That evening. Dalia, who had spent all day in the dressing room led by Samantha, who was more excited than anyone, was only able to leave the room when it was time for dinner.

It was possible because Clayton had just proposed to have dinner together.

As soon as they sat at the table placed in the center of the dining room, the servants meticulously set down the food.

Dalia had been worried about having morning sickness while dining with Clayton, but fortunately, her morning sickness had improved a lot recently, so she could eat without difficulty as long as it wasn’t overtly fishy food like fish dishes.

The days of only being able to eat fruits and vegetables were over.

Perhaps that’s why. Dalia, who had been particularly appetized lately, concentrated on eating, forgetting that Clayton was sitting across from her. That’s when it happened.

He put down his wine glass and asked.

“Did you like the room?”

Dalia, who was just cutting chicken and putting it in her mouth, paused at the sudden question.

It was because she belatedly realized that she had been eating rudely without even thanking the duke.

Dalia quickly chewed and swallowed the food to answer his question.

Then, wiping her mouth with a napkin, she answered as gracefully as possible.

“Yes. Thank you, Your Grace. I love it very much.”

“Then that’s good.”

Clayton nodded, seeming satisfied with Dalia’s answer.

Looking at the man’s satisfied face, Dalia felt a bit guilty.

To be honest, beyond liking it or not, the room itself was burdensome.

With all sorts of rare things in the room, she felt like she was serving the room rather than living in it.

But she couldn’t disappoint someone who had spent a lot of money decorating the room for her.

So Dalia expressed her gratitude as if she really liked the room.

She glanced at Clayton, who was eating silently.

Perhaps because they shared a room, it was no longer awkward but rather comfortable for the two of them to be alone in a space.

She had reached the stage where she no longer had to worry about what to talk about with him.

Was it because she had become rapidly intimate with the man? So Dalia gathered courage to say what she had wanted to say all along.

“I have something I’d like to say to Your Grace.”

“Speak.”

The man nodded lightly and moved his knife.

“It’s about Lady Hertz.”

However, as soon as the word Hertz was heard, his hand cutting the meat stopped abruptly.

“Lady Hertz?”

Dalia quickly continued, seeing the questioning look in his eyes as if wondering why that name was coming up here.

“I was thinking maybe it’s time to send her back to the Hertz family.”

“…”

Clayton’s hardened face softened a bit. Then, after finishing cutting the meat he hadn’t fully cut, he raised his head.

“To the Hertz family?”

“Yes. We’re going to the villa anyway. I’m concerned about Lady Hertz staying here alone. And most of all…”

Dalia hesitated for a moment before slowly adding.

“You don’t need to drink Lady Hertz’s blood anymore.”

It was a steady, even tone.

“…”

Clayton met Dalia’s eyes, who was looking at him with a clear face.

Clayton’s eyes were intense, as if trying to discern the intentions hidden behind her mysterious color.

“Are you sure you can handle it alone?”

Handle it.

He probably meant if she could handle providing blood alone without Lloyd.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure yet. But.

‘I won’t drink your blood like that anymore.’

‘I won’t do anything if you don’t like it.’

Those words Clayton had uttered gave her an inexplicable courage.

‘It’s a bit strange that a person suddenly changed in an instant, but…’

Whatever the cause, Clayton was changing. So she had to change too.

And these small changes would soon have a very important impact on their future.

Having finished that thought, Dalia nodded toward Clayton.

“Of course.”

With a bright smile.

* * *

After finishing their meal, the two parted ways to complete their daily routines.

Dalia, who was habitually heading to Clayton’s room, only realized her mistake when she reached the duke’s bedroom.

“Oh my. How many days have I stayed in this room that I naturally came here?”

She had been in her original room until just before dinner.

She must have forgotten during the brief time she had dinner with the duke, or unconsciously came to the duke’s bedroom.

Dalia, who let out a low sigh, turned her steps again to go to her room.

Dalia, who returned to her original room trudging, flopped down on the bed.

