Capturing her bewildered expression with his intense navy-blue eyes, Klaus, looking at her, revealed a self-deprecating smile.

“Why do you make such a face, questioning why I went this far.”

Saying so, Klaus, with eyes containing confusion and earnestness, looked into her eyes.

“I, too, am confused about myself like this…”

His large hand gently touched Roselia’s cheek.

“It turned out like this, Roselia. I… I’ve become unable to do without you.”

A heartbeat

Klaus, who vowed to risk his life for her in the palace, crossed her mind.
If she had gone wrong, his words that he would have aimed his sword at the royal family…

With that handsome face and such passionate eyes, is there any woman who wouldn’t be swayed by such words?

She initially thought she was only attracted to the original Roselia’s body, but now she had to admit that it was not just the body. It was her heart that was drawn to the man named Grau…

Clumsy as it may be, she was shaken by the sincerity he displayed.

Unbeknownst to her, Klaus’s face, hands embracing her cheeks, was gradually drawing closer.

Looking into her night sky-like deep navy eyes, Roselia closed her eyes as if enchanted.

However, Klaus, who was approaching her, had to stiffen his body, swallowing a groan.

“Ugh…”

Whether he leaned too close to her or leaned forcefully, his entire body screamed in agony.

At that moment, Roselia, who finally regained her senses, blushed brightly on both cheeks.

What was he thinking, approaching a patient like this?

“I’ll get a new towel.”

When flustered Roselia tried to get up in a hurry, Klaus’s large hand grabbed her wrist.

As the awkwardly standing Roselia looked at him in confusion, Klaus, not just distorted by pain, but with a flushed face, murmured passionately.

“Is it okay if I continue despite the pain?”

What?

When Roselia blushed and hesitated to speak, Klaus, with a sly laugh, quietly let go of her hand.

“I guess it was better to endure the pain.”

Isn’t enduring the pain with a body torn to pieces even more dangerous?

Roselia, under Klaus’s gaze that stared at her intensely, eventually turned around with a towel and basin in hand.

Though Klaus’s eyes, filled with regret, followed her, she deliberately ignored him and left the room.

The still racing heart and the uncontrollable fragrance permeated the air.

Roselia, forcing herself to take deep breaths, regained composure.

There was still nothing certain in their relationship.

Even if her feelings for him were sincere…

Uncertainties about the original work remained, and even without that, the probability of a maid’s relationship with a duke being successful was low…

Just having a relationship where only their bodies mingled like the original Roselia seemed to be the extent of it.

That, well, would be quite, no, very sad.

A few days later, the incident in the palace felt like a lie, and the duke returned to his usual daily life.

Observing Closett spending leisure time in the garden, Roselia looked at her with a cage of canaries.

Sensing her gaze, Closett turned around, looking at Roselia with a triumphant expression.
“How could you not say such a thing?”

It seemed like she was about to reveal that she had exposed Roselia to Klaus and Johannes.

“I’ve been keeping your secret for so long, you know?”

“I’m sorry. It all happened so suddenly, and I was also disoriented.”

In her voice filled with apologies, Closett spat out a broken voice.

“Well, forget it. The most important thing is that you are safe.”

Having said that, Closett, with venomous eyes, mumbled like a small beast growling.

“Who on earth has labeled you and Klaus like that?”

Roselia also doubted Duke Rubellio like Klaus, but she didn’t say it out loud. It wasn’t certain yet, and even if it was, there was no need for Closett to know.

“As the lady says, it’s important that you are safe. The relationship between the Duke and the Crown Prince may not be good anymore, but…”

In response to Roselia’s worried voice, Closett bluntly interrupted.

“Well, you’ve never seen the Duke as handsome as the lady does…”

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t know either. One thing for sure is that His Highness was not in such a mood before. Perhaps since the Empress passed away?”

Then it dawned on her.

The Crown Prince believed that the Duke of Valtazar and the Marquis of Herden, who were Duke Rubellio and Prince Valtazar’s parents, respectively, were responsible for the Empress’s death.

As a result, he came to hate and doubt his childhood friend and fiancée, the Crown Princess, and also resented Klaus, who hovered around her.

Although Klaus also harbored no favorable feelings toward the royal family, he suspected that the carriage accident involving the Duke’s parents was entangled with the Emperor.

Therefore, he was extremely wary whenever the Crown Prince, who treated the Evelionne family like his own, tried to get closer…

While it was not clear what was the truth, in the original work, they hated and distrusted each other deeply due to the involvement of each other’s families in the deaths of their parents.

Hopefully, they didn’t follow the same path here…

At that moment, Melda, who had gone to the kitchen, cautiously approached and bowed her head.

“Miss, it seems like guests have arrived.”

“Ah! Finally!”

Seeing Closett’s wide smile, Roselia asked in confusion.

“Guests?”

“Yes, your guests!”

“My guests?”

Guests I don’t even know…

As Roselia made a puzzled expression, Closett, who was grinning, twisted her tail and grabbed Roselia’s hand.

Led by Closett’s hand, when Roselia reached the entrance of the Duke’s mansion, she had to put on a puzzled expression.

There, as if they had just arrived, Baroness Bernas with a plump smile, Abelro, who smiled awkwardly upon seeing her, and his daughter Erline stood.

“Grandfather? And even Abelro and Erline…”

Seeing their faces, Roselia felt a rush of emotions, realizing that they had overcome the dangerous moment of almost dying.