Inside Clayton’s office.

Unlike the noisy atmosphere outside, this office was as quiet as if cut off from the world.

How long did the scratching sound of the pen nib continue along with the heavy silence? Jason’s voice broke through the interval.

“Lady Rose Hertz has arrived. The servants are now moving her luggage to the east annex.”

Clayton nodded slightly at his polite voice.

Clayton’s face remained impassive, seemingly unconcerned about the ripples caused by his own orders.

“What I told you?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve prepared it.”

It was something Clayton had ordered Jason to prepare separately after Dalia visited the office yesterday.

Though prepared as ordered, Jason hesitated to hand it over to Clayton, as if reluctant.

What emerged with a slow hand was a palm-sized glass bottle.

The transparent glass bottle was filled with an unidentifiable bright red liquid.

“It’s the blood of a young deer freshly slaughtered this morning.”

Deer blood.

What Clayton had ordered to bring was none other than deer blood.

And Jason’s expression was not good, having already grasped Clayton’s intention in having this brought.

He hesitated to hand over the glass bottle to Clayton and carefully opened his mouth.

“Your Grace. Wouldn’t it be better to reconsider drinking this? There’s no reason for you to drink this when you’ve brought the daughter of House Hertz to the mansion. Moreover, tomorrow is the full moon. It’s reckless to drink animal blood on the eve of a dangerous day.”

While animal blood wasn’t entirely ineffective, its effects were very minimal compared to drinking human blood.

If human blood was concentrated honey, animal blood was like adding a single drop of honey to a bowl of water.

Hence, Jason couldn’t understand why Clayton wanted to drink animal blood when Rose Hertz was there.

It wasn’t a situation where he couldn’t drink blood immediately. If he wasn’t going to drink blood, there was no reason to bring Rose Hertz to the mansion at risk.

‘What on earth happened at the Hertz mansion?’

Jason, who had no way of knowing the answer, was simply confused.

Meanwhile, Clayton gazed indifferently at the glass bottle Jason was holding.

Animal blood not only failed to quench thirst but made him feel dirtier the more he drank.

That’s why he hadn’t tried to drink it even once since he was young.

‘But Rose Hertz’s blood is meaningless.’

Now he felt no difference between drinking Hertz’s blood and animal blood.

No, he wouldn’t be able to. Having already tasted Dalia’s blood, nothing else could satisfy him.

As Clayton just silently stared at the glass bottle, Jason, seemingly frustrated, added:

“Then you must at least drink Rose Hertz’s blood tonight. Otherwise, at tomorrow’s royal banquet…”

“About that.”

Clayton, who had been quietly listening to Jason’s plea, answered.

“I won’t be attending tomorrow’s birthday banquet with Dalia.”

“…Pardon?”

Jason, who had been waiting silently for him to finish speaking, looked at him with a blank face.

Jason, who usually didn’t show emotion for trivial matters, found his expression crumbling every time Clayton spoke lately.

“W-what do you mean, Your Grace? Not going to the palace with the Madam? This is the first palace event since your marriage. You know well that you can’t go alone without a partner, don’t you?”

A banquet held at the royal palace.

Especially for parties centered around members of the royal family, it was an unspoken rule to always go with a partner.

It was fine for young ladies and gentlemen who hadn’t yet come of age and people of the royal family, but for ordinary nobles who had come of age among the general nobility.

Especially in the case of married individuals, they absolutely had to attend parties with their partners.

If, for some unavoidable reason, a spouse couldn’t attend together, this unwritten rule had been maintained for a long time, such as attending with relatives or children.

Clayton was not unaware of this fact. However, there was no guarantee that yesterday’s events wouldn’t be repeated.

To be honest, it would be more accurate to say he lacked confidence.

Clayton twisted the corner of his mouth as if bitter at his self-contempt and the frustrating reality he couldn’t change.

“I don’t intend to go alone.”

“…Pardon?”

What does this mean now? He said he’s not going with the Madam, but also that he doesn’t intend to go alone.

He thought perhaps he might go with the Dowager Duchess, but soon abandoned that thought, realizing the relationship between the two wasn’t good.

“Then who on earth…”

“I’m going with Rose Hertz.”

But at the following statement, he inadvertently drew in a breath.

It was already shocking enough that a newly married couple wouldn’t appear together as partners at an official event held at the royal palace.

And to attend that place with a woman rumored to be his mistress.

Even the late Duke lying in his coffin would sit up in shock if he heard this news.

Jason, trying to suppress his bewilderment, calmly appealed to Clayton.

“T-that, wouldn’t it be better to reconsider? If you attend the party with Lady Rose Hertz instead of the Duchess, you won’t be able to avoid scandal. Rather, asking the Dowager Duchess…”

“There are already more than enough scandals about the Sayer ducal family to trip over. Adding one more won’t change anything.”

There was something more fearful than scandal.

It was himself, desiring Dalia’s blood.

In fact, the reason he judged that he didn’t need to drink Hertz’s blood anymore was because drinking that blood no longer gave him the same sense of fullness as before.

In terms of sensation, it felt little different from drinking animal blood.

He wasn’t confident he could hold Dalia’s hand, which he had deliberately avoided for days, and dance together at the party, bodies pressed close.

At this time when it’s harder than ever to suppress impulses, with the full moon overlapping.

Dalia was inflicting unbearable pain on him.

Thus, he decided not to attend the banquet with Dalia, knowing it was somewhat of a risky move.

Moreover, if he took Hertz as his partner, he could also prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

If there was one thing that bothered him…

Clayton, whose eyes had been shadowed for a moment, raised his head. His face showed no more room for compromise.

“Have it prepared that way.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Jason, realizing that his persuasion would be futile, bowed his head. There was only one thing he could do now.

‘I’ll have to convey the message as best I can to minimize hurting the Madam’s feelings.’

Of course, no matter how the message was delivered, it was clear that the Madam would be hurt.

Jason, swallowing inwardly, left the office with a troubled expression.

Left alone again, Clayton put down the quill pen he had been holding.

“Huu…”

Then he loosened the tie that had been choking his neck as if stifling.

As he pushed his hair back with his fingers, beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead were revealed.

“I’m thirsty…”

Though he had tried his best not to show it in front of Jason, he had been experiencing a burning thirst in his throat for a while now.

As soon as he was left alone in the room, he gulped down the glass bottle Jason had brought, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

As the fishy metallic taste filled his mouth, his breathing became somewhat calmer.

No matter how long Jason had been by his side, Clayton didn’t want to show him the sight of drinking animal blood.

Thud.

Clayton, who had thrown the empty glass bottle onto the desk, stood up from his seat.

Then he picked up a cigar and lit it.

Animal blood, unlike human blood, had a particularly fishy taste.

To erase it as quickly as possible, one had to either drink strong alcohol or smoke a cigar.

Clayton quickly put the cigar in his mouth and took a deep breath. As the strong smoke entered his lungs, he felt a bit more alive.

As the traces of drinking animal blood gradually faded, Clayton, feeling somewhat better, went out onto the terrace.

As always, while listening to the sound of grass hitting the wind,

He noticed two familiar figures emerging from the forest, looking around cautiously.

The woman smiling at him in a way he had never shown in front of others, looking at the other person with innocent and clear eyes like a child, was his wife Dalia.

She was touching the person next to her without hesitation, chattering continuously as if having fun.

Clayton, who had been staring coldly at the two people who looked quite affectionate like old friends, crushed out the cigar he had been smoking on the terrace railing.

Then he twisted the corners of his mouth that had been turned down.

“Look at these?”