After a suffocating meal, Dalia sat in the parlor with Lloyd under the pretense of having tea.

  As soon as the maids left after setting down the tea, Dalia leaned back on the sofa, as if her tension had eased, and tapped her chest.

  Even though all she had eaten was greens, her stomach felt heavy as if something was weighing it down.

  "If I have to eat one more meal like that, I might colpse."

  The root of the problem was that she had been so tense, worried that something might go wrong.

  If such a meal were to happen again, she might really end up meeting a doctor that day.

  Thus, she resolved again and again never to create a situation where the three of them would dine together again, for the sake of her health and well-being.

  Resting her head against the sofa headrest, Dalia felt a bit more comfortable and gnced at Lloyd.

  Lloyd, too, seemed uncomfortable with the meal, as he had been staring into space with a serious expression since earlier.

  “Lloyd, the duke isn’t even here. Why do you look so upset? Is something bothering you?”

  At Dalia’s question, Lloyd drew in a sharp breath and tilted his head with a displeased expression.

  “Something feels off. Suddenly asking about me like that… and he didn’t even really question how we got close.”

  Come to think of it, despite having a lot to be curious about, Cyton hadn’t asked any significant questions.

  At the time, she thought it was just a relief, but upon reflection, it did seem strange. However, Lloyd wasn’t finished speaking.

  “And about the vil in the east… do you happen to know anything about it?”

  “Well… I haven’t been married long, so I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

  Lloyd, who had suddenly brought up the vil, rubbed his forehead as if trying to recall something.

  “I think I heard something about it from my parents a long time ago, but I can’t quite remember what.”

  “Really? Then it must be a pretty famous vil if even your family knows about it.”

  Unlike Dalia, who dismissed it as no big deal, Lloyd’s expression didn’t rex.

  Thinking that Lloyd was worrying unnecessarily, Dalia tried to comfort him.

  “Don’t worry. It’s probably just a simple trip. The duke said so himself—since we couldn’t have a honeymoon, this is a chance to get some fresh air.”

  “That’s true, but…”

  Despite her reassurance, Lloyd still seemed uneasy and trailed off.

  Just then, there was a knock, followed by the voice of a maid.

  “My dy, it’s Samantha.”

  “Come in.”

  Dalia slowly rose to greet the maid.

  Samantha entered the parlor and, startled to see someone else there, flinched at the sight of Lloyd before approaching Dalia.

  “What is it?”

  “A maid just came from the annex. The dowager wishes to have tea with you, my dy. What shall I do?”

  “Ah.”

  Dalia let out a short sigh as she betedly remembered the dowager.

  It wasn’t what Dalia had wanted, but the dowager had been someone who actively helped her get into the royal pace.

  Moreover, her retionship with Cyton had improved compared to before, so she felt the need to thank the dowager.

  ‘I should also inform her about the upcoming trip with Cyton, so I might as well go greet her.’

  Still, she felt guilty for not thinking to visit the household’s most senior figure first.

  Resolving to visit the dowager, Dalia looked at Lloyd.

  “Lloyd, I think I’d better go see the dowager now. Let’s continue our conversation ter.”

  With those words, Dalia rose and headed toward the annex.

  * * *

  Meanwhile, Cyton, who had left the dining room earlier than the other two, headed to his office.

  As soon as the door closed, he gave orders to Jason, who had been following him.

  “Prepare for a trip to the vil in Hudson with Dalia.”

  “The vil in Hudson, you say…”

  Jason’s previously calm face darkened.

  He remembered what kind of pce the vil Cyton intended to visit with Dalia was. Hesitating over how to bring it up, Jason cautiously observed Cyton’s mood.

  “How about the summer vil in the north instead? It’s not summer, but it’s spring, so the weather there should have warmed up. You could also see the northern snowy mountains, and…”

  “Jason.”

  However, Jason fell silent at Cyton’s voice, as cold as the northern air.

  “…Yes, understood.”

  Jason, well aware of how difficult it was to change the duke’s firm resolve, continued.

  “Then, when do you pn to depart?”

  “As soon as preparations are complete. As quickly as possible.”

  “Yes. Shall I arrange the schedule for you to stay about a week?”

  “The return date…”

  After a brief pause, Cyton replied.

  “I haven’t decided.”

  “Excuse me? What does that mean…?”

  That implied they would stay there for at least a month.

