The Runaway Female Lead Doesn't Run Away

Seayer Mansion, Office.

Even though it was time to be busy going through documents in the office, Clayton was staring blankly into space, lost in thought.

It was one of the new habits he had developed lately.

Ever since he heard from Jason that the scent coming from Dalia's body might be due to pregnancy, he had occasionally fallen into deep thought.

Of course, many of his worries were alleviated through conversations with Dalia, but still, every time a scent came from her body, it was hard not to feel uneasy.

But since there was no proper answer to his worries, the time spent blankly staring only increased, and nothing was progressing.

As usual, Jason let out a low sigh after discovering Clayton sitting motionless today.

So, he deliberately made a loud noise and spoke to him.

"Duke, a letter from Baron Monsell has arrived."

He placed the letter, which had just arrived, on the desk.

"Baron Monsell?"

Clayton glanced at the letter briefly and tried to recall who Baron Monsell was.

Baron Monsell was the lord of the estate they had stayed at when traveling to Hudson with Dalia.

It had not been long since they returned to the capital, so there was no real reason for them to hear from Monsell.

He thought maybe it was a late greeting to check if they had arrived safely, so he started reading the letter.

However, contrary to his expectation, the letter said that Baron Monsell would be coming to the capital soon to attend the wedding of the Roman Countess and Duke Chaser, and if possible, he would like to meet.

He vaguely remembered hearing from Monsell during their last conversation at the estate that his wife was about to give birth and he wouldn't be able to attend.

Yet he was attending the wedding. Could it be that the Baroness gave birth earlier than expected?

Clayton began to think thoughts he would never normally have.

'Speaking of pregnancy...'

Lately, he had been reacting very sensitively to the word pregnancy.

So as soon as he thought of Baron Monsell, his mind naturally pictured the Baroness next to him.

A small woman with a noticeably round belly.

Then he suddenly remembered Dalia asking the Baroness many questions about pregnancy.

At the time, he didn't notice anything strange. But now, thinking back, those weren't questions a woman like Dalia would ask.

An inexplicable sense of unease began to wash over him as the memory suddenly resurfaced.

'What if the reason she asked those questions...'

If it was related to pregnancy?

But that thought was short-lived. Clayton soon remembered that the Baroness didn't have the same scent as Dalia, and he exhaled a sigh of relief.

If Jason's words were correct, the pregnant Baroness should have had the same scent as Dalia, but she didn't.

Clayton's expression visibly brightened.

'It seems the scent and pregnancy had no connection after all.'

Suddenly thinking of the Baroness made all the worries he had disappear, but he was actually relieved by it.

Feeling much better, Clayton asked Jason in a slightly brighter voice.

"When is the Roman Duke's wedding?"

"It's two days from now."

"Then they'll arrive in the capital tomorrow."

Since they had already been indebted to them, it was time to repay the favor. Clayton dropped the letter onto the desk and gave an order.

"Then set a date for a dinner as soon as Baron Monsell arrives in the capital."

"Yes."

He was planning to treat the one who solved the problem that had been bothering him for days to a nice dinner.

* * *

The clinic located in the old town, "Ameire," was run by the renowned doctor Joseph, who was famous among noblewomen.

Joseph's clinic, known for solving various women's ailments and helping men who were impotent, always had a steady stream of patients despite its poor location.

He knew that he had to make the most of the opportunity. Recently, with the increasing number of clients, he was even cutting into his sleep to keep the business running.

However, on days when special clients came, he would lock the clinic's door.

And today was the day that a special guest was coming.

With the sound of a bell, a man wearing a deep robe entered the examination room.

Despite the increasingly hot weather, the man who covered himself completely in his robe seemed strange, but Dr. Joseph welcomed him as if it was usual.

"It's been a while, Lloyd."

When he took off the robe, his red hair gently fluttered.

It seemed he had been hot wearing the thick robe in this weather, as large beads of sweat clung to the ends of his hair.

"It's been a while, Joseph."

