To escape my parents' arranged marriage from hell, I forced myself to accept the genetic material of a war hero—a beastkin general who had already sacrificed his life for the country. Ten months from now, I’ll be his "widow," giving birth to his posthumous child. And more importantly, I'll inherit his glory and his massive fortune. No one can threaten me ever again! But six months into the pregnancy, the nightmares started. A massive black snake tail wrapping around my legs, slowly sliding up, tightening... I'd wake up drenched in cold sweat, the memory of unblinking black eyes staring at me from the darkness seared into my mind. Thank God he’s dead. I am terrified of snakes. But just as my baby bump started to show... The general—the one who was supposed to be dead—came back. 1 When I found out my family was shipping me off for a business alliance, I finally made up my mind. My parents had seven daughters before finally popping out a son. They had absolutely zero business sense. To build an empire for their precious golden boy, they decided to cash in on their daughters. My six older sisters were either married off to seventy-year-old geezers or sent to be mistresses for rich tycoons with wandering eyes and crooked smiles. Every single one of them was beautiful. And every single one of them was chewed up and spit out, barely escaping with their lives. And now, it was my turn. I didn't cry, scream, or threaten to hang myself. My sisters had already tried all that. Jumping off buildings, eloping, suicide attempts... none of it worked. When the deadline hit, even if they were half-dead, they were gift-wrapped and delivered. Their tragic endings were a flashing neon sign telling me: This way is a dead end. Then I saw the government announcement. General Liam Vance had sacrificed himself on the front lines fighting the Arachnids. He was the first man in a century whose physical strength could go toe-to-toe with those alien bugs. After he fell, the Alliance was losing ground fast, beaten back like stray dogs. To avoid becoming Arachnid chow, the Alliance authorized the use of his frozen genetic material. But no matter how many volunteers tried, no one could conceive. Scientists later discovered that General Vance's genes were unique. He was a Viper-kin beastman—specifically, a King Cobra class. A species notorious for difficult reproduction. They only accept a mate of their own choosing. Desperate, the Alliance put out a public call: Anyone who can conceive General Vance's child will inherit his entire estate and honor as his widow and heir. Applicants flooded in. After all, General Vance was filthy rich. His family was powerful and backed this initiative fully. So here I am, lying on a cold exam table in a research facility, swallowing my shame as I spread my legs for the procedure... This is my only shot. If this doesn't work... I’m getting married to a seventy-year-old pervert with a droopy eye. ... The day the results came in was the same day I was scheduled to be married off. I snuck out early to the research center. Seeing the crowd of hopefuls waiting for their results, despair started to sink in. If all these people failed, what chance did I have? Suddenly, chaos erupted at the entrance. My parents stormed in. They didn't hesitate. A slap landed hard across my face, sending me crashing to the floor. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I ran my tongue over my teeth—one felt loose. "Thought you could run?!" "The groom's convoy is at the door! Get your ass back home!" I struggled, kicking and screaming, but I was no match for their bodyguards. I was being dragged out, hope fading with every inch. Just then, a researcher sprinted down the hallway, voice cracking with hysteria, waving a piece of paper. "Faye! Is Faye Summers here?!" "It's a match!" I snapped my head back, screaming with everything I had left. "I'm here!" "Help me!" The researcher's smile vanished when he saw my situation. The old man’s face turned purple with rage. "Security! Arrest them!" Armed military police swarmed out from nowhere, weapons drawn. They tackled my parents and the bodyguards instantly. "Do not touch the Madam!" My parents were stunned. "Madam?" Even as they were handcuffed, they were yelling. "That's my daughter! She's no Madam!" The researcher looked down at them with pure disdain. "Miss Summers is carrying General Vance's child. From this moment on, she has Level 1 Security Clearance. If you attempt to harm her again, you will be charged with treason!" My parents' faces turned green. Their arrogance evaporated. They turned to me, desperate. "Faye, honey, say something! Mom and Dad didn't mean to hurt you..." "You just meant to sell me." I stood behind the wall of soldiers, watching their pathetic, tear-streaked faces with nothing but relief. The old pervert they sold me to had already buried three wives. The price he offered was astronomical. They couldn't afford to refund him. Watching them get dragged away, the boulder crushing my chest finally lifted. I was free. 2 Liam Vance's estate could only be described as