Klaus stared blankly at the outstretched hand before turning away indifferently and slumping onto a nearby sofa.
The sofa, so worn out it was embarrassing to even call it that, barely maintained its shape. As soon as he sat down, a creaking sound grated on his ears, but he deliberately ignored it. Sitting with his legs crossed arrogantly, he looked over the small man before him.
“You knew who I was, yet you didn’t come out?”
At his voice full of displeasure, Roselia bowed awkwardly with an forced smile.
“I apologize if I offended you. Since you came suddenly without notice, I was hurriedly looking for a clean room to receive you properly.”
Klaus raised an eyebrow as if surprised by the implication that he should have given notice before coming.
“Can you guarantee you wouldn’t have run away if I had given notice?”
It was a debt of 5,000 berangs. One berang was enough for a commoner’s family to survive for a week. Originally, commoners could hardly even touch berangs – the lower denomination grang was more familiar to them.
One thousand berangs could buy a country mansion on the outskirts. It was clear that even if they sold this baronial mansion, it wouldn’t fetch 2,000 berangs.
To cover the rest of the amount, unless one had exceptional abilities, it might take a lifetime to repay. If they knew this amount and didn’t run away, they could be called extremely brave.
Moreover, he had heard that the eldest son, Antonio, was a college dropout with no particular skills, just a drunkard who wasted money. Well, judging by his pretty face, it was obvious he had been living it up in the back alleys relying on his looks alone.
Just as he was making his own judgments about the young baron, Roselia, pretending to be Antonio, responded with a slight smile.
“Even if we ran away, you’re the type of person who would send people to find us until you got your money’s worth, aren’t you?”
At Roselia’s words accurately pinpointing Duke Balthasar, Alejandro standing beside her flashed his eyes as if surprised. Klaus too seemed to find her words unexpected, changing his posture by resting his elbow on his knee with an interested expression.
“You seem to know a bit about me.”
“Is there anyone in the Lugbelzet Empire who doesn’t know Duke Balthasar?”
Seeing Roselia not backing down and continuing the conversation, Klaus leaned back on the sofa with an amused expression.
“Did Baron Hessink talk to you about the debt he owes me?”
He thought there was no way they wouldn’t have run away after hearing the amount of the debt. Moreover, he didn’t think that Baron Hessink, full of pride, would have revealed his flaws to his own children.
But an unexpected answer came.
“Yes, I heard about it.”
Once again, Klaus’s eyes turned to Roselia as if surprised.
“The amount too?”
“5,000 berangs, right?”
“It’s surprising that Baron Hessink left such a story to his eldest son, but at least we can have a conversation.”
As Klaus had guessed, Baron Hessink hadn’t told his children anything about the debt. It was entirely information Roselia knew from the original novel.
In the original story, Roselia was unaware of the situation until Duke Balthasar stormed into the mansion with his servants, then was dragged to the duke’s residence like a piece of luggage. She was treated as if she had to pay off the baron’s debt with her body, even after selling the mansion.
Thus, Roselia worked as a maid in the duke’s household, only to be used by Duke Balthasar and eventually die at the hands of the crown prince, the male lead, after being framed as an imperial spy.
But now that she had possessed Roselia, that was out of the question.
“I will repay the debt.”
At her resolute expression, Klaus curled up the corners of his mouth as if finding it ridiculous.
“How? Even if you liquidate this mansion, you’ll still be short by a good 3,000 berangs. How do you plan to make up the rest?”
Rather than interrogating, he seemed to be anticipating what she would say. His expression was curious whether this was just the temporary struggle of a cornered mouse, or if there really was something hidden in another mouse hole.
Looking at Klaus tapping the sofa armrest, Roselia smiled inwardly.
It was a gesture Duke Balthasar often made when he was interested. She remembered that description clearly, so Roselia smiled brightly.
“One year.”
At her confident voice, Klaus looked up at her quizzically.
“I will repay 3,000 berangs within one year.”
For a moment, Klaus’s tapping on the armrest stopped abruptly.
“You’re saying you’ll repay 3,000 berangs within a year?”
At his chilly expression, full of displeasure as if he had heard something absurd instead of interest, Roselia swallowed hard.
“How do you plan to do that?”
His dark blue eyes pierced through her. She could truly feel the sense of being overwhelmed just by his gaze.
But it wasn’t a thoughtless statement. Her strength was knowing the content of the novel.
She had read the novel 10 times over, favoring the female lead. Since the novel’s basic setting included frequent conflicts in imperial politics and between nations, she remembered most of the major events.
For example, the location of the magic stone mine to be discovered in half a year. Or the approximate location of the Lapelios Empire’s merchant ship that sank in the southern sea while transporting gold.
Roselia met Klaus’s piercing gaze with a confident smile.
“I haven’t been wasting my time just hanging around in back alleys.”
“You’re saying you’ll repay 3,000 berangs with mere rumors rolling around in back alleys?”
At Klaus’s frowning expression of disbelief, Roselia smiled and continued.
“Sometimes, rumors in back alleys can be close to the truth.”
She had never actually heard any back alley rumors, but it was a suitable excuse for covering up.
However, matters like magic stones or neighboring empire’s merchant ships were major issues that could affect national affairs. She had no intention of getting involved in complicated problems just to repay a debt, so what she ultimately turned her attention to was art pieces.
