The gaze that had lingered on her hair began to slowly shift.
From her pale, exposed nape to Dahlia's soft, reddish lips.
The man's gaze, fixed on the slight parting between her lips, briefly flared with heat before turning subtle and secretive.
His eyes bore a resolute determination.
'Huh...?'
Was it from that moment? The flow of air surrounding the two began to change.
'Could this atmosphere really be...?'
The fingers that had been playing with her hair now touched her pale nape.
The man's gentle touch slowed Dahlia's thoughts.
And finally, Dahlia, staring at the man leaning toward her, let out a short sigh as though she had just grasped the situation.
A red alarm blared in her mind.
Thinking she had to avoid what might happen next at all costs, she tried to pull away, but Clayton was faster.
Because he firmly held onto Dahlia's nape.
She could no longer escape. Regardless of her will, their bodies began to come together naturally.
Her entire body heated up, and her hands, clutching her clothes, became damp with sweat.
As the distance between their faces narrowed, and his warm breath brushed her cheek, about to engulf her lips completely—
Thwack.
Dahlia's tense body moved instinctively.
"..."
"..."
To be precise, she pushed Clayton's face away with both hands.
Clayton's actions halted, blocked without warning.
The strange tension between them cooled instantly, as though doused with cold water.
"What are you doing?"
It was Clayton who broke the cold silence first. He tilted his head slightly, frowning.
Faced with his intimidating expression, Dahlia quickly hid the hand that had been covering her mouth behind her back.
"Uh, um. So, uh. This is..."
Even in the dark, his red-tinged eyes demanded a clear explanation. It was as if he was silently asking, "What on earth are you doing?"
Because of that, Dahlia began racking her brain for an excuse.
"Well, um, this is… uh..."
But no plausible excuse came to mind. Just a few days ago, they had shared the same bed, so her sudden behavior now was understandably baffling.
No, she didn't even need to go back that far.
Even earlier that day, hadn't she been the one touching Clayton? From his perspective, her behavior must have been even more bewildering.
Suddenly recalling her actions from earlier, her face flushed with heat, but she quickly composed herself.
And so, she decided to use a classic but effective strategy. That method was none other than...
"Cough, cough...! Actually, I haven't been feeling well for a while. For some reason, I've been shivering and feeling cold, and I just think I need to rest... I might even have a fever..."
Pretending to be sick.
She deliberately placed a hand on her forehead, slumping her shoulders as if weak from fever.
She didn't forget to cough intermittently.
She avoided looking at Clayton's face, focusing on her act.
But she could feel his silent, piercing gaze, as though he found her sudden claims of illness absurd.
'Should I have come up with a different excuse...?'
Who would believe someone who looked perfectly fine moments ago suddenly pretending to be sick?
Even a stray dog passing by would see it as her trying to avoid a kiss.
Surely, if he was as sharp as he seemed, he must have already figured out her true intentions.
Realizing her plan wasn't going to work, Dahlia tried to come up with another excuse as she met Clayton's gaze again. But then—
"If my lady says so."
Did her desperation get through to him? Contrary to her expectations, Clayton pulled back without a word, stood up calmly, and looked at her.
I'll stop here to avoid overwhelming you. Let me know if you'd like the rest continued!
"If you think you need a doctor, I'll call Jason. Though, I doubt it's necessary."
The slight smile on his lips showed that he was fully aware of Dahlia's lie.
However, Clayton didn't seem particularly bothered by her lie as he walked away without hesitation.
Click.
With the sound of the door closing, the tension drained from Dahlia's body. She slumped against the sofa, her body stiff from the anxiety finally relaxing.
"Phew. I survived."
Whether Clayton had noticed or not, Dahlia let out a sigh of relief at having avoided the immediate crisis.
But only for a moment—she straightened up suddenly, as if something had occurred to her.
"Come to think of it, this kind of situation could happen again, couldn't it?"
She had been lucky today, but there was no guarantee things would go as smoothly next time.
After all, the two of them had no qualms about being physically intimate before.
"I think I need to come up with a plan..."
