Huh?
Only then did Dahlia sense something strange and look around.
She realized that the eyes of the ladies, who had been chatting in groups, were now focused on Orly and herself.
'...What did I just say?'
Could it be? Had she accidentally said aloud what she meant to think to herself? As the shocking realization hit her, her eyes darted nervously.
The ladies, who had been quietly observing the two of them, began to chatter.
"What did the Duchess of Sayer just say? That the Baroness of Molden fed someone 'Jamyeongcho'? Isn't that the herb that causes infertility?"
"I heard it's an extremely potent herb. Did the Baroness of Molden really do that to the Duchess of Sayer…?"
"Now that you mention it, wasn't it strange how the eldest daughter of the Molden family, who isn't even married, had such rumors about being infertile? Where did everyone hear that?"
"I heard it from the Baroness of Molden herself."
"Oh my! Me too! So it must be the Baroness of Molden who…"
The ladies, who had been talking amongst themselves, all turned their eyes to the Baroness of Molden.
Their gazes had changed, now looking at her as if she had committed a heinous crime.
They knew all too well the treatment faced by a woman who couldn't have children, so they regarded Orly's actions as heinous as murder.
Stories of stepmothers hating their husband's daughters from a previous marriage were cliché, but one so cruel as to render the daughter infertile was rare.
Realizing the meaning behind their gazes, Orly trembled and clenched her fists.
"W-what are you saying right now? What did I ever feed you? How could you slander me like that…!"
"Exactly! How could you tell such terrible lies about what my mother did to you?"
Sophie, refusing to believe Dahlia's words, actively defended Orly.
Then, with a murderous look in her eyes, she approached Dahlia as if ready to rip her apart.
At that moment, a man approached and announced that everyone should gather by the lake.
It was to announce the start of the boating event, the main highlight of the outing.
Thanks to the man's sudden interruption, the attention focused on the three of them dispersed.
Everyone had been looking forward to this outing all winter, so the scandal of the Molden family was momentarily put on hold.
After all, there would be countless opportunities to bring it up again from now on.
Reading the room, Orly and Sophie also decided that discussing the matter any further would only escalate the issue, so they turned to leave.
But not before glaring daggers at Dahlia until the very last moment.
'Wow. I thought I was about to get hit.'
Feeling the heat of their stares, Dahlia exhaled in relief.
'They really did feed the heroine Jamyeongcho, yet they're the ones getting angry.'
Fortunately, the heroine had noticed the distinctive smell of Jamyeongcho when her stepmother started adding it to her food and only pretended to eat it, so she wasn't affected.
However, even though she didn't consume it, she stopped menstruating and believed she had unknowingly become infertile.
'How shameless.'
Clicking her tongue at the thought of the two women, Dahlia shuddered.
Resolving to avoid those two for the rest of the outing.
* * *
The boating event, considered the highlight of the outing, began when the sun was at its peak.
And, unsurprisingly, Clayton's face was filled with irritation, as if the timing displeased him.
He didn't even try to hide his mood, glaring stiffly at the boat he was supposed to row.
Looking at him, Dahlia smiled triumphantly as if an opportunity had just presented itself.
'Boating under the blazing midday sun? This is perfect for creating opportunities for casual physical contact.'
To board the boat, Clayton would have to offer his hand to her. And the moment their hands touched, he would surely feel something change.
Everything was going according to plan.
Except for the part where Orly and Sophie were glaring at her as if they wanted her dead.
When her eyes met Orly's devil-like glare, she quickly turned her head away, pretending not to see.
'It feels like getting involved with them will only cause trouble.'
With that thought, Dahlia moved closer to Clayton.
At least she knew they wouldn't dare bother her while she was near the male lead.
However, Dahlia was so focused on Orly that she didn't notice Clayton looking at her.
Clayton alternated his gaze between Dahlia and Orly, letting out a small chuckle.
"You were bold enough when you fed her earlier; now you're acting all cautious?"
"What?"
Dahlia turned to Clayton and stupidly asked in confusion.
But when he jerked his chin toward Orly, Dahlia realized what he meant and drew a sharp breath.
Damn.
It seemed he had witnessed the earlier scene.
'Damn it. I was supposed to show him only my vulnerable side.'
As the female lead of a typical "pregnancy and runaway" novel, she was supposed to show helplessness, unable to speak her mind or explain herself even in unjust situations.
'It's fine. I still have my trump card—something the male lead can't resist.'
The "it's not suffocating to be with you" strategy that works exclusively on male leads with the heroine buff was still in play.
Clayton seemed to be trying to act nonchalant, but he couldn't fool her eyes.
By now, he must be suppressing the urge to vomit.
And the moment to give him that feeling was just ahead.
Clayton, already on the boat, extended his hand to Dahlia.
