“Sob, sob, sob…”
Su Nian’s sky-blue eyes were wide open, her entire being engulfed in shock and panic.
Pregnant?
She knew exactly what those three words meant.
If that Horned Demon Bastard bullied her again… she really might get pregnant!
Unbidden, images surfaced in her mind of herself with a swollen belly… then… then giving birth to a Horned Demon’s child?
And then nursing it?
Oh my god!
Su Nian felt her cheeks burn hot enough to fry an egg, the redness spreading all the way to her ears.
She shook her head frantically, trying to throw those absurd images out of her mind.
But they clung to her like bone-hollowing worms—the more she tried to forget, the clearer they became.
She even started to think… if she really got pregnant, would she have to get married first?
Wait!
Marriage?
What was she thinking!
Su Nian suddenly covered her face, her eyes peeking through her fingers, filled with shame and annoyance.
‘Marry that Horned Demon Bastard? Become… his wife?’
The moment that thought popped up, Su Nian felt her heart pound wildly.
She should be humiliated.
She should be furious.
Why was there a tiny bit of… anticipation?
‘But… no! Definitely not anticipation! Wrong, wrong!’
Su Nian vehemently denied it in her mind.
She was just… just worrying about what to do if she really got pregnant.
Yes, that was it.
Pure logical thinking, absolutely not because she wanted to marry that bastard!
“What’s wrong?”
Chu Tian’s voice sounded in her ear, tinged with confusion.
Su Nian snapped back to reality, realizing she was still in his arms, and he must have seen her entire embarrassing display.
“N-nothing!”
She hastily looked away, but didn’t know where to focus.
Look at his face?
Too embarrassing.
Look at the ground?
That seemed guilty.
In the end, she buried her face in his chest, resorting to an ostrich-like method of escaping reality.
Chu Tian looked down at the little wildcat bristling in his arms, the smile on his lips deepening.
The way she looked just now was… really adorable.
But now wasn’t the time to tease her.
“You followed me because you were worried about my safety?” Chu Tian’s voice carried a hint of playfulness.
Su Nian looked up, her sky-blue eyes glaring at him, “N-no!”
She repeated what she’d said before with all the ferocity she could muster, but it looked more like she was acting spoiled.
Chu Tian chuckled softly, not calling her out on it.
“I just… just didn’t want you to die at someone else’s hands!”
She couldn’t let this continue.
The atmosphere was getting too intimate.
Su Nian felt the current mood was off.
She needed to change the subject.
‘Right! The Red Maple Kingdom wouldn’t just let this go. That Imperial Guard captain said he was going back to report to the king. So how was Chu Tian going to handle it?’
Thinking this, Su Nian forced herself to calm down and looked up at the man before her.
“Um… Master.”
Her voice held a trace of hesitation.
“That Lanuer said he was going back to report to the king. They won’t just drop this. Do you… have any plans?”
Chu Tian raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised she cared.
“What, worried about me again?”
“Who… who’s worried about you!” Su Nian’s face turned red again.
Chu Tian looked at her hesitant expression and laughed even more.
“Relax.”
He reached out and pinched her cheek.
“A mere Red Maple Kingdom can’t turn the world upside down.”
“Besides…”
He paused, his tone dismissive.
“Aside from Shadowmoon Manor, I also have my castle stronghold in Monster Forest. Worst case, I leave Academy City and go back to the forest to keep developing.”
“After all, the main reason I came to Academy City was to find you.”
At those words, Su Nian’s heart skipped a beat.
To… find her?
What was she thinking?
Back then, that Horned Demon Bastard had only chased her to Academy City because she’d run away from the cave.
Why was her heart racing?
Su Nian tried to suppress that strange flutter in her chest.
But then she thought: this Horned Demon Master had been searching for her all along, bullying her…
Could it be because he liked her?
Otherwise, why didn’t he bully anyone else?
“Th-then what are you planning now? Go back to Shadowmoon Manor?”
She tried to make her voice sound calm.
Chu Tian chuckled, “Take it one step at a time.”
“Anyway…”
He tightened his arms, pulling her deeper into his embrace.
“As long as you’re by my side, it doesn’t matter where I go.”
Su Nian’s breath caught.
‘Was… was that a love confession? That Horned Demon Bastard could actually say love confessions?’
Her cheeks started burning again.
“Ding! Gained Humiliation Value 100,000!”
The System Notification chimed in at just the right moment, but Su Nian didn’t pay it any attention.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
At least that bastard was okay.
Thank goodness…
Wait.
Why was she relieved?
Su Nian suddenly realized what she was doing and frantically started making excuses in her mind.
Right!
She just… just didn’t want to lose her “tool” for gaining Humiliation Value!
After all, accumulating a full 100 million Humiliation Value was no easy task.
If something happened to Chu Tian, where would she find such a good “Humiliation Value ATM”?
Besides, her body had already grown accustomed to him.
If she had to be with someone else…
Just imagining it made Su Nian feel sick.
Absolutely not!
So she was just protecting her own “interests.”
Definitely not because she couldn’t bear to lose him.
‘Yes, that was it!’
Su Nian convinced herself in her mind, but she ignored the fact that her gaze had already unconsciously landed on Chu Tian’s face.
Just now in the valley, he had faced an army of thousands with such calm ease, such overwhelming presence, that confident aura of someone who had everything under control.
And that face, which looked especially handsome under the moonlight.
‘Mm… So handsome…’
Su Nian’s eyes grew dreamy, completely unaware of how lovesick her expression was.
Chu Tian noticed her dazed look and the corner of his mouth curled up in satisfaction.
“What?” His voice suddenly sounded in her ear, teasing, “Staring at your master like that? Drool’s about to fall.”
Su Nian snapped back to reality and instinctively wiped the corner of her mouth.
There was nothing.
Tricked!
She froze for a second, then realized she’d been fooled.
Flustered and annoyed, she raised her hand to punch his chest.
“You… you bastard!”
But before her hand could land, Chu Tian caught her wrist.
The next second, he pulled her into an even tighter embrace.
“Master… mmph!”
Before she could finish, her mouth was sealed.
Chu Tian bent down and kissed her.
Su Nian’s mind went completely blank.
She wanted to push him away, but her arms were too weak.
She could only passively endure, frozen in his arms.
After who knows how long, Chu Tian finally let her go.
Su Nian gasped for air, her sky-blue eyes glazed with a mist of tears.
“M-Master…” Her voice was weak and meek.
“Hmm?”
Chu Tian’s thumb gently brushed over her soft lips, satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
“It’s getting late.”
He looked up at the sky, now completely dark and said, “Let’s spend the night outside tonight.”
“Huh?”
Su Nian was stunned, ‘Spend the night outside?’
Shadowmoon Manor was right in Academy City—he could get back with a Space Magic spell in seconds, right?
She opened her mouth to speak, but then saw the meaningful smile in Chu Tian’s eyes.
Suddenly, she understood.
‘That big bad……, he was doing it on purpose.’