She couldn't pretend to be sick forever. As long as they were married, she needed a strategy to fend off such situations.
'Do I really need to start taking contraceptives...?'
She thought about acquiring Jamyeongcho but was frightened by its toxicity and the risk of infertility.
'I'll have to visit a clinic in the capital sometime later.'
Surely, Jamyeongcho wasn't the only option with contraceptive effects.
Resolving to find a trustworthy clinic as soon as possible, Dahlia's day came to an end.
* * *
Meanwhile, upon his return, Clayton was greeted by Jason, the butler, who was tidying the bedroom.
After confirming that the duke had gone to the duchess's chambers, Jason had started cleaning late. Seeing Clayton return so soon left him flustered.
It was understandable, as Clayton always stayed the night with Dahlia after bathing.
Jason hurried toward the duke.
"My apologies, Your Grace. I assumed you'd be staying in the duchess's chambers tonight... I'll finish tidying quickly."
However, Clayton seemed unfazed and gave another order instead.
"Leave that for later. Instead, deliver this to Marquis Landrophil at dawn: I will attend the garden party two days from now with the duchess."
At Clayton's command, Jason asked in a puzzled tone.
"Pardon? But the garden party is at 1 p.m. in the afternoon..."
"I know."
Despite knowing this, Clayton was attending. Jason tilted his head, unable to understand his sudden decision.
No one knew better than Jason how much Clayton avoided activities during the daytime.
Because of this, Jason spoke cautiously, his tone filled with concern.
"Have there been any changes in your condition, Your Grace?"
"A change, you say."
Clayton answered Jason's question plainly as he poured from the bottle of liquor on the table.
"Rather than a change, let's call it a discovery."
Clayton held the glass, now filled with liquor, and flicked his wrist.
The amber liquid in the glass swirled intensely, like waves rolling into a calm sea...
"It felt like waves."
He murmured in a low voice, as if recalling something.
Today had been a day he would never forget.
The weather was as unpleasant as ever, the park as uninspiring, and the attention from annoying people was no different from usual.
Except for one thing—the woman who had filled the empty space beside him.
Yes, perhaps that could be called a change.
Reflecting on Jason's mention of change, Clayton looked at his hand, and the vivid sensations of the earlier moment came rushing back.
The warmth of the afternoon sun, the coolness of the breeze, and the liberation from the burning thirst that had choked him.
And all of it had come crashing over him like waves the moment he touched Dahlia's hand.
At first, he dismissed the strange sensation as a mere illusion, something he had never experienced before. But—
'It wasn't an illusion.'
It was neither a delusion nor a dream, but reality.
Recalling the earlier event, Clayton stared at his palm before clenching it into a fist.
Even though it was morning, unpleasant feelings had crept over him the moment he left the mansion.
The thought of his worsening physical condition made frustration bubble up inside him, if only briefly.
Strangely, the moment he touched Dahlia, all those unpleasant feelings melted away like snow.
Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, he concealed his emotions and forced himself to act nonchalantly. Though, he had almost instinctively stopped Dahlia from walking away.
He thought he was holding himself together well, but the moment Dahlia ended up in his arms, all his restraint crumbled.
'Which is why I had to come up with that clumsy excuse and leave.'
He had never spent any daytime activities outdoors with Dahlia before, so he hadn't noticed.
Though they had shared physical intimacy at night, his body functioned normally during those hours, so he had no reason to notice any change.
Curious to confirm his suspicion, he went to Dahlia's room, but he couldn't even make an attempt, let alone confirm anything.
'Cough, cough...! Actually, I haven't been feeling well for a while.'
The memory of Dahlia pushing him away with that excuse of being unwell brought a slight smirk to Clayton's lips.
Noticing this, Jason asked again, his tone more serious than before.
"Your Grace, could this truly be something related to the curse?"
The curse that had plagued the Duke Seier family for generations—the very reason Clayton struggled with daytime activities.
Jason looked ready to summon the family physician at any moment, but Clayton lifted his head to address him.
"Well, who knows? Whether it's a problem or a miracle, time will tell."
The smile on his lips grew deeper.