The cool waves rolled onto the sandy beach.
Dalia took off her shoes and walked along the beach, feeling the disappearing sea wet her ankles.
After walking for a while, inhaling the salty sea breeze brushing past her nose, she settled on a sandy hill beyond the reach of the waves.
Sitting there, gazing at the endless horizon and listening to the sound of the waves, Dalia took out a notebook from her bosom.
It was something Gretel had given her before she came here.
It was her fourth day at the villa, and opening the notebook on the beach at dusk had become part of her daily routine.
Dalia opened the page she had read and folded yesterday and began to carefully peruse it.
The notebook from Gretel mostly contained notes on precautions for mothers during pregnancy.
It included things like how pregnant women should move around every hour if seated for too long, and what foods were good for both mother and baby.
As she muttered the important points to herself and gazed at the notebook with curiosity.
Suddenly, feeling a presence, she raised her head. She saw someone approaching her from not far away.
"Your Grace?"
It was Clayton.
'It's definitely the time he should be working….'
He had said he was busy catching up on work delayed by the trip to Hudson.
Until she went out for her walk on the beach, he had been buried in paperwork in the makeshift study.
"Dalia."
Yet, Dalia's face lit up, showing she didn't mind his presence here.
Before Clayton got closer, she tucked the notebook she was reading into her bosom.
Since it was about pregnancy, it wouldn't do for Clayton to notice it.
"I saw your secretary go in earlier. Are you already finished talking?"
Since arriving at the villa, Clayton had been just as busy as he was in the capital.
She felt guilty for making him come here during such a busy time.
That's why she made a point of going out for walks to avoid disturbing him during work.
Before she knew it, Clayton had come up right in front of her. His gaze toward her was soft.
As she looked closely, she realized how much his expression toward her had changed compared to before.
Clayton began to tell her about the conversation he had just had with Caddison.
"I'm thinking of building a village here. It'll be difficult for now, but within a few years, it should become quite lively."
"A village?"
"You said it yourself. You'd like there to be a village here."
Dalia's eyes widened at his words. She wondered if she had heard him correctly.
'Does that mean he's building a village because of me?'
Hudson had been private property for a very long time, inaccessible to just anyone.
The land had been closed off for so many centuries that even the nearby residents considered it a restricted area.
And now, he was planning to open such a place based on her one comment. She didn't know how to interpret his actions.
She felt half happiness and half guilt for causing him more work.
However, the joy outweighed the guilt.
Unable to contain her emotions, Dalia threw her arms around Clayton's neck.
"Thank you so much."
She felt like bragging about her husband to the whole neighborhood.
After all, a man willing to gift her an entire village based on a single remark was a reason to boast. It felt like her hardships had finally paid off.
"Then let's come here every year. I want to see the village grow each time we visit."
Dalia whispered to him with a brighter smile than ever before.
Clayton didn't seem to mind her arms around his neck; a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He gazed at her violet eyes for a moment before his eyes dropped downward.
As his gaze followed her high nose and slightly parted lips, Clayton naturally buried his face in the nape of her neck.
Realizing what that gesture meant, Dalia closed her eyes.
"Haa…"
A soft sigh escaped involuntarily.
The familiar heat spread from her nape through her whole body. And then.
"...Ah."
She felt the blunt sensation of fangs piercing into her skin.
As her blood was drawn rapidly, her mind grew hazy.
Along with her shallow breaths, the wet sound echoed vividly in her ears.
From the skin punctured by Clayton's teeth, some hot liquid he couldn't swallow trickled down.
Yet his tongue moved busily, as if determined not to let a single drop go to waste.
She didn't dislike it. No, she was even starting to enjoy it. Sometimes, she liked clinging to him, lost in this hazy sensation.
Her body grew languid, and her eyelids began to feel heavy.
Even after he was done, he buried his nose in the nape of her neck, as if savoring her scent.
"You have a scent."
Every time Clayton spoke, her neck tingled.
"A scent? I'm not wearing any perfume…."
"…I know."
It wasn't an artificial fragrance.
Sometimes, it was an intoxicatingly alluring scent, like a flower in full bloom on a spring day….
Even after drinking her blood, he always buried his face in her embrace.
He loved Dalia's scent so much. Just inhaling it made him feel pleasantly intoxicated, as if he'd been drinking.
While she didn't dislike these repeated exchanges, they were somewhat tiring.
The only relief was that Clayton would stop on his own when things got overwhelming. Dalia admired his self-control.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but when Clayton pulled away, Dalia slowly opened her eyes.
The sky, once painted in orange hues, was now gradually turning purple as night approached.
As Dalia gazed blankly at the darkening sky.
Clayton brushed his finger across the nape of her neck, where a bit of blood was still seeping out.
"It's dirty again."
Despite his effort to be careful, he hadn't controlled his strength well, and her white dress was stained with blood.
Clayton frowned, as if displeased by this.
"It's okay. I have plenty of clothes anyway."
Dalia, regaining her composure, offered her own version of comfort as she naturally took his hand.
"Let's go back now."
The two of them walked along the shore back toward the villa.
However, neither of them knew that a shadow had been watching them from not far away.
* * *
Once inside the villa, the two went their separate ways to attend to their respective tasks.
Clayton headed to the study to catch up on his work, while Dalia went to her room to change clothes before dinner.
Dalia entered the second-floor bedroom and quickly removed her clothes, ready to change. However…
"Huh? Where's the notebook?"
The notebook she had tucked into her dress was nowhere to be found.
Thinking she might have dropped it while changing, she searched the entire room, but found nothing.
"Could it be…?"
Dalia glanced out the window at the beach.
She realized she must have dropped the notebook earlier when she was with Clayton.
"What should I do?"
If it weren't important, she could have waited until morning to retrieve it or asked a servant, but this was no ordinary notebook—it was the pregnancy guide.
If she, who wasn't pregnant, asked someone to retrieve it, it would surely lead to a misunderstanding.
Dalia hesitated for a moment.
It was darker now than when she had first returned, but the sun hadn't completely set yet.
If she hurried, she could return to the villa before nightfall.
Having made up her mind, Dalia changed back into her original clothes, knowing they'd get dirty searching the sand on the beach anyway.
Since she planned to return quickly, she didn't bother informing any of the staff before heading out.
Dalia's pace toward the beach was faster than ever.
Arriving quickly at the spot she had been earlier, Dalia knelt down and began sifting through the sand.
"It has to be here somewhere…."
She had carefully checked the path from the villa to the beach just in case, leaving this spot as the only place it could be.
After a while of digging through the sand.
"Found it!"
Dalia let out a joyful exclamation as she finally found the notebook.
Dalia brushed the sand off the notebook, held it tightly to her chest, and stood up.
"Let's get back quickly."
She would barely have enough time to change clothes again and make it to dinner.
So, she quickened her steps to retrace her way back when suddenly.
A man stood blocking her path. His robe was pulled low, obscuring his face.
'Who is that? He doesn't seem like someone from the estate….'
This was private property belonging to the Seayer family.
It appeared to be empty land with no inhabitants, but she'd heard that it was almost impossible for ordinary people to access it.
That's why the presence of the unfamiliar man immediately drew all of Dalia's attention.
'Of all times, it had to be when I'm alone….'
If Clayton, or even a maid, had been with her, she wouldn't have felt so uneasy.
Watching the man steadily approach, Dalia decided it wouldn't do and turned away, intending to take a longer route to avoid him.
Dalia, fully alert, began walking almost at a run to distance herself from the man. However.
The man closed in quickly and grabbed Dalia's wrist.