Meanwhile, Dalia was still bombarding the doctor with endless questions even though the examination was over, showing no intention of leaving.

“So when does the belly start to show? When does morning sickness usually stop?”

The elderly doctor, who had been diligently answering her questions at first, now shook his head as if tired.

Then, looking at his watch, he muttered loud enough for Dalia to hear.

“Oh, no! It’s already this late…! I forgot I had a house call today! Madam, if you have no more questions, we’ll end the consultation here. The exit is that way. Ahem.”

“What? But I still have more to ask…”

However, as the doctor disappeared inside without looking back, Dalia clicked her tongue in disappointment.

Well, it’s not like this was her only chance anyway. She quickly shook off her lingering thoughts, as she planned to continue her check-ups here until she told Clayton about the pregnancy.

“I guess I should get going too.”

The doctor had also advised her to rest for a while. She wanted to get back to the mansion quickly to revise her plans.

Dalia stood up and placed the consultation fee on the table.

She then turned the doorknob to leave the clinic, but as she opened the door.

Thump.

Just then, she collided with someone who was trying to enter from outside.

As her body was about to bounce back from the sudden impact, the man caught Dalia.

Thanks to that, Dalia barely regained her balance and exhaled in relief as she apologized. But then.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t see… Huh?”

Short red hair fluttered lightly between the parted robe.

As her gaze met with soft features and green eyes, Dalia gasped as she realized the man’s identity.

“Lloyd?”

It was Lloyd Hertz. Moreover, Lloyd in his original appearance, not dressed as a woman.

“Duchess…?”

Lloyd blinked, seemingly as surprised as Dalia to meet her here.

Dalia carefully looked the man in front of her up and down.

Maybe it’s because she had only seen him in dresses until now. If she had passed by quickly, she might have mistaken him for someone else and not recognized him.

‘He really looks like a different person…’

She wondered how she could have mistaken him for a woman when they first met.

Just his hair being shorter and his attire different.

Dalia, who had been unconsciously staring at Lloyd, snapped back to reality.

No, more importantly.

“Why are you here?”

The place where they met wasn’t a common shop on the street, but a clinic.

It was quite strange for the heir of a count’s family to visit a clinic in the old town instead of their family doctor.

“Ah, well…”

As expected, Lloyd trailed off as if hiding something.

As he rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly uncomfortable answering, Lloyd suddenly seemed to realize something and asked her a counter-question.

“What about you, Duchess? Why are you here? If you’re not feeling well, shouldn’t you see the doctor at the mansion… Mmph.”

But before Lloyd could finish speaking, Dalia covered his mouth.

She was startled by him calling her “Duchess”.

Dalia looked around, worried someone might have heard, and lowered her voice.

“Don’t call me Duchess! What if someone hears?”

Lloyd nodded reflexively at Dalia’s attitude, which was like scolding a young sibling.

Only after getting the desired response from Lloyd did Dalia remove her hand.

“Just call me by my name when it’s just the two of us from now on.”

“What? How could I dare to casually call your… Ahem. Your name?”

“It’s fine. What’s wrong with it when it’s just the two of us?”

Though Lloyd initially refused, saying he couldn’t, he eventually nodded, unable to resist Dalia’s insistence as she patted his shoulder.

“…Al-alright… D-Dalia.”

Satisfied with his way of addressing her, Dalia nodded and continued speaking.

“I just came here because I heard there was a famous doctor popular among noble ladies. The detailed reason is a bit awkward to tell a young one like you… But why are you here?”

Dalia’s manner of rattling off excuses was quite smooth, as if she had become adept at lying.

“Ah, I… I have to get some medicine that I need to take regularly from here.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing how he had been reluctant to answer from earlier, she figured he must have some personal circumstances.

So, Dalia nodded and patted Lloyd’s shoulder a couple of times.

“Then hurry in and take care of your business! I’ll be going now. See you later!”

And as she was about to leave without hesitation, Lloyd suddenly grabbed Dalia’s wrist.

Dalia tilted her head towards Lloyd, who had suddenly grabbed her hand.

Her gaze demanded an explanation for why he had stopped her.

“Well, um…”

Was he trying to say something difficult? Lloyd hesitated for a long time, moving his lips.

“You know about the eve festival celebrating His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday starting today, right?”

“Eve festival?”

“Yes. The eve festival that lasts for four days from today until the birthday.”

Ah, no wonder. There were unusually many people out today. It seemed people had come up to the capital from various regions to see the festival.

‘A festival in a romance fantasy novel… I’d like to see it.’

A new curiosity stirred within her. Perhaps noticing Dalia’s interest,

Lloyd, who was standing opposite her, carefully asked.

“Would you like to go see it with me?”

“Huh?”

“We could also pick out some things the cat needs together…”

“Hmm…”

At his suggestion, Dalia looked towards where Samantha and Daniel were.

Unaware that Dalia’s consultation was over, they were engrossed in chatting.

‘I could probably sneak away if I wanted to…’

But she was tired and wanted to rest a bit today, so she ended up declining.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can today. I have companions I came with.”

As she said this, Dalia gestured towards where Samantha and Daniel were.

Following her gaze and confirming the presence of the two, Lloyd asked brightly.

“Then we just need to shake off your companions, right?”

“Huh?”

And before Dalia could even finish her response, he pulled her along.

