Disguised as a Male Servant in the Duke's House - Chapter 43

As Roselia looked at Klaus, who had bowed his head, she felt a sudden twinge in her chest.

Roselia tried to ignore the feeling and turned her head, muttering indifferently.

“…I’ll tell her.”

Startled by her own words, Roselia quickly bit her lip.

What am I saying? Am I going to meet him as Roselia?

While Roselia was in confusion, Klaus slowly raised his head and asked in a low voice, looking at her.

“Really?”

Seeing his expectant expression as he asked, Roselia averted her gaze and let the words slip out.

“I can say I’ll tell her, but I can’t promise she’ll come.”

Despite Roselia’s curt words, Klaus curled his lips into a smile.

“Thank you.”

At his unfamiliar smile, Roselia cleared her throat and turned her head.

“I’ll just relay the message. Just the message.”

It was merely a polite statement made in front of the duke.

After all, she wanted to avoid meeting the duke as Roselia for the time being, or rather, for as long as possible.

[This is the timeline separator]

Why was she thinking one thing but still considering Klaus’s words?

Roselia absentmindedly stared at the wall while watering the old flower bed with its nearly broken railing.

Don’t think about it! There’s nothing to think about! What would you do meeting him as Roselia?

“Elder brother, do you have something on your mind?”

Startled by the young girl’s voice, Roselia quickly turned her head.

There was Erlin, looking much neater compared to her previous disheveled state, peeking out while hugging a rag doll.

The first unknown artist she had found was Abello’s daughter, Erlin.

That’s right. She had come to Abello’s house as Antonio to deliver the sponsorship money.

“There’s a flood!”

As Erlin pointed at the flower bed, Roselia quickly lifted the watering can.

“Oh, sorry!”

Watching this scene, Erlin suddenly turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

“Dad! Something terrible happened!”

Oh no… Is she going to tattle?

As Roselia awkwardly scratched her head, Abello, who had been painting, approached while wiping his paint-stained hands on his apron.

“You could have just delivered the sponsorship money and left. Why are you doing this?”

Abello, now much more lively and cheerful than before, said with a grin.

“Ah, I had some time to spare.”

The truth was that she didn’t want to enter the mansion where the duke would be right away.

“Has your younger sibling’s illness improved?”

“Ah, yes. Well…”

Originally, she would always come to deliver the sponsorship money as Roselia, but this time she came as Antonio since someone was targeting Roselia.

Just as she had done with Nadia, she made the excuse that Roselia was sick and she came instead.

While trying to kill time to avoid entering the mansion, she ended up ruining the innocent flower bed, causing Roselia to scratch her head sheepishly. Watching this, Abello sat down on the flower bed’s brick wall with a grin and continued speaking.

“Do you have something on your mind? I feel bad for turning you away at our first meeting, so if you’d like, I can listen.”

“Pardon? No, it’s nothing…”

“Your expression says otherwise.”

“…”

At Abello’s kind smile, Roselia cleared her throat and sat down on the flower bed next to him.

“Ah… Well… There’s someone who keeps bothering me. Oh, of course! It’s not that I like them! It’s just that they’re on my mind a little, no, a lot.”

“And?”

Abello looked at her with an intriguing smile, as if looking at a younger sibling.

“That person and I… we absolutely must not have a romantic relationship.”

If we did, I might die. That’s what happens in the original story.

As Roselia’s expression darkened, Abello noticed and smiled, looking into the distance.

“But you keep thinking about them and can’t get them out of your mind, right?”

“Yes…”

“Hmm… Whatever that feeling is, I don’t think avoiding it is the answer. Aren’t you worrying about it now because you’ve been avoiding it?”

“But…”

As Roselia looked at the ground with a complicated expression at Abello’s answer that seemed to bring her back to square one, Abello smiled at her.

“Whether to cut it off or pursue it, it’s your decision to make. But to make that decision, you need to understand your own heart first. And for that, you need to face it head-on.”

As Roselia remained silent, contemplating while staring at the ground, Abello pat her shoulder and stood up.

“Rather than running away as a man, shouldn’t you face it first?”

I’m not a man, but a woman…

He had a point. Running away wasn’t the answer, but it seemed she just wanted to avoid the situation itself.

“And there’s no such thing as a relationship that can’t be. Even if the world tries to stop you and points fingers, if you like it and are drawn to it, that’s the right relationship no matter how much the world turns upside down.”

“Is that from personal experience?”

At Roselia’s question, Abello smiled while looking at Erlin playing with her rag doll inside the house.

“Of course.”

Looking at Abello’s shining eyes, Roselia slowly stood up.

