A Drop of Blood

The first emotion Dalia felt was relief.

It hadn't been long since the doctor told her to take it easy, yet here she was, carelessly falling over.

If she hadn't held on to Clayton, she might have faced serious trouble.

Unknowingly letting out a sigh of relief against Clayton's chest, Dalia suddenly froze.

Once the relief set in, she began to grasp the situation.

And at the moment she realized it, a heavy silence descended.

She had thought about using physical confrontation since talking didn't work, but this wasn't what she had in mind.

She had only hoped for something simple, like placing a hand on Clayton's shoulder or gently leaning against him.

Well, perhaps this could count as a successful physical approach.

As her pounding heartbeat filled the awkward silence, Dalia, regaining her senses late, let out an awkward smile.

"Haha. I'm sorry. I tripped all of a sudden…"

As if his mood wasn't bad enough, she had toppled right onto him. She didn't even have to look to know his expression was obvious.

'He's probably glaring at me menacingly.'

The fact that he hadn't said anything so far was probably him being lenient. Dalia moved her creaking arm and placed her hand on the floor.

Then, in a small voice, she apologized as she slowly began to get up. But.

Huh?

Clayton, who had been still until now, suddenly grabbed Dalia's wrist tightly.

Because of that, Dalia couldn't stand up properly, nor could she lean back into his arms, leaving her awkwardly suspended in the air.

"Uh, Duke. Can you let go of my hand…?"

A flustered Dalia, intending to ask him to release her wrist, belatedly looked up at his face.

And at the moment her eyes met Clayton's, Dalia instinctively held her breath.

'Why, why is he like this…?'

Clayton's gaze was unusual. It wasn't his characteristic cold, piercing look. This was, how should she put it…

Half-crazed, perhaps.

His rough, unfocused eyes had long lost their reason. She'd seen eyes like that before. When was it?

Back when the smell of grass lingered in the air and the cool breeze brushed against her skin…

As Dalia fumbled through the faint memories trailing one after another…

Whoosh.

Suddenly, the world flipped, and her back hit the cold carpeted floor.

The silvery hair, like a curtain, fell brilliantly across the floor.

Before she could let out a startled scream, Clayton loomed over her.

The moment Dalia met the blood-red eyes staring down at her, the fog clouding her mind cleared.

The lonely cabin in the middle of the forest and the man who had bitten Lloyd's neck inside it.

Yes, the Clayton before her now had the same gaze as back then, when he was drinking blood.

'This is something…'

Dangerous.

A blaring red alarm went off in her mind. Her once-flexible body stiffened like a board.

The thought of needing to escape immediately consumed her, and Dalia pushed Clayton away. Or at least, she tried to.

That was until he buried his face in her neck.

"Ugh."

The unexpected, foreign sensation startled her for a moment. Then, something wet licked her neck.

Feeling strange, her fist tightened around the hem of Clayton's clothing.

Suddenly, a sharp sensation against her skin made her eyes fly open.

The sensation was sharp but less piercing than a needle.

'No way.'

It was a fang.

"W-wait a moment! Duke… ugh."

Realizing instinctively what Clayton intended to do, Dalia struggled, but it was futile.

This was truly not part of the plan.

She didn't know what had suddenly possessed him, but even in the original story, this had never happened.

As the sensation of fangs scraping her skin made her shut her eyes tightly…

The fiery gaze in his eyes rapidly cooled, as though doused with cold water. At the same time, Clayton's body jerked and froze.

'What…?'

His fangs should have easily pierced her skin by now.

Finding it odd that she felt neither pain nor further movement, Dalia cautiously opened her eyes.

What she saw was Clayton's face, as pale as if he'd seen a ghost.

His face, pale to the point of being blue, contrasted starkly with the lingering heat in his eyes.

"…Duke?"

Clayton suddenly pulled far away from Dalia, covering his face with both hands as he muttered.

"Leave."

"…What?"

"Get out now!"

With an abrupt command, Clayton slammed the teacup on his desk onto the floor.

The teacup shattered into unrecognizable pieces on the carpet.

His sharp, focused gaze wavered violently as it fixated on her.

Dalia slowly got to her feet, seeing the man struggling to deny what had just happened.

"Duke…"

Faced with this unfamiliar side of Clayton, Dalia was at a loss and quietly murmured his name.

With a loud burst, Jason flung the door open.

"Your Grace!"

Jason had rushed in, drawn by the commotion.

Jason scanned the room quickly, as if trying to assess the situation, and swallowed hard.

He then turned to Samantha, who had frozen in shock by the doorway, and gave her an order.

"Quickly, escort the Madam to her room!"

"Y-yes…!"

Samantha, who had been peeking into the room out of curiosity about the Duke and his guest's "private time," finally came to her senses and stepped in to help Dalia.

"My Lady! Please lean on me!"

Jason, after checking the Duke's condition, also realized Clayton wanted to be left alone and quietly exited the room.

And so, the room was finally empty.

Only then did Clayton's tension break, and he collapsed onto the floor.

It was because he had realized what he had almost done.

"I… I almost…"

He had almost drunk Dalia's blood.

And he had lost control of himself while doing so. A rough curse escaped his lips.

He had only instinctively reached out to steady Dalia as she fell.

But the overwhelming scent emanating from her near him made him lose his reason.

A wave of intense regret and self-loathing crashed over him.

It was truly dangerous.

He was well aware of how dangerous it was to lose control while feeding.

Even something he cherished deeply could be destroyed in an instant by blind indulgence.

"Damn it!"

Unable to contain the anger boiling inside him, Clayton began throwing whatever he could grab.

Only after the once-tidy office was in shambles did Clayton calm himself and exhale steadily.

That's when a sweet scent, which he hadn't noticed earlier, tickled his nose.

A sweetness so strong it felt as if a single bite would make his tongue ache.

Only then did Clayton realize that something was smeared on the corner of his lips, which he wiped off with his fingers.

It was Dalia's blood.

It must have come from the wound caused when his fangs grazed her neck.

Perhaps it was just a single drop.

As he stared blankly at the crimson stain on his hand, Clayton unknowingly licked it with his tongue.

A single drop of blood. Just one.

It was only a single drop, and yet—

The moment it touched his mouth, Clayton realized something.

Like Pandora who had opened the forbidden box, like Eve who had plucked the forbidden fruit in Eden.

There was no going back to the way things were before.

It was a new curse for him.

* * *

In the darkness of a secluded room, someone was curled up on a bed, biting their nails.

It was Roze Hertz.

Roze, who had been staring blankly into space, turned her head and saw the full moon shining brightly outside the window.

"The Duke has figured everything out…"

That Lloyd had been impersonating Roze Hertz. And furthermore—

'If you want to save your brother, keep your mouth shut.'

She was told to say nothing to Lloyd. Roze and Lloyd, as twins, shared everything with each other.

She had never kept a secret from him before.

The fact that she was hiding something so significant filled her with guilt.

'What should I do?'

She couldn't figure out what the Duke's intentions were.

Why had the man, who had seemed ready to cut off her and Lloyd's heads at any moment, suddenly changed his attitude?

Tomorrow, Lloyd would start living at the Sayer estate.

For now, she acted as if nothing had happened, just as the Duke had instructed, but inside, she was burning with anxiety.

'What if something happens to Lloyd…?'

What if this was all a ploy by the Duke to send Lloyd in her place? What if he planned to harm Lloyd at the estate…

Just as the thought of confessing the truth to Lloyd resurfaced…

Suddenly, something flashed through Roze's mind.

'Wait.'

If Lloyd found out the truth…

Would she have to take his place from now on?

She recalled her experience with the Duke, something that could only be described as a nightmare.

She had thought lightly of it, assuming she could manage just as Lloyd always had.

But the Sayer Duke, whom she had only heard about in words, was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

Just having such a man stand behind her made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

And the thought suddenly struck her—if such a man bit her neck and drank her blood, wouldn't she really die?

Click. With that sound, Lloyd peeked his head through the door.

He seemed worried about Roze, who had been in her room all day. Noticing her brother's hesitant gaze, Roze spoke.

"Come in, Lloyd."

At her words, Lloyd entered the room and hugged Roze.

"Are you sure nothing happened with the Sayer Duke?"

After returning to the estate and hearing the details, Lloyd had been shocked and asked if anything had happened, but Roze had only replied that everything was fine.

But someone who claimed nothing had happened wouldn't stay holed up in their room all day, so of course, he was worried.

Lloyd hugged Roze a little tighter, hoping she would feel some comfort in his embrace.

"Don't worry, Roze. I'll protect you no matter what."

"..."

Moved by Lloyd's constant concern for her, Roze hugged him tightly.

"…Yes, Lloyd."

You must protect me.

Even if I can't protect you.

Swallowing the words she couldn't bring herself to say, Roze buried her face in Lloyd's chest.