Disguised as a Male Servant in the Duke's House (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
At Klaus’s question, Rozelia was left speechless, rolling her eyes in flustered circles.
“Uh… I, that is….”
Klaus leaned against the wall with a relaxed air, waiting patiently as his eyes said plainly: Go on, I’m listening sweetly—tell me where. Rozelia, deciding she just didn’t care anymore, finally opened her mouth.
“I was just moving the vase because I didn’t like where it was placed!”
“At this hour of the night?”
“Yes….”
Even as she said it, Rozelia felt so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a rat hole.
Meanwhile, Klaus’s piercing light-blue eyes swept over her once more. Wherever his gaze landed, she felt her skin flush, and she strained not to shrink back, forcing a calm smile instead.
“So you have a hobby of sweating after a shower, then?”
“Th-that’s not the point—what brings Your Grace to my room…?”
Rozelia abruptly cut herself off, her eyes snapping to the envelope he held. It seemed the Duke himself had brought the 20 verangs that Alejandro was supposed to deliver.
“Alejandro had to rush out on urgent business this afternoon.”
With that, he extended the envelope. Seeing Rozelia struggling to hold the oversized vase with both arms, Klaus let out an exasperated sigh.
“Can’t you put that thing down?”
“No! I haven’t settled on a spot yet! Here, please stick it in here!”
At her request, Klaus stared alternately at the flowers in the vase and at her, utterly bewildered.
“Here?”
“Yes!”
“You want me to stick it in?”
“Yes!”
At her firm reply, Klaus sighed inwardly—clearly he’d brought home a lunatic—and gently tucked the envelope into the bouquet of flowers in the vase as she’d asked. Only then did Rozelia exhale in deep relief.
Just as he turned to leave, evidently believing his business was done, he couldn’t resist tossing in one final jab.
“I’ll be expecting what you so boldly promised.”
His cold gaze carried an unspoken threat: If you break that promise, I’ll skin you alive and sell you off. Rozelia swallowed hard and managed an awkward smile.
“What choice do I have?”
Though she appeared perfectly composed, Klaus still looked unconvinced as he slowly turned away.
But then, a tiny, almost timid voice from her stopped him in his tracks.
“Um… sorry, but could you close the door behind you…?”
“…”
Klaus stood still for a moment, submerged in silence, before quietly approaching and shutting the door.
Once she confirmed the door was closed, Rozelia sank down right where she stood, still clutching the vase.
Her heart felt ready to burst out of her chest. At this rate, staying long in this ducal manor would surely kill her before her time.
[This is the timeline separator]Rozelia stood stiffly behind a group of five or six young noble ladies, who were cheerfully chattering around a tea table.
Time was already too short—she ought to be hunting down authors who could earn her 3,000 verangs right now, yet here she was, idly trailing after a princess like some useless shadow….
Clojet, seated opposite Rozelia, appeared especially cheerful about this rare outing and busily chatted away with the ladies. Occasionally, one or two of the younger noblewomen stole glances at Rozelia and even blushed.
“Miss Clojet, that new domestic servant of yours is really…”
“Handsome, isn’t he?”
Unlike the bold Clojet, the noble lady who’d spoken turned crimson. Clojet’s shoulders lifted proudly as she turned toward Rozelia.
“Antonio.”
At the haughty princess’s call, Rozelia sighed inwardly and obediently stepped closer, bowing low.
“Did you call for me, Miss?”
She’d deliberately lowered her voice to avoid revealing her gender, but it instead came out as a strangely pleasant, melodious tone. Upon hearing it, the noble ladies burst into flustered squeals, faces reddening further.
“How can his jawline be so delicate? I’d believe it if someone told me he was a girl!”
“Aren’t his eyes stunning? They’re like emerald gems…”
“And look at that glossy black hair!”
Rozelia broke out in a cold sweat internally at their enraptured praise. So this was why people said high society ladies these days favored beautiful youths—it made perfect sense now.
“Antonio was once a noble himself, so he carries himself with a refinement and dignity that sets him apart from ordinary servants.”
Clojet’s boastful pride was oddly endearing, as though she were bragging about her own child.
“Oh! No wonder! Now I see why he has such remarkable bearing!”
“Which noble house did he come from? But… he isn’t a noble anymore?”
“Oh, goodness, Lady Madeline! Does that even matter? These days, titles can be bought and sold. Even if his family fell, he could always earn enough to buy a title again, couldn’t he?”
Hmm… Rozelia hadn’t known that. That was useful information—if one had enough money, aristocratic titles were for sale. She’d been so focused on surviving the immediate crisis that she hadn’t considered long-term possibilities, but this was certainly worth noting.
“Oh… but if Antonio ever quits being a domestic servant, I think I’d be utterly heartbroken.”
“Same here… I’m already feeling sad just thinking about it!”
Watching the ladies eagerly conspire about her hypothetical future made Rozelia click her tongue inwardly. Not once did they suspect the person they were blushing over was actually a woman—and that tugged at her conscience a little.
“Oh, by the way! My father recently brought something back from the Western Empire—would you all like to take a look?”
The blonde noblewoman pulled out an accessory that looked like an intricate floral arrangement formed entirely of gemstones.
At a glance, Rozelia recognized it matched a description she’d once read in a novel, allowing her to guess its nature fairly accurately.
