Opening the door to the dark dressing room, Rogelia considered lighting a candle, but seeing the moonlight coming through the window, she decided not to bother with a candle.

Fortunately, her bag was quietly placed on the table, illuminated by the moonlight.

Checking the contents of the bag, Rogelia turned around relieved.

At that moment, Klaus, reflected in the moonlight, was leaning against the entrance.

Having noticed him belatedly, Rogelia was startled.

“D-Duke?”

Surprised Rogelia inadvertently hid the bag containing Antonio’s clothes behind her.
Fortunately, it seemed that Klaus had no interest in what she had hidden, as he slowly uttered words.

“Is it okay not to see Antonio?”

Upon closer inspection, his usually sharp eyes were now slightly softened, likely due to the effects of alcohol.

Glancing at Klaus’s expression, Rogelia awkwardly smiled and replied, “Oh, yes… Since we can see each other separately anyway.”

Rogelia casually behaved as if she didn’t consciously hide the bag behind her. However, Klaus, perhaps having thoughts lingering since the meal, mumbled quietly.

“Why did you come in the Marquis’s carriage today?”

Considering the casual nature of the question, Rogelia responded nonchalantly, as if it were nothing important.

“It was just a coincidence.”

At that moment, Klaus slowly approached Rogelia.

Entering the dim dressing room, the moonlight streaming through the window cast an eerie glow on him.

His usually distinct gaze and the moonlight, creating a hazy atmosphere, made the room feel surreal and dreamlike.

As he got closer, a faint scent of wine became noticeable.

Is he still intoxicated?

“It was just a coincidence…”

Having said that, Klaus leaned against the wall beside her as if leaning on her. Although it wasn’t a threatening gesture as usual, Rogelia felt her body tense, pressing her back against the wall and swallowing hard.

Klaus, slowly scanning her face, spoke slowly.

“What did the Marquis say to you…?”

Wasn’t this question asked before?… Why repeat the same answer?

Even though the Marquis’s words weren’t anything special, even if they were, the Duke had no right to pry into them. They were neither debtors nor creditors, just obligations and rights.

“As I said earlier, there is no obligation for me to tell the Duke.”

Clearly drawing a line in her voice, Rogelia’s expression caused Klaus’s eyebrows to wrinkle slightly.

“Damn it, Rogelia.”

The affectionate tone Klaus used earlier, unusual for him since the meal, crumbled.

Klaus gripped the hand against the wall next to her and, with all his might, muttered.

“Don’t test me.”

Unlike the composed Rogelia, Klaus, consumed by the hastily swallowed alcohol, was disoriented.

Though he had mocked that jealousy wasn’t the case, saying it was only discomfort about someone intruding into his territory, it lost its luster when his gaze was irresistibly drawn to her face.

Green eyes that seemed to suck you in.

Slightly parted lips, tempting.

Even the sweet scent that always drove him crazy…

Although he wanted to treat her as kindly as possible following Johannes’s words, damn emotions began to run rampant as he got close enough to grasp everything about her.

“Does this person named Jeongin have no intention of repaying the true debt of your family?”
In response to Klaus’s sarcastic remark, Rogelia furrowed her brows unpleasantly.

“That’s a matter concerning our family.”

“If it were me, Rogelia, I would have paid off the debt, even if it meant not sharing what’s mine with others.”

At his unexpected response, Rogelia looked up at him with puzzled eyes.

What did he mean by that? Yeah, it’s probably just a remark without much significance.

Ignoring Klaus’s piercing gaze, which seemed to penetrate her, Rogelia tried to slip away beside him.

However, her wrist was immediately caught by Klaus’s hand, and Rogelia found herself once again trapped in his embrace.

Locked again between the wall and Klaus, Rogelia looked up at him with a shaky gaze.

Although she was the one caught off guard, Klaus’s eyes seemed even more perplexed.

“Don’t turn your back on me.”

After saying that, he lowered his head over her shoulder, as if suppressing something, and whispered softly.

“Don’t go to that man, Rogelia.”

That man… Could he be talking about Marquis Yukiliode?

Even though her mind briefly wondered, Rogelia had to swallow her confusion at the too-close distance between them.

Klaus’s breath, reaching her neck, felt as if it could unveil something.

The sweet scent of wine made it seem as if it intoxicated her as well.

With her trapped against Klaus’s firm body, the wine scent brushing her nose, her head became dizzy.

While Rogelia felt disoriented, Klaus slowly raised his head to look at her.

In the moonlight, his tousled hair seemed to sparkle with a bluish tint. Klaus’s gaze, fixed on her eyebrows one by one, seemed to scrutinize every detail without a gap.

It felt as if she could be captivated by that gaze.

“Rogelia…”

In a voice that was tender and earnest, unlike the usual Klaus, Rogelia’s heart seemed to skip a beat for a moment.