I Became the Duke's Servant in Disguise

Chapter 3: Escaped from being a maid and became a servant.

Klaus stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before casually turning his body and hesitatingly sitting on the nearby sofa.

The sofa, so worn and tattered that it would be embarrassing to call it a sofa, barely maintained its form. The creaking sound as he sat down sent shivers down his spine, but he arrogantly crossed his legs and glanced at the young man in front of him.

“You know who I am, yet you haven’t come to see me?”

In his displeased tone, Roselia awkwardly smiled and bowed.

“I apologize if it was uncomfortable. I had to hurriedly find a clean room to accommodate you, as you came without any prior notice.”

‘Will you still be here if I showed up after giving notice?’ Klaus raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised.

“If I had contacted you beforehand, wouldn’t you have run away?”

It was a whopping debt of 5,000 grangs. How much is 5000 grangs? 1 grang can sustain a commoner family for a week.

Peasants, in the first place, found it difficult to handle grang; they were more accustomed to verang, the unit below, than grang in value.

With 1,000 grangs, one could afford a rural mansion on the outskirts. Even if he were to sell this Marquis mansion now, he wouldn’t receive more than 2,000 grangs, that was for sure.

To cover the remaining amount, unless Antonio possessed extraordinary abilities, he might have to spend his entire life repaying it. Anyone who knew the amount and still didn’t run away had an incredible resolve.

Moreover, Antonio, Hesingk’s eldest son, dropped out of the academy and had no particular skills; he was known to be nothing more than a money-squandering drunkard. Well, judging by his handsome face, it was clear that he would have indulged in revelry in the back alleys, relying on his looks alone.

As Klaus was evaluating the Count as he pleased, Roselia, who had been impersonating Antonio, responded with a playful smile.

“Even if I run away, wouldn’t you track me down and make me pay until you get what I owe?”

Alejandro, who was standing beside Klaus, widened his eyes in astonishment at Roselia’s precise grasp of Duke Valtezar. Klaus, too, changed his posture, leaning against the back of the sofa with an intrigued expression on his face.

“You seen to know a bit about me”

“Is there anyone in the Lugbelzet Empire who doesn’t know Duke Valtezar?”

Klaus rested his back on the sofa, his face showing an amused expression at Roselia’s continuous flow of words without pause.

“Did Count Hesingk talk to YOU about my debt?”

Klaus thought that after hearing the amount of the debt, there was no way Antonio wouldn’t run away. Furthermore, he didn’t think that the proud Lord Hesingk, full of his own pride, would have revealed his own flaws to his children.

However, an unexpected answer came.

“Yes, I heard.”

Once again, Klaus’s gaze turned towards Roselia, seemingly surprised.

“And the amount?”

“5,000 grangs, isn’t it?”

“It’s surprising that Lord Hesingk talked to his son about this, but it seems we can have a smooth conversation.”

As Klaus suspected, Count Hesingk hadn’t mentioned a word about the debt to his children. It was entirely information that she knew from the original novel.

In the original story, Roselia, unaware of the situation, remained ignorant until Duke Valtezar and his servants invaded the mansion. Afterward, she was dragged along like a porter, forced to work as a maid, and compelled to pay off the debt of the impoverished Marquis even after the mansion was sold.

However, since she had possessed Roselia, it was a different story.

“I will repay the debt.”

Klaus, with a mocking smile as if he found her determination pitiful, raised the corner of his mouth.

“How? Even if you manage to sell this mansion, it won’t be enough. How do you plan to cover the remaining amount?”

It was more like an interrogation, but there was an expectation in his eyes, as if he was waiting for Roselia to say something. It was the expression of curiosity, wondering if the cornered mouse would resist for a moment or if there was something hidden in another mousehole.

Watching Klaus drum his fingers on the sofa armrest, Roselia smiled inwardly.

It was a movement that Duke Valtezar often made when he was intrigued. She remembered it clearly, so Roselia smiled playfully.

“One year.”

In response to her confident voice, Klaus looked at her strangely.

“I will repay 3,000 grangs within one year.”

The movement of Klaus, who had been tapping the sofa armrest just a moment ago, abruptly stopped.

“You’ll repay 3,000 grangs within one year?”

Instead of the earlier interest, his face now showed an uncomfortable expression, as if he had heard something absurd, radiating coldness. Roselia swallowed hard, feeling the piercing gaze of his cold blue eyes. Just his gaze alone was overwhelming.

However, it wasn’t just an empty declaration. Her advantage was that she knew the contents of the novel.

She had been a fan of the female protagonist and had read the same novel at least ten times. Due to the frequent political conflicts in the basic setting of the novel’s world, she remembered most of the major events.

For example, the location of the Marjungseok mine that would be discovered in half a year, or the approximate location of the Lapelios Empire’s merchant ship that sank in the southern sea while carrying gold.

With a confident smile, Roselia locked eyes with Klaus, her gaze piercing.

“I haven’t been idly wasting time just wandering the back alleys.”

“You plan to repay 3,000 grangs with mere back-alley rumors?”

Klaus frowned skeptically, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Sometimes back-alley rumors can be close to the truth.”

She had never heard any back-alley rumors, but it seemed like a plausible excuse.

However, the information about Marjungseok and the neighboring empire’s merchant ships were significant issues that could affect the nation’s politics. She had no intention of getting involved in complicated matters just to repay the debt. So, her ultimate focus was on artworks.

