On the second floor of the bookstore, Ars, located in an alley rarely traveled by people, was Lloyd's hideout.
There were stairs on the outside of the building, but Dahlia purposely took the stairs connected to the bookstore's storage to go up to the second floor.
"Do you come here often?"
Lloyd's hideout was cozier than expected.
It seemed like Lloyd spent a lot of time here, as traces of daily life were clearly present inside.
Of course, it wasn't luxurious for a noble's hideout, but it was more than enough for one person to live in.
Holding the cat in her arms, Dahlia looked around the ownerless house with curious eyes, and her gaze stopped on a small frame placed by the bed.
"This is..."
It was a picture of a young girl and boy with red hair, smiling warmly as they held each other's hands.
"Wow, they really look identical."
It was hard to believe they were fraternal twins, as the two children looked so alike.
Ah, of course, their eyes were a little different. The boy had a sharper look, while the girl's eyes were more softly curved.
Perhaps Lloyd's words about his sister being fragile weren't wrong, as the girl had a slightly paler complexion, giving her a sickly appearance.
"I hope I can meet them in person later."
Even if not now, maybe when things settle down, there will be a chance to meet them.
Just as she was imagining such innocent thoughts, a creaking sound echoed, and she felt someone approaching.
Soon, the door that had been closed swung wide open, and a person wearing a hooded robe appeared.
As the dark fabric was quickly removed, the first thing that caught her eye was the striking red hair.
"Lloyd!"
As Dahlia realized the person with the red hair was Lloyd, she smiled brightly.
He too smiled at Dahlia and called out to her.
"Did you wait long?"
"Not at all. I just got here too! Thank you so much for coming. I know it was sudden."
In fact, she had sent a letter to this place vaguely, but she didn't expect to meet Lloyd today.
She had planned to wait for Lloyd here and if things didn't work out, she would ask the bookstore owner to take care of the cat for a while. Fortunately, it worked out.
"I told the bookstore owner to let me know immediately if any letter arrives for me. By the way, there was no one outside. Did you come here alone?"
"Yeah. I was coming to meet you, and it felt a bit awkward to bring the maid and the knight, so I got help from the godmother."
Lloyd tilted his head at the unexpected mention of someone.
"The godmother?"
"Yes."
The moment Dahlia decided to meet Lloyd, she went straight to her godmother.
"Can you help me sneak out of the mansion?"
"Yes. I have a place I want to quietly visit on my own."
"It's not hard to sneak you out of the mansion without anyone knowing. But you need to tell me the destination."
So, Dahlia made up an excuse, saying she was secretly going to visit a doctor to treat infertility.
It was the only excuse that came to her mind since her godmother would actively help her with a valid reason.
Fortunately, the godmother, though with a sympathetic look, helped Dahlia as promised last time.
"The people at the mansion must think I'm with the godmother right now."
The annex and the main building were far apart, and there was little communication between them.
Most of the maids working in the annex were also people of the godmother.
Perhaps because of that, it wasn't that difficult for Dahlia to leave the heavily guarded Seyer mansion.
Dahlia, recalling how she had come here, looked at Lloyd again.
However, seeing Lloyd dressed as a woman despite not going to meet Clayton, Dahlia asked curiously.
"Why are you dressed like a woman today? You're not going to meet the Duke."
"Just in case someone happens to see us meeting, it's better for the Duchess's reputation if she's seen with a woman rather than a man."
Dahlia let out a short breath, realizing that the reason he went through the trouble of dressing as a woman was entirely because of her.
It was something she hadn't considered herself.
"Thank you for your consideration. Lloyd."
Lloyd smiled warmly and shifted his gaze towards Dahlia, who spoke her thanks sincerely.
"By the way, is that the cat? The one the Duchess mentioned?"
"Yeah. I found it in the forest where we first met. It seems like it was abandoned by its mother after injuring its leg."
The cat, asleep in her arms, seemed so unaware of the world, and it was very cute.
Perhaps Lloyd thought the same, as the corners of his eyes curved in a pleasant smile.
Gently stroking the sleeping cat with her thumb, Dahlia cautiously made her request.