palatial. It took a solid ten-minute drive just to get through the front gardens to the main house. The moment I stepped in, two rows of servants bowed in unison. "Welcome home, Madam." The elderly butler was so emotional he looked like he might cry. He looked me up and down, hands trembling. "The General... the General has an heir." "Thank you. Truly, thank you!" "I thought I'd never see another Vance in this house." Liam’s parents had passed away early, leaving him as the sole heir. They welcomed me like I was a national holiday. The butler insisted I take the master bedroom. I tried to refuse. But he looked pained. "It's the Academy's orders. King Cobra hatchlings need parental presence during gestation. But since the General is..." He choked up. "Only the master bedroom still holds his scent." "Please rest assured, Madam. The General lived a disciplined life. No other woman has ever been in this room besides you." ? That wasn't really my point! But I couldn't handle old people crying, so I caved and moved into the master suite. General Vance's room was stark, decorated in cold, masculine tones of black and grey. Even lying in his bed, it didn't feel real. I was... his widow? Pregnant with his kid? Maybe it was the new environment, but I couldn't sleep. My lower abdomen throbbed with a dull ache. I opened the door to get some water and nearly jumped out of my skin. The butler was standing right there. "Are you hungry, Madam?" "N-no!" "Is the little one restless?" The butler’s expression softened into nostalgia. "The doctors warned us. Viper hatchlings are demanding on the mother. It was the same when the late Madam carried the General." He brought over a stack of photo albums, medals, and sashes. "Would you like to see?" He looked like he was about to cry again. "I never thought I'd see the General's child born. If possible... could you tell him stories about his father?" "He was a hero." Looking at his expectant face, I took the heavy pile of honors. ...When I saw Liam Vance's handsome, icy face in the photos, my heart skipped a beat. Who in the Alliance didn't worship Liam Vance? His face alone could have been the recruitment poster for the entire military. For a long time, he was the face of the Alliance. But completely at odds with his looks was his reputation for cold indifference toward women. Yet his achievements were so blinding that his political rivals resorted to rumors. "Every masochist in the Alliance wants to kneel at his feet." Unofficial stats said his public office email received tens of thousands of love letters daily. If he hadn't died, a woman like me would never have crossed paths with a man of his caliber. Rubbing my belly, I felt a strange sense of melancholy. Even the strongest man leaves behind nothing more than this. And just like that... I spent the night accompanying my dead husband through his childhood and teenage years via photos. Pregnancy made me drowsy. I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, I found myself clutching one of Liam’s military jackets. The visiting researcher didn't even blink. "This is a form of nesting behavior. It's a biological instinct for King Cobra mates." ? Let’s be honest here. I am terrified of snakes. Thank God the husband is dead! As the pregnancy progressed, the dreams started. Massive black python coils wrapping around my legs, slowly sliding up, tightening... I'd wake up drenched in sweat, paralyzed by the memory of unblinking black eyes staring at me. I knew General Vance had King Cobra blood, but I didn't think he could actually turn into a snake! Were the rumors about him transforming into a giant serpent on the battlefield true?! I couldn't hold it in anymore. During the next checkup, I whispered to the researcher. "...So, is the thing inside me human or snake?" The researcher gave me a look. "You'll see when the time comes." Alrighty then. I heard my parents tried to cause a scene at the gate, but they couldn't even get past the outer security perimeter before being hauled away by the military. I finally had peace to nurture the baby at the Vance estate. But as the weeks went by, I woke up in terror more frequently. My sheets were always damp, and those eyes in my dreams got closer every night. Sometimes, I felt like he was standing right by the bed, just watching me. ...Dear Lord, is this place haunted?! The researchers kept assuring me the baby was normal. But... considering the father is missing from the equation, "normal" feels like the biggest red flag here! I started sleeping excessively, nesting like crazy. Every time I woke up, I was buried in a pile of Liam’s clothes. And along with it came the black snake in my dreams, getting more intimate. It coiled around me tight, kissing... tangling... probing. It even tried to do that with me! ...I seriously started to wonder if I needed an exorcist. As my belly started to show, the nesting effect stopped working. King Cobras are notoriously hard to breed. The clump of cells in my stomach had a dependency on its father that exceeded my wildest imagination. I slept all day, couldn't eat, and withered away until I was skin and bones with a huge belly. In my rare moments of lucidity, I heard the researchers panicking. "Madam can't hold on much longer. What do we do?" "Can we use blood from a close relative?" "We tried. The maternal rejection was severe, nearly caused a miscarriage... what do we do?" ... I passed out before I heard the rest. Just as my consciousness started to fade and I thought I was dying, the old butler rushed to my bedside, ecstatic. "Madam! News from the front lines! They found the General!" "He'll be home tomorrow!" 