The first emotion Dalia felt was relief.

It hadn’t been long since the doctor told her to take it easy, yet she had fallen so carelessly.

If she hadn’t grabbed Clayton, she might have suffered a great misfortune.

Dalia, who had been unknowingly sighing in relief into Clayton’s chest, suddenly stiffened.

As she calmed down, she began to grasp the situation.

And the moment she realized it, a heavy silence descended.

She had said she would try physical contact if conversation didn’t work, but this wasn’t what she had intended.

She had only wanted a natural situation like placing her hand on Clayton’s shoulder or gently leaning against him.

Well, should this be considered a successful physical approach in its own way?

As the sound of her pounding heart filled the awkward silence, Dalia, who had belatedly come to her senses, gave an awkward smile.

“Haha. I’m sorry. I suddenly lost my footing…”

She had even fallen on top of him when he was already in a bad mood. His expression was predictable without even looking.

‘He must be glaring at me fiercely.’

The fact that he hadn’t said anything until now was probably him being quite lenient. Dalia moved her creaking arm to place her hand on the floor.

Then, apologizing in a small voice, she slowly began to rise. But.

Huh?

Clayton, who had been still until now, suddenly gripped Dalia’s wrist tightly.

As a result, Dalia, unable to either fully rise or lean back into his arms, awkwardly hovered in midair.

“Um, Your Grace. This hand…”

Flustered, Dalia looked up at his face belatedly to ask him to release her wrist.

And at that moment, when her eyes met Clayton’s, Dalia involuntarily drew in a breath.

‘Why, why is he like this…?’

Clayton’s gaze was unsettling. It wasn’t his usual cold eyes. This was more like…

He seemed half-crazed, one might say.

His roughly split focus had long lost its reason. It was a look she had seen somewhere before. When was that?

The scent of grass that filled her nose and the cool breeze that brushed her skin back then…

As Dalia was tracing her hazy memories, linking one to another.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, the whole world turned upside down, and her back met the cold carpet floor.

The silver hair that had been hanging like a curtain scattered brilliantly on the floor.

Before she could scream in surprise, Clayton climbed on top of her.

The moment Dalia met those blood-red eyes looking down at her with slightly widened eyes, the fog in her mind cleared.

The cabin standing alone in the middle of the forest, and the man biting Lloyd’s nape inside.

Yes, the Clayton before her now had the same look in his eyes as when he was drinking blood then.

‘This is somewhat…’

Dangerous.

A bright red warning sound began to ring in her head. Her once flexible body began to stiffen.

Thinking she needed to get out of here as soon as possible, Dalia pushed Clayton away. Or rather, tried to.

If only before he buried his face in her neck.

“Ugh.”

The surprise at the unfamiliar sensation that touched her without warning was brief. Soon, something moist licked her neck.

Just as she was about to clench her fist gripping Clayton’s clothes due to the strange feeling.

Her eyes flew open in surprise at the stinging sensation felt on the surface of her skin.

A sharp but blunter feeling than a needle.

‘No way.’

It was fangs.

“W-wait a moment! Your Grace… ugh.”

Dalia, who instinctively realized what Clayton was about to do, tried to struggle, but it was useless.

This really wasn’t part of the plan.

She didn’t know what had suddenly possessed him, but this was something that hadn’t even happened in the original story.

As she tightly closed her eyes at the sensation of fangs grazing her skin as if scraping it off.

The eyes that had ignited with flames cooled rapidly as if doused with cold water. Simultaneously, Clayton’s body stiffened with a jerk.

‘What’s this…?’

By now, the fangs should have pierced her skin and more.

Finding it strange that she felt neither pain nor movement, Dalia slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw was Clayton’s face, as if he had encountered a corpse.

His face, turning pale to the point of being blue, and the man’s eyes still holding unquenched heat seemed incongruous.

“…Your Grace?”

Clayton, who had abruptly moved away from Dalia, muttered while covering his face with both hands.

“Get out.”

“…Pardon?”

“Get out right now!”

Along with the sudden order to leave, Clayton smashed the teacup on the desk to the floor.

The teacup thrown on the carpet shattered into pieces, making it difficult to recognize its original shape.

His clear focus was shaking roughly towards her.

Seeing the man’s appearance denying what had just happened, Dalia slowly rose.

“Your Grace…”

As Dalia, unable to do this or that due to Clayton’s unfamiliar behavior, quietly muttered his name.

With a loud bang, Jason flung open the door.

“Your Grace!”

It was Jason who had come in after hearing the commotion.