The female lead, the crown princess, was very interested in artwork. There were often scenes described where she bought artworks from unknown artists to decorate the imperial palace, so she easily remembered the names of several artworks and artists.
Works by unknown artists, treated as trash at this time, would become masterpieces hanging in the imperial palace in just a few months.
Art pieces were closer to a hobby and luxury enjoyed by the crown princess and nobles, so there was less risk of greatly affecting national affairs or the story.
“If I can’t repay 3,000 berangs within a year, I’ll live as a servant of the Balthasar duchy for life.”
By this point, he was curious about her confidence. Was she really onto something? Her self-assured expression, as if she had hidden gold somewhere, piqued his interest.
“So how do you plan to get that money?”
“I plan to buy artworks that will become the best in the empire with the information I’ve heard and my own eye for art.”
Klaus looked at her as if he had just heard a 10-year-old boy’s dream for the future, and Roselia quickly cleared her throat and continued as if making a declaration of war.
“First, I’ll make 500 berangs within two months. Will you believe me then?”
At her resolute expression, Klaus looked down at the floor, lost in thought.
In fact, he had nothing to lose. If she brought 3,000 berangs within a year, it would be welcome, but even if she couldn’t repay 3,000 berangs within a year, the situation wouldn’t be much different from now. If she had no property or ability to repay in the first place, he was planning to squeeze it out of her for life anyway.
He couldn’t guess what method she was planning to use, but there was no reason to stop her if she said she would repay the debt within a year.
Having finished his calculations, Klaus looked at her with an indifferent expression and nodded.
“Fine, I’ll believe you.”
At Klaus’s approval, Roselia inwardly rejoiced and smiled brightly. But soon, her smile faded awkwardly at the following question that hit the nail on the head.
“But what money are you going to use to buy these artworks?”
“That’s… a good question. Every business needs initial capital, of course.”
Of course, she had some money she had secretly saved up, hiding it from the baron and Antonio, but it was ridiculously insufficient for buying artworks.
“If you could lend me just 20 berangs, no, 2000 grangs, I’ll turn it into 500 berangs within two months!”
At her bold statement, which sounded like something a back alley con artist might throw out, Klaus’s expression turned suspicious.
“So… you’re saying you want to owe me more?”
“Yes.”
Klaus let out a hollow laugh in disbelief and looked at her as if dumbfounded.
Surely what she picked up in the back alleys wasn’t con artists’ smooth talk?
“Alright.”
“If you could just lend me 20 berangs, I’ll really turn it into 20 times in two months… What?”
“I said I’ll lend it to you.”
In fact, 20 berangs was nothing more than dust rolling around for him. Even the 5,000 berangs that Hessink borrowed was actually at a level he could make disappear and reappear with the flick of a finger. As someone who dealt with the imperial family and other countries, the amount he could handle was an astronomical figure unimaginable to ordinary people.
As such, he had the leisure to watch her struggle with interest. Not that he had any intention of not collecting the borrowed money, but he wanted to see how far she would go.
“If that’s all settled, I’ll be leaving for today.”
As Klaus said this and stood up, two servants waiting outside entered the room.
Wondering if they were going to take away the worthless sofa the duke had been sitting on, Roselia bowed politely towards Klaus heading for the door, puzzled.
“Thank you! I will definitely make 500 berangs within two months… Huh?!”
At that moment, the two servants who had approached her sides grabbed her arms.
As she was seized by her arms by two men like a criminal being arrested and dragged out, Roselia resisted with a bewildered expression.
“H-Hey! Why are you taking me?! I said I’ll repay all the debt??”
At her indignant cry, Klaus, who was walking ahead, turned his head indifferently and looked down at her.
“How can I trust you? What if you just smooth talk and run away?”
“No, I really will repay it all!”
“Anyway, this mansion is going up for auction and is no longer owned by the baron’s family. Where were you planning to stay while repaying the debt?”
“……”
She hadn’t thought that far.
As she stared blankly with her mouth shut like a mute who had eaten honey, Klaus shook his head as if tired and continued.
“Repay the debt as you said. Under my watch. For now, I’ll give you a room in the duke’s residence that can be used as an office, so stay there. And by the way, I hope you don’t forget that you’re in a subordinate relationship to me until you repay all the debt.”
“Subordinate… That’s unfair…!”
“What’s unfair? My 5,000 berangs have evaporated, isn’t my situation more unfair? Now that Baron Hessink has passed away, all responsibility for the baron’s family falls on you, his blood relative. It might be frustrating for you, but I hope you understand my position that I have no choice.”
Everything he said was annoyingly correct, so Roselia had to keep her mouth shut.
“Remember. Until you repay all 5,000 berangs. You’re no different from a servant of the duke’s residence.”
With those words, Klaus turned away without lingering and walked out straight.
Seeing his tall figure, more than a head taller than her, disappearing in big strides, Roselia wore a dumbfounded expression.
She had disguised herself as a man to change the fate of being dragged away as a maid… but now she was about to be dragged away as a servant. Isn’t this the same as ending up in the duke’s residence?!
At this point, there was no choice. She had to avoid being discovered and getting entangled with the duke as much as possible while repaying the debt…
It was unimaginable, but as long as she avoided ridiculous mishaps like falling for that damn duke… or mixing bodies… it would be fine. Fortunately, she had no such intentions at all.
But there was no way everything would go according to her wishes.
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
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.