Huh?

Only then did Dalia sense something strange and look around.

She realized that the eyes of the ladies gathered in groups chatting were focused on Orly and herself.

‘…What did I just say?’

As she rolled her eyes in embarrassment, wondering if she had accidentally spoken her thoughts out loud.

The ladies who had been quietly looking back and forth between the two began to speak.

“What did the Duchess Sayer just say? That Baroness Molden fed her jasmine? Isn’t jasmine a poisonous herb that causes infertility?”

“I heard it’s a very toxic herb. Did Baroness Molden really… to Duchess Sayer…”

“Now that I think about it, it was strange. Isn’t it odd that there were rumors of the unmarried eldest daughter of the Molden family being barren? Where did you all hear that rumor from?”

“I heard it from Baroness Molden.”

“Oh my! Me too! Then surely Baroness Molden…”

The gazes of the ladies who had been talking amongst themselves all turned to Baroness Molden.

With a different look now, as if looking at someone who had committed a heinous crime.

They knew better than anyone how a woman who couldn’t bear children was treated, so they considered Orly’s actions as terrible as murder.

Stories of a stepmother hating her husband’s daughter from a previous marriage were commonplace to the point of being cliché, but it was rare to find one so wicked as to make that daughter infertile.

And Orly, noticing the meaning in their eyes, clenched her fists as her body trembled.

“You, what are you saying? I fed you what? How dare you slander me like this…!”

“That’s right! What did our mother do to you to make you tell such a horrible lie?”

Sophie actively defended Orly, not believing Dalia’s words.

As she approached with eyes that looked ready to tear Dalia apart right then and there.

Just then, a man came over and said to gather at the lake soon.

It was announcing the start of the boat ride, which could be considered the main event of the picnic.

Thanks to the man who suddenly intervened, the attention focused on the three women dispersed.

They had put aside the scandal of the Molden family for now, as much as they had been looking forward to today’s picnic during the winter.

After all, there would be countless days to bring up that scandal again from now on.

Sensing the mood of the people, Orly and Sophie also judged that discussing the matter further would only escalate the problem, so they turned to leave.

Not forgetting to glare at Dalia one last time as they turned away.

‘Wow. I thought I was going to get hit.’

And Dalia, who had been bearing their piercing gazes, let out a sigh of relief.

‘She actually fed the female lead jasmine, yet she has the nerve to get angry.’

Fortunately, when the stepmother started putting jasmine in her food, the female lead noticed the distinctive smell of jasmine and only pretended to eat it, so she wasn’t affected.

But despite that, when she didn’t get her period, she thought she had become infertile without realizing it.

‘So shameless.’

Dalia clicked her tongue, thinking of the mother and daughter.

Deciding to avoid those two for the rest of the picnic today.

The boat ride, which could be called the highlight of the picnic, began when the sun was at its hottest.

And sure enough, irritation was etched on Clayton’s face as if he found that fact unpleasant.

He didn’t even try to hide such feelings, just glaring at the boat he would have to row with stiffly hardened eyes.

Dalia looked at the man and smiled triumphantly as if an opportunity had come.

‘A boat ride when the sun is high in the sky like this, I’m grateful. It’s a good situation for natural skinship.’

To get on the boat, Clayton would have to reach out his hand to her. And the moment their hands touched, he would suddenly feel something different.

Everything was going according to plan.

Except for the situation where Orly and Sophie were now glaring at her like they wanted to kill her.

When her eyes met Orly’s, who had eyes like a demon, she quickly turned her head away pretending not to see.

‘It feels like troublesome things will happen if I get involved.’

Thinking that, Dalia moved closer to Clayton’s side.

At least she knew they wouldn’t pick a fight with her if she was by the male lead’s side.

However, Dalia was so focused on Orly that she didn’t notice at all that Clayton was looking at her.

Clayton alternated looking between Dalia and Orly and let out a chuckle.

“When did you start being considerate after feeding her so nicely?”

“Pardon?”

Dalia, who had just turned her head towards Clayton, asked back blankly.

But when he gestured with his chin towards Orly, Dalia inhaled as she understood his meaning.

Damn it.

It seemed he had witnessed the earlier situation somehow.

‘Shit. I need to show only a weak appearance as much as possible.’

As befitting the female lead of a pregnancy trope novel, she should show the frustration of not being able to say what she wants to say even if she has something to say, and not being able to even explain herself even if there are unfair things.

‘It’s fine. I have a reason why the male lead can’t help but fall for me.’

She still had the strategy of ‘I’m not troubled when I’m with you’ that only works on male leads who have properly received the female lead buff.

Clayton seemed to be trying to act as nonchalant as possible, but he couldn’t fool her eyes.

It was clear that he was barely swallowing down the nausea rising up right now.

And the opportunity to gift him that moment was right in front of her.

Clayton, who had boarded the boat first, held out his hand to Dalia.

At this, Dalia took his hand while hiding her pounding heart.

Now the male lead should look at me with surprised eyes as he suddenly feels refreshed and invigorated…

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

“Pardon?”

Clayton asked again, looking at Dalia who was just holding his hand without any thought of getting on the boat.

“I was wondering if you had no intention of getting on the boat.”

“Ah, no! Of course I should get on!”

Only then did Dalia hurriedly board the boat, realizing he was scolding her for standing blankly on the dock.

‘Th-this is strange? Why does he seem unaffected?’

He should suddenly see the world differently as soon as he touches me and all that?

He didn’t seem to feel any change at all, not even hesitating once.

‘Was the skinship too weak?’

Right. Maybe the contact was too minimal for the effect to be significant. If so…

“Oh my!”

Dalia, who had soon finished contemplating, let out a short scream and deliberately stumbled.

As she naturally fell into Clayton’s arms, Dalia buried her face in his chest.

Then she deliberately lingered in his arms, taking her time.

‘This should be enough to cause some change…’

“What are you doing?”

Huh?

However, hearing the man’s blunt voice above her head, Dalia quickly lifted her head.

Dalia furrowed her brow as she saw the man’s eyes treating her like a strange person.

“Don’t you feel anything?”

“Should something be happening?”

Oh?

This, this isn’t right.

Dalia’s heart raced at the man’s expression of not understanding what was going on.

“Like suddenly feeling refreshed in your head, or strength surging up that wasn’t there before. You don’t feel any changes like that at all?”

But Clayton’s eyes narrowed at Dalia’s words. It was clearly an expression of thinking she was crazy.

“This is strange. That shouldn’t be possible.”

Now beyond urgency and growing anxious, Dalia began to feel all over Clayton’s body.

‘Why isn’t he affected at all! Don’t tell me the female lead buff disappeared because my soul switched?’

No, how could such a ridiculous thing happen!

How long had Dalia been feeling Clayton’s body like that? As if he could no longer stand watching, he removed Dalia’s hands from his body.

“It seems you’re not in a state to enjoy the boat ride, madam.”

Dalia stammered at the man’s face, which seemed to have a hint of annoyance.

“What? No, um…!”

Then he walked away, leaving Dalia on the boat.

Dalia quietly murmured as she stared blankly at Clayton gradually moving away.

“Am I really ruined?”

Somehow, a strong ominous feeling washed over her that things would not go smoothly from now on.

The lake in the center of Cadwell Park was the most famous spot for boat rides in the capital.

Among them, it was most beautiful when the cherry blossoms surrounding the lake were in full bloom, and today was one of the few beautiful days of the year.

Because of this, people were each enjoying boat rides so as not to miss this moment.

Except for just one person.

“What should I do now?”

Dalia muttered as she kept banging her head against a tree in a secluded place.

The most important catalyst for the male lead falling in love with the female lead in the original work had become utterly useless.

Rather, it felt like she had only gained antipathy from the male lead for touching his body without permission.

“Haah…”

Just as Dalia let out a sigh that seemed to sink into the ground due to the unexpected problem she encountered.

“Dalia!”

She raised her head at the familiar shrill voice, and Sophie and Orly were glaring at her.

The two approached with angry steps, as if they had been searching for Dalia.

“How dare you insult our mother? What are you going to do now! People keep whispering because of you!”

The person who had been pretending to be a caring sister for her older sister in front of people until just now was nowhere to be seen, and she looked ready to grab Dalia’s hair right away.

Feeling like she might really get hit, Dalia hurriedly looked around, but sadly, this place was a secluded forest far from the lake where boat rides were in full swing.

In other words, there was no one for the two to be wary of, nor anyone to help Dalia.

I knew this would happen.

Dalia blurted out whatever came to mind to quickly send the two away, annoyed.

“I may have misspoke unintentionally earlier, but it’s not like I made up something that didn’t exist, right?”

Orly, taken aback by Dalia’s confident demeanor she had never seen before, stuttered.

But only for a moment, she continued speaking almost shouting while pointing at Dalia.

“Wh-what?! Because of you, we’re about to be buried in high society, and you’re treating it like nothing happened? Is it that now that you’ve become a duchess, nothing else matters to you?”

As she said that, Orly raised her hand to slap Dalia’s cheek.

Seeing this, Dalia let out a low sigh.

‘So you’re going this far after all.’

It was such a cliché and predictable development that it made her want to yawn.

If it were the original female lead, she would have quietly taken the hit here, but unfortunately, Dalia had no intention of meekly offering her cheek.

So, as she was preparing to catch Orly’s wrist with indifferent eyes.

Smack.

Someone blocked in front of Dalia.

“…Duke?”

It was Clayton.

Dalia, who had been preparing to catch Orly’s wrist and deliver an equally hard slap, awkwardly lowered her hand.