The dining room on the first floor of the mansion was bustling for the first time in a while.

The servants, moving in perfect unison under Jason’s direction, set down the tableware.

Soon after the maids left, a heavy silence fell as if cold water had been poured over the room.

Despite three people sitting face to face in the large room, not even the clinking of tableware could be heard.

‘Why did he suddenly want to eat together?’

At this meal with people she thought could never get along, Dalia didn’t know where to look, so she just watched as her glass was filled with water.

And it seemed Lloyd felt the same way, as he too just stared at the innocent table, not lifting his head.

That wasn’t all. Even the busy servants preparing the meal seemed to be on edge about the three people’s encounter.

The only person at ease in this suffocating situation was Clayton, the instigator of all this trouble.

As Dalia was timidly glaring at Clayton’s reflection in her glass.

Clayton, who had been keeping his mouth firmly shut, was the first to break the silence.

“I asked earlier. How I found out you two were close.”

“Pardon?”

Dalia racked her brain, wondering if she had asked such a question.

Rather than asking, she felt she had only shown a bewildered reaction, but Clayton seemed to have taken it as curiosity.

“Actually, today wasn’t the first time I saw you two together in the forest.”

He said, picking up the knife on the table.

“I can see the forest well from the terrace of my office. I also saw you two coming out of the forest together amicably.”

“…What?”

Good heavens. Of all things, the forest was clearly visible from Clayton’s office.

It was a fact she hadn’t noticed at all, being unfamiliar with the mansion’s structure and having only visited the office a few times.

It seemed Lloyd was in the same boat, as his face had turned pale.

Seeing this, Dalia inwardly sighed and tried to recall that day’s events.

‘But I don’t think we said anything special as we were coming out…’

She didn’t think they had even called each other by name. They had just exited the forest side by side with smiling faces, that was all.

Thinking this was somewhat fortunate, Dalia tried to suppress an inexplicable uneasiness.

Skipping the appetizer, the steak that came out first was being gently cut by the man’s hand.

With each pass of the knife, red juices seeped out of the deliciously cooked meat.

“That’s how I found out. That the relationship between you two was different from what I had thought.”

“I-I see. I didn’t know that.”

It truly felt like sitting on pins and needles. It felt like being interrogated under the guise of kindness.

Dalia wanted to wet her parched throat, but she felt like even a sip of water would choke her in this situation, so she couldn’t touch anything.

So, she was left with no choice but to pretend to eat the salad, poking at it with her fork, when Clayton, who had put down his knife, placed a steak cut into bite-sized pieces in front of Dalia.

Huh?

Dalia’s eyes widened as the steak was suddenly placed in front of her.

She wasn’t the only one surprised by Clayton’s unexpected action; she thought she heard someone else gasp as well.

‘What’s this? Why is he suddenly doing this?’

Dalia looked at Clayton with eyes demanding an explanation, but he just crinkled his eyes and gestured for her to eat.

“You’re too thin.”

“…Pardon?”

She was just bewildered by this man who had never cared whether she ate salad or weeds suddenly acting like this.

Why was he pretending to be so caring now, when he usually wouldn’t even eat with her unless he had business to discuss?

‘Is he telling me to gain weight so he can freely drink my blood in the future?’

Without that, it was hard to understand the man’s attitude that had changed overnight.

Dalia looked down at the meat with a sour expression at Clayton’s burdensome kindness.

It felt like even touching it would bring on morning sickness.

Dalia discreetly shifted her hips back.

It was fortunate that her morning sickness had improved lately; just a few days ago, smelling this would have certainly led to an awkward situation.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

He asked curiously when Dalia showed no signs of eating the steak despite him having cut it for her.

Dalia, unable to bring herself to put the meat in her mouth even if she could bear the smell, gently pushed the plate away.

“I’m feeling a bit unwell. Haha. This is enough for me.”

Then she put the salad plate Clayton had removed back in front of her.

Seeing Dalia go that far, Clayton shrugged as if there was nothing more he could do.

Dalia pretended to be nonchalant as she picked at the salad.

Then Clayton continued what he had not finished saying earlier.

“Anyway, as I said before, I was relieved to see that you two get along well.”

Dalia, chewing on a tomato in her mouth, looked at Clayton.

