“If I fail to pay off the 3,000 Verang in a year, I’ll spend my life as a servant in the Baltazar estate.”

Her boldness intrigued him. “So, how do you plan to gather the money?”

“I intend to invest in what will become the empire’s most valuable artworks based on the information I’ve heard and my own judgment.”

Klaus’s expression seemed like he was humoring a child’s ambitious dream. Hastily clearing her throat, Roselia added with a challenge in her tone, “I’ll raise 500 Verang in two months. Will you believe me then?”

Klaus pondered deeply, looking at the floor. He had nothing to lose. If she brought 3,000 Verang within a year, it would be a welcome surprise. Otherwise, the situation wouldn’t change much. His intention was to extract every last Verang if she lacked the property or skills to pay.

Intrigued by her mysterious plan yet unclear about her methods, Klaus nodded indifferently after his calculations.

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”
At Klaus’s consent, Roselia internally rejoiced and beamed with a bright smile. However, her smile faltered and turned awkward at his piercing follow-up question.

“But how do you plan to buy these artworks? With what money?”

“An excellent question. Every venture needs initial capital.”

Although she had carefully saved some money away from the eyes of the baron and Antonio, it was woefully inadequate for purchasing art.

“Just 20 Verang, no, 2,000 Grang as a loan, and I will turn it into 500 Verang in two months!”

Her confident declaration, reminiscent of a back-alley hustler’s pitch, made Klaus’s expression turn suspicious.

“So, you want to incur more debt from me?”

“Yes.”

Klaus chuckled in disbelief, looking at her in amazement.

“You really believe you can bluff your way out and escape?”

“I really will pay it all back!”

“But the manor is no longer under the baron’s ownership. It’s going up for auction. Where do you plan to stay while paying off the debt?”

Roselia hadn’t considered that.

Realizing she was at a loss for words, Klaus shook his head wearily.

“Fine. Pay off the debt, but under my watch. You’ll stay in a room suitable for an office at the ducal mansion. And just so you know, until the debt is fully paid, you are bound to me.”

“Bound? That’s unfair…”

“What’s unfair? My 5,000 Verang just vanished into thin air. Considering the baron is deceased, all responsibilities of the barony fall on you, his kin. It might seem harsh, but I expect you to understand my position.”

Roselia, finding his arguments irrefutably logical, remained silent.

“Remember, until you repay the 5,000 Verang, you are no different from a servant at the ducal mansion.”

With that, Klaus turned and walked away with a purposeful stride, leaving Roselia dumbfounded.

She had tried to avoid the fate of being taken as a maid by disguising herself as a man, only to end up being taken as a servant. It seemed she was destined to enter the duke’s mansion after all.
Given the circumstances, she had no choice but to comply. During the time it took to repay the debt, she had to avoid revealing her true identity and entangling herself with the duke as much as possible…

It was unimaginable, but if she could avoid an absurd misfortune like catching the eye of that damned duke or, worse, getting physically involved with him, then it would be fine. Fortunately, she had no intention of letting such a thing happen.

However, it was highly unlikely that everything would go as she hoped.

When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem

This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Synopsis:

“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”

Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.

Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.

While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the  Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…

Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.

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