Klaus also did not understand why he was reacting so sensitively.

For reasons unknown, the moment he saw Antonio’s wrist being grabbed by the Crown Prince, a sudden inexplicable anger surged up.

He was usually sensitive about his property and possessions, so he just assumed he was angry at seeing his things being treated carelessly.

After organizing his thoughts and calming his anger, Klaus spoke calmly.

“Do I need to grab you by the nape for you to listen to me? His Highness the Crown Prince is someone who would behead you immediately if you displease him.”

Hmm… That part was already well known.

That’s why the original Roselia was so pathetically executed by the Crown Prince’s hand.

Of course, Klaus had made the biggest contribution to that incident.

As Roselia looked down at the floor with a chilling gaze, Klaus continued, thinking his words had gotten through somewhat.

“It’s no good for you if His Highness takes an interest in you. So…”

“I appreciate your advice. But as I said before, this is not just about repaying your debt, but also a promise between Her Highness the Crown Princess and me. I will behave properly so as not to cause you any trouble.”

Roselia did not want to listen kindly to the words of Klaus, who had stood by until the moment of her death.

And the biggest reason was, as she had told Klaus, that it was now an issue of her promise with the Crown Princess.

She recalled the face of the Crown Princess speaking bitterly about wishing someone like her were in the imperial family.

She was a woman much more trustworthy and appealing than the men talking about killing.

Roselia bowed her head to Klaus with a cold expression and then turned around and walked out without hesitation.

Roselia, dressed as a man, stood in front of the door to Klaus’s office and swallowed hard.

Why on earth had she boasted she would come to repay the next debt herself as Roselia…

She felt like punching her past self in the mouth.

Just as Roselia took a deep breath and was about to knock on the office door, she heard voices conversing inside.

“As expected… It seems the approval for the school site construction wasn’t granted by the noble council.”

After Alejandro’s calm voice, Klaus’s voice was heard, seemingly suppressing his anger.

“It’s just barely encroaching on their land, yet they make such a fuss. It’s obvious, they’re scheming to extort money from me under the pretext of school construction.”

“Perhaps… it might be better to reconsider the school construction project…”

“Hah! If they want money, I’ll stuff it in their mouths so they can’t make a peep. Damn it. That’s why I earned the money.”

“…Then I’ll first compile a list of nobles who own land near the school site.”

As Alejandro said this and opened the door to leave, Roselia instinctively turned her back to hide herself.

Alejandro, seemingly preoccupied, didn’t notice her and disappeared down the end of the corridor.

After staring blankly at where Alejandro had disappeared, she swallowed dryly and carefully knocked on the office door.

“Is there something else to ask?”

At Klaus’s irritable voice, Roselia cautiously opened her mouth.

“Um… It’s Roselia.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Klaus replied in a low, subdued voice.

“Come in.”

Carefully opening the door and entering, Roselia inadvertently averted her gaze from Klaus, who was leaning against the desk and staring intently at her.

Glancing sideways at Klaus, she saw that he looked extremely tired and worn out, his shirt disheveled unlike his usual self.

He seemed to have pulled at his shirt irritably, as several buttons at the top were missing.

“Come over here.”

Roselia approached the table he pointed at, nervously glancing at him.

“You ran away again that day.”

For a moment, Roselia was confused whether he was referring to the incident at the imperial palace or the alleyway, but she quickly regained her composure and replied calmly.

“My… companion wasn’t feeling well.”

Recalling the thin, sickly-looking woman who had been with Roselia, Klaus furrowed one eyebrow and spoke coldly.

“Stop being stubborn and come into the mansion now.”

“Pardon?”

“What’s your reason for staying there, even when you’re pushed into such dangerous situations?”

It seemed Klaus thought she was living in the back alleys, receiving such treatment.

“At that time… it wasn’t my problem, I was just helping my companion…”

“Whatever the case, weren’t you in the same situation?”

Despite his calm voice, inexplicable anger was evident in Klaus’s eyes.

Roselia met his gaze, furrowing her brow, and let out a deep sigh.

“As I told you before, I’m more comfortable where I’m staying. I have no desire to enter the Duke’s residence.”

At her firm response, Klaus irritably brushed up his bangs.

“The siblings are alike in their provocative nature.”

Klaus, who had spoken as if spitting out the words, stood up, and Roselia’s gaze fell upon him.

Looking utterly exhausted and somewhat angry, Klaus approached her slowly.

Soon, he came right up to her face and, as if threatening her, placed both hands on the table behind her, leaning in close.

Caught off guard, Roselia sat down on the table, trapped between Klaus’s arms, and had to wear a bewildered expression.

“If you like that place so much, how about serving me instead?”

Roselia’s eyes widened at his words, whispered so close that his breath almost touched her nose.

