Disguised as a Male Servant in the Duke's House (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
Klaus stared blankly at the outstretched hand before indifferently turning away and slumping onto a nearby sofa.
The sofa was so threadbare it was almost embarrassing to even call it one, barely holding its shape. The moment he sat down, an irritating creak grated on his ears, but he deliberately ignored it, crossing his legs haughtily as he sized up the small man before him.
“You knew who I was, yet still didn’t come out?”
At his voice, thick with displeasure, Rozelia gave an awkward smile and bowed slightly.
“I apologize if I’ve offended you. You arrived so suddenly without any notice that I was scrambling to find a clean room worthy of receiving you.”
The implication—that he should’ve at least sent word ahead—made Klaus raise one eyebrow in genuine surprise.
“If I had sent word, can you guarantee you wouldn’t have run away?”
It was a debt of five thousand velangs. One velang was enough for an ordinary family to survive a week. In fact, commoners rarely even laid hands on velangs; the smaller denomination, the gran, was far more familiar to them.
A thousand velangs could buy a modest country estate on the outskirts. Even if this baronial mansion were sold today, it certainly wouldn’t fetch more than two thousand velangs.
Unless one possessed some extraordinary talent, repaying the remainder might take a lifetime. Anyone who knew the sum and still hadn’t fled must have possessed remarkable fortitude.
Moreover, he’d heard the eldest son, Antonio, had dropped out of the academy, had no notable skills, and was nothing more than a drunken wastrel who squandered money. Well, judging by that pretty face, it was obvious he’d been relying solely on his looks to idle away his days in back alleys.
Just as he was arrogantly judging the young baron, Rozelia—who’d been posing as Antonio—smiled faintly and replied.
“Even if I ran, wouldn’t you be the sort to hunt me down until you got every last coin owed?”
Alejandro, standing beside Klaus, widened his eyes in astonishment at Rozelia’s precise assessment of Duke Valtezar. Klaus, too, seemed intrigued by her unexpected reply; he shifted his posture, resting an elbow on his knee and leaning forward.
“So you know something about me, then.”
“Who in the Lugbeljet Empire wouldn’t know Duke Valtezar?”
At her sharp, unyielding retort, Klaus leaned back into the sofa with an amused expression.
“Did Baron Hessink tell you about the debt he owes me?”
He assumed she couldn’t possibly have stayed if she’d known the amount—especially since the prideful Baron Hessink surely wouldn’t have revealed his own disgrace to his children.
But her reply caught him off guard.
“Yes, I heard.”
Klaus’s gaze turned to her again, eyebrows raised in surprise.
“The amount too?”
“Five thousand velangs, isn’t it?”
“It’s surprising Baron Hessink confided this to his eldest son—but at least we can have a conversation.”
As Klaus suspected, Baron Hessink had told his children nothing about the debt. Rozelia knew only because she remembered it from the original novel.
In the original story, Rozelia had remained clueless until Duke Valtezar stormed into the mansion with his servants, dragging her off like luggage. Since selling the estate still wouldn’t cover the barony’s debt, she was forced into servitude to repay it with her own body.
Thus, Rozelia was destined to serve as a maid in the ducal household, used by Duke Valtezar, and eventually accused of being a royal spy—only to be killed by the male lead, the Crown Prince.
But now that she had possessed Rozelia, that ending was unacceptable.
“I will repay the debt.”
At her resolute declaration, Klaus curled the corner of his lips in a mocking smile.
“How? Even selling this mansion wouldn’t cover three thousand velangs. How do you intend to make up the rest?”
He didn’t seem to be pressing her—rather, he appeared curious about what she might say next. His expression plainly showed he wondered whether this cornered mouse would squirm briefly, or if she truly hid something valuable in another hole.
Watching Klaus tap idly on the sofa’s armrest, Rozelia smiled inwardly.
It was a gesture he often made when intrigued. Recalling the description vividly, she gave him a faint, knowing smile.
“One year.”
At her confident tone, Klaus looked up at her quizzically.
“I’ll repay three thousand velangs within one year.”
The tapping abruptly stopped.
“You claim you can repay three thousand velangs in one year?”
Now his expression, instead of interest, radiated cold displeasure—as if he’d just heard something utterly absurd. Rozelia swallowed hard.
“How, exactly, do you plan to do that?”
His icy blue eyes pierced straight through her. His mere gaze alone made her feel utterly overwhelmed.
But this wasn’t an empty boast. Her greatest advantage was her knowledge of the novel’s plot.
She’d reread the story—her favorite heroine’s tale—at least ten times. Because the novel frequently depicted imperial politics and interstate tensions, she remembered most major events clearly.
For instance, the location of the magic crystal mine to be discovered in six months, or the approximate position of the sunken Rapellios Empire merchant vessel that had been transporting gold and sank in the southern seas.
Meeting Klaus’s penetrating gaze with composure, Rozelia smiled confidently.
“I haven’t been wasting my time idling in back alleys.”
“You intend to repay three thousand velangs with nothing but rumors gleaned from back alleys?”
Frowning in disbelief, Klaus prompted her to continue, and Rozelia smiled faintly.
“Sometimes, rumors from back alleys come closer to the truth than you’d think.”
She’d never actually listened to such rumors, but it served as a plausible excuse.
