The Truth She Wished She Didn't Know

Of course, the number of men Rose had encountered in her life could be counted on one hand. However, there was one thing she was certain of.

Even if she had led a normal social life like other young ladies, she would never have encountered a man as beautiful as him.

"Um, Your Grace. That gentleman over there…"

Following Rose's gaze, Dalia caught a glimpse of Clayton as he disappeared around the corner.

He seemed unaware of their presence, engrossed in a conversation with his secretary.

"Are you talking about the gentleman who just disappeared?"

"Yes."

When Dalia realized Rose was asking about Clayton, she tilted her head as if questioning whether Rose truly didn't know.

"That's the Duke. Lloyd mentioned the two of you have met before."

"…What? That's the Duke of Seayer?"

Rose's eyes widened in shock upon realizing the man's identity.

Realizing belatedly that the man's features matched those of the Seayer family, Rose let out a sigh.

'This can't be.'

The man was none other than the terrifying figure who had once made her tremble with fear.

The room had been too dark to clearly see his face during their previous encounter, but the suffocating malice emanating from him was still vivid in her memory.

'So that's what he looks like…'

'If only the candles had been brighter back then… maybe I wouldn't have been as frightened.' Her thoughts were interrupted.

"Come on, let's get going."

"…Alright."

Pulled from her thoughts by Dalia's voice, Rose walked with her toward the garden.

Just as Dalia had described, the garden was truly beautiful.

While it wasn't overflowing with extravagant flowers, the sunny weather brought out the fresh vibrancy of the grass and trees, making it feel like summer was just around the corner.

"Since the weather is getting warmer, I've prepared some refreshing lemonade instead of tea. Our chef is excellent at making fruitades."

Though it was their first meeting, Dalia treated her with ease, perhaps because of her resemblance to Lloyd.

"Yes, I like lemonade too."

Rose didn't mind how Dalia treated her as if they were old friends.

She was exactly as Lloyd had always described her.

She was a woman who radiated warmth, lacked prejudice, and made others feel at ease—a truly kind person.

Their conversation was simple, centering around hobbies, favorite foods, and books.

As their conversation deepened, Dalia made a suggestion to Rose.

"How about getting involved in social events in the future?"

"…Social events?"

"Yes. Lloyd mentioned that you've rarely left the estate. Perhaps you could start with something light, like a tea party, as long as your health allows."

"A tea party…"

Rose toyed with her glass, appearing thoughtful at Dalia's suggestion.

In truth, she had once dreamed of enjoying tea and pleasant conversations with other young ladies her age.

After all, she had enjoyed the ordinary yet delightful conversation with the Duchess today.

In her younger, more naive days, she had resented Lloyd for attending social gatherings in her place. That's why Dalia's suggestion excited her.

"I think it's a great idea. Honestly, I don't have any friends my age. And I recently received an invitation, too."

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

"But, um…"

Rose trailed off as though hesitant to voice her concern.

"Wouldn't the Duke of Seayer disapprove? I heard the previous Dukes didn't like the Hertz family participating in society. I was planning to decline for that reason…"

She seemed wary of Clayton's reaction.

It was understandable. From birth, her life had been dictated by the Seayer family.

Dalia responded kindly.

"Don't worry about that. His Grace said he wouldn't concern himself with what the Hertz family does anymore."

"…Really?"

"Yes. So from now on, don't worry about others and do what you want, Rose."

"…Alright."

Rose's cheeks flushed with joy at Dalia's words.

"Then I'll write my reply as soon as I return to the estate."

"That's wonderful. I'm sure you'll make great friends there. Hmm… does that make me your first friend?"

"Friend…?"

The word "friend" sent a thrill through Rose. The thought of finally having a friend made her heart swell with emotion.

"Let's meet often from now on, Rose."

"…Yes!"

To Rose, Dalia was the first friend she had ever made.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Dalia and Rose were enjoying their conversation in the garden, Samantha was cleaning Dalia's bedroom.

Thanks to her daily tidying, there wasn't much to clean, but maintaining such consistent cleanliness required unseen effort.

As usual, she didn't neglect dusting small items like vases.

"The bedroom's done. Maybe I should tidy up the wardrobe."

Since the weather was warming up, Samantha decided to set aside the thicker garments and opened the wardrobe.

She was sorting through the hanging clothes and pulling out spring garments when—

Suddenly, she heard a soft thud and bent down to look.

"What's this?"

The object on the floor was a small notebook, no bigger than her palm.

"Could it be the lady's?"

Since she cleaned Dalia's room regularly and was familiar with her belongings, the notebook's unfamiliarity puzzled Samantha.

Assuming it was something Dalia had acquired during her trip, she reached out to put it back in its place.

The notebook had fallen open to a specific page.

Thinking it contained notes Dalia had jotted down during her trip, Samantha picked it up absentmindedly.

"…Huh?"

A line of text accidentally caught Samantha's attention.

'Foods Pregnant Women Should Avoid.'

Pregnant women? That has nothing to do with Lady Dalia… does it?

Realizing something was off, Samantha, despite knowing it was impolite, began to carefully skim through the notebook.

It was filled entirely with notes about pregnancy, childbirth, and care for expectant mothers.

"Why would the lady have something like this…?"

Confusion clouded Samantha's face.

Then, memories of the past few weeks flashed through her mind. Come to think of it, there had been more than a few strange occurrences.

Dalia had suddenly stopped eating fishy foods, complaining of nausea, and had switched to lighter meals like fruit and bread.

And that wasn't all.

She had also been offering guests lemonade instead of tea.

Lately, her meal portions had increased noticeably.

"Could it be…?"

Samantha recalled the words of a close maid who had left the estate when she became pregnant.

"At first, I couldn't eat anything because of the morning sickness, but once it passed, my appetite went through the roof. I spent half my salary on food. And here's the crazy part—foods I couldn't even stand the smell of before suddenly became cravings."

Remembering those words, Samantha gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.

"The lady is pregnant…!"

Yes, she must be pregnant. Nothing else could explain all these signs.

Perhaps that's why she had sought a different doctor instead of the family physician.

"Oh, my goodness!"

Overjoyed, Samantha clutched the notebook to her chest and hopped excitedly in place.

A child who would resemble both the lady and the Duke… She was already in love with the baby, even though it hadn't been born yet.

"Oh, my lady… you should have told me, at least."

Thinking of how Dalia must have suffered through the difficult early stages of pregnancy alone, Samantha felt a pang of guilt.

She assumed the secrecy was because miscarriages were more common in the early stages of pregnancy.

"His Grace must be told about this."

While she could understand Dalia's reluctance, such a monumental secret couldn't be kept hidden forever.

Samantha decided that at the very least, the Duke needed to know and hurried out of the room.

She headed to Clayton's office with uncharacteristic urgency.

"Is there a guest?"

Through the slightly ajar door, the Duke could be seen with the butler, Jason.

The two were engrossed in conversation, unaware that the study door was open.

"Perfect timing."

Samantha, who was planning to visit the butler after meeting the Duke, was just about to knock on the study door. However...

"If the Madam is pregnant, what will you do?"

Just before her fingers touched the door, the conversation between the two reached her ears.

"It wouldn't be my child."

"Then, what about the child and the Madam...?"

As she stood frozen in shock, unable to process what she was hearing, the chilling voice of the man pierced Samantha's mind.

"They must die."