That night, Avril and Dylan were in the library together.

Sitting on the sofa in the corner of the library, Avril took a sip of the hot milk that Grace had brewed for her before setting it on the side table.

Then, her gaze landed on the book in her hand. Sensing Dylan’s presence at her back, she immediately looked up again.

“? Lord Dylan, is something the matter?”

“I was just wondering what it is you’ve been reading all this time.”

“Hehe, this is a romance novel sent by Carol—my maid who returned to the Allingham territory.”

“I see.”

As Dylan showed interest, Avril handed the book to him. Then, she expressed her desire to him.

“Carol said that I was dense, so I’m studying hard to change that.”

Ever since she accepted the contract marriage, she had been ignoring Dylan’s heartfelt confessions over and over again. Feeling remorseful, Avril vowed to never make the same mistake again.

I was merely piqued by the interesting title of this novel at first, but it turned out to be an enjoyable read. Historical love stories are truly something else.

However, upon seeing the book, Dylan tensed up.

“Avril, this book… How far did you read?”

“I only started. By the way, Carol told me not to read it in the morning, so here I am.”

“…”

Listening to Avril’s words, Dylan raised his eyebrows and browsed through the page—

“—I’m confiscating this book.”

“!? Why!? Come to think of it, she mentioned that if Lord Dylan finds it, it’ll be confiscated, and if Chris finds it, he’ll laugh at me, hence why I was told to read it in secret…”

“Carol sure is keen.”

Dylan locked the book away, ignoring Avril’s confusion.

Aaah—! The precious romance guide given to me by Carol! Certainly, judging from the title it seems to be for adults, but I’m already an adult!

Moreover, she was sure that until just recently, she had been fulfilling her villainess role rather splendidly. In the midst of her uneasiness, Dylan returned and handed Avril a cup of hot milk over the side table.

He smiled gently as he sat down beside her.

“I’m happy simply having you drink hot milk by my side, so you don’t have to force yourself.”

…What?

Avril blinked at his gentleness.

“? What’s the matter?”

“No, I just thought that Lord Dylan is as sweet as this hot milk.”

When she responded with a laugh, Dylan shook his head and smiled.

“Stay the way you are, Avril.”

---

***T/N: With this, arc 1 has ended folks! Stay tuned for arc 2!

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