the end, she was able to see the true nature of the high priest with her own eyes. One way or another, it was true that it was all thanks to Rex.

 

“That’s not going to happen, so there’s nothing to worry about. Just explain.”

 

She nodded at the fairly firm tone.

 

“First of all, let me tell you that the reason I left the mansion was not at all my intention, but because of Rex. I’m sure you’ve already heard.”

 

After looking at the unwavering dark red eyes, she continued.

 

“I was being carried by Rex without knowing why, and when I came to my senses, I was in that forest. Rex must have known that place. He naturally found the lake.”

 

While explaining, she became curious and immediately asked the Duke.

 

“I’m talking about the forest I went to. Do you know where that is?”

 

“The place you went to is a forest near the Rubir Temple. And there is no lake there.”

 

“Yes? What do you mean, there’s no lake?”

 

“They said there was no lake in that forest. No, there is no place in this empire that has a lake in the forest.”

 

She slowly blinked at those words. What did that mean again?

 

“B-But Rex even drank water there?”

 

“Rex is a horse that has been improved through magic research. It was also improved by the magic tower owner himself using magic stones.”

 

“So, you’re saying there might be a spell in that forest?”

 

“Yes. Rex will be able to see the enchanted area in its original form.”

 

When she couldn’t say anything and just blinked blankly, the Duke opened his mouth.

 

“Let’s move on first and then explain.”

 

“Ah, yes. Then I found Grand Priest Laud and two of his companions there.”

 

“…You saw Minister Loud?”

 

The Duke’s eyes seemed to widen slightly, albeit slightly. She nodded.

 

“Yes. It was definitely the minister. The sight of him walking and looking around in a remote place with only trees and lakes around him was so plain that it was difficult to follow him. Oh, I went…”

 

She was able to explain up to that point without any problem. But the problem started after that. Because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She was out of breath at the prospect of having to describe the horrific scene she had seen with her own eyes. She gasped and lowered her head, holding her neck with her hands.

 

“…Hmph.”

 

At that time, a cool scent penetrated her nostrils. When she finally raised her gaze, dark red eyes appeared right in front of her. The Duke whispered with an indifferent face, but with a strangely gentle tone.

 

“Exhale slowly. There is no need to rush.”

 

As he said, she slowly exhaled and felt her breathing gradually return.

 

“Okay. Just keep inhaling and exhaling like that.”

 

After doing this a few more times, her breathing returned to normal.

 

“Thank you. I think I’m okay now.”

 

As she spoke with a smile, the Duke stepped back without saying a word.

 

“So, what I saw there…”

 

She closed her mouth for a moment and looked straight at the Duke. If she was going to explain what she saw, she had to explain it first. About the phenomenon of suddenly changing places. Would the Duke really believe her? Even she still couldn’t believe it.

 

Doubts rose in her mind. She knew that his hostility towards her has eased a lot compared to before. But since they still didn’t know exactly where it came from…

 

“Tell me honestly what you saw. That’s what I want.”

 

“…You will think that what I am saying is so absurd that it makes no sense. No, you won’t believe it.”

 

“I’m saying don’t keep that in mind and just say it.”

 

“Why?”

 

The Duke fell silent for a moment at her question.

 

“I heard you don’t completely trust me. So why are you telling me not to keep this in mind?”

 

She couldn’t understand the Duke.

 

“Have you found any physical evidence that I kidnapped Liam yet?”

 

“…that.”

 

“I’m telling you this because you seem to have forgotten at some point. Or is it just a mistake?”

 

She realized that all the frustration that had been building up had exploded all at once. That she was pushing him now. After seeing him still keeping his mouth shut, she decided to take a step back first and opened her mouth. No, the moment she tried to take it off, the Duke’s lips, which seemed like they would never open, opened.

 

“I heard something from the magic tower lord.”

 

“…What do you mean?”

 

“I heard that the curse on your body may not have been very old. Although it is a guess, not a confirmation.”

 

Her eyes widened at those words.

 

“That means…”

 

“Yes. I admit it honestly. “I believe you to some extent now.”

 

She was amazed. It was something she never thought she would hear from him. She was looking at the Duke blankly when he suddenly turned his head.

 

“And no matter how you look at what you did to Deliam and the reckless things you have done so far, you cannot be considered a kidnapper.”

 

What followed next was even more surprising. 

 

‘Oh my god…’

 

“…Will the world end tomorrow?”

 

“What?”

 

“So, I was wondering if the Duke has finally come to his senses…”

 

“Are you saying that now?”

 

When she saw his expression suddenly distorting, she thought it was a mistake.

 

“Shall we continue what we just said?”

 

“You’re shamelessly trying to divert the conversation.”

 

As she smiled awkwardly, the Duke sighed softly.

 

“Tell me something, then.”

 

“First of all, there’s something I didn’t tell you first. I don’t know why Rex took me to that forest, but it was a really strange place. That forest.”

 

“What specifically?”

 

“It was as if the only living creatures were me and Rex, and I couldn’t see any other living creatures at all.”

 

The Duke’s eyes became very sharp.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: