Early morning.

Dalia, who had risen from her languid body, rubbed her eyes and looked out the window.

Was it because of the pregnancy? Today, it was particularly difficult to wake up from sleep, causing her to doze off several times even while sitting.

She slapped her cheeks at the chirping sound of birds coming through the window.

“This is not the time. It’s not the time to be just sleeping in the room now!”

Now that she had been diagnosed as pregnant. How she spent each day from now on would determine her future for the next 8 years.

Dalia, who shook her head quickly to wake up, suddenly realized that she hadn’t had a conversation with the Duke in recent days.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t even seen his face lately, let alone talked to him.”

Was the last time I saw him when I picked up the cat a few days ago? The last time was when I received the Duke’s cold gaze in the lobby on the first floor.

“Is this not going to end well…?”

When she was actively attending parties, led by Clayton’s hand, she thought there would be no problem seducing the male lead like this. Dalia sighed involuntarily at the distant memory that felt like a past life.

“Should I try to ask him to have a meal together naturally first?”

It might be good to bring up the cat incident first and apologize while eating.

They say that mealtime is when people are most likely to let their guard down.

In reality, don’t newly introduced men and women get to know each other in the comfortable atmosphere of eating together?

“Right. Let’s ask to eat together first. It’s natural for a married couple to eat together!”

Believing that frequent face-to-face encounters were more important than grand events for people to feel attraction towards each other, Dalia pulled the bell rope.

Soon after, with a knock, Samantha entered the room. She seemed surprised that Dalia had woken up early and started chattering from the morning.

“My lady. Did you call? You’re up early today. You’ve been sleeping in a lot lately.”

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been going out frequently. Haha… More importantly, I was thinking of having breakfast with the Duke after a long time today. Could you go and ask him?”

At Dalia’s words, Samantha clapped her hands and made a fuss.

“Oh my! That’s a good idea! You two haven’t had much time together lately. I’ll go ask right away! Please wait a moment!”

Samantha, who answered proudly as if she had been given an important mission, quickly left the room.

“I wonder what kind of conversation would be good to bring up while eating.”

While Samantha was gone, Dalia, who had finished preparing to go out, leaned against the sofa.

It was then that she sat there alone, pondering how to draw out a warm atmosphere from the blunt male lead.

Unlike when she left, Samantha returned with her shoulders slumped.

Samantha carefully spoke while watching Dalia’s reaction.

“Um, my lady. The Duke said he won’t be having breakfast today…”

“Is that so? Then what about lunch?”

“Lunch also…”

“What? He’s not having lunch either?”

Instead of answering, Samantha nodded.

Breakfast is one thing, but he’s not eating lunch either? Dalia, tilting her head in confusion, asked about dinner just in case, but the answer was the same.

What is this? This feeling of being rejected before even confessing. Perhaps…

‘Is he avoiding me?’

She pondered for a long time, crossing her arms, trying to figure out why Clayton had refused the dinner invitation.

Unable to find the reason, Dalia bit her nails anxiously.

‘We’re a married couple after all, why is it so hard to have a meal together?’

At this point, when every minute and second was precious, she couldn’t just sit idly by after being rejected like this.

‘If he refuses to meet me, I’ll have to go find him myself!’

Thinking this, Dalia strode towards the study where the Duke would be.

Just as she was about to reach the study. She encountered Jason, who was also heading to Clayton, just like her.

On the tray he was holding was a fragrant tea, seemingly meant for the Duke.

“Jason!”

“My lady?”

Jason’s eyes widened as if he didn’t expect to encounter Dalia here.

Without asking or questioning Jason further, Dalia snatched the tray from his hands.

“Give it here. I’ll take it to the Duke.”

“What? My, my lady! Wait…!”

Ignoring Jason trying to stop her, Dalia entered the room with a knock.

It was a room so dark that one couldn’t tell if it was morning or night.

In such a dark place, Dalia saw Clayton working by candlelight.

He didn’t seem to notice yet that the person who had entered the room was Dalia, and he ordered her.

“Bring the tea here…”

“It’s me, Duke!”

But soon, at Dalia’s cheerful voice announcing her presence, Clayton raised his head.

“Haa.”

Confirming that it was Dalia, not Jason, who had entered the room, Clayton let out a sigh mixed with annoyance and irritation.