"So, I was wondering if you could take care of the cat? I would love to keep it, but it seems like it would be difficult to raise it at the mansion."
Her voice was filled with a mix of regret and sadness.
"Yes. I'll take care of the cat. My sister loves cats, so she'll probably be very happy."
"Really? Thank you! Lloyd."
When he readily agreed, Dahlia handed the cat to Lloyd, thrilled with joy.
The cat, which had been peacefully sleeping, whined softly.
Lloyd, who was watching the cat's sleepy grumbling with a contented smile, lifted his head.
"By the way, have you spoken to the Duke about it? I'm sure he'd allow you to keep a cat if you asked."
"I thought he might, but it seems like the Duke doesn't like cats very much."
Dahlia's face was full of regret as she spoke.
As Dahlia stroked the cat, which was comfortably sleeping in her arms, she recalled Clayton's serious face.
It was the first time she had seen such a cold expression on him since she possessed this body, and Dahlia was secretly surprised.
Still, she had been confident that she knew the male protagonist better than anyone else.
"It seems like I didn't know the Duke as well as I thought."
Dahlia's expression was bittersweet, and Lloyd quietly stared at her face, which had sunk like lead.
"I heard it was a contract marriage."
Some people said they fell in love and got married like a fairy tale, but Lloyd already knew the truth behind it.
The Duke of Seyer, who hated his curse more than anyone, had entered into a kind of contract marriage with the eldest daughter of the Molden Baron family, known as the Stone Maiden, to break the family curse.
That's why he thought that words like love didn't suit the relationship between them.
However, as he looked at Dahlia's bitter expression in front of him, he began to feel like his belief in what he had thought was starting to crack.
The look on her face, as if she had been hurt by her husband, was definitely...
"What do you think of the Duke?"
In the end, unable to suppress the curiosity ringing in his heart, Lloyd asked.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"As a man."
Despite the bold question, his voice was cautious.
"Do you love the Duke?"
And as expected, Dahlia was taken aback by the somewhat unexpected question.
"...Do I love the Duke?"
"Yes."
"Well..."
It was a question she had never thought about or felt the need to consider.
It was too soon to even think of the word "love" when she had spent so little time with Clayton.
Moreover, Dahlia's feelings for Clayton had been more about survival than love.
For her to enjoy this level of quality of life in this world, her relationship with Clayton was crucial.
So, it was only after hearing Lloyd's question that she started to seriously think about it.
"Well, he is the male protagonist of the novel I liked. I guess there's a little flutter in my heart... maybe..."
It wasn't that she didn't have any affection for Clayton to begin with.
Although he was cold, indifferent, and sometimes made unpredictable actions that embarrassed her, he was, after all, the male protagonist of the novel she had admired. Moreover...
"Well, for now, he is my husband."
Now, as his wife, she would have to live with him for the rest of her life, so she couldn't possibly hate him.
So, Dahlia honestly expressed her feelings at that moment.
"I see..."
For some reason, Lloyd's shoulders slumped at Dahlia's straightforward answer.
"I heard you two had a contract marriage... I'm glad to hear that."
"Huh? You knew we had a contract marriage?"
"Yes. The Duke wants to break the Seyer family curse in his generation. There was a rumor going around the noble families that he would adopt a child unrelated to the Seyer family."
Dahlia immediately understood his answer.
After all, the Hertz family was a loyal servant to the Seyer family, so they would have known the details.
"Right, he was planning to adopt a child."
She remembered that one of the conditions of the contract marriage was to adopt a child.
Of course, that plan was abandoned once the heroine became pregnant.
Dahlia, recalling the forgotten details from the original work, glanced around looking for her watch.
"Huh? Wait, what time is it?"
Finally realizing she had stayed too long, Dahlia quickly stood up.
The time she had promised to meet the godmother was approaching.
"Sorry, Lloyd. I think I need to leave quickly. I'm sorry I have to leave right after I arrived."
"It's okay. I'm fine. Don't worry too much about the cat. I'll take good care of it."
"Thank you so much, Lloyd. I'll write to you again after I go!"
As Dahlia left, Lloyd's gaze lingered on her back, filled with visible regret.