Jason, who was hurriedly scanning the room as if trying to assess the situation, swallowed hard.

Then he ordered Samantha, who was frozen in shock at the doorway.

“Quickly, take the lady to her room!”

“Y-yes…!”

Samantha, who had been peering into the room curious if the duke and duchess were having a private moment, seemed to finally come to her senses and entered the room to support Dalia.

“My lady! Lean on me!”

Jason, who had been checking on the duke’s condition, also quietly left the room, noticing Clayton’s wish to be alone.

Finally alone in the room.

Only then did Clayton, his tension released, collapse to the floor.

It was because he realized what he had just been about to do.

“I…”

He had been about to drink Dalia’s blood.

And in a state of lost reason, no less. Harsh curses burst from his mouth.

He had merely instinctively reached out towards Dalia as she was about to fall.

But he had lost his reason to the scent boasting a strong presence at his bedside.

Terrible feelings of regret and self-loathing washed over him like waves.

It’s truly dangerous.

He was not unaware of how dangerous blood-drinking was when one lost their reason.

Even what he cherished and valued could have been destroyed in a moment of blind pleasure.

“Damn it!”

Unable to contain the anger boiling up inside him, Clayton began throwing whatever he could grab.

Only after the once-tidy office had become a mess did Clayton calm his excitement and breathe evenly.

Then, a sweet scent he hadn’t noticed earlier tickled his nose.

A sweetness that seemed it would sting his tongue if he took even one bite.

Only then did Clayton realize something was smeared on the tip of his lips, and he wiped it off with his finger.

It was Dalia’s blood.

It must have flowed from the wound made in the process of him setting his teeth on Dalia’s neck.

Perhaps it was about one drop.

Clayton, who had been blankly staring at the red stain on his hand, unconsciously licked it with his tongue.

One drop of blood. Just one drop.

It was merely one drop.

But the moment he held it in his mouth, Clayton realized.

Like Pandora who had opened the forbidden box. Like Eve who had plucked the fruit of knowledge in Eden.

That he could never go back to how things were before.

It was a new curse for him.

* * *

In a room engulfed by darkness. Someone was curled up on the bed, biting their nails.

It was Rose Hertz.

Rose, who had been blankly staring into space, turned her head to see the full moon outside the window.

“The duke has found out everything…”

That Lloyd had been acting as Rose Hertz. Moreover.

‘If you want to save your brother, keep your mouth shut.’

Don’t say anything to Lloyd, he said. Rose and Lloyd, being twins, shared everything with each other.

They had never kept secrets from each other before.

She even felt somewhat guilty about hiding such a big fact.

‘What should I do?’

It was difficult for her to understand the duke’s intentions.

Why the man who had acted as if he would behead her and Lloyd at any moment suddenly changed his attitude.

Tomorrow, Lloyd will stay at the Sayer mansion.

For now, she acted as if nothing had happened as the duke ordered, but in reality, she was burning with anxiety.

‘What if something happens to Lloyd…?’

What if it was the duke’s ploy to send Lloyd to the mansion instead of her? What if he intended to harm Lloyd at the mansion…

The thought that she should tell Lloyd the truth now resurfaced, when suddenly.

‘Wait.’

If Lloyd finds out about this…

Does that mean she would have to take his place from now on?

She recalled her encounters with the duke, which seemed like they could appear in nightmares.

She had lightly thought she could handle it well since Lloyd had been doing it all along.

But the Duke of Sayer she had only heard about was more frightening than she had imagined.

Just having such a man standing behind her made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

If such a person were to bite her neck and drink her blood, she wondered if she might really die. Just as that thought suddenly occurred to her.

With a click, Lloyd poked his head through the door.

He seemed to be worried about Rose, who had been in her room all day. Rose spoke to her brother, who was gauging her mood.

“Come in, Lloyd.”

At those words, Lloyd entered the room and embraced Rose.

“Are you sure nothing really happened with the Duke of Sayer?”

When Lloyd returned to the mansion and heard what had happened, he was shocked and asked Rose if anything had happened, but her only reply was that nothing had happened.

But how could he not worry when someone who said nothing happened had been cooped up in their room all day?

Lloyd hugged Rose a little tighter, hoping she would feel secure in his arms.

“Don’t worry, Rose. I’ll definitely protect you no matter what.”

“…”

Seeing Lloyd always worrying about her, Rose hugged him tightly.

“…Yes. Lloyd.”

You must protect me.

Even if I can’t protect you.

Rose buried her face in Lloyd’s chest, swallowing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say.