Resolution

A few days later.

Three people, including Dalia, who had somewhat recovered, gathered in the room.

"…It seems to be His Highness the Crown Prince's child."

Lloyd's calm voice pierced through the silence, as if he had anticipated this situation to some extent. And no one refuted his words. No, they couldn't refute them.

The symbol of the imperial family was so famous that even five-year-old children in the empire recognized it.

Lloyd looked down at the child sleeping in the cradle, leaving the other two silent. The radiant golden hair, like sunlight, and the peculiar eye color glimpsed through the eyelids were unmistakable symbols of the imperial family.

Once again, a heavy silence darkened the room. What remained in a place that should have been filled with blessings was nothing but uncertainty about the future.

Some time passed like that. Dalia turned her head to gaze at the cradle.

No matter how much the imperial symbol was visible in the child, she couldn't believe it. That the protagonist, Dalia, had betrayed Clayton.

The protagonist in the original story she knew wasn't someone capable of such an act.

'Besides, in the original story, the heroine had no connection with the Crown Prince.'

If there had been a connection, it would have appeared in the original story. Dalia, anxiously biting her lip, suddenly recalled the Crown Prince from the past celebration.

Alexion had approached her warmly, as if he had known her for a long time.

'Could it be?'

If the original heroine and the Crown Prince had been deeply involved. If, even after marrying Clayton, she had continued secret meetings with Alexion…

"Haa..."

Dalia let out a heavy sigh. This issue would not be resolved without confronting Alexion. She held her throbbing head.

'Perhaps the Duke knew all along.'

That's why he threatened to kill the child in my womb and locked me in the tower.

The thought that Clayton might have long since realized a connection between her and the Crown Prince, one she herself wasn't aware of, left her breathless.

Could she trust the original story she knew? She even began to wonder if she was confusing the book she had entered. Dalia's mind was tangled, like a knotted thread.

But even in such a situation, one fact became increasingly clear.

'I can't go back to Clayton.'

In a situation where nothing could be certain, she couldn't naively return to the empire.

Nor did she have any intention of going to the Crown Prince. She couldn't risk such danger while unaware of their relationship. Most of all…

'I don't want Clayton to see this child….'

What should she do now? Just as Dalia anxiously bit her nails—

The child, who had been softly breathing in sleep, started to fuss and then burst into tears.

Samantha approached the cradle and picked up the child, and Dalia held out her hands to her.

"Can you give me the child?"

At Dalia's request, Samantha carried the baby over to her.

She then carefully handed the baby to Dalia.

Looking down at her son, who smelled of baby powder, the fussing subsided as if he recognized his mother's arms, and he fell back into a soft sleep.

The baby's face was calm, unaware of the situation he was born into. Dalia looked at his face with a hint of pity and murmured.

"Damian."

Dalia softly whispered to her son, asleep in her arms.

"This child's name from now on is Damian."

She had taken the name directly from the original novel. Even though the father of this child might have changed, he was still her child. At that moment, no other name came to her mind.

She gazed at the child for quite some time.

As if she had made up her mind, Dalia lifted her head and alternated her gaze between the two people beside her.

"Thank you for everything so far. And I'm sorry. I feel like I've caused too much trouble because of me."

"My lady… Please don't say such things. Trouble? Not at all…!"

She gave a bitter smile toward Samantha, who approached her with teary eyes.

She couldn't burden these two any longer. Until now, there had been at least a glimmer of hope that she could return to the mansion after giving birth.

But now, she was no longer the Duchess of Seiyer or the young lady of the Molden Baron family—she was just an ordinary woman.

So, Dalia spoke to Lloyd and Samantha.

"You two should leave now, wherever you wish."

"What do you mean…!"

"As you can see, the child is not the Duke of Seiyer's. I can't return to the Duke in this situation. I'll probably have to live like this, in hiding, for the rest of my life. Living like that alone is enough for me."

But Samantha shook her head, as if rejecting Dalia's words.

"No! I will follow you, my lady."

"Samantha…"

"I've already followed you this far. What could I possibly do if I returned to the empire alone? If the Duke were to find me, I'd be lucky to escape with my life."

"..."

Her words weren't wrong. Dalia felt her head bow automatically, feeling responsible for what had happened.

"I'm already happy just to be by your side, my lady. So please, allow me to continue serving you."

Dalia knew, for Samantha's future, she should refuse. But truthfully, she didn't have the confidence to raise the child alone.

"…Thank you."

So, she felt a sense of relief from Samantha's words and was truly grateful.

"I'll stay by your side too."

Hearing a voice interrupting the two, Dalia lifted her head.

"What…?"

"It would be hard for two women to live on their own. I'll stay and protect you."

But unlike with Samantha, Dalia responded firmly.

"No. What about the Hertz family? Your younger brother, Rose, is weak, and you're the only family he has. Go back to the empire. The Duke wouldn't dare harm you as the eldest son of the Count of Hertz."

"No. I've already made up my mind."

Lloyd moved closer to Dalia, showing no intention of changing his decision.

"I made this resolution from the moment I left the empire with you, my lady."

He gently touched the head of the sleeping child and smiled softly.

"Please allow me to stay by your side."

"Lloyd…"

"At least until the child grows up and the two of you are settled."

"..."

"Please let me stay by your side until then."

Dalia silently looked at Lloyd's pleading face.

Why on earth was Lloyd so devoted to her?

At first, she thought it was simply friendship. But doubts began to creep in—could this truly be explained by friendship alone? However…

"…Alright. Thank you."

Faced with the daunting reality, she decided to set aside her rising doubts for now.

* * *

Click.

The heavy silence was broken as the door opened. Lloyd crossed the darkened room and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Haa…"

Lloyd let out a heavy sigh and leaned his head back as if exhausted.

Then he reflected on everything that had happened over the past few days.

Dalia had given birth to the child. But the child was not the Duke of Seiyer's.

On the first day of the child's birth, the baby hadn't opened their eyes, so they hadn't been able to see the color. But today, when the baby opened their eyes, he was certain.

The child carried the bloodline of the imperial family. And among the younger male members of the imperial family eligible for succession, there was only one—Crown Prince Alexion.

"Did the Duke already know about this…?"

Was that why he tried to kill the child, fearing Dalia would be taken by the imperial family? His mind grew tangled with thoughts.

Seeing the woman he loved give birth to another man's child gave him a truly peculiar feeling.

And to think the child was born of infidelity. Had he misunderstood Dalia all this time? His emotions grew more complicated.

As he lay on the bed, lost in thought, his closed eyes slowly opened. Unlike earlier, when he was shaken, his gaze was now firm.

"It doesn't matter."

Whether the child in Dalia's womb was the Duke's or the Crown Prince's, it had nothing to do with him.

"In the end, the one by Dalia's side is me."

Because in the end, only he remained by her side.

As if making a resolution, Lloyd rose from the bed and approached the desk. There, an unsent letter to his sister lay discarded.

Lloyd stared at the letter he had written before tearing it into shreds. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.

When he unfolded the handkerchief, it revealed strands of Dalia's cut hair.

He had cut a small piece of Dalia's hair while she was asleep.

Staring quietly at it, he clenched his fist before immediately picking up a pen to write a new letter.

To ensure the Duke could never find Dalia again.

The deep night was slowly coming to an end.