“It’s strange. This should be the right way…"

  Dahlia, who had separately checked the address, gnced at the paper in her hand and looked around.

  It had already been two hours since she started walking alone on the streets.

  She didn't even think she had walked a few blocks from where she was earlier. Unlike the lively and bustling city, the atmosphere here felt oddly gloomy.

  ‘Should I just turn back now…’

  It was already well past the time when someone should have noticed she was missing.

  By now, her maid and escort knight were probably searching for her. Or worse, they might have already reported it to the estate.

  This also meant that after today, she wouldn’t have another chance to be alone in the city, using lemon tarts as an excuse.

  And most importantly…

  ‘It feels like someone’s been following me…!’

  A man had been tailing her since earlier.

  At first, she thought they just happened to be going in the same direction. But no matter where she turned, he followed, and even when she slowed down on purpose, he showed no sign of overtaking her.

  As much as she wanted to forget the doctor and just return to where she started, she didn’t have the confidence to shake him off and make it back to the city.

  If only there were people around, but there were just a few carriages passing occasionally, not even an ant in sight.

  Feeling scared and regretful, Dahlia quickened her pace, almost on the verge of tears.

  At the same time, she began to mentally prepare herself for the worst.

  ‘If that man grabs me, I’ll throw a punch…!’

  And then, it really happened.

  With a sudden "thwack," someone grabbed her shoulder.

  Thinking the inevitable had come, Dahlia tightly shut her eyes and swung her arm wide.

  But the man easily blocked her arm and spoke.

  "Dahlia."

  A familiar voice pierced her ears.

  "…Your Grace?"

  It was Cyton.

  When she looked back, the man who had been following her had already disappeared. It seemed he fled as soon as Cyton appeared.

  "Dahlia."

  Cyton, who was watching Dahlia gnce around nervously, called her name again.

  Only then did Dahlia realize her current situation and bit her lip.

  It was Cyton who broke the short silence.

  Noticing the absence of her maid and escort, he frowned deeply.

  "Why are you here alone? Where’s your escort?"

  "Th-that’s…"

  Cyton observed her hesitation and issued an order to Kedison, who was watching from a distance.

  "Bring Dahlia's escort and maid to me at once."

  As Cyton sharply addressed Kedison, Dahlia grabbed his arm.

  "N-no, it’s not their fault! I wanted to walk alone, so I gave them other tasks on purpose and snuck out. That’s why I got lost!"

  Her voice was urgent.

  She felt guilty thinking they might be punished because of her.

  Cyton let out a short sigh, seemingly at a loss for words as he stared at Dahlia.

  "You got lost? Don’t tell me you don’t even know where you are now."

  "W-where are we…?"

  "Ha."

  At Dahlia’s clueless expression, Cyton let out a wry ugh.

  The pce they were standing was the old city, an area with poor public safety unlike the new city.

  The area was frequented by prostitutes and criminals, a pce where even during the day women avoided walking alone.

  For a noblewoman to wander here alone was practically inviting trouble.

  Looking at her clear eyes blinking innocently, completely unaware of the danger she had been in, left Cyton both exasperated and speechless.

  Seeing the man’s increasingly stern expression, Dahlia intuitively realized this pce must be dangerous. She spoke in a quiet, timid voice.

  "…I promise I won’t ever wander alone again. So please, don’t punish the maid and the escort. I’m begging you."

  Cyton silently observed Dahlia, who was pleading with a dejected expression, before speaking to Kedison.

  "Deduct two months' pay from the maid and escort as a warning. But make it clear that if this happens again, it won’t end with just dismissal."

  "Yes, understood."

  Hearing this, Dahlia’s face brightened.

  The pay cut was something she could make up for herself, so she felt grateful for such a lenient punishment.

  Dahlia raised her head to thank Cyton.

  "Thank you. From now on, I’ll make sure this never hap…"

  Growl.

  Her stomach, completely out of timing, let out a loud growl, and she froze on the spot.

  “…….”

  “…….”

  Cyton, who hadn’t expected the sound, also fell silent. The longer the silence dragged, the more Dahlia’s head drooped toward the ground.

  As always, it was Cyton who broke the awkward atmosphere first.

  “Let’s eat first."

  Back in the new city, Dahlia met her maid, Samantha, and the escort knight who had been frantically searching for her.

  The two briefly looked relieved seeing her with Cyton, but their faces turned pale again when Kedison conveyed the Duke’s message.

  Feeling sorry for the two, who were now pale as ghosts, Dahlia silently apologized in her heart as she followed Cyton to a high-end restaurant.

  After a series of dishes were served and her famished stomach was somewhat satisfied, she realized something.

  ‘Come to think of it, this is the first time we’re having a proper conversation since that kiss…!’

  It suddenly struck her that this was their first real interaction since the garden party, and an awkward feeling crept up on her.

  But there was an even bigger problem than the awkwardness.

  Her gaze kept wandering to his lips without her realizing it.

  As she ate her steak, she kept stealing gnces at Cyton’s lips, and the memories of that day kept flooding back whenever they moved.

  ‘This is driving me crazy.’

  Realizing how she must look, sneaking peeks at someone else’s lips, she felt a wave of self-loathing, like she had turned into some kind of pervert.

  As she wallowed in embarrassment, Cyton, who had kept his gaze on his pte, finally spoke.

  "You’re going to bore a hole in my face at this rate."

  His tone was calm, as if he knew she had been sneaking gnces at him.

  "If you have something to say, just say it."

  "N-no, I don’t!"

  "Then I’ll ask."

  Pcing his cutlery down, he wiped his lips with a napkin and continued.

  "What was the real reason you went to that pce?"

  "I already told you—it was because I took a wrong turn…"

  "Do you expect me to believe that you, someone who’s lived in the capital for over ten years, went there by accident?"

  Ah, right.

  In her panic, she’d forgotten the original story mentioned that the protagonist had lived in the capital for years.

  "And how do you expin your attire?"

  “…….”

  Even her modest outfit, which had puzzled her maid, would have been far from satisfactory in Cyton’s eyes.

  But there was no way she could confess she’d been searching for a doctor to prescribe contraceptives.

  She sipped her water, racking her brain for a pusible excuse.

  ‘What should I say? He’s not going to let this go easily. What excuse can I make?’

  Lost in thought, she accidentally let the gss slip from her hand before setting it back on the table.

  Crash!

  The sound of gss shattering echoed through the restaurant.

  Startled, Dahlia looked at the broken gss with a flustered expression and bent down instinctively.

  A waiter rushed over to clean up the shards, but Dahlia was quicker.

  As she reached out to pick up the gss pieces, Cyton stopped her.

  "Dahlia, what are you doing…"

  "Ah!"

  A short cry escaped her lips as she drew back her hand, clutching her finger.

  "Ma’am, are you all right? Please let us handle this—it’s dangerous."

  "Oh, I’m so sorry. I was distracted…"

  "It’s no trouble, but you should stop the bleeding first."

  The waiter, noticing drops of blood seeping through her fingers, looked at her with concern before rushing off to fetch a first-aid kit.

  Wrapping her finger with a napkin to stanch the bleeding, Dahlia turned to Cyton, intending to apologize.

  "Your Grace, I’m so sorry for causing this commotion… Your Grace?"

  Her words trailed off as she noticed his face, pale and visibly tense.

  * * *

  Bang!

  Cyton returned to the mansion, smming the door open, startling Jason, who quickly approached him.

  His usually impeccable appearance was disheveled, and the prominent veins on his forehead hinted at his poor state of mind.

  "Your Grace! What on earth happened?"

  Cyton, staggering toward his room, spoke in a hoarse, broken voice.

  "Send someone to Hertz. Immediately."

  "Pardon? But today isn’t the scheduled…"

  Jason, holding Cyton to steady him, stopped mid-sentence when he saw the Duke’s sharp gaze.

  The Duke looked as though he were on the verge of crossing a dangerous line, his entire presence radiating tension.