‘This reaction is a bit hurtful, though?’

She knew he wouldn’t welcome her visit, but to sigh so openly like this.

Feeling hurt by Clayton’s honest reaction, but realizing she wasn’t in a position to feel that way, she approached with a bright voice.

“Tea is good, but wouldn’t it be better to have a meal… Are you very busy?”

“As you can see. Besides, I didn’t ask you to bring me tea. Where did Jason go?”

Dalia placed the tea beside him at his sharp voice.

“I sent him back, saying I’d deliver it to you. It seems like it’s been a while since we had a proper conversation.”

“Was it?”

It was so cold that it felt like winter was coming soon rather than spring.

“Yes. So I thought we could have a meal together after a long time, but you seem busy. That’s why I came myself.”

Despite her gentle tone, he replied without blinking an eye.

“So what do you want to say?”

“Pardon?”

“You came here because you have something to say, right?”

His expression seemed to say, if you have something to say, say it quickly and get out.

Despite courageously coming to see him directly, she was a bit annoyed by the man’s consistently cold attitude, but Dalia didn’t show it.

Instead, she maintained her smile with the mindset of dealing with a difficult customer.

“I just… wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

Clayton met Dalia’s eyes as if unexpected.

“About the cat. I brought it in without your permission and even insisted on keeping it. I didn’t know you disliked it so much. I’m sorry. I was short-sighted.”

After a moment of silence at Dalia’s continued apology, Clayton spoke.

“So what did you do with that cat?”

“Pardon?”

“The cat. I heard from Jason that you went to the Duchess, saying you’d ask someone trustworthy yourself.”

Dalia’s eyes widened, not expecting the conversation to suddenly turn in that direction.

“But it doesn’t seem like they’re keeping a cat in the annex. If they were, I would have heard about it by now.”

Dalia flinched at the words that hit the mark and hurriedly made excuses.

“Th-that’s because the Duchess said she would entrust it to someone she knows…”

“Who does she know?”

“Um… So… Did she say she’d ask an old friend? Haha, suddenly I can’t remember well…”

Why was he suddenly questioning so persistently? Her mouth became dry from telling such implausible lies.

“An old friend, is it.”

Clayton, who had been quietly reciting Dalia’s words, now asked a different question.

“Then you.”

“Yes?”

“Dalia, I was wondering if you have someone you could call a close friend.”

“Um…”

She trailed off as the conversation continued to flow differently than expected.

It was a good sign that the conversation was continuing, but, well…

‘Why do I keep feeling like I’m being interrogated?’

It felt like being questioned by a detective after committing a crime.

But she couldn’t end the conversation that had just started flowing with her own hands, so she continued to answer while trying to exclude the story of Lloyd as much as possible.

“I’ve recently become close with Lady Roman. We first met at Louise’s dress shop.”

“And who else.”

“Who else…? There’s no one else besides Lady Roman.”

She scratched her cheek, embarrassed by her narrow circle of friends, realizing that the only people she could call friends were Rachel and Lloyd.

Because of this, Dalia didn’t notice that Clayton’s face had become even colder than before.

‘This is not the time to be having such a meaningless conversation.’

If things continued like this, it was clear that the conversation would end after just receiving a fruitless interrogation.

‘It might be better to draw the curtains and let the sunlight in before touching him!’

Since the romantic atmosphere seemed to have gone wrong, now there was no choice but to go for a physical approach.

So, Dalia moved to carry out the plan she had only thought about in her head.

“More importantly, the room seems too dark. It’s such a nice day outside, why are the curtains drawn so tightly?”

Pretending not to know anything, she pulled back the curtains, and the hidden sunlight poured in abundantly.

Thanks to this, Clayton, who had been sitting in his seat, frowned and stood up.

Thinking this was her chance, Dalia tried to approach Clayton at that moment.

‘Oh?’

Her foot got tangled, causing Dalia’s body to sway greatly.

‘I’m going to fall…!’

Someone once said that people show ingenuity in moments of crisis. The same was true for Dalia.

She instinctively reached out her hand and pulled Clayton, and that judgment was correct.

Clayton instinctively embraced Dalia and twisted his body.

Thud.

A heavy sound echoed throughout the room.

Expecting the pain of hitting the hard floor, Dalia, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, slowly opened them.

Then Clayton’s broad chest came into view.