Disguised as a Male Servant in the Duke's House (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
Rozelia’s green eyes, having lightly dodged the incoming bottle, turned icy cold.
The bottle, flying past her to strike the wall behind, shattered with a loud scrape and crashed to the floor.
She watched the scene indifferently with just a slight turn of her head, then let out a deep sigh and turned her gaze toward the one who had thrown the bottle.
“Damn it! Where’s the money Father hid? He must’ve left you at least a penny!”
With every word spat out by this so-called “older brother,” a stench of alcohol wafted heavily through the air. Rozelia frowned in disgust and spoke coldly.
“What money could possibly be left in this wretched house? Didn’t you already take every last coin Baron Hessink left and waste it all?”
Not a single word of hers was wrong.
Baron Hessink, head of the household, had fallen gravely ill, and the family’s fortunes had swiftly declined. His only heir knew nothing but drinking and gambling through the night with unsavory companions—so it would’ve been stranger if the family estate hadn’t collapsed.
Baron Hessink had remarried and brought her—Rozelia—into the mansion along with his new wife.
They were, in truth, complete strangers with no blood relation whatsoever. Hence, even until his dying breath, the late Baron had treated her no better than a servant.
“What about the money you’ve earned outside all this time? Don’t tell me you don’t have that either?”
Was he so drunk he’d lost his mind? No—Antonio had always been the kind of man who lived without the most basic decency.
“Who do you think has been maintaining this crumbling mansion all alone without a single servant?”
Antonio, struck speechless by her direct gaze, averted his eyes and then shoved past her with a huff.
“Get out of my way!”
He had already taken all the valuables left in the house, leaving almost nothing worth selling. The paintings on the walls and the few remaining crystal chandeliers on the ceiling had long since been stripped and sold by her just to survive.
After sweeping his eyes across the mansion—far too empty and shabby to befit a baronial estate—Antonio picked up the last few candlesticks that still lit the place.
Still unsatisfied, he glanced around like a starving hyena and snapped irritably,
“Isn’t there anything else worth money?!”
Stay calm… No sane person gets angry at a beast.
That man had long since abandoned his humanity and become little more than an animal.
Besides… that incident would happen soon anyway, so it was high time to finally get rid of this tiresome wretch from the estate.
Rozelia quietly drew the dagger she’d concealed in her bosom.
Seeing her suddenly pull out a blade and approach with an ominous expression, Antonio flinched and stumbled backward.
“W-What are you doing?!”
Antonio, utterly untalented in both study and swordsmanship, likely wouldn’t even manage to properly block her if she swung the dagger—especially in his thoroughly drunken state…
His face flushed red as he kept backing away, until he finally tripped and fell flat on his backside. Rozelia watched him blankly, then slowly raised her dagger to the side.
“H-hnngh…!!”
Terrified, he curled into himself and threw up his arms defensively.
Swish—
A sharp sound rang out as something was cleanly severed—not quite the sound of flesh being sliced, but more like thread or fine cloth being cut forcibly by a blade.
Feeling no pain, Antonio slowly lowered his arms and stared ahead with wide eyes.
Before him stood Rozelia, having just cut off her own long, luxuriant black hair—now cropped neatly just below her ears—gazing down at him.
Antonio sat there dumbfounded and dazed, and Rozelia, wearing a look of utter disdain, tossed the severed lock of hair toward him.
“You wanted something valuable, right?”
“Uh… wha…?”
“This is the last thing in this house worth any money—take it and get lost.”
Even though it had been poorly cared for due to hunger and neglect, her raven-black hair shimmered with a healthy sheen in her hand. Since wearing wigs made from real hair was fashionable, a wig merchant would surely pay handsomely for it.
Hesitantly reaching out to snatch the cut hair, Antonio shot her a resentful glare.
“You cold-hearted bitch.”
With those parting words, he fled from the mansion like a coward. Rozelia silently scoffed inwardly as she watched him go.
Cold-hearted? Well, when your very life is on the line, what wouldn’t you do? She was perfectly willing to stoop even lower if it meant survival—after all, this was only the beginning.
Tonight, Antonio would be seized by the gangsters he owed gambling debts to in a back alley and never return to the mansion again. Whether he ended up dead or sold into slavery, she didn’t know—the novel hadn’t specified that far.
And soon, he would come—*he*, the man holding the threads of this cursed body’s fate.
For her, it was a gamble with no guaranteed outcome. Even if she abandoned this mansion and ran, she’d likely starve to death or be sold into a brothel. She’d chosen risk over the certainty of a thorny path.
Against Klaus de Valtezar, the Duke—mastermind and villain of this very story.
Fortunately, she knew him all too well—and he knew nothing of her.
Gazing at her newly cropped black hair reflected in the window, she wore a meaningful smile.
