There is a small back gate behind the Seyer Duke's mansion.
This is the entrance primarily used by servants and external staff coming in and out of the mansion, and it was relatively less guarded compared to the main gate.
Dahlia, wearing her hooded robe deeply, had just passed through the gate.
Having borrowed the identity of the godmother's maid, she was able to enter the mansion without difficulty.
"I'm much later than I thought."
Still unfamiliar with the capital's geography, she got lost on her way back to the mansion, and before long, the sun had set.
Looking up at the sky, which had almost darkened, Dahlia bit her lip. She was anxious because she was later than the time she had promised to return with the godmother.
Dahlia, arriving at the annex with twice the usual speed, was greeted by Angela, the godmother's maid.
The moment she spotted Dahlia, Angela rushed towards her eagerly.
"I was just about to go look for you since you weren't coming! Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. How about the godmother?"
As she took off her robe and handed it to the maid while asking about the godmother, she suddenly locked eyes with the godmother, who was coming down the stairs.
"Dahlia."
She exhaled with relief and walked toward Dahlia.
"If you had been any later, I would have had to tell them you were gone myself."
"I'm sorry. I got lost on the way here..."
Feeling apologetic, Dahlia's shoulders slumped.
She couldn't help but feel embarrassed about how many people she had inconvenienced today. It was almost too shameful to look them in the eye.
"I'm fine. But someone came looking for you from the main building."
At the godmother's voice laced with concern, Dahlia's eyes widened in surprise.
"Someone from the main building came looking for me? Did they figure out I wasn't here...?"
"No, that's not certain yet. I told them you had fallen asleep here for now. No common servant would be allowed to carelessly enter the Duchess's bedroom."
"That's such a relief."
However, the godmother's face became serious.
"Don't relax just yet. Even though they heard you were in the mansion, they still tried to confirm if you were really here. That makes me uneasy."
That's true. Dahlia had already informed Jason in advance that she was going to the annex to see the godmother.
But they sent someone to the annex anyway? That was essentially to confirm if Dahlia was actually here.
"I suppose for the time being, I should avoid sneaking out of the mansion. It doesn't hurt to be cautious in advance."
"Yes, I think that's a good idea."
Dahlia nodded as if agreeing with the godmother's words.
"By the way, did you find a good owner for the cat?"
"Yes, I asked a trustworthy person..."
Dahlia, who had been answering absentmindedly, suddenly looked up.
This was because she had never mentioned the cat to the godmother and had just made up an excuse that she wanted to meet with a doctor.
"Did... did you know?"
"I may be far from the main building, but I'm not unaware of what's happening there."
It seemed she knew all about the commotion at the main building today. Despite her efforts to secretly hide the cat...
Dahlia felt guilty and embarrassed for having told pointless lies to the one who had been kind to her.
"…I'm sorry. You even helped me, and I couldn't be honest with you."
The godmother smiled warmly at Dahlia's heartfelt apology.
"You must have kept it from others because the person you trust shouldn't be seen by others. It's fine. I have someone like that too."
This is why experience can't be ignored. The godmother already understood why Dahlia had to sneak out of the mansion.
Dahlia, secretly admiring the godmother's insight, expressed her gratitude once again.
"By the way, have you eaten?"
"Ah, now that you mention it..."
It was then that Dahlia realized the only thing she had eaten today was the fruit she had in the morning.
The past few days, her stomach had been unsettled, and she hadn't felt like eating anything.
When she scratched her cheek in silence, the godmother, as if expecting it, said she had already prepared a simple meal for her.
"Before going to the main building, fill your stomach a bit. I told the servant you had an early dinner and fell asleep."
"Yes. Thank you for everything."
In fact, she still felt uneasy, but she couldn't keep starving for that reason, and couldn't refuse the godmother's kindness, so she followed the maid to the dining room.
As Dahlia entered the dining room, she noticed the neatly arranged food on the table.
"It's late, so I've prepared a simple clam soup and soft bread. Feel free to eat, and if you need anything, just call me. Young mistress."
"Okay. Thank you."
Once the maid finished her duties and left, Dahlia sat down and stared quietly at the food placed in front of her.
Clam soup was one of the foods she had enjoyed since inhabiting this body.
However, despite having not eaten all day, she couldn't seem to get an appetite.
She had always valued food, shelter, and clothing, especially food, yet now...
"I just hope this discomfort in my stomach goes away soon."
She didn't know what had caused her to feel so nauseous, but it felt as though something was blocking her chest, and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
As Dahlia punched her chest lightly to relieve the pressure, she tried to force herself to eat and took a spoonful of the soup.
"Ugh-."
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her, and she unconsciously gagged.
"Why is this happening... Ugh."
Something felt wrong, so she tried to sniff the soup again, but the fishy smell that lingered in her nostrils made her throw the spoon aside and cover her mouth.
"What the hell is going on?"
Something was off. She hadn't been feeling well, but there was no reason for her to have this strong aversion to food.
Just to be sure, she picked up the bread next to her and smelled it, but only the fragrant butter scent lingered at the tip of her nose.
"The bread is fine... but why only the soup... could it be?"
Suddenly, Dahlia recalled the fishy smell she had sensed in the food before.
It felt a bit different from last time, but it was still hard to bring herself to eat.
"Does this food have mugwort in it again...?"
Come to think of it, the real culprit in the last mugwort incident was the godmother.
Dahlia's expression turned serious as she fell into deep thought.
"But there's no reason for the godmother to feed me mugwort."
The reason the godmother had tried to give her mugwort had already been revealed, and now, she was actually supporting and helping her.
"But what if everything she said to me was a lie?"
What if the godmother still didn't want her to get pregnant? What if she had been pretending to support her just to calm her down...
However, Dahlia shook her head.
"Even if there's mugwort in the food, it wouldn't be the godmother."
If the godmother had wanted to interfere with her pregnancy, she wouldn't have used the same method.
Especially not in the annex, where the smell would be easily detected.
Dahlia's mind became more confused.
"Is it just that my stomach feels off...?"
Perhaps she was just reacting more sensitively to the fishy taste of the clams, which she normally wouldn't have noticed.
After thinking for a while...
She was about to call the maid to ask for some new food when suddenly...
Suddenly, a word flashed through her mind.
Morning sickness.
The symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, commonly experienced by pregnant women in the early stages.
"No, surely not..."
She thought it couldn't be true, but for some reason, her mouth began to dry out.
Feeling an ominous premonition, Dahlia gave up on calling the maid and stood up from her seat.
Telling herself it was just fatigue and stress from all the events of the day, she convinced herself as she opened the door to the dining room.
Just as she was about to enter, she ran into the godmother, who seemed to have been walking toward her.
"Oh, Dahlia. Have you already finished eating?"
"Yes. I ate a lot earlier today. I don't have much of an appetite now. Haha..."
Dahlia smiled awkwardly, unable to tell the godmother that she had gagged at the food.
"Really? Oh, by the way, the Emperor's birthday is just a few days away."
"That's right...?"
"This will be your first time attending a royal party as the Duchess of Seyer, so you must be nervous. Especially in high society, people often look down on those like you who have suddenly risen in status."
"Yes, well..."
As Dahlia nodded, the godmother smiled kindly and took her hand.
"Don't worry too much. I've prepared a gift for you."
The godmother patted the back of her hand a few times, as if to say "Trust me." But Dahlia had no interest in that gift.
Her mind was completely consumed by the thought that she might be pregnant.