Fortunately, I was able to reach Hayvill Hospital immediately by riding Klaus’s carriage.

The doctor who rushed out upon discovering the duke examined him for quite a long time and said that the count seemed to have hit his head severely when he fainted.

At the doctor’s words that there was no immediate danger to his life, but he needed to be monitored for the time being, Roselia felt as if all the blood was draining from her body.

Suddenly, the content of the original work flashed through her mind.

In the original work, Count Bernas left behind numerous masterpieces whenever he regained his senses amidst his dementia-like symptoms, and later, as his dementia worsened, he entered a nursing home.

There, it was written that he spent the rest of his life alone and lonely until his dying day.

Could it be… that in her attempt to change the original work, she had instead hastened what was meant to happen?

Roselia, with an anxious heart, opened her mouth towards the doctor.

“The count has been suffering from dementia, could it possibly have worsened?”

“We’ll need to observe him further, but there’s a possibility. Moreover, he’s received both mental and physical shocks…”

“Haah…”

It felt as if it was all her fault.

As if reading her thoughts, Klaus approached quietly and murmured in a low voice.

“It’s not your fault, Antonio.”

Perhaps if she had not met the count, this might not have happened. That thought wouldn’t leave her mind.

But self-blame wouldn’t solve anything. For now, she needed to find out as much as she could.

“Why did the death notice of the young count come again from Eskibon, of all places?”

“I’ve already told Alejandro to look into it, and from what I’ve just heard, it seems the count’s family requested a re-issuance.”

“The count? That’s impossible!”

“Yes, the count who didn’t even know about the arrival of the death notice couldn’t have requested a re-issuance.”

As he said this, Klaus’s expression suddenly hardened.

“One thing that comes to mind is that Bernas Count said he had something to show me today.”

At Klaus’s words, Roselia’s gaze turned to him quizzically. Meeting her gaze, Klaus continued in a cold tone, enunciating each word.

“I suspect that someone who doesn’t want the identity of that object revealed might have orchestrated this.”

“Who could that be?”

“…We’ll have to find out.”

In fact, he had some idea.

Since the count had mentioned having something to show while talking about the count and Duke Rubellio, although he had no concrete evidence, he had a strong hunch.

But he had no intention of sharing this information with Antonio, who was already confused enough.

Everything had to be quietly resolved by his own hand.

[This is the timeline separator]

“It’s a thousand blessings that we had a shadow attached to Count Bernas.”

“How did that damned old man have that medicine bottle? I’m sure I told the maid to use the drug on the emperor and burn the bottle.”

Duke Rubellio muttered, spitting out the words as he frowned fiercely.

That medicine bottle contained poison imported from Rapellios.

It was a poison that showed no toxic reaction or visible peculiarities in small amounts, but would cause sudden death by heart attack when a whole bottle was used.

He had bribed an imperial maid to feed the poison to the emperor through her, and to prevent future complications, he had personally taken the maid’s life.

Who would have thought that such an insignificant maid would leave a trail behind…

Rubellio threw the medicine bottle into the blazing fireplace on the study wall.

“Crash!”

With a clear sound, the glass bottle shattered against the inner wall of the fireplace and crumbled into the flames.

Glaring at the sight, Rubellio gritted his teeth in displeasure.

“If we’re not careful, even past incidents might be exposed.”

It was just meant to be using a woman named Roselia to drive a wedge between the duke and the crown prince, but things started to escalate. It seemed that she was the source of all this.

“I think it’s best we deal with it.”

“You mean Count Bernas?”

“Both the count and the servant.”

“The count is already a senile old man, so you don’t need to worry too much about him. Moreover, his condition probably worsened after this incident.”

At the calm words of the shadow man, Rubellio calmed his excitement.

“Then at least deal with that wench.”

To Rubellio’s heavily lowered words, the shadow man bowed deeply and replied.

“The vigilance of the duke’s shadows is exceptionally tight.”

“What about that riffraff claiming to be the real Antonio?”

“He’s steadily pressuring her as planned.”

At the man’s words, Rubellio seemed to regain his composure, burying his upper body deeply in the sofa and crossing his legs.

“We’ll have to wait for that bastard to play his role and for that wench to be cast out by the duke…”

[This is the timeline separator]

A silence hung between Klaus and Roselia as they sat facing each other in the duke’s office.

As Roselia stared blankly at the table while drinking the tea Klaus had ordered, he spoke heavily.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Thank you…”

Despite his worried question, Roselia’s expression remained lost in thought.

Klaus, who had been gazing intently at her, sighed and continued speaking.

“I’ll investigate further about the count. So don’t worry too much.”

“…”

At that moment, the office door suddenly opened and Alejandro entered.

Klaus frowned deeply at his appearance, entering without warning.

“What’s the matter?”

“I have something to report about the woman named Nadia that you told us to monitor.”

At the sound of the familiar name, Roselia finally raised her head, slightly furrowing her brow.

“You were monitoring Nadia too?”

At Roselia’s cold question, Klaus let out a troubled sigh and continued.

“We only monitored the range of movement between you and Roselia.”