“I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding between you and Lady Hertz anyway. But seeing you two are close, it seems there’s no need for that.”

At those words, Dalia quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and asked.

“By misunderstanding, you mean…”

“The misunderstanding that Rose Hertz is my mistress.”

“…”

At Clayton’s blunt answer, Lloyd and Dalia tightly closed their mouths.

“Actually, I didn’t like that you misunderstood that Lady Hertz and I had an improper relationship.”

Given that he had been acting in ways that would easily lead to such misunderstandings, it wasn’t particularly convincing.

“You need to know the truth now. Since you’ve become the true mistress of the Sayer family.”

No sooner had those words ended than Lloyd’s hand came to an abrupt stop.

It was because he had caught on to what Clayton meant by the true mistress of the family.

“The Hertz family and the Sayer family have been in a symbiotic relationship for a very long time. As you might have guessed, I’ve been drinking Rose Hertz’s blood until now. That is, until I drank your blood, Dalia.”

At the mention of Clayton drinking Dalia’s blood, Lloyd’s shoulders visibly flinched.

Seeing Lloyd’s reaction, the corners of Clayton’s mouth stretched even further.

“So I’d like to give you a gift as a token of my gratitude.”

“A gift?”

What gift could he be talking about? Wondering if he meant the room being refurbished now, Dalia tilted her head.

“We have a family villa on the eastern coast. How about we go there together?”

“A villa?”

“Yes. Come to think of it, we haven’t gone on a proper trip, have we? Not even the honeymoon that everyone else goes on.”

“That’s true, but…”

Unlike Clayton, who was speaking as if bestowing a great favor, Dalia’s reaction to receiving the gift was lukewarm.

That was because she couldn’t understand why Clayton was now making excuses about a honeymoon and suggesting they go to a villa.

Moreover, being in the early stages of pregnancy, she was somewhat burdened and worried about going somewhere that might require a long carriage ride.

So she was about to make an excuse and decline when.

‘Wait.’

Suddenly, something flashed through her mind.

‘Could this be a sign?’

A sign that Clayton was beginning to love her.

He had suddenly decided to redecorate her room, which he had seen countless times before without any reaction.

And now he was suggesting they go to a villa together, mentioning a honeymoon. All these positive changes had occurred after drinking her blood last night.

As this thought occurred to her, a strong conviction washed over her that, if nothing else, they absolutely had to go to the villa.

‘Yes, this is an opportunity!’

An unmissable opportunity to deepen her relationship with Clayton while spending time alone together!

Perhaps this was Clayton reaching out to her first.

A kind of signal, as if to say, let’s become a bit closer than before.

Having reached this conclusion, Dalia stopped what she was about to say and nodded her head vigorously.

“Alright. I’ll go.”

There was no reason to refuse this proposal.

“I was feeling a bit stuffy anyway… It would be good to get some fresh air. The capital is a bit noisy after all.”

She deliberately trailed off, alluding to the rumors rampant in high society.

It was to make Clayton feel a bit guilty.

Whether it worked or not, Clayton nodded at her words.

“I’m glad you think so. I’ll have preparations made soon.”

He seemed satisfied with her answer. Then, as if suddenly remembering there was someone else present, he paused his meal.

“Ah. By the way, Lloyd.”

“!”

“!”

The two people’s bodies visibly flinched at hearing a name that shouldn’t have been mentioned.

“The lady’s brother. He’s at the Academy now, isn’t he?”

“Ah…”

Only then did the two realize why Lloyd’s name had come from Clayton’s mouth, and they inwardly sighed with relief.

“When does he graduate from the Academy? He’s to become the future Count Hertz, but it’s been too long since I’ve seen him.”

Though it was just a casual inquiry, having something to hide made their hearts race uncontrollably.

It seemed the same for Lloyd, as his body appeared to stiffen slightly.

“He should graduate next year, I believe.”

“Next year. Not long left then. The lady must feel reassured knowing her brother will graduate soon.”

Clayton gazed at Lloyd with an inscrutable look.

Lloyd, who had been quietly observing Clayton, also put down his cutlery and met his gaze.

“Yes. I’m eagerly awaiting that day.”

A strange look passed between the two men.