Still, matters like magic crystals or neighboring empire shipwrecks were major issues affecting national politics. She had no intention of getting entangled in complicated affairs just to repay a debt—so she’d ultimately turned her attention to artwork.
The female lead, the Crown Princess, had a deep interest in art. The novel often described her purchasing pieces from unknown artists to decorate the palace, so Rozelia easily recalled several artworks and their creators.
Artworks dismissed as garbage by society right now would become astonishing masterpieces displayed in the imperial palace in just a few months.
Since art was merely a noble pastime and luxury—unlikely to significantly impact national affairs or the plot—it posed little risk.
“If I fail to repay three thousand velangs within a year, I’ll serve as a servant in Duke Valtezar’s household for the rest of my life.”
By now, her boldness had genuinely piqued his curiosity. Did she truly know something? Her self-assured expression made him wonder if she’d hidden away a secret fortune.
“So, how exactly do you plan to get that money?”
“I intend to use the information I’ve gathered and my own discernment to purchase artworks destined to become the Empire’s most valuable.”
Klaus looked at her as if hearing a ten-year-old boy’s career dream. Rozelia quickly cleared her throat and declared, as if issuing a challenge:
“First, I’ll turn a profit of five hundred velangs within two months. Will you believe me then?”
Klaus looked down at the floor, lost in thought as he studied her resolute face.
Truthfully, he stood to lose nothing. If she delivered three thousand velangs within a year, he’d welcome it. If not, the situation wouldn’t change much—after all, if she truly lacked assets or ability, he’d planned to squeeze every last drop from her for life anyway.
He couldn’t guess her method, but there was no reason to stop her from trying to repay the debt within a year.
Having weighed his options, Klaus nodded indifferently.
“Fine. I’ll believe you.”
At his agreement, Rozelia inwardly cheered and beamed brightly—only for her smile to falter at his next, pointed question.
“But where will you get the money to buy these artworks?”
“That’s… an excellent question. Every venture requires starting capital, after all.”
She did have a small amount saved secretly, hidden from the baron and Antonio—but it was laughably insufficient to buy artworks.
“If you lend me just twenty velangs—no, two thousand grans—I’ll turn it into five hundred velangs within two months!”
Her confident declaration sounded exactly like something a back-alley con artist would say, and Klaus’s expression turned skeptical.
“So… you’re asking to go into further debt with me?”
“Yes.”
Klaus let out an incredulous chuckle and stared at her in disbelief.
Surely, those “rumors” she’d picked up weren’t just swindlers’ tall tales?
“Fine.”
“Just twenty velangs! I truly will double it twentyfold in two mo— Wait, what?”
“I said I’ll lend it to you.”
To him, twenty velangs were no different than dust on the floor. Even the five thousand velangs Hessink owed was an amount he could make vanish or appear with a mere flick of his finger. His dealings with the imperial court and foreign states involved sums unimaginable to ordinary people.
Thus, he had the luxury of watching her struggle with detached amusement. Of course, he had no intention of letting the loan go unpaid—he simply wanted to see how far her desperate act would go.
“I think we’ve settled matters sufficiently for today. I’ll take my leave now.”
As Klaus rose, two servants waiting outside entered the room.
Wondering if they intended to take even the worthless sofa he’d sat on, Rozelia bowed politely toward Klaus as he headed for the door.
“Thank you! I’ll absolutely show you five hundred velangs within two mon— Huh?!”
At that instant, the two servants swiftly grabbed her by both arms.
Treated like a criminal being arrested, Rozelia struggled furiously as the men dragged her out by her arms.
“Hey! Why are you dragging me away?! I said I’d repay the debt!!”
Klaus, walking ahead, turned his head back emotionlessly.
“How am I supposed to trust you? What if you run off after making grand promises?”
“No, I really will repay it all!”
“This mansion is already up for auction—it’s no longer the barony’s property. Where do you plan to stay while repaying the debt?”
“…”
She hadn’t considered that.
Seeing her fall silent like a stunned mute, Klaus shook his head wearily and continued.
“Repay the debt—as you said—but under my watch. For now, I’ll assign you a room in the ducal manor to use as your office. You’ll stay there. Also, remember this: until the debt is fully settled, you are bound to me.”
“Bound to you? That’s unfair…!”
“What’s unfair? My five thousand velangs have vanished—doesn’t that make my position far more unjust? Now that Baron Hessink is dead, all responsibility for the barony falls to his blood relative—you. You may find it unjust, but I hope you understand I have no other choice.”
His words were infuriatingly correct from start to finish, leaving Rozelia no choice but to clamp her mouth shut.
“Remember this: until you’ve repaid all five thousand velangs, you’re no different from a servant in my ducal household.”
With that, Klaus turned without a backward glance and strode away with dignified grace.
Watching his tall figure—easily a head taller than hers—disappear swiftly down the corridor, Rozelia stood dumbfounded.
She’d tried to avoid her fate of being dragged into the ducal household disguised as a handmaiden… only to end up being hauled off as a servant instead. Wasn’t that practically the same outcome?!
Now there was no way out. Until the debt was repaid, she’d have to keep her true identity hidden and avoid entanglement with the duke as much as possible…
Though unimaginable, as long as she avoided absurd disasters like catching the cursed duke’s eye… or worse, sharing a bed with him… she’d be fine. Fortunately, she had absolutely no intention of letting that happen.
But there was no guarantee things would unfold according to her wishes.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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