The female protagonist, the Crown Princess, had a keen interest in art. Scenes often depicted her purchasing artworks from obscure artists to decorate the royal palace. This made it easy for her to remember the names of some artworks and artists.

During this time, the works of unknown artists that were treated as trash would become masterpieces displayed in the royal palace in just a few months.

Art was merely a hobby enjoyed by the Crown Princess and the nobles, closer to a luxury than something that could greatly influence the state of the nation or the story.

“If I can’t repay 3,000 grangs within one year, I’ll live the rest of my life as a servant of Duke Valtezar.”

At this point, Klaus’s curiosity was piqued by her confidence. He wondered if she really knew something or had hidden treasures. His interest grew as he looked at her self-assured expression.

“So, how do you plan to raise that money?”

“I plan to use the information I have and my eye for the arts to purchase artworks that will become the highest-priced in the empire.”

As Klaus looked at her with an expression as if he had just heard a 10-year-old boy’s aspirations, Roselia hurriedly coughed and declared like she was making a declaration of war, “First, let’s see if I can make 500 grangs within two months. Will you believe me then?”

Klaus gazed at the floor lost in thought, his face showing a determined expression.

In reality, he had little to risk in this agreement. If she succeeded in repaying 3,000 grangs within a year, he would be pleased. Conversely, if she couldn’t repay the 3,000 grangs within a year, the current situation wouldn’t change much. If she had no assets or means to repay it from the start, he had mentally prepared to accept a lifetime of her service.”

He couldn’t fathom what she had in mind, but there was no reason to stop her from promising to repay the debt within a year.

After finishing his calculations, Klaus looked at her with an indifferent expression and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

With Klaus’s approval, Roselia inwardly celebrated and smiled brightly. However, her smile quickly faded when she faced the piercing question that followed.

“But how do you plan to acquire the money for the artworks?”

“That’s a good… question. Every business venture requires some initial capital.”

Of course, she had secretly saved some money, avoiding the eyes of the Hesignk and Antonio. However, even with that money, it was absurdly insufficient to buy artworks.

“Just lend me a mere 20 grangs, or rather, 2,000 verangs, and I will turn it into 500 grangs within two months!”

With an air of confidence, she made this audacious statement, as if she were a back-alley swindler throwing out bold claims. Klaus’s expression shifted suspiciously in response.

“So… you’ll borrow money from me again?”

“Yes.”

Klaus chuckled in disbelief, looking at her as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Surely, she wasn’t using the tactics of back-alley con artists, right?

“Alright.”

“If you lend me just 20 grangs, I will really turn it into twenty times the amount in just two months… right?”

“I’ll lend it to you.”

In truth, 20 grangs was hardly more than pocket change to him. The 5,000 grangs that Hesingk had borrowed from him could disappear with the snap of his fingers, and he could make it reappear just as easily. As someone who conducted transactions with the royal family and other nations, he handled astronomical figures that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

Because of this, he had the leisure to watch how far she would push her demands. It didn’t mean he had any intention of not collecting the borrowed money, but he wanted to see just how far she would go.

“Looks like we’ve wrapped up this conversation. I’ll leave it at that for today.”

As Klaus spoke, he rose from his seat, and at that moment, two servants waiting outside entered the room.

Roselia, who seemed to be considering taking the nearly worthless sofa that the Duke had been sitting on, greeted Klaus with a puzzled expression as he headed towards the door.

“Thank you! I’ll definitely make 500 grangs within two months… Huh?!”

At that moment, two servants who had silently approached from the side grabbed her arms.

As she was dragged out by the two servants, struggling as if she were a criminal being apprehended, Roselia protested with a bewildered expression.

“Hey, why are you taking me away like this?! I said I would repay the debt!!”

Before her indignant cry, Klaus, who had been walking ahead, turned his head indifferently and looked down at her.

“How can I trust you? You might just talk big and then run away.”

“No, I really will repay it!”

“Anyway, this mansion will be auctioned off, and it will no longer be owned by the Count. Where do you plan to stay while repaying the debt?”

“…I didn’t think that far.”

She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Staring blankly at her like a deer in headlights with her mouth shut, Klaus finally spoke with an exhausted tone.

“Repay the debt as you said. In my presence. For now, I’ll give you a room that can be used as an office in the Duke’s mansion. Stay there. And by the way, until you repay the entire debt, remember that you are in a dependent relationship with me.”

“Dependent? That’s… unfair…”

“What’s unfair about it? My 5,000 grangs disappeared, isn’t that an even more unfair situation? With Count Hesingk’s death, all responsibility for the Count’s debt now falls on you as his blood relative. It may seem unfair to you, but I hope you understand that I have no other choice.”

Every word he said hit the mark, and Roselia had to bite her tongue to keep from retorting.

“Remember. Until you repay the 5,000 grangs, you are essentially a servant of the Duke’s mansion.”

Having said that, Klaus turned without any lingering emotions and walked away, swiftly disappearing with his significantly taller stature.

Roselia was left behind, wearing a bewildered expression.

She had tried to change her fate from being forced into the role of a maid by disguising herself as a man, but now she found herself being taken as a servant. Isn’t this essentially the same as entering the Duke’s mansion?!

Now that it had come to this, there was nothing she could do. She had no choice but to avoid revealing her true identity and avoid getting entangled with Klaus as much as possible while repaying the debt.

It was unimaginable, but as long as she could avoid absurd situations like making eye contact with that damned Duke or getting physically involved with him, it would be fine. Of course, she had no intention of doing such things, so it was fortunate.

However, she knew that not everything would go as she wished.