“It’s incredibly comfortable, probably because it’s expensive.”

Was it made by a bed craftsman? She only vaguely remembered that it was something ordered by another nobleman and bought at a premium.

Dalia rolled around on the bed to find her spot without even thinking about changing her clothes.

“It’s so spacious…”

When she was lying in the same bed with Clayton, it didn’t seem this spacious.

Was it because she had become accustomed to using the room with Clayton for just about four days? She felt like she was alone in a large room.

“Maybe it’s because it’s unfamiliar.”

From the wallpaper to the carpet, furniture, and small accessories. Surrounded by splendid luxury items, it felt like she was trying to sleep in an unfamiliar place.

Dalia’s room was more splendid and luxurious than any place she had stayed so far, but strangely, her heart felt emptier than ever before.

* * *

The next morning. Just when she thought the mansion had been quiet for a while after the room construction was finished. Somehow the mansion seemed noisy from the morning, so she asked Samantha.

“Is something happening outside? It seems a bit noisy somehow.”

“It’s the east annex. They’re loading all the luggage there onto carriages.”

“The east annex… that’s…”

Where Lloyd was.

Clayton’s execution was quick.

As soon as he left the dining room, he sent word to Lloyd through Jason to leave for the Hertz family.

And under the leadership of Jason, who was as action-oriented as Clayton, the luggage in the east annex was being loaded onto carriages one by one.

“My lady. It’s such a relief. How could we have known that woman who was such an eyesore would be removed from our sight so quickly?”

As Samantha chirped in an excited voice, Dalia scolded her with a stern voice.

“Rose is not in that kind of relationship with His Grace. And Samantha, Rose is still a noble, sometimes your words go too far.”

“I just… I was worried you might be upset, my lady…”

Samantha, deflated by Dalia’s unexpected rebuke, hung her head low. At this, Dalia consoled her in a softer voice.

“Rose is my friend. So from now on, treat her like my dear friend.”

“My lady…”

Although Samantha’s gaze, looking at her like a saint, was somewhat burdensome, it seemed good to clarify to those around her that Rose was not a mistress.

‘There’s no need to use the misunderstanding of her being a mistress to attract the male lead anymore.’

Moreover, it would certainly be concerning for Lloyd to go around with the label of being Clayton’s mistress after returning to his original life.

Therefore, Dalia thought she should correct the misunderstanding from now on for the future of both of them.

As Dalia was watching her hair being tended to by Samantha in front of the mirror, it happened.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Just a moment!”

Samantha, who had put down the comb she was holding on the dressing table, opened the door to greet the visitor.

And the one who appeared was none other than Lloyd.

“I came to greet the Duchess.”

At Lloyd’s sudden visit, Samantha looked at Dalia’s expression.

Dalia, who guided Lloyd to the sofa with a calm face, gestured to Samantha.

“Come in. Samantha, could you go and bring some tea?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Although she still seemed uneasy about the two of them being together, perhaps due to the scolding she had received from Dalia earlier, she was more polite to Lloyd than before.

As Samantha left and a brief silence fell.

It was Lloyd who broke the silence first.

“I heard that you asked His Grace. That you want me to return to the mansion.”

“Yes. That’s right. I’ll be away from the mansion for a while too, and you can’t stay here uncomfortably alone.”

“That may be true, but…”

As if she had already guessed what Lloyd couldn’t finish saying, Dalia reassured him.

“Don’t worry, Lloyd. I can handle everything on my own.”

He’s probably worried about her taking on the burden that the women of the Hertz family had to bear alone. Dalia continued in a calm voice.

“I don’t want you to live hidden behind the name Rose anymore.”

“…”

“So, Lloyd.”

Dalia spoke to him in her brightest voice.

“When we meet next time, I hope you’ll be Lloyd, not Rose.”

Everything will be over after she goes on a trip with Clayton.

There will be no more pain for the Hertz family.

By the time they return to the mansion, Clayton will have already fallen in love with her.

Confidence was evident on Dalia’s face.