"This isn't simply a matter of whether I misunderstand or not!"
"I thought all I had to do was laze around until the original female lead ran away, clear up misunderstandings with the male lead, and have a child."
"It suddenly felt like the game difficulty shifted from the easiest to the hardest level."
"For now, the best option was not to have a child, but there was already a chance she might be pregnant."
"Therefore, she couldn't avoid considering improving her relationship with the male lead."
"Even if I'm pregnant right now, I can't possibly abort the child."
"I've already seen the adorable main characters' child in the original story; how could I kill it? That was the one thing I could never do."
"So the best option she had was to seduce Clayton."
"Why did the male lead fall in love with the female lead in the original story again?"
"Dahlia rolled her eyes as she sifted through the dusty contents of the original story."
"However, she couldn't think of any clear reason why the male lead fell in love with the female lead."
"It seemed like he just grew attached and naturally fell for her over time..."
"In the original story, Clayton began to notice Dahlia more after their contract marriage and experiencing various events together."
"Especially the day he saw the female lead secretly crying, he couldn't focus on anything else and thought about Dahlia all day."
"Then, it must be tears."
"Come to think of it, all the incidents seemed to be tied to the original female lead's fragile and delicate demeanor."
"The male lead, bothered by the sight of the crying female lead, started crushing anything that made Dahlia cry because he wanted to see her smile instead."
"At the time, he didn't realize his actions stemmed from love until the female lead ran away, and only then did he recognize it as love..."
"It was the most cliché of clichés."
"Then, all I have to do is act like a fragile, wounded girl like the original female lead, but the problem is..."
"Dahlia was lost in thought, forgetting she was at a dinner table with the male lead."
"A low voice came from across the table."
"How much do you know?"
"…Pardon?"
"I'm asking if you already know who was behind the poisonous herb incident."
"Right, the problem was that her delicate image was already ruined."
"Right now, this man thinks I intentionally humiliated the chef."
"Because of my clueless actions, the novel's female lead went from being a fragile girl to a sassy heroine."
"Even when sipping her water, Dahlia couldn't shake the pressure radiating from the man and gave an awkward smile."
"What I need right now isn't the strength to overcome adversity without the male lead's help, but a delicate fragility that tugs at his heart!"
"Despite her calm expression, she was in turmoil."
"How could she transform from an independent woman who overcame her crisis into a delicate girl who needed protection?"
"After agonizing for a while, Dahlia clenched her fist as if making a decision."
"Ah, whatever. Let's just squeeze out some tears."
"Dahlia immediately took action, suddenly lowering her eyes and pretending to be shocked."
"What are you talking about from earlier…? Poisonous herbs? Could it be that someone intentionally tried to feed that to me?"
"As she imagined the time her favorite celebrity announced their retirement, her eyes quickly filled with tears."
"Wh-what did I ever do to deserve something so horrible… sob."
"Even her hands, wiping away tears, trembled on purpose. Surely this would fool the male lead…"
"Quite the convincing act."
…Or not. He wasn't fooled at all.
"Clayton raised the corners of his lips as if amused by Dahlia's sudden change in behavior."
"But since my one and only wife doesn't want her secret revealed, as her husband, I have no choice but to let it slide."
"There was a hint of amusement in his voice."
"He wiped his mouth with a napkin and then stood up from his seat."
"Today's meal was enjoyable. I hope you had as much fun as I did."
"Then, as if he was done with his business, he walked straight to the door. However—"
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Clayton, who was lowering the doorknob, turned to look at Dahlia once more."
"Next time, I'll handle it before you step up to solve it. That way, you won't have to cry like this."
"With a tone that seemed to tease her,"
"Feeding the dish to the chef was very entertaining. Thanks to that, I didn't have to punish the chef myself. Well then—"
"Clayton offered a mischievous smile."
"With that, he finished his words and left the room."
"With a sharp click, the door closed, leaving Dahlia alone to mutter a curse."
"No, I didn't do it on purpose!"
"But there was no one there to hear her earnest words."
* * *
"What? The duchess wants to see me?"
"It had been three days of staying in her room, unable to clear up the misunderstanding."