"It seems you haven't been off the medication for long, but you've already grown a lot. Your frame looks thicker than before..."

Joseph carefully examined Lloyd with sharp eyes.

As Joseph said, Lloyd had grown significantly. He was already a palm's height taller, his frame had thickened, and even his voice was deeper.

"Yes. I guess the medicine you gave me worked well. I've grown this much right after stopping it."

In fact, the Ameire clinic in the old town was opened by Dr. Joseph, who had been the family physician for the Hertz family before retiring.

It had been several years since the sudden deaths of the former Count and Countess of Hertz, but Lloyd had frequented this place like home, receiving many prescriptions from Joseph.

Although the Hertz family now had a new family doctor, Joseph was still the best in the field of pharmacy, and he was someone Lloyd had known since childhood, which made him feel comfortable with him.

Joseph, who had been looking at Lloyd, asked him.

"How are you feeling?"

"My limbs tingle, and I have trouble sleeping at night, but it's bearable."

In fact, it only hurt just enough to bear. Every night, his body ached, and pain shot through every joint, as if they might break.

"It's because you suddenly stopped the growth inhibitor you had been taking for years. Your body is now catching up with the growth it had been forced to halt."

"I see. Then, I'd like to take a sleeping pill."

"A sleeping pill?"

"Yes. I've been having severe headaches at night, and I can't sleep well, maybe because of the growing pains."

"..."

At Lloyd's words, Joseph, who had been staring at him, adjusted his glasses.

"Is there something troubling you?"

"..."

"It's strange that you suddenly decided to stop the inhibitors... did something happen?"

Joseph had been wondering about the reason Lloyd suddenly stopped the medication.

That was because originally, they had planned to gradually reduce the medication after a year, but one day, he suddenly stopped picking it up.

So, at first, he thought something had happened in his personal life and went to visit the mansion, but the only news he heard was that Lloyd had suddenly left for Hudson.

As the family doctor of the Hertz family, he knew exactly what kind of place Hudson was, and hearing that news shocked him deeply.

Of course, when Lloyd returned to the capital soon after, he assumed there was something going on that he didn't know about.

"As expected, I can't hide anything from you, Joseph."

Lloyd continued with a defeated expression.

"It's all been found out. The fact that I'm not really Rose. So, there's no need to pretend to be a woman anymore."

Joseph, silently listening to Lloyd's complaints, finally asked.

"Considering that the Duke knows all the truth but you both are fine, doesn't that mean everything ended well? I don't understand why you look so down. There seems to be another reason..."

"I really can't take it."

At Joseph's probing question, Lloyd smiled bitterly.

Then he began to confess his feelings, ones he hadn't even shared with Rose.

"I've fallen for someone for the first time. But she already has another man."

The heavy atmosphere was broken by Joseph.

"Are you talking about the woman you met at the entrance the last time you were here?"

"Pardon?"

"The woman with silver hair. She seemed like someone you knew."

It seemed that Joseph had seen him meet Dalia here before.

Seeing Lloyd's face as if asking how Joseph knew, Joseph clicked his tongue.

"If it's her, then I suggest you move on. From what I can tell, the child she's carrying doesn't seem to be yours."

"...What?"

Lloyd's face, which had stiffened, became clearly visible.

"Did you just say... she's pregnant? What did you say?"

Joseph's philosophy was to never divulge his clients' private information, no matter how much money he was offered, but this was different.

He couldn't watch his former young master fall in love with a woman pregnant with another man's child.

"That woman is pregnant."

"...What did you just say? Pregnant?"

Seeing the shock on Lloyd's face, Joseph briefly regretted what he said, but now it was too late to take it back. He told Lloyd the truth.

"It's certain that the woman you like is pregnant."

At those final words, Lloyd let out a short sigh.

Pregnant.

Dalia is pregnant.

And the child she's carrying is surely...

For a moment, it felt as though horrifying red eyes flashed before his eyes.

'It's that man's child.'

A terrible monster, carrying the blood of Seayer.

That monster was currently inside Dalia's womb.