107. This time, I won’t just stand by and take it.

The faint sorrow caught Roselia’s gaze in Klaus’s eyes.

The cold-blooded Duke of Valtazar… with such an expression?

A strange ache spread through her chest before she even realized it, as if something inside her was being tugged.

For a moment, all her previous resolve seemed meaningless. It felt as though the world had melted away, leaving only the two of them locked in each other’s gaze.

Then, breaking the stillness, a familiar voice pierced through their moment.

“Young master?”

Roselia flinched, suddenly aware of how close she was to Klaus, and hastily pulled away.

Startled, she turned to find Eva, her personal maid, approaching.

“I saw the carriage but you weren’t coming inside, so I came to check…”

Eva glanced at Klaus before lowering her voice in a clearly intentional whisper.

“Did I interrupt something?”

Though she spoke quietly, it was loud enough for Klaus to hear.

Roselia let out a deep sigh, refusing to meet Klaus’s eyes as she turned away.

“No. Let’s go inside.”

Without hesitation, she walked toward the mansion. Eva hesitated for a moment, stealing a few more glances at Klaus before scurrying after her mistress.

“Isn’t that Duke Valtazar?” she whispered curiously.

“You’re right.”

Roselia’s calm and indifferent response only fueled Eva’s curiosity. She snuck another glance behind them.

Klaus remained where he was, standing still, watching Roselia as if he had no intention of moving until she was out of sight.

Eva, sensing something unusual, asked hesitantly,

“What exactly is going on between you two? Does Duke Valtazar know you’re a woman?”

At the inquisitive question, Roselia sighed deeply and shut it down with a firm reply.

“Don’t ask.”

Eva pouted, clearly dying of curiosity but knowing better than to push further.

A sleek black carriage came to a stop in front of a grand estate in the heart of Charlmagne, the capital of Raphelios.

As soon as the wheels halted, a coachman rushed forward to open the door. Stepping out leisurely was a middle-aged man with silver hair.

Waiting outside the estate, a man dressed in the formal garb of the Raphelios Imperial Court greeted him with a polite bow.

“We have been expecting you, Your Highness, Grand Duke Rubelio.”

Rubelio gave the grand mansion a quick, indifferent glance before speaking in a dry tone.

“This is where I will be staying?”

“Yes, His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that Grand Duke Rubelio, as an envoy from Rugbeljet, be accommodated here.”

Rubelio had come as part of the Rugbeljet delegation to attend the Crown Prince’s enthronement ceremony.

“When will I meet His Majesty?”

“An audience has been arranged within two days. We will send an attendant to inform you of the exact time. For now, as you must be weary from travel, please take your time to rest…”

Inside the estate, imperial servants, carefully selected by the palace, stood waiting to serve the grand duke.

Rubelio instructed the acting steward to ensure that no one was allowed into his study without permission before making his way to the room prepared for him.

As he gazed lazily out the window, a shadow knelt silently beside him—he had entered so discreetly that Rubelio hadn’t noticed his presence until now.

“What of Duke Valtazar?” Rubelio asked.

“He has already made contact with that woman.”

“As if possessed, he abandoned his duchy and rushed to Raphelios. So, it was because of that woman after all,” Rubelio muttered indifferently.

Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked,

“Do the nobles in the concubines’ faction still not know who she really is?”

“We’ve leaked information several times, but they refuse to believe it.”

Rubelio had long suspected that she might be connected to the Marquess of Euciliod.

Yet, no matter how deeply he investigated, he couldn’t uncover the exact nature of their relationship. He could only assume they were loosely related by blood.

Since she was under the marquess’s protection—not in Rugbeljet, but in another empire—touching her carelessly would be a dangerous move.

If he made a wrong move, the claws of Euciliod, the so-called pillar of Raphelios, would undoubtedly turn on him.

“For now, we’ll wait and watch.”

Rubelio poured an amber-colored liquid into a glass and murmured to himself,

“Still… Prince Aaron being crowned as the Crown Prince, huh?”

His voice turned cold as he lifted the glass to his lips.

“Not exactly an ideal outcome for me.”

If Prince Alphonse—who was not the legitimate heir—became the Crown Prince and later ascended to the throne, it would work in Rubelio’s favor.

After all, Rubelio himself had lived his entire life as a second-in-line heir.

There was no one who could understand Alphonse better than him.

To strengthen Alphonse’s claim, opposing Aaron’s enthronement was crucial. Securing the support of other nations that could counter Aaron’s power was also necessary.

But more importantly, Alphonse needed leverage—something that could overturn Aaron’s legitimacy.

The problem was that the blood relatives of the imperial family, including the Marquess of Euciliod and his faction, were already aligned with the Empress’s camp.

“Aside from the Marquess of Euciliod, who else among the bloodline still remains?”

“Count Beaud, who is loyal to the Empress’s faction, and the Bailey Barony, a distant branch of the Euciliod family.”

“And beyond that?”

The shadow hesitated before cautiously answering.

“The House of Lionel, which was once more powerful than Euciliod, was completely eradicated by imperial decree about twenty years ago.”

“Ah, yes… They didn’t just execute the third generation of the Lionel line—they wiped out even the distant branches,” Rubelio mused.

