The man intentionally dashed into an alley that was hard to chase. Watching the man swiftly escape, dodging debris and trash piled up in the alley, Roselia bit her lip.

“Hey!”

Despite her call, the man didn’t look back and continued running. Observing this, Roselia, with a determined expression, soon vigorously chased after him. As a maid, she was quite confident in her physical fitness. Moreover, she was originally agile, so the distance between them gradually narrowed.

Roselia, who seemed easily outmatched, unexpectedly tenaciously clung to the man. The man, who had spat out curses when she persistently chased him, suddenly bent at the waist.

Confused, Roselia glanced at him for a moment. The man, who had picked up a wooden stick lying on the ground, hurled it in her direction.

Running vigorously, Roselia had to slow down and reflexively raise her arm.

Whack!

“Ugh!”

The wooden stick hit her palm and bounced off. With a distorted face, the man, who had already run quite a distance, vanished into another alley.

Holding her aching palm, Roselia whispered curses to herself. Pursuing further seemed risky. The man’s companions might be hiding, and with her hand in this condition, running was also challenging. Perhaps it would be better to inform the Duke directly.

Roselia gazed at the alley where the man disappeared, then turned her body with a somewhat uneasy expression.

Roselia arrived at Klaus’s office and took a deep breath before knocking.

Knock!

“Milord, it’s Antonio.”

After a brief silence following her voice, Klaus’s gruff voice was heard from inside the room.

“Come in.”

With Klaus’s permission, Roselia took a deep breath, opened the door, and entered.

Klaus, as usual, was seated at his desk piled with stacks of documents, reviewing papers. As Roselia approached the desk, Klaus, who momentarily put down the documents he was holding, looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“What’s the matter?”

As she rarely visited the office without being called, Klaus put down the documents on the desk and waited for her words.

In his curious gaze, Roselia hesitated for a moment.

What should she say? That there’s hidden illegal herb at the school site? This content could only be known if one was familiar with the original work. Normally, it’s impossible to know what is hidden on the property.

Even if she were to say something, how could she possibly know? Even if asked, it was difficult to answer.

“Antonio?”

As Klaus called her, seeing that she was keeping her lips sealed despite coming with a purpose, he looked at her in puzzlement.

Once she organized her thoughts, Roselia met Klaus’s eyes with a resolute expression and finally spoke.
“They’re working on construction at the Algresia Village school site.”

Roselia, after weighing her luck, swallowed dryly while examining Klaus’s expression, and continued cautiously.

“It might be good to conduct a thorough investigation.”

“What do you mean?”

When Klaus furrowed his eyebrows, questioning in puzzlement, Roselia took a deep breath and carefully began to speak.

“Um… There’s an unpleasant rumor going around. That there’s something illegal hidden on the school grounds…”

As Roselia spoke, Klaus, rising from his seat and approaching her, clenched his fists and sat on the edge of the desk.

“Who’s spreading such rumors?”

“It’s not a specific person, just a rumor…”

In response to Roselia’s words, Klaus, laughing cynically with clenched fists, twisted his lips.

“Antonio, speak straight. Do you think the Duke would be involved in such rumors? As far as I know, there are no rumors related to the school site.”

Sharp criticism left Roselia speechless.

However, she didn’t intend to give up.

Perhaps this incident was not only Klaus’s concern but also a matter of life and death for her.

If the Imperial Family discovered the hidden illegal herbs on the school site, Klaus’s route as a traitor would be confirmed, just as in the original work.

Contemplating, Roselia, with a determined expression, met Klaus’s eyes and spoke clearly.

“This time, can you trust me and thoroughly investigate the school site?”

Klaus, exhaling as if blowing away nonsense, added coldly.

“Exactly where should I investigate?”

In the original work, it was only explained that illegal herbs were hidden on the school grounds; there was no detailed description of the exact location. Without directly asking the man she missed yesterday, the situation called for a comprehensive investigation.

Feeling frustrated with the situation, Roselia furrowed her brow.

“To that extent… I don’t know either.”

Seeing Roselia bow her head, Klaus sighed in irritation, pinching his forehead.

“Ah, Antonio. It’s been a long time since construction started there. Are you suggesting we dig up the entire place?”

“However… There is definitely something on the school grounds. Please, just believe me this once…”

Expressing frustration, Roselia, holding her wrist, caught Klaus’s sudden approach, and she had to contort her expression.