At her words, Klaus’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Roselia, didn’t you hear Marquis’s words? Your life can’t be guaranteed once the fact that you’re a relative of Raphelios is revealed, especially if it reaches Raphelios’s ears that you’re a woman.”

In the midst of expressing concern for Roselia’s situation, Klaus’s words made Roselia speak with a somewhat broken spirit.

“But… dealing with rumors like the Marquis being criticized because of me…”

As she spoke, Klaus, concerned about her, gently placed his hand on her cheek.

“Hush, Roselia. I actually think it’s fortunate.”

Roselia’s gaze turned perplexed as she looked at Klaus with an affectionate tone that seemed like raising a child.

“Thanks to the rumors, I no longer receive a flood of marriage proposals every day.”

Was it a joke or a serious remark? Klaus’s words, tinged with ambiguity, caused Roselia to widen her eyes in surprise.

“Don’t joke with me.”

“It’s not a joke… Whatever happens, does it matter? Eventually, you’ll be the mistress of the Duke’s estate.”

Nonchalantly delivering his words, Klaus saw Roselia’s eyes flicker like lanterns.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Just as you’ve heard.”

With a confident smile on his face, Klaus raised the corner of his mouth as he looked into Roselia’s eyes.

“I proposed dating, not marriage, remember?”

“To me, both are the same.”

With a nonchalant reaction, Roselia swallowed her futile retort.

“Then I’ll cancel… I’ll cancel it!”

“Rejected.”

“Where is that even a thing?”

“Right here.”

With such a self-assured response, Roselia gaped and froze in place.

Observing Roselia’s reaction, Klaus finally looked at her and asked.

“Do you dislike it?”

Without answering, Roselia, whose spirit seemed to have been broken a bit, mumbled at the end of her words.

“It’s not that I dislike it, but…”

It was such an unrealistic story.

The fact that she, who used to work as a servant for the Duke, would become the mistress of the Duke’s estate…

There’s no such thing as this proverbial kimchi stew. Even without looking at the reactions of those around her, it was obvious.

Sensing Roselia’s uneasy gaze, Klaus cautiously approached her.

“If we resolve issues related to the Grand Duke, will you accept my formal proposal then?”

“Such problems…”

Hesitating, Roselia’s attitude made Klaus gently lift her chin.

Matching her eyes, Klaus earnestly spoke.

“You just need to look at me, Roselia. I’ll also look only at you…”

Without a moment’s hesitation, his voice was so magical that Roselia’s gaze shook.

If she stopped looking around as he said, it felt like there would be no problems at all.
Staring deeply into Klaus’s eyes, she looked charming, prompting Klaus to slowly lower his head with an attractive smile.

Feeling the warm and gentle sensation on her lips, Roselia closed her eyes gradually.

In response to her acceptance signal, Klaus, holding Roselia’s waist tightly, deepened the kiss.

As if seeking her permission, he continued to caress her lips, and Roselia, in response to his courtship, shyly opened her lips, welcoming him.

In the royal guest palace where the Raphelios delegation stayed in Lughbelzet, several diplomats gathered secretly in the reception room.

“Incredible. To think there was a relative of Raphelios in Lughbelzet.”

The story of Raphelios’s relatives being revealed in the royal trial was known throughout the palace.

Naturally, the Raphelios delegation couldn’t help but learn of this news.

“How can we believe that? It’s not yet proven, is it?”

“The words of Viscount Yukiliot are practically as good as proven facts. After all, Viscount Yukiliot is also one of Raphelios’s relatives.”

“Can relatives recognize each other?”

A middle-aged man coldly retorted to the conversation of the middle-aged men.

“Even so, it can’t be confirmed.”

“Still, shouldn’t we report to Lady Guenhelar?”

“It would have already been reported to the palace. There’s probably more than one spy hidden in Lughbelzet.”

At that moment, a man who had been silently listening to the conversation, lost in thought, cautiously spoke up.

“But thinking about it, when Viscount Yukiliot was defeated 20 years ago…”

“Hush! This guy is going to say something big!”

Another middle-aged man cautioned, prompting the man who spoke to lower his voice and murmur to himself.

“At that time, Viscount’s wife and the child of the Viscount’s heir seemed to have disappeared together…”

“Oh! We’ve already received a death report regarding Viscount’s wife and that child!”

“That’s right. That’s how it was… But… it just came to my mind.”

The man, whose words hung in the air, was joined by another diplomat who had been quietly observing the situation.

“However, even if Viscount’s wife and that child are alive, the child was a girl. The one identified as a relative this time is a man.”

“There might have been a hereditary lineage among distant ancestors. The influence would be minimal.”

“Probably. I just brought it up on a whim.”