His subordinate, sensing something behind the question, hesitated, prompting Rubelio to lower his voice.

“But I heard that the late Duke Lionel had an affair with a commoner, despite being married to the duchess. Did you know?”

“Yes… It was said to have driven the duchess half-mad.”

Finally catching onto Rubelio’s intent, the shadow did not press further and simply bowed his head.

“I will investigate.”

Without sparing a glance at his retreating subordinate, Rubelio leisurely tilted his glass.

If he handed Alphonse a strong enough advantage, then Alphonse, in turn, would become a powerful asset to him.

And if Roselia’s true identity were exposed, Alphonse would take care of the Empress’s faction himself—eliminating his opponents without Rubelio having to lift a finger.

Now alone in the dimly lit study, Rubelio gazed out the window, his expression growing ever colder.

* * *

Valtazar Hotel – Top Floor Office
In the grand office on the top floor of Valtazar Hotel, Klaus sat at his desk, skimming through documents.

Standing before him was Alejandro, his face full of frustration.

“Why, why did you suddenly launch this hotel business when it wasn’t even urgent?! Do you have any idea how much I suffered to get here?”

Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, Alejandro had only just arrived in Raphelios. He looked more than exhausted—he looked half-dead.

“It took me twelve days by carriage! And that’s with me rushing the trip! It should’ve taken at least two weeks, but I barely even rested, and now my tailbone feels like it’s about to shatter!”

Alejandro’s complaints were met with nothing more than Klaus calmly flipping through his papers. Without looking up, Klaus replied in an indifferent tone.

“Don’t worry. Soon, it’ll only take a week.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Suspicion flashed in Alejandro’s weary eyes as he looked at Klaus. Finally, Klaus set down his documents and met his gaze.

“We’re building a tunnel through the Fjord Mountains.”

“… What?”

“You came here for trade negotiations with Raphelios, didn’t you? If we open a passage through the Fjord Mountains, we won’t have to rely on the long, inefficient sea route anymore.”

“Are you seriously telling me you started another massive project on top of this whole hotel business?”

“I started it because it’s possible. Have I ever invested in a business that wouldn’t profit me?”

At a loss for words, Alejandro let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead.

“…Ha… Fine. Let’s drop that for now. Have you met Antonio—no, I mean Viscount Bernas yet?”

At the mention of the name, Klaus’s brows furrowed slightly.

“I have.”

“…Got rejected brutally, didn’t you?”

Noticing how Klaus’s frown deepened, Alejandro wisely decided not to press further. Instead, he quickly changed the subject.

“Grand Duke Rubelio has arrived in Raphelios as part of the delegation for the Crown Prince’s enthronement ceremony.”

At that, Klaus’s expression darkened even more.

Sensing the tension in the air, Alejandro instinctively tensed his shoulders before cautiously continuing.

“This time… things have to remain quiet.”

The mention of Rubelio alone was enough to send a frigid chill through Klaus’s eyes.

The memory of nearly losing Roselia because of Rubelio flickered in his mind.

“If anything like that happens again…”

Klaus’s voice dropped to an icy whisper, his grip tightening around the edge of his desk.

“This time, I won’t just stand by and take it.”

* * *

Roselia was walking down the corridor of the imperial palace, on her way to introduce Marquis Bellog to the Empress.

That was when she spotted a familiar figure approaching from the opposite hall.

A middle-aged man whose mere presence exuded an overwhelming sense of authority.

Grand Duke Rubelio of Rugbeljet.

The man who had set spies on her, framed her for treason, and when none of that worked—had resorted to abduction.

Though she lacked solid proof, all the circumstantial evidence pointed to him. And now, as she faced him directly, every instinct in her body screamed in alarm.

Her posture stiffened involuntarily.

Rubelio’s gaze met hers, his expression hardening for a brief second before he smiled—calm, composed, and eerily pleasant.

“Viscount Bernas, it has been a while.”

This was only the second time she had come face-to-face with him.

“See? Didn’t I tell you? You would become a viscount.”

At his words, Roselia clenched her teeth, suddenly recalling that he was the one who had sent the death certificate of the previous Viscount Bernas to Count Bernas.

“I’m relieved to see you seem to be doing well in Raphelios. However…”

As he continued speaking in a light tone, Rubelio suddenly leaned in slightly, lowering his voice near her ear.

“Do the people here still not know that you are of the bloodline?”

In an instant, Roselia’s body froze.

It was a deliberate provocation, but her mind momentarily short-circuited.

Her heart pounded violently as cold sweat formed on her back.

If her identity were exposed here, in the middle of the imperial palace, there would be no escape.

She was caught—trapped, like an insect ensnared in a spider’s web.

And then—

A massive shadow suddenly loomed in front of her, blocking her view.

A familiar, deep voice, low and growling like a beast meeting its prey, shattered the tension.

“You should be speaking to me.”

Only then did Roselia’s dazed eyes focus on the broad back now shielding her.

It was Klaus.

Her gaze wavered as she stared at the man standing firmly in front of her.

Klaus had positioned himself between her and Rubelio, as if to shield her completely. His sharp gaze locked onto the grand duke.

“Grand Duke Rubelio.”

 

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