[This is the timeline separator]A black carriage halted before a mansion so neglected it seemed unfit for human habitation. The carriage door opened, and out stepped a tall man dressed impeccably in a navy suit.
His cool eyes, tinted a deep navy, scanned the mansion—so eerie it might have housed ghosts—and narrowed in clear displeasure.
“Do people even live here?”
Hearing his muttered question, a man with auburn hair stepped down belatedly from the carriage and flipped through some documents before murmuring,
“The records clearly state that Baron Hessink has passed away, and his blood relatives, Antonio de Hessink and Rozelia de Hessink, reside here.”
The man in the navy suit swept his disapproving gaze over the mansion and offered a terse remark.
“Even selling this estate wouldn’t cover half the debt Baron Hessink owed.”
Klaus de Valtezar, Duke.
A man whose mere breath guaranteed wealth and prestige, yet another name whispered in hushed tones was “The Treasury of Lugbeljet.” It was said that every coin and ounce of gold in the Lugbeljet Empire passed through his hands.
Publicly, he invested in constructing schools, libraries, and parks—but in truth, he ran a high-interest moneylending business for nobles.
Some nobles criticized him, claiming such work tarnished the dignity of a ducal house, but having shown an early aptitude for finance and numbers, he’d been brokering deals with magnates since childhood—and had now risen to become a tycoon even the Imperial family dared not offend.
Moreover, since he publicly oversaw countless public works for the Empire, few dared openly slander him. Nobles and major merchant guilds alike practically groveled before Duke Valtezar.
Even the Imperial family owed him debts—what more was there to say? It was rumored that no nation beyond the empire’s borders had refrained from seeking loans from House Valtezar.
Duke Valtezar’s sharp, calculating eyes scanned the mansion for anything of value, prompting Alejandro to sigh in exasperation and speak up.
“Well… let’s go inside first. There might still be something valuable hidden within unexpectedly.”
At Alejandro’s nod, several shadowy figures disembarked from carriages that had seemingly arrived moments earlier and entered the mansion in perfect unison.
Following them, Duke Valtezar and Alejandro strolled leisurely into the estate.
Inside, the mansion appeared utterly devoid of even the most basic servants, blanketed in thick layers of dust. The Duke’s brow furrowed as he surveyed the hollow halls, where even cobwebs were visible.
Beside him, Alejandro flipped through the documents and explained softly,
“It seems all the servants were dismissed long ago after Baron Hessink’s death and the family’s decline. Ah… and….”
“And…?”
Klaus frowned deeper, as if asking, “Could things possibly get worse?” Alejandro cleared his throat awkwardly, glanced around, and continued.
“It appears Rozelia de Hessink—the Baron’s adopted daughter—also died recently from the same illness.”
Klaus’s already furrowed brow deepened further.
“Is that confirmed?”
“Yes… It seems her death certificate was filed recently. I only just found it on the last page.”
This was bad news. If there was nothing of value to settle the debt, they’d at least need more hands to generate income—and now one of them was dead…
“So only Antonio de Hessink remains?”
“According to the records, yes.”
He’d already been briefed that Antonio was hopelessly addicted to gambling and alcohol, so expectations were low—but what choice did they have? There was simply no other source of funds left in this baronial house.
The Duke’s servants, who had stormed the mansion to seize its furniture and valuables, combed every corner of the dusty, empty interior. Suddenly, one of them called out loudly to Alejandro.
“S-Sevian Advisor! Over here!”
“What is it? Did you find something?”
Hoping it might be a valuable artwork, Alejandro lifted his head eagerly—only for the servant to reply with an awkward expression.
“There’s a person here.”
Klaus raised an eyebrow in surprise at the servant’s words. The only person expected in the mansion was Antonio.
Given the commotion of so many people entering, they’d assumed he was out drinking in some back-alley tavern—yet he’d been inside all along? And why hadn’t he come out?
Annoyed and suspicious, Klaus strode swiftly toward the room where the servant was opening the door. Alejandro followed quickly behind, his expression uneasy.
The room was relatively sunlit—a whole wall lined with glass windows allowed unfiltered sunlight to flood inside. With even the curtains apparently sold off, the glare was almost blinding.
And standing before the window was a lone figure.
Emerging from the dim, chandelier-less corridor into the sudden brightness, Klaus narrowed his eyes to make out the figure before him.
By the window stood a beautiful youth clad in a crisp white poet shirt and neatly tailored suit trousers.
Though he’d heard the young baron was in his mid-twenties, “handsome young man” seemed more fitting than “pretty boy.”
The young man—short black hair, brilliant green eyes reminiscent of emeralds—looked at Klaus and gave a faint, cheerful smile.
“You must be Duke Klaus de Valtezar?”
Klaus held his gaze steadily without answering.
With a face so fair it likely made many women swoon, the young baron offered his hand confidently, as if requesting a handshake.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Antonio de Hessink, eldest son of House Hessink.”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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