3 When I woke up again, I felt like I was being held down by something heavy. My brain was clearer, though. The room was dim. I could make out a tall silhouette standing there. "Who is it?!" I scrambled to turn on the bedside lamp. The man from the photos was suddenly standing right in front of me. My heart nearly stopped. He turned at the sound. That’s when I realized his presence in person was a thousand times more intense than in pictures. He walked slowly to the bedside, looking down at me. His tall frame radiated an oppressive aura forged in absolute power and bloodshed. I instinctively scooted back, hitting the headboard with a painful thud. "Faye." My name sounded like a verdict coming from his lips. My heart was in my throat. My mouth tasted bitter. No matter how noble my excuses were— To him, I was a stranger who used his sperm to get his fortune. A gold digger with bad intentions... Would he make me abort the baby? Kick me out? "General... General Vance." He returned as a hero, his future boundless. He could have any woman he wanted to bear his children. Was I about to be sent back to my hellish family? I gripped the blanket tightly, forcing my spine straight. He watched me in silence for a long time, assessing me. Finally, he spoke: "I will honor the public announcement. You will receive the compensation you were promised." "...Carrying a King Cobra heir isn't easy. Thank you for your hard work." His tone wasn't exactly warm, but it was civil. Like discussing a business deal. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The verdict was in. "Once the baby is born, I will file for divorce myself. Please don't worry." "Just..." I bit my lip. "I have one request." "After the divorce, could you help me find a safe place to live? My family... isn't very kind to me." I was terrified asking him this. But he answered with a simple, concise syllable. "Mm." The sound of his military boots clicking against the floor faded as he left. The door clicked shut. Only when he was gone did the suffocating pressure lift. I finally exhaled. I realized I was covered in his uniform jacket. I instinctively sniffed it. A wave of masculine pheromones hit me—clean sandalwood with a faint, underlying scent of iron and blood. That’s when I remembered what was off. He was only wearing his dress shirt just now. Clutching his jacket, I realized the corners of my mouth were tilting up. Who doesn't admire General Vance? I still have the Alliance Generals Yearbook hidden on my bookshelf. The last page is him. The only frontline general in a century, his chest heavy with medals. In that photo, he looks like he's staring right through the page, straight into my eyes. My heart squeezed. Who doesn't fall for a hero? Especially when he... saved my life once. 4 I hadn't felt this refreshed in ages. When I left the room, I thought about it and decided to keep carrying the jacket. The little ancestor in my belly was high-maintenance... and I'd basically ruined every other item in the house that had Liam's scent. Better safe than sorry. The moment I stepped out, the butler appeared out of nowhere, beaming. "Madam, you're awake! The General has gone to HQ to report in!" "Ancestors be praised," he sniffled. "No one thought he’d come back. Who knows how much he suffered out there." You could tell they were genuinely happy. The Vance estate had transformed from a mausoleum to a celebration. Flowers filled every corner. The heavy drapes were replaced with bright, airy fabrics. All because Liam was back. I heard noise outside and asked the butler. "Guests?" "Don't worry, Madam," he smiled. "Since the General returned, many people have come to reconnect. But the General ordered that you are not to be disturbed by social calls." I nodded. Got it. When they thought he was dead, they scattered like rats. Now that he's back, they're scrambling to suck up. I'm just the incubator. The Vance family's social calendar isn't my business. But to my surprise, busy-as-hell General Vance came back for lunch. Sitting at the same table with him, I was a nervous wreck. I whispered to the butler. "Maybe I should eat in my room?" The butler smiled. "The General is a very kind man. You don't need to be stressed." "Plus, the Academy said the parents need contact for the baby's growth... according to the scan, the fetus is a bit behind." I immediately zipped my lips. He politely escorted me to the table. Liam was already seated. Dining with a living legend meant I forgot how to use chopsticks. I kept my head down, staring at a plate