Surely the service he was talking about now… wasn’t the kind of… service she was thinking of, right?

Watching Roselia’s green eyes shake in confusion, Klaus gave a self-deprecating smile.

“I’ll deduct from your debt depending on how you do.”

Roselia, wondering if she had heard wrong, frowned and asked again.

“What… did you say…?”

His navy blue eyes were looking down at her, deeply sunken.

Though those eyes looked hazy as if drunk, within them burned a clear, inexplicable flame directed at her.

While Roselia confusedly gazed into his eyes, one corner of Klaus’s mouth twisted upward.

“Should I speak more directly? Sleep with me.”

Roselia’s mind froze like a stone.

Is this person really drunk?

The Klaus she knew was cold-blooded and selfish, but not a shameless person who would say such things so casually.

But as if to put an end to her confusion, Klaus’s words continued.

“If you’re staying there because of the debt, wouldn’t it be better to deduct it directly with me? Of course, it depends on how you do…”

Slap−!!!

Finally unable to hold back, Roselia’s hand flew to Klaus’s cheek.

Klaus’s head turned sharply and remained motionless for a while.

A chilling silence fell, but Roselia glared at Klaus with sharp eyes.

Her chest heaved roughly with rapid breathing, from an emotion that could have been anger or fear.

Eventually, Klaus carelessly wiped away the blood that had appeared on his lips as if they had been split, and slowly turned to look at Roselia.

There was not a trace of regret in Roselia’s eyes as she looked into his navy blue ones.

“No matter how much of a duke you are, you have no right to judge others so carelessly.”

Roselia’s eyes blazed as she bit her lip.

“Even if I were doing such work, you still have no right to treat me so casually, Your Grace.”

While Roselia was delivering her cold rebuke, Klaus’s gaze, incongruously with the atmosphere, moved to her lips.

How could such small lips deliver such sharp words so well…

In truth, he had only intended to scare her a little and then back off.

In the process, his pent-up frustration from things not going his way had twisted and burst out, but he never dreamed he would end up getting slapped.

What was even more ridiculous was that after being slapped by her, far from being angry, his mind became clearer, and his gaze followed only her like a broken doll.

It seemed to be… because of the perfume she had left behind.

That strange fragrance had caused him to utter nonsense that went beyond his usual self, when he had initially only intended to scare her.

Klaus calmly withdrew his arms that had been trapping her and stood up straight.

Finally free to move, Roselia quickly got up from the table and took a step back, glaring at him. Klaus looked at her bitterly and spoke, roughly brushing up his bangs.

“I apologize for saying unnecessary things unlike myself. I think I misspoke due to fatigue.”

Despite Klaus’s apology, Roselia did not let her guard down.

Seeing her gaze mixed with suspicion and even disgust, Klaus frowned and rubbed his face.

“It’s because you keep being stubborn with nonsensical words…”

“Stubborn?”

A deeper displeasure settled on Roselia’s face.

“What I owe is money, not my body. Even if I were a maid of the Duke’s household, you wouldn’t have the right to dictate my movements, Your Grace.”

Moreover, strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a debt she had incurred, but one incurred by the Baron’s family.

It was just that because of the damned Baron Hessing’s death, she, as his adopted daughter, had to shoulder all the debt.

Of course, even if she had run away, that ghost-like Duke would have searched every nook and cranny to find her, so she had given up on the idea of escape from the start, but thinking about it now, she felt unjustly annoyed.

“And it’s not like my brother and I aren’t paying off the debt, we’re bringing it to you punctually, so I don’t understand what you’re dissatisfied with.”

Klaus looked at the excited Roselia and let out a deep sigh.

“What I meant was… wouldn’t it be less troublesome for both of us if you came to stay at the Duke’s mansion rather than receiving rough treatment in such a place?”

“That’s exactly it! Why are you concerned about how I’m treated?”

As Roselia, already thoroughly upset, pressed him, Klaus sighed and irritably ran his hand through his hair.

“Haa… Let’s stop here. It seems we’re not communicating.”

“Who’s not communicating right now?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Klaus irritably slammed the table.

Bang−!

Far from being startled by the sound, Roselia’s eyes widened even more.

“I’m tired, so let’s end this for today.”

At Klaus’s cold tone, Roselia approached him, fuming.

As she suddenly came close, it was Klaus who was flustered, looking down at her with wide eyes.

Her scent, which he had momentarily forgotten, wafted over him again.

Bang−!!

While Klaus was staring at her face as if entranced, Roselia slammed the table with all her might, just as he had done.

Startled by the sudden noise, Klaus looked at Roselia as if he couldn’t believe it.

Roselia snorted at Klaus and opened her mouth.

“This is part of the debt I brought as promised.”

Only then did Klaus’s gaze turn to the table Roselia had slammed.

There lay a pouch that clearly contained money.