Dahlia grasped his hand, hiding her racing heart.
Now the male lead would suddenly feel refreshed and invigorated, looking at me with surprised eyes…
"Are you just going to keep standing there?"
"What?"
Clayton asked again, looking at Dahlia, who was just holding his hand without any intention of boarding the boat.
"I was wondering if you didn't plan on getting on the boat."
"Ah, no! Of course, I'm getting on!"
Realizing he was scolding her for standing idly on the dock, Dahlia hurriedly climbed onto the boat.
'This is strange. Why doesn't he seem affected at all?'
The moment we touched, he should've felt like the world suddenly changed or something, right?
Yet there wasn't even the slightest hesitation, as if he didn't feel any different.
'Maybe the physical contact wasn't strong enough?'
Yes. Maybe the contact was too subtle for any effect. In that case…
"Oh my!"
After a brief deliberation, Dahlia let out a short scream and deliberately stumbled.
As a result, she naturally fell into Clayton's arms, her face pressing against his chest.
She lingered there on purpose, taking her time in his embrace.
'This should be enough to trigger some kind of change…'
"What are you doing?"
Huh?
But at the sound of the man's brusque voice above her, Dahlia quickly lifted her head.
Seeing the eyes of a man looking at her as if she were strange, Dahlia frowned.
"Don't you feel anything?"
"Am I supposed to feel something?"
What the—?
This… this isn't right.
Seeing the man's clueless expression, Dahlia started to panic.
"Like, your mind suddenly feels refreshed, or you feel an unexpected surge of strength. Nothing like that at all?"
But at Dahlia's words, Clayton narrowed his eyes, clearly looking at her as if she were crazy.
"That's strange. That… that can't be right."
Becoming more anxious, Dahlia started patting and feeling around Clayton's body.
'Why isn't anything happening? Could the heroine buff have disappeared because I swapped souls?'
No, what kind of ridiculous scenario is this?!
Dahlia kept fumbling with Clayton's body for a while until he finally grabbed her hand and removed it from himself, as if he couldn't stand it anymore.
"It seems the lady isn't in the right state to enjoy boating."
The man's expression seemed faintly irritated, making Dahlia stammer.
"Excuse me? No, uh…"
Then, leaving Dahlia on the boat, he turned and walked away.
Dahlia watched Clayton grow smaller in the distance, muttering softly.
"Am I really doomed?"
A strong premonition swept over her that things weren't going to go smoothly from here on out.
* * *
The lake at the center of Cadwell Park was the most famous boating spot in the capital.
Among all seasons, the lake was at its most beautiful when the cherry blossoms surrounding it were in full bloom, and today was one of those rare and splendid days.
Because of this, people were eager to enjoy boating, not wanting to miss the moment.
All except for one person.
"What do I do now?"
In a secluded spot, Dahlia muttered to herself as she repeatedly knocked her head against a tree.
The pivotal moment in the original story where the male lead falls for the heroine had become completely useless.
Instead, it felt like she'd only earned his disdain by touching him without permission.
"Sigh…"
Faced with an unexpected problem, Dahlia let out a sigh so deep it seemed to weigh down the earth.
"Dahlia!"
At the sharp, familiar voice, she looked up to see Sophie and Orly glaring at her, seething with anger.
The two approached with angry, determined steps, as if they had been searching for her.
"How dare you insult my mother? What are you going to do now? Because of you, everyone keeps gossiping about us!"
The girl who had just been pretending to be a loving sister in front of others now looked ready to grab Dahlia by the hair.
Faced with the real possibility of getting hit, Dahlia frantically looked around, but unfortunately, this was a secluded forest far from the bustling lake.
In other words, there was no one to stop them or help Dahlia.
She had seen this coming.
Feeling annoyed, Dahlia decided to say whatever came to mind to get rid of them quickly.
"I may have misspoken earlier, but it's not like I made anything up, right?"
Orly, caught off guard by the boldness Dahlia had never shown before, stammered.
But it was only for a moment; she quickly pointed a finger at Dahlia and yelled.
"…What, what?! Because of you, we're about to be ruined in society, and you act like it's no big deal? You think just because you're a duchess now, you can do whatever you want?"
As she said this, Orly raised her hand to slap Dahlia.
Dahlia let out a low sigh at the sight.
'So, this is where it's come to.'
The situation was so predictable and clichéd, it was almost yawn-inducing.
If she were the original heroine, she would have quietly accepted the slap, but unfortunately for Orly, Dahlia had no intention of offering her cheek.
Just as she was about to grab Orly's wrist with an indifferent gaze.
Thud.
Someone stepped in front of Dahlia.
"…Your Grace?"
It was Clayton.
Dahlia, who had been ready to grab Orly's wrist and retaliate with a slap, awkwardly lowered her hand.