of greens, praying to finish fast and escape. I heard his secretary confirming his schedule. Three meetings, two audiences, interviews, reports, endless signatures... Just listening to it gave me a headache. I was focused on my food when his voice cut through the air. "Do you not like meat?" I jumped, nearly choking. "N-no! I do!" "King Cobra hatchlings need high protein. Being vegetarian won't meet the developmental needs," he paused. "If the food isn't to your taste, tell the butler." "No, no," I waved my hands frantically, terrified of getting the nice butler in trouble. I shoved a huge piece of steak into my mouth to prove a point. See? Carnivore. He ate fast but elegantly. No slurping, no mess. I thought he'd leave once he finished, so I deliberately ate slow. But he sat there, waiting until I put down my cutlery before standing up. ? He waited for me? As the butler walked me back to my room, he mentioned casually: "When the old Master and Madam were alive, the family always ate together. The General likes a relaxed dining atmosphere. You don't need to be so formal." "He has no ill will toward you. Spend more time with him, and you'll see he's a good man." Wow, that was... subtle. I wanted to laugh and cry. I couldn't tell him I planned to run away as soon as the baby popped out. Even my own trashy parents wanted to sell me for profit. I didn't expect to gain anything from this. Liam Vance sits at the top of the food chain. His marriage will be a strategic alliance of equals. Expect nothing, and you won't be disappointed. I've learned that lesson the hard way too many times. ... Strangely, even with Liam back and pheromones plentiful, the dreams didn't stop. They got worse. Tonight, I woke up wrapped in black coils again. This time, I was tied to the headboard. I could feel the cold scales sliding against my skin. The tail wrapped tight around my waist, sliding up my thigh... My pupils constricted. "No..." Cold scales, hot skin. I was suffocating in its power. I trembled, flushed, but the snake was in total control. Before, I could never see the eyes watching me clearly. Tonight, I recognized them. They were Liam Vance's eyes! I snapped my eyes open! ... I sat up, drenched in sweat. My belly was showing now, making it hard to get out of bed. I braced myself on the mattress, trying to shake off the phantom sensation of being constricted. I checked my body. No marks. I checked the windows. Locked. ...I had no one to complain to. General Vance kept a respectful distance, even at dinner. So what the hell were these wet dreams?! I couldn't sleep. Thirsty and not wanting to wake the staff, I waddled downstairs for water. In the living room, I saw a red dot glowing in the dark. I jumped. "Who's there?!" "It's me." I was surprised. "You're back?" Liam was home. He usually slept at the base these days. He snubbed out his cigarette and stood up. A glass of gin and tonic sat on the table. "Need something?" He was so tall. As he walked toward me, I instinctively stepped back, hitting a cabinet and stumbling. "Careful!" His hand caught the back of my head. My nose slammed into his chest. Suddenly, we were very close. I knew his scent by now. Tobacco and spice. I panicked. "You seem afraid of me?" He let go. When I said I wanted water, he poured me a glass. Seeing me acting like a frightened rabbit, he looked resigned and stepped back. "I don't eat people." I gripped the cup. It was warm water. My heart softened. I thought for a moment and said: "I'm glad you came back." As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to slap myself. I turned and fled. "Goodnight!" Behind me, I heard a low chuckle. "Goodnight." ... The next morning, something felt wrong. I reached down. Dead fish eyes. Great. A flood. Damn kid. Your dad just hugged me. Do you have to react like this?! ... During the routine checkup, the researcher was ecstatic about my improved vitals. "The records said Viper hatchlings crave parental pheromones, but seeing is believing." "Since the General returned, your stats have skyrocketed!" About the snake thing... I really couldn't say it. I asked awkwardly. "Um... why do I wake up feeling... wet every morning?" I couldn't look him in the eye. "Especially when... I'm near the General." The researcher was emotionally stable and professional. "That's normal." "King Cobra development requires high intimacy with the parents. Early on, scent is enough. But in the late stages, you might need..." He coughed, ears turning red. "More intimate behavior." Meaning, hugging his clothes won't cut it. I need to hug, kiss... and maybe swap fluids with him? Or this kid won't make it? I was dumbfounded. The researcher, fearing I wasn't traumatized enough, added one last knife. "As for the wetness... the hatchling will be born as an egg. It's quite large, so the body prepares extra lubrication." ? What? Excuse me? I'm not just giving birth to a snake... I'm laying an egg??? Jesus Christ. Can I die now? Is it too late?
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386656", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel