A chilling voice echoed through the forest where only leaves had been rustling.

“Baroness, you seem to have poor manners.”

Beneath the shadows of the trees, calm red eyes glinted ominously.

“Oh, it’s a misunderstanding. I was just trying to remove a leaf stuck in my daughter’s hair…!”

Even as her right hand, poised to strike a cheek, was caught by Clayton, Orly’s lips moved with lies.

Clayton, who had been quietly observing her feeble excuse, abruptly released Orly’s wrist.

Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped the hand that had held Orly’s wrist.

“It seems Baron Molden didn’t come today.”

Orly, who had been nervously swallowing while watching Clayton wipe his hand with the handkerchief, belatedly answered.

“Y-Yes? Ah… my husband is currently in the Kaliman Islands.”

“Ah, the Kaliman Islands. Now that I think about it, I recall he borrowed a large sum of money from me for a silk business venture.”

“I-Is that so.”

“But from what I’ve heard, he’s already suffered massive losses from being scammed there as well.”

“Pardon…?”

Not knowing this fact, Orly bit her lip.

It was also a reminder that the Sayer Duke was the financial lifeline for the Molden Baron’s family.

After Dalia became the Duchess of Sayer, Baron Molden had dabbled in various businesses, claiming he would raise the family’s status.

The silk business Clayton just mentioned was also referred to in the original story.

This was because he was scammed and lost everything before the business even started.

In the end, having lost all the money he received from Clayton, Baron Molden had no choice but to repeatedly ask the Duke of Sayer for more money through Dalia as soon as he returned to the empire.

But the reason they continued to live luxuriously despite this was because they had a hill to cling to.

The hill that was the Duke of Sayer’s family, Dalia’s husband.

Clayton, who knew this fact better than anyone, looked at the two alternately and continued speaking.

“The reason I’ve been showing goodwill to the Molden Baron’s family until now is because it’s my wife’s family. However…”

He muttered, tossing the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands onto the ground.

“If you want to maintain even a superficial noble facade, it would be best not to cross the line any further.”

Orly and Sophie inhaled sharply at Clayton’s low warning.

The two, who had been momentarily frozen, hurriedly left, claiming they had urgent business.

Dalia, without even looking at Sophie and Orly as they fled, gazed at the back of the man in front of her.

‘Did he just warn them not to mess with me from now on?’

Even though she had seen that back several times before, it looked particularly broad today, somehow making her heart beat faster.

‘A-Am I having palpitations?’

That night.

After the picnic ended and she returned to the mansion, Dalia collapsed onto the bed as soon as she came out of the bathroom.

“In the end, I gained nothing from going out today.”

The only things she gained were a good look at the male lead’s broad back and the assurance that the original female lead’s family wouldn’t bother her for a while.

She felt frustrated that there was no real progress in her relationship with the male lead, which was what really mattered.

“Why isn’t there any effect at all?”

No matter how much she thought about it, the only answer she could come up with was that the female lead’s buff had disappeared because she had possessed the body.

“Wait a moment.”

Dalia suddenly sat up as if she had realized something important.

“If there’s no female lead buff, doesn’t that mean I could really die while giving birth…?”

Good heavens.

“No. It’s not certain yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

Dalia tried to erase the negative thoughts and compose herself.

“First, I need to test if there’s an effect one more time next time. And also…”

Dalia, who was organizing her future tasks in her head, let out a heavy sigh.

Then, to plan her next move, she retraced the contents of the original story.

“What was the episode that came after the picnic…”

While skinship was the decisive factor that made the male lead fall in love with the female lead, there were quite a few other events that made him fall for her.

Because of this, Dalia pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to recall even the smallest episodes so as not to miss anything.

And at that moment, another important episode flashed in her mind.

“That’s right! His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday!”

After the picnic incident, Clayton starts to pay more attention to the female lead than before.

He would even make sure to bring Dalia to outdoor events that couldn’t be missed, like the picnic.

However, the good atmosphere between the two changed once again after the Emperor’s birthday.

This was because Clayton attended the event with his mistress instead of Dalia.

Although it was said that every noble had at least one mistress, they never appeared with them at official occasions.

It was nothing short of an insult to the legal wife.

Of course, the male lead had reasons related to the family curse that made it unavoidable, but the female lead, unaware of these circumstances, was deeply hurt, and her standing in high society and the mansion diminished even further.

‘The male lead paid quite a bit of attention to the female lead after that incident too.’

In the original story, the male lead discovers the female lead waiting for him, all dressed up, while he’s riding in a carriage with his mistress.

And when he sees the female lead crying after noticing the mistress sitting next to him, he starts to pay attention to her.

‘First, I need to find out when the birthday is tomorrow.’

Relieved at the thought of having another plan, Dalia got up. Now that one worry was resolved, she started to feel hungry.

She was about to pull the bell rope to order food from a maid, but for some reason, light finger food and wine were already placed on the table.

“Did the maid bring this because I didn’t eat dinner?”

It seemed the maid had prepared some snacks separately since she hadn’t eaten dinner, claiming she had no appetite as soon as she arrived at the mansion today.

Thinking lightly of it, Dalia sat on the sofa and picked up a piece of fruit from the table.

As she was naturally looking at the wine placed next to it, that’s when it happened.

With a click, the door opened.

Startled by the sudden visitor, Dalia abruptly stood up.

She saw Clayton, wearing a robe. His black hair was damp, as if he had just finished bathing.

“Your Grace?”

He passed by Dalia, who had rabbit-like eyes, and took a seat in the empty space next to her sofa.

Although he was her husband, his sudden visit to her room without warning was quite startling, and Dalia stammered.

“Why are you…”

“Is there a problem with a husband visiting his wife’s room?”

“No, not particularly, but…”

Having been out since this morning, Clayton’s visit just as she was about to rest was rather bothersome.

He naturally poured wine into the prepared glass in front of him. Dalia observed him, as if trying to discern his intentions for visiting at this hour.

Whether aware of Dalia’s gaze or not, Clayton continued speaking while swirling his wine glass.

“I heard there’s a garden party at Marquis Landrofil’s mansion in two days.”

“A garden party?”

Dalia tilted her head at Clayton’s following words.

“I wasn’t planning to go originally, but I heard nobles from the Philoze Duchy will be attending, so I thought it might be worth going.”

“…And?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to go together, if you’re free.”

“…”

Dalia blinked for a moment, as if trying to interpret the man’s words, then drew in a breath.

“…With me? Why?”

“Because we’re a couple, of course?”

Since when were we a real couple.

Although they were married, he had never before suggested attending together except for major events that couldn’t be missed.

For such a man to suddenly make this suggestion, and for a daytime gathering he disliked the most at that.

‘Did he get heatstroke today or… wait a minute.’

And at that moment.

Something flashed in Dalia’s mind as she was about to dismiss his suggestion as insignificant.

Could it be.

Dalia looked at the man drinking wine with still dubious eyes.

‘Did it have an effect when I touched him earlier?!’

With that thought, her previous annoyance suddenly vanished completely.

Clayton didn’t say anything more, but her intuition was strongly telling her.

‘It must have had an effect when I touched him earlier in the day!’

Otherwise, there’s no reason for a man who had been so indifferent to suddenly suggest attending a party together, right?

As her thoughts reached this conclusion, Dalia’s mood greatly improved, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright! I’ll go with you! I’ve been really wanting to attend a garden party!”

Getting along well with the male lead was also for the future, so this level of investment was certainly worth it.

“But did you come here just to say that? It’s not urgent, you could have told me tomorrow. It’s late now, so you should go back…”

“That’s not it.”

“Pardon?”

He put down the wine glass he had been swirling in his hand on the table and murmured lowly.

“What other reason would a husband have for visiting his wife late at night?”

As he lightly touched Dalia’s disheveled hair.