Only then did she realize her role as a servant and hurriedly took his shirt.
As she stood holding the shirt, he gestured towards the sofa with an annoyed expression. There, a comfortable linen shirt lay, prepared by him.
“Me?” she asked, surprised.
“Why else would I call for a different servant when one is already in front of me?” he replied, his expression growing stern.
With no other choice, she picked up the shirt from the sofa and approached him, his bare upper body exposed. As she slid the shirt onto his outstretched arms, she accidentally touched his bare skin.
Roselia tried to remain as calm as possible, tightly pressing her lips together as she pulled the shirt over his shoulders.
Just as she had successfully slipped both arms into the shirt and was about to fasten the buttons, he spoke.
“It seems you have no intention of discussing your business first, so I’ll ask.”
Her hands trembled as she slowly buttoned up from the bottom, trying not to show her nervousness.
“Is Roselia de Hesing really dead?”
At that moment, her hands, which had been buttoning up halfway, stiffened.
Her expression hardened.
Could it be… did the Duke suspect her true identity?
His chest, exposed through the half-buttoned shirt, seemed even more intimidating in the cool night shadows.
Roselia slowly lifted her gaze from his chest to meet his eyes.
His cool, navy-blue eyes seemed to pierce through her.
“I’ll ask once more. Is Roselia de Hesing really dead?”
Despite her wildly beating heart, she managed to respond with a remarkably composed voice, maintaining her cool demeanor.
“What do you mean…”
Noticing her composed voice despite the turmoil within her, Klaus continued in a leisurely tone.
“I mean exactly what I said. Is Roselia really dead?”
Was he testing her…?
At Algrisha Village, she had thought he hadn’t seen her properly, but had he actually seen through everything?
Sweat dampened her hand holding the buttons, but she continued, feigning nonchalance.
“That’s a bit of an extreme joke.”
Then, Klaus suddenly grasped her wrist, still buttoning his shirt.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Her brow furrowed at the strength of his grip, but she tried not to show her discomfort and boldly met his gaze.
Their close proximity made their breathing almost audible to each other.
“Why would you ask such a thing? It doesn’t seem appropriate to say to someone who lost their sister.”
He released her wrist and sat on the sofa, brushing his hair back, seemingly displeased.
“If your sister is truly dead, then I owe you an apology. But if all this is an act, I’d almost want to applaud.”
“…”
“Antonio de Hesing.”
His voice was icy as he pronounced her name.
“Answer properly. If you’ve faked your sister’s death and hidden her away, it won’t be a small matter for us.”
What was he implying? Could it be…
Staring at Klaus with wide eyes, Roselia suddenly had a realization.
He seemed to believe not that she was Roselia but that she had hidden her sister away.
Perhaps the familiarity he felt with the woman he met in Algrisha Village was simply attributed to a familial resemblance.
While feeling absurd, she also thought it was fortunate in a way.
However, she couldn’t simply agree to the accusation of hiding her sister away. She maintained her poker face and spoke calmly.
“That’s quite an accusation. If she were really alive, why would I let her endure the harsh world alone? Wouldn’t it be much better for her to live in the Duke’s mansion, even as a maid?”
It was a valid point. The treatment and living conditions of the Duke’s mansion’s servants were incomparable to those of ordinary citizens. In fact, commoners often applied to become servants in the Duke’s mansion. After all, a nobleman, once fallen and stripped of title, had to live a life no different from a commoner.
If it weren’t for the pride of having once been nobility, becoming a servant at the Duke’s mansion was a far better choice than starving in the backstreets.
“I don’t know what you’ve seen, but she’s not my blood-related sister. I can’t say our appearances are strikingly similar.”
Her unwavering gaze made Klaus’s assertiveness wane.
Upon further thought, he didn’t even clearly remember the woman’s face.
And yet, why had he so confidently cornered Antonio? It was an irrational judgment to suspect them based on similar eye color or aura, especially for someone as logical as him.
This peculiar scent emanating from Antonio… the same scent he had faintly noticed from that woman… must have clouded his judgment.
Even now, in the room alone with him, the subtle and unfamiliar fragrance irritated his senses, making his headache intensify.
Finally, Klaus admitted his error, massaging his forehead in irritation.
“Sorry. I admit it was wrong to corner you on uncertain grounds.”
Relieved by his straightforward apology, Roselia let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
Noticing his discomfort, she looked at him curiously. Klaus, feeling pressured by her gaze, gestured with his hand and stood up.
“I’m tired today. You may leave now.”
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