“Follow me. We can sneak out through the back door here.”

“W-wait, Lloyd…!”

And so, Dalia unintentionally ended up tricking Samantha and Daniel once again.

* * *

At the same time, on the second floor of the Hertz mansion, a woman was admiring the unusually clear sky today.

Her pale white skin, almost to the point of being pallid, contrasted sharply with her fiery red hair that seemed to blaze brilliantly.

As she gazed absent-mindedly at the clouds drifting naturally by,

The voice of a maid who had just entered the room pushing a trolley was heard.

“Miss. It’s still chilly outside. If you keep staying by the window like that, you might catch a cold.”

Belatedly snapping out of her reverie at the maid’s worried words, the woman turned her head.

Looking exactly like Lloyd but with a subtly different aura, the woman’s name was Rose Hertz.

She was Lloyd’s twin sister.

Rose’s lips curved into a faint smile as she briefly stared at the medicine the maid had brought.

“The eve festival starts today. That’s why I just wanted to be outside.”

A hint of bitterness seeped into her voice. Rose had never once left the mansion since she was born.

It was partly because she had been weak since birth, but also to prevent any possible mishaps since her brother Lloyd was living pretending to be her.

“Miss…”

The maid, who knew Rose’s feelings better than anyone, lowered the corners of her eyes.

Feeling the sympathetic gaze directed at her, Rose asked in a deliberately cheerful voice.

“Where’s Lloyd?”

“Ah, he went out for a bit. He said he needed to go get his new medicine today.”

“Oh, I see…”

But her forcefully bright voice crumbled quickly.

Because she knew better than anyone what medicine Lloyd had gone to receive.

Growth-stopping medicine.

It was medicine that Lloyd, who grew noticeably each day, took regularly to look like Rose.

A darker shadow than before fell over Rose’s eyes.

Lloyd had always been a burden on her mind.

As the eldest daughter of the Hertz family, she felt a heaviness like lead in her chest, as if she had dumped all the burdens she should have shouldered onto her brother because of her weak body.

“That medicine… It must be harsh.”

Medicine that forcibly stops growth couldn’t be good for the body.

Originally, at that age, boys should be enjoying sports and spending pleasant times with young ladies they fancy.

She felt endlessly sorry and regretful for her weak self and her brother burdened with the family’s duties.

“Don’t worry, Miss. There aren’t many days left for him to take that medicine.”

As always, the maid offered words of comfort to Rose, who was plagued by guilt.

Saying that their freedom was not far off.

That day was also one that Rose and Lloyd were eagerly waiting for.

“More importantly, it seems the cat has taken a liking to you, Miss. It doesn’t want to leave your arms.”

The maid intentionally pointed to the cat in Rose’s arms, trying to change the mood.

It was the cat that Dalia had entrusted to Lloyd.

“Yes. It’s gentle and so cute.”

The cat, which the Duchess had asked to look after, had not left Rose’s side for a moment since first seeing her, as if she were its original owner.

Rose, who had always liked animals, seemed to find the cat lovable and often spent all day with it by her side.

“The Sayer Duchess must be a very nice person. You can tell by how well Master Lloyd follows her.”

“Indeed…”

Recently, Lloyd had been mentioning the Sayer Duchess more frequently.

After becoming close with the Sayer Duchess, his personality had noticeably brightened.

While Rose was happy to see her brother like that, she was also worried on the other hand.

“It can’t be good to be too close with the Duchess…”

She was none other than the wife of Duke Sayer. Nothing good could come from Lloyd being close to such a man’s woman.

Moreover, she was already afraid of how the Duke might react if he found out the two were close.

“Don’t worry too much. The young master takes after the late Count a lot. I’m sure he’ll handle things wisely. So stop worrying and take your medicine now.”

The maid, who skillfully comforted Rose, handed her the medicine.

At this, Rose let out a quiet sigh and was about to take the medicine when at that moment.

Crash.

Along with a strong wind, the sound of something breaking echoed through the room.

Rose, startled, stopped drinking the medicine and quickly raised her head.

“Ah, the frame…”

What was lying on the floor along with glass shards was the last family photo taken with Rose, Lloyd, and the late Count and Countess.

The curtain, blown by the wind, had knocked over the frame that was placed by the window.

Rose, who let out a regretful sigh at the sight, put down the cat and stood up from her seat.

Soon after, as she bent down to pick up the scattered photo from the floor, and the maid, seeing this, was about to stop Rose saying she would do it, at that moment.

“Ouch.”

A drop of blood formed on Rose’s finger, cut by the glass, and then fell down with a plop.

Her bright red drop of blood ominously spread across Lloyd’s smiling face.

“Oh my, Miss! You should have let me do such things! Is your finger alright? Should I call for a doctor?”

The maid hurriedly applied pressure to her wound, flustered. But Rose just stood frozen like someone missing a screw.

“…I have a bad feeling.”

“Pardon? What do you mean? First, let me go downstairs and get some disinfectant…”

As the maid stood up, leaving the frozen Rose behind, at that moment.

Bang!

“Miss!”

Simon the butler, who always maintained his composure, burst in, flinging the door open.

The butler’s appearance, seemingly out of breath as if he had rushed here, somehow felt ominous.

“D-Duke Sayer has come to the mansion.”

Rose’s ominous premonition was not wrong.