  However, since Cyton wasn’t in a position to leisurely take a vacation in a remote countryside, Jason tried to persuade him again.

  But Cyton preempted him.

  “I pn to finish as much work as I can now. While I’m at the vil, Caddison can handle any urgent matters by coming and going.”

  “…Understood.”

  The duke’s calm voice gave no indication of the hardships awaiting his subordinate.

  Jason silently wished luck to Caddison, who would bear the brunt of the work.

  Seizing the moment, Cyton sat down as if to tackle his backlog of work.

  He intended to finish as much as possible before leaving the capital.

  As he rustled through the papers in front of him, something he had forgotten seemed to come to mind, and he asked a light question.

  “Selman? Has he arrived at the mansion?”

  Today was the day Selman, the family doctor who had been away for several days, was due to return.

  Since he couldn’t reveal Dalia, who had fainted after blood loss, to someone unaware of the family’s secrets, he had been waiting for Selman to return.

  “He should have arrived in the capital by now. But, um…”

  “What is it?”

  “The dy said she has no ailments and refuses to be examined by Selman.”

  Cyton frowned at Jason’s unexpected answer.

  “She refuses an examination? Even though she fainted yesterday?”

  “Yes. I encouraged her to do so just in case, but she was quite adamant about it…”

  Jason trailed off, looking troubled.

  Like Cyton, he was also worried about Dalia, so he spoke as if confiding his concerns.

  “What should we do?”

  Cyton tapped his fingers on the desk as if deep in thought. At the same time, he recalled Dalia’s face from earlier.

  She had looked a little tired, but she didn’t seem to have any serious health issues. Moreover…

  ‘The moment she opened her eyes, she went to see that guy.’

  The image of Dalia smiling brightly at Lloyd in the forest came to mind, casting a shadow over Cyton’s eyes.

  If she were truly unwell, she wouldn’t have been able to leave her bedroom.

  It didn’t seem like he needed to concern himself with Dalia, who was darting around the moment she woke up.

  If anything, it felt almost ughable that he had been concerned about her fainting, even for a moment.

  Having come to this conclusion, Cyton resumed moving the pen he had briefly stopped.

  “If she insists she doesn’t need treatment, there’s no point forcing it. Let her do as she wishes.”

  “Yes, understood.”

  Jason, who had secretly hoped Cyton would persuade Dalia, showed a look of disappointment.

  As he was about to formally excuse himself and leave, Jason suddenly remembered an important matter and stepped back in front of Cyton.

  “Oh, and there’s still more to report.”

  He pulled a small gss vial from his pocket and pced it on the desk.

  “This is the medicine you ordered to be investigated st time, Your Grace.”

  The gss vial contained a blue liquid and was something Cyton had discovered in Dalia’s room earlier.

  When shaken, it shimmered with a violet-like color, resembling the shade of Dalia’s eyes.

  Cyton stared silently at the vial for a moment before asking in a low voice.

  “So, what is it?”

  His voice carried a mix of curiosity and an inexplicable sense of dread about the medicine. Jason hesitated briefly before answering.

  “It’s called Alixium, a fertility treatment. It’s a medicine for women who have difficulty conceiving.”

  “…A fertility treatment?”

  He asked again, wondering if he had misheard, but the answer remained the same.

  “Yes. It’s apparently discreetly passed around among noblewomen and rumored to be quite effective.”

  Shocked by the words "fertility treatment," Cyton didn’t catch the rest of what was said.

  It was no wonder, as learning that the medicine was a fertility treatment left Cyton quite flustered.

  From what he had seen so far, Dalia hadn’t seemed like someone who particurly wanted children.

  As Cyton sank into his confusion, Jason carefully added a comment.

  “It seems the dy might want to have a child…”

  “Ridiculous.”

  But Jason’s murmured words were coldly cut off. Cyton’s gaze was firm, as if he couldn’t accept the idea.

  Jason sighed inwardly, as if he had anticipated this reaction, and promptly asked about what to do with the medicine.

  “Then what should I do with this medicine? Should I return it to the dy’s room? She doesn’t seem to have noticed that it’s missing yet.”

  Just in case, he had instructed the maid responsible for cleaning Dalia’s room to inform him if she looked for the medicine, but there had been no news.

  To Jason’s question, Cyton responded curtly, as if it didn’t even warrant consideration.

  “Dispose of it.”

  Such a medicine was unnecessary and shouldn’t be needed, so getting rid of it was the right choice.