"A maid came to Dahlia, who was lying dazedly on her bed."
"Yes. She asked if you could join her for tea if you have time."
"...."
"Why would the duchess want to see me? This wasn't in the original story…"
"In the original story, after failing to poison the female lead, the duchess used her worsening health as an excuse to retreat to a villa in the southern region."
"She called it a retreat for recovery, but in reality, she was exiled from the estate."
"Come to think of it, there's no news of the duchess leaving the estate…"
"It's one thing for Clayton to stay quiet, but what is the duchess thinking? Meeting the very victim she tried to poison?"
"Meeting the duchess who had tried to harm her felt unsettling, but she had no grounds to refuse a tea invitation from her mother-in-law."
"…Alright, I understand."
"With a reluctant expression, Dahlia nodded and stood up."
"Now that I've experienced it myself, I understand why protagonists who possessed characters in novels kept rambling about the original story."
"Any deviation from the original story felt a bit unsettling."
"It felt like the 'possession buff' disappeared when unpredictable situations arose."
"Following the maid absentmindedly, she soon found herself standing before the duchess."
"She didn't quite fit the title of duchess. She seemed to be in her mid-forties at most."
"Her golden hair and grass-green eyes gave her an elegant, refined appearance."
"I heard you already knew. That's why you told Max to taste it, didn't you?"
"The duchess spoke calmly about her wrongdoing, her demeanor surprisingly composed."
"Wait, even the duchess thinks I did it on purpose?"
"Not wanting to maintain the image of a strong, independent woman any longer, Dahlia spoke up to explain."
"No, I didn't know. Everything that happened that day was a coincidence."
"Now you're lying even to my face. You're bolder than I thought."
"But the duchess didn't believe Dahlia, rendering her honest confession meaningless."
"I thought you were just a weak child who couldn't even protect her own bowl… but I see you in a new light now."
"At this point, ignoring what others say seems to be a specialty of the Sayer family."
"Do you know something, Dahlia?"
"The duchess's soft voice was gentle enough to make Dahlia mistakenly believe it carried goodwill."
"I did it for your sake."
"Ah, yes… what?"
"What nonsense is this now?"
"I just wanted to make sure you knew for certain that you're infertile, dear."
"The duchess, who had approached her without her noticing, cupped Dahlia's cheek with one hand and continued speaking."
"If you were to have Clayton's child, you…"
"But she trailed off, as if imagining something terrible."
"However, Dahlia already knew what the duchess was about to say."
"I'll die?"
"!"
"The duchess's eyes widened in surprise at my response."
"You, don't tell me… you know the Sayer family's secret?"
"The mother who gives birth to a child carrying the Sayer family's bloodline will die?"
"The secret of the Sayer ducal family."
"And the full story behind the male lead's conversation that forced the original female lead to flee after becoming pregnant."
'What would you do if the madam were pregnant?'
'It wouldn't be my child.'
'Then what about the child and the madam…'
'They'll have to be killed.'
"That statement was half true and half false."
"What the original female lead hadn't heard afterward was…"
'The child will be killed before Dahlia gives birth.'
"It wasn't the female lead but the child they planned to kill."
"Of course, even if she had heard the rest, the original female lead would have still fled."
"Even knowing that, you…!"
"If that's the case, I'm fine with it."
"Because the original female lead gave birth and was fine."
"Isn't that how the protagonist's buff works?"
"More importantly—"
"Did she really do that because she was worried I might die giving birth?"
"Dahlia carefully observed the duchess. She didn't seem like the same person who had ordered someone to poison her just yesterday."
"In fact, she seemed more like the only person in this mansion genuinely worried about Dahlia."
"Her methods might have been a bit off, but she didn't seem like a bad person."
"So Dahlia wanted to reassure the duchess."
"That what she was worried about wouldn't happen."
"But she couldn't exactly say, 'I won't die because I'm the protagonist~.' As she pondered how to convey this,"
"You don't mean…"
"The duchess asked as if she had realized something monumental."
"You truly love Clayton, don't you? Enough that dying while giving birth to his child doesn't matter to you."
"Huh?"