“I think that helped. Thank you, Mr. Abello.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Having sorted out her thoughts, Roselia cleaned up and left Abello’s house.

She wanted to get her work done quickly now that her thoughts were organized.

As Roselia was passing by the road to catch a carriage to the mansion, a shiny carriage suddenly passed by her side.

The young Viscount Ukiliod, who was absentmindedly looking out the window inside the carriage, spotted a dark-haired man who looked very similar to himself and shouted.

“Wait!”

The viscount’s carriage, which was heading from the capital where the imperial palace was located to Duke Baltezar’s territory, suddenly stopped at his command.

“What’s the matter, my lord?”

His aide asked curiously, but Johannes, who was looking out the window again, just frowned and brushed his bangs back.

“I’m sorry, I must have seen things. Let’s continue.”

A man who looks like me. It’s not like he’s a doppelganger…

It must be because of the nonsense the crown princess said. Even then, the crown princess’s face looked as if she had seen a doppelganger.

Johannes, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, let out a dry laugh and rested his chin on his hand.

I must be very tired. To be bothered by such useless talk.

[This is the timeline separator]

Roselia clutched the skirt of the mint green dress Closet had given her and bit her lip in front of the mansion.

Yes, this is to face it directly and draw a clear line, as Mr. Abello said.

With that self-affirmation, Roselia slowly entered the mansion.

Unaware that a pair of eyes was watching her from the shadows.

Now familiar with butler Jeffrey’s guidance, Roselia headed towards Klaus’s office.

In fact, she could go there with her eyes closed by now, but she pretended to be a guest and obediently followed the butler’s guidance to reach the door.

“My lord, Miss Roselia has arrived.”

Although there was no separate answer, Jeffrey seemed to have received prior instructions from Klaus as he opened the office door without hesitation and gestured for her to enter.

Roselia swallowed hard, seemingly nervous, and stepped past Jeffrey into the office.

There, as usual, Klaus was sitting at his desk, flipping through a stack of documents.

The only difference was that unlike before, Klaus immediately put down the documents when he heard Roselia’s presence and was staring at her intently.

Roselia tried to ignore his gaze and spoke gruffly.

“You asked for me.”

Feeling awkward under Klaus’s gaze that slowly scanned her from head to toe, Roselia cleared her throat.

Finally looking into her eyes, Klaus muttered in a low voice.

“I’m glad to see you’re not injured.”

His voice sounded strangely affectionate, as if he really was relieved, so Roselia deliberately cut him off curtly.

“Yes, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. There’s no need for you to worry, Duke.”

Something about Roselia’s words seemed to irritate Klaus, as one of his eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Where have you been all this time?”

“That’s a bit difficult to explain.”

Unlike his intention to have a calm conversation when he saw Roselia, her tone seemed to be putting up a wall, making Klaus feel like something was scratching inside his chest.

Roselia’s curt, almost cold attitude, in contrast to his worried state, began to twist Klaus’s mood.

“Were you with that man?”

Finally, the question he had repeated dozens, hundreds of times in his mind slipped out.

Frowning at his sudden question, Roselia asked back.

“Pardon?”

“…That man called Jungin.”

Realizing what Klaus was misunderstanding, Roselia let out a dry laugh.

Thinking it would be ridiculous to make excuses, Roselia frowned and turned her head.

“Who I was with is none of your concern, Duke.”

Saying that, Roselia looked at Klaus with displeasure and added a final remark.

“And please don’t have me followed.”

Damn it, I wouldn’t look at Rugbella, who’s targeting Roselia, like that.

Feeling as if he had become a scoundrel, Klaus’s mood became very unpleasant.

So my concern and interest are unpleasant, but that man is fine?

Unlike his initial composure, his already off-kilter mood caused Klaus to blurt out unfiltered words.

“Does that man have the ability to protect you?”

What on earth is this man talking about?

Who was it that treated me like a fly buzzing around the crown princess until now?

Moreover, without considering the other party’s intentions, he even had me followed, and now he’s interrogating me?

Roselia, now twice as displeased as before, was unlikely to speak politely either.

“Whether he has the ability or not doesn’t matter. I’m with him because I want to be.”

“Damn it, Roselia.”

Upon hearing the words “because I want to be,” Klaus finally stood up abruptly and strode towards her.

Roselia tried to ignore her startled heart and straightened her back, not wanting to lose to him.

Standing close enough for her to feel his rough breath, Klaus looked down at her and spoke through gritted teeth.

“What was it that we shared that day?”

Although Roselia immediately knew what he was referring to, she tried to maintain her composure and averted her gaze to hide her wavering eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

At her feigned ignorance, Klaus curled one corner of his mouth and moved even closer.

“Should I remind you?”