Though unfamiliar in the current Lugbeljet Empire, this accessory was a popular fashion item in the neighboring Rapellios Empire to the west.
“What is this? It doesn’t look like a necklace… but it’s too long to be a bracelet…”
“And it certainly can’t be earrings… Maybe it’s meant to be pinned onto a dress?”
Though the ladies chimed in with guesses, none hit the mark.
“I suppose even you ladies aren’t certain. I received it as a gift, but without knowing how to wear it…”
At that moment, Rozelia, who had been silently observing, quietly spoke up.
“It’s a hair vine.”
“…? Pardon?”
All eyes suddenly fixed on her, making Rozelia clear her throat awkwardly before continuing in a low voice.
“If it wouldn’t be too forward, may I try placing it on you myself?”
She felt guilty toward these girls who openly admired her, unaware she was female, and wanted to offer them a small kindness.
Contrary to Rozelia’s expectations, the accessory’s owner blushed deeply and nodded.
Rozelia took the piece, draped it over her arm, and carefully gathered the noblewoman’s hair, smoothly twisting it into an elegant updo. Having always styled her own luxuriant hair, her movements were practiced and graceful.
The other noble ladies watched in wonder or admiration at her deft hands. After completing an updo so neat it bordered on regal, Rozelia artfully arranged the hair vine around the coiffure.
While long, flowing hair symbolized beauty in Lugbeljet, where women usually left their tresses loose, the fashion in the western Rapellios Empire favored sleek updos that exposed the neck and shoulders.
This hairstyle—and the hair vine accessory—was soon to sweep through Lugbeljet high society as the next big trend.
Noticing the noblewoman nervously touching her now-bare neck, Rozelia gave her a gentle smile.
“It suits you wonderfully, my lady. With the warmer season approaching, wearing your hair like this wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.”
“R-really?”
Seeing the girl blush and look shy, Rozelia felt her heavy sense of guilt lighten just a bit.
At that moment, Clojet, who had been quietly watching, chimed in.
“Antonio.”
“Yes, Miss?”
“Do mine too.”
“Oh… alright.”
Clojet puffed out her cheeks like a child who’d just lost her mother’s attention, and Rozelia couldn’t help but let out an almost imperceptible smile.
[This is the timeline separator]On the carriage ride back, Clojet sat gazing out the window, wearing the updo Rozelia had styled and radiating quiet joy.
Finding the sight oddly sweet, Rozelia momentarily wondered if having a little sister would feel like this.
Just then, Clojet, humming softly to herself as she looked out the window, turned her head and met Rozelia’s eyes. Seemingly embarrassed, she cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.
“It’s not like I’m acting this way because I love the hairstyle or anything. I’m just in a good mood today, that’s all.”
Yes, of course you are~
Rozelia smiled gently and nodded.
“It’s fortunate that Lady Madeline, unlike Your Highness, seemed very pleased with hers.”
At Rozelia’s words, Clojet stiffened slightly, then turned her head toward the window with a dissatisfied expression, muttering just audibly enough to hear.
“It’s not like I dislike the hairstyle or anything…”
“Pardon? I didn’t quite catch that~”
“Never mind! Anyway… I, uh… heard from Al…”
Al? Who was Al? Could it possibly be Alejandro?
“…that Klaus brought Antonio in as a servant because of some debt…”
Well… technically, she’d been the one to propose it in order to repay the debt, but the gist was correct—so she didn’t bother denying it.
“Honestly… we may share blood, but how can that man think of nothing but money?”
Beneath the grumbling, Rozelia detected a trace of hurt and disappointment, and her head tilted in confusion.
“Let me apologize on behalf of House Valtezar for that heartless man.”
“Oh, no… it’s not really something Your Highness needs to apologize for…”
“That money-grubbing wretch will get his comeuppance one day. Since you’re my personal domestic servant, I’ll protect you from him from now on.”
“N-no, you really don’t have to go that far…”
Clojet’s expression looked oddly resolute, and Rozelia decided not to press further. It was clear, however, that there was serious tension between the siblings.
In the original novel, the narrative had focused solely on Klaus as a villain, with almost no development or description given to his younger sister Clojet. As a result, details about Klaus’s family background or past were never mentioned—not even once—except for the fact that their parents had passed away early.
Lost in these thoughts, Rozelia didn’t realize the carriage had already arrived at the ducal residence.
As she stepped down to escort Clojet, she spotted Klaus walking toward them, apparently heading out on some errand.
Clojet visibly tensed at the sight of him.
Quickly composing her expression into one of cool pride, she strode past Klaus without even a nod of greeting. Watching her small, retreating back, Rozelia suddenly felt a pang of loneliness for the girl and, before she knew it, spoke to Klaus.
“Couldn’t you have at least offered Her Highness a word of greeting?”
Klaus turned sharply toward her, his brow furrowed as if her words genuinely surprised him.
“And what business is that of yours?”
“Her Highness is still young—it seems a bit too cold of you.”
“Must be nice to have time for such worries.”
As Klaus moved to walk away again, Rozelia recalled how Clojet’s bright expression had dimmed moments earlier and blurted out without thinking:
“Your Grace doesn’t seem to understand what Her Highness truly wants.”
Her words struck something in Klaus—he slowly halted, then fixed her with a chilling, penetrating stare.
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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