Then, Alejandro, who had been looking back and forth between the two who had grown cold, hurriedly continued.

“Um… that woman named Nadia has died.”

“What??”

Klaus frowned once again as he asked back.

Roselia, sitting across from him, seemed to think she had misheard, asking back with a dumbfounded expression.

“What… what do you mean? Died…?”

“I think it would be best if you went to see for yourself.”

Klaus, who had been worriedly looking at Roselia who was frozen in shock, continued in a rigid tone.

“You stay here. I’ll go first and tell you about it when I return.”

At Klaus’s words, Roselia, who seemed to have regained some of her senses, shook her head.

“I’ll… I’ll go too. I need to see with my own eyes.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Arriving in front of Nadia’s house, Roselia discovered Nadia lying with her face covered by a cloth and approached unsteadily, as if unable to believe it.

Around Nadia were a doctor prepared for any situation, an undertaker ready to prepare the funeral, and men who appeared to be Klaus’s confidants, lined up.

Klaus carefully asked Roselia, who was staring at Nadia lying there with a blank expression.

“Are you alright…”

“Why… how…”

She couldn’t believe it. Just a few days ago, she had conversed with Nadia.

Drinking the tea Nadia had brewed, laughing and chatting, looking at the paintings she had drawn…

As Roselia stood frozen in shock, Klaus, who had been worriedly looking her over, hardened his gaze and looked at Alejandro.

“The cause of death?”

“The doctor says it was acute pneumonia. Apparently, the disease had progressed too far to be controlled by medicine.”

As if the death had been confirmed, the undertaker’s men began to move the body on his instructions.

Seeing Roselia staring blankly even at that sight, Klaus furrowed his brow and carefully took her wrist, leading her to the carriage.

As Roselia got into the carriage like a lifeless doll, Klaus murmured softly.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

After Klaus closed the carriage door, tears began to fall down Roselia’s cheeks as she was left alone.

She thought she could change it…

She thought she had changed Nadia’s fate of dying in the original work…

But she hadn’t. Rather, it felt like the events of the original work were being hastened because of her.

Because of me… because of me…

At that moment, Klaus, who had hurriedly wrapped up the situation outside out of concern for Roselia, opened the carriage door and got in.

In his hands were a new dress she had never seen before and a letter.

After examining Roselia’s face and noticing that she had been crying, he quietly placed the dress on the opposite seat.

“It seems she left the dress as a gift for Roselia.”

To think that after frugally saving money all her life, all she bought was a dress for herself… It was so absurd that a bitter laugh escaped.

Observing her expression, Klaus carefully opened his mouth.

“The letter is addressed to you… Do you want to read it?”

Roselia nodded and then took the letter with trembling hands.

As she unfolded the letter, she swallowed her rising tears and concentrated on reading Nadia’s final words.

Roselia bit the inside of her mouth with all her might to keep the tears from falling.

『Don’t be too sad. I feel rather unburdened.

I’m glad that I got to meet you at the end and draw to my heart’s content.

I remember wearing a wig and walking through the bustling streets, imitating you.

I never thought I’d be able to wear such luxurious clothes and walk that glittering street in my lifetime.

It was brief, but I was so happy. Thank you, Roselia.

And that man you brought who looks like you, he seems like a good person.

Actually, I still prefer Duke Balthasar, but…』

At Nadia’s letter, which felt as if she was speaking right in front of her, a smile escaped from Roselia’s lips. Alongside her lips, a tear that she had been holding back trickled down her cheek and pooled.

『I wanted to create more memories with you before I left, but the doctor must be a quack because the medicine is no longer working.

But it’s okay. I have no more regrets or lingering attachments.

Thanks to you, I feel like I’m leaving after doing everything I wanted to do.

Thank you, my first and last friend.』

As Roselia read the final words, tears finally poured from her reddened eyes.

Tears flowed endlessly down her contorted face.

『P.S. Chin up, Roselia. Didn’t I tell you? You’re prettiest when you smile.』

“Hic… sob… hic… sniff… waaah!”

Klaus’s heart ached at the sight of her crying her heart out with her upper body collapsed.

As if a dam had burst, Roselia was crying so hard she seemed to have forgotten he was there, almost to the point of fainting.

“It’s all because of me… because of me…”

Klaus’s heart broke at the sight of her crying so bitterly, almost losing her mind.

As he watched Roselia crying pitifully, barely able to support herself, Klaus couldn’t hold back anymore and embraced her.

Holding her tightly as if to reassure her, Klaus murmured with a face as contorted as hers.

“It’s not because of you, Antonio.”

“Everyone… everyone will die… you and me…”

Roselia, already half out of her mind, was struggling in his arms.

“Everyone will die… everyone… everyone…!”

“Get a hold of yourself! Antonio!”

Klaus’s heart was torn at the sight of her, covered in tears and unable to come to her senses.

Roselia was struggling and hitting his chest mercilessly, as if he were the object of her resentment.

She looked so precarious, gasping for breath and sobbing.

Klaus embraced her with all his might, fearing she might faint if left like this.

And as she continued to struggle, he pressed his lips against her hot ones.