In the forest, where only leaves brushed against each other, a chilling voice echoed.
"The Baroness seems to have a bad habit with her hands."
Under the shadow of the trees, a pair of serene red eyes gleamed menacingly.
"Oh, it's a misunderstanding. I was just trying to remove a leaf stuck in my daughter's hair…!"
Even as her right hand, raised to slap, was caught by Clayton, Orly lied, her lips trembling.
Clayton, silently observing her feeble excuse, let go of Orly's wrist with a flick.
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, swallowing nervously as she watched Clayton wipe his hands with the handkerchief, replied belatedly.
"Y-Yes? Ah… My husband is currently in the Kaliman Islands."
"Ah, the Kaliman Islands. That reminds me, he borrowed a large sum of money from me for his silk business."
"I-I see."
"But I heard that even there, he was swindled, and the losses are already enormous."
"E-Excuse me…?"
Not knowing that detail, Orly bit her lip.
It was also a reminder that Duke Sayer was the financial lifeline of the Molden Baron family.
Baron Molden, after Dalia became the Duchess of Sayer, had attempted to revive his family by dabbling in various businesses.
The silk business Clayton just mentioned was also referenced in the original story.
Because he had been swindled and ruined before the business even started.
In the end, after losing all the money he received from Clayton, Baron Molden, upon returning to the empire, had no choice but to repeatedly ask Sayer for more loans through Dalia.
Despite that, they continued their extravagance because they had a mountain to lean on.
The mountain being none other than the Sayer Ducal family, Dalia's husband's family.
Clayton, more aware of this fact than anyone, glanced between the two and spoke.
"The reason I have extended my goodwill to the Molden family thus far is because it is my wife's maiden family. However…"
He tossed the handkerchief he had wiped his hands with onto the floor and murmured.
"If you wish to maintain even the facade of noble decency, you would do well not to cross this line any further."
At Clayton's low warning, Orly and Sophie drew sharp breaths.
The two, frozen for a moment, hastily excused themselves, claiming urgent matters.
Dalia didn't even watch Sophie and Orly flee as if running away, instead staring at the back of the man before her.
'He just warned them not to mess with me from now on, right?'
She had seen that broad back several times before, but today, it looked particularly reliable, and for some reason, her heart seemed to beat faster.
'C-Could it be an arrhythmia?'
* * *
That night.
After the picnic ended and she returned to the mansion, Dalia collapsed onto the bed as if she would sink into it right after leaving the bathroom.
"In the end, I didn't gain anything from going out today."
The only gains were getting a good look at the male lead's broad back and the likelihood that the original heroine's family wouldn't bother her for a while.
What truly frustrated her was the lack of significant progress in her relationship with the male lead.
"Why on earth is there no effect?"
No matter how much she thought about it, the only conclusion she could draw was that the heroine's "buff" had disappeared because of her possession.
"Wait, hold on."
As if realizing something important, Dalia sprang up.
"If the heroine's buff is gone, doesn't that mean I could actually die while giving birth…?"
Oh my god.
"No, it's not certain yet, right? Let's not jump to conclusions."
Dalia forced herself to erase the negative thoughts and steadied her mind.
"First, I need to test if it works again next time. And then…"
As Dalia organized the tasks she needed to do in her head, she let out a heavy sigh.
Then, she recalled the original story to plan her next move.
"What was the episode that came after the picnic…?"
While the decisive trigger for the male lead falling for the heroine was physical contact, there were also several incidents that drew him to her.
Because of that, Dalia pressed her forehead and tried to recall the details, not wanting to miss even the smallest episode.
And at that moment, a flash of realization brought another crucial episode to mind.
"That's right! His Majesty the Emperor's birthday!"
After the picnic incident, Clayton began to pay more attention to the heroine than before.
Whenever there was an outdoor event he couldn't skip, like the picnic, he made sure to bring Dalia along.
However, the good atmosphere between the two shifted again after the Emperor's birthday.
This was because Clayton attended the event, which he should have attended with Dalia, with his mistress instead.
While it was common for nobles to have mistresses, bringing them to official events was unheard of.
It was tantamount to an insult to the legal wife.
Of course, the male lead had reasons tied to the curse on his family for acting that way, but the heroine, unaware of his circumstances, was deeply hurt, and her standing in both society and the household diminished further.
'The male lead was quite concerned about the heroine after that incident.'
In the original story, the male lead, riding in a carriage with his mistress, found the heroine waiting for him, dressed up beautifully.
When the heroine saw him with his mistress and cried, he began to care about her.
'I need to find out when the Emperor's birthday is tomorrow.'
Relieved to have thought of another plan, Dalia sat up. Feeling like one problem was resolved, she suddenly felt hungry.
She considered pulling the bell cord to call a maid for some food, but for some reason, there was light finger food and wine already set on the table.
"Did the maid bring it because I didn't eat dinner?"
Since she had skipped dinner, claiming she had no appetite upon arriving at the mansion, it seemed the maid had prepared some snacks.
Thinking lightly of it, Dalia sat on the sofa and picked up a piece of fruit from the table to eat.
As she naturally glanced at the wine placed beside it, it happened.
The door clicked open.
Startled by the unexpected visitor, Dalia stood up abruptly.
There stood Clayton, in a robe. His black hair was damp, as if he had just washed.
"Duke?"
He passed by Dalia, who looked at him with wide eyes, and took a seat on the empty spot next to her sofa.
Even though he was her husband, his sudden, unannounced visit left Dalia flustered, and she stammered.
"Why are you here…?"
"Is there a problem with a husband visiting his wife's room?"
"No, not exactly a problem, but…"
Having been out all morning, Dalia was finally about to rest, so Clayton's visit felt inconvenient.
He casually poured wine into the prepared glass in front of him. Dalia studied him, trying to discern his intentions for visiting at this hour.
Whether Clayton noticed Dalia's gaze or not, he swirled the wine in his glass and began to speak.
"In two days, there will be a garden party at the Marquis of Landrophil's estate."
"A garden party?"
At Clayton's next words, Dalia tilted her head in curiosity.
"I wasn't planning on going, but hearing that nobles from the Principality of Philoje would attend, I thought it might be worth visiting."
"And so?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to join me, if you're free."
"..."
Dalia blinked, as if trying to interpret his words, and took a breath.
"…With me? Why?"
"Because we're married?"
When were we ever a real married couple?
Even though they were married, Clayton had never invited her to join him for anything other than obligatory large events.
For such a man to suddenly make this proposal, and to one of the daytime gatherings he hated the most.
'Did he get heatstroke today or… wait.'
And at that moment.
Something flashed in Dalia's mind as she was about to brush off his proposal.
No way.
Dalia looked at the man sipping wine with a still-doubtful expression.
'Could it be that touching him earlier had an effect?!'
As soon as she thought that, her earlier irritation vanished completely.
Clayton didn't say anything more, but her instincts strongly told her otherwise.
'It's definitely because of touching him earlier today!'
Otherwise, there's no reason for this distant man to suddenly suggest attending a party together!
As her thoughts reached that conclusion, Dalia, feeling much better, nodded enthusiastically.
"Alright! I'll go with you! I've really wanted to attend a garden party!"
Getting along with the male lead was important for her future as well. This level of investment was more than worth it.
"So, did you come just to tell me that? It's not urgent, and you could have mentioned it tomorrow. If that's all, it's late, so you should head back…."
"No."
"What?"
He set down the wine glass he had been twirling in his hand and murmured in a low voice.
"What other reason would a husband have to visit his wife late at night?"
As he lightly brushed the strands of Dalia's disheveled hair.