113. Hallucinations and Auditory Delusions
Asif looked at Eva’s pale face with curiosity.
Then, his gaze shifted back to Roselia.
The wide-brimmed bonnet and black veil helped conceal her features, but if he had a sharp eye, he could have noticed the resemblance immediately.
As Roselia anxiously avoided Asif’s gaze, Claucet suddenly spoke in a blunt tone.
“No wonder she looks familiar. Doesn’t she resemble Antonio?”
Roselia’s eyes widened in shock at Claucet’s audacious words.
She turned to Claucet with a protesting look, only for her to smile sweetly and shift her attention back to Asif.
“This is Antonio’s younger sister, Roselia.”
Asif’s eyes flickered with surprise as he turned back to Roselia.
“You mean Viscount Bernas’ younger sister?”
Under Asif’s scrutinizing gaze, Roselia flinched and instinctively averted her eyes.
“Now that you mention it, they do look very alike.”
More than just alike. I am Antonio and Roselia.
She exhaled in relief, thinking how fortunate it was that she had worn a veil today.
But Asif’s eyes lingered on her, probing and unrelenting.
“You seem quite shy. Lady Roselia, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Asif Rahart Kal Benuve, the seventh prince of Benuve. I happen to be quite close with Viscount Bernas.”
Asif extended his hand towards her in greeting.
It was a formal imperial gesture—he was offering a kiss on the back of her hand.
Close? With whom?
Roselia held back the urge to scoff and calmly placed her gloved hand over his.
“Strange. My brother has never mentioned you before.”
Her ladylike response made Asif smirk as he lowered his lips to the back of her hand.
Even through her gloves, the heat of his lips was palpable, making Roselia’s shoulders tense involuntarily.
Asif looked up at her with a lazy, cat-like smile as he pulled away.
“That’s because he keeps avoiding me.”
His words carried a subtle meaning, making Roselia swallow dryly.
Asif had an exceptionally sharp sense of smell—he could recall scents with eerie precision.
If her scent leaked through, there would be no point in maintaining this disguise as Antonio’s sister. Roselia tensed even more.
Fortunately, the fragrance was under control.
Clearing her throat, she turned away from Asif’s gaze.
“We should be going now. It was a brief but pleasant meeting, Your Highness.”
Just as she was about to leave, Asif suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Roselia spun around in shock, her eyes widening.
Asif, looking slightly flustered himself, hesitated before speaking.
“Um… My lady, I apologize, but could you pass a message to Antonio?”
Even he seemed surprised by his own abrupt action, awkwardly laughing.
“Tell him to reply to my letters. I can’t even tell if he’s reading them.”
With a wry smile, Asif finally released her wrist.
Roselia responded curtly.
“Understood…”
After offering a brief nod, she turned on her heel.
Claucet and Eva hurried after her, following her lead.
Asif stood still for a while, watching Roselia’s retreating figure.
‘Siblings, huh? Their presence is eerily similar…’
That thought lingered in his mind before he snapped out of it and let out a small, amused chuckle, scratching his head.
* * *
Eva followed behind Roselia, glancing nervously at her rigid expression.
“M-My lady, are you angry?”
Hearing Eva’s dejected voice, Roselia stopped walking and scanned their surroundings before letting out a deep sigh.
“I’m not angry, Eva. But if Prince Asif had recognized me, it would have caused a huge problem.”
Her cold tone made Eva lower her head even further.
“You are angry…”
Seeing Eva’s disheartened expression, Roselia sighed again before speaking in a calmer voice.
“For now, it’s best that we return to the marquisate.”
Claucet raised an eyebrow.
“Wait, you’re not seriously planning on going back dressed like that, are you?”
Roselia blinked, momentarily realizing her mistake.
If she returned in this attire, not only would she have to endure Johannes’ inevitable scolding, but she would also risk drawing the suspicion of the concubines’ faction nobles who were keeping watch around the estate.
As Roselia hesitated, lost in thought, Claucet spoke bluntly.
“Just change into Antonio’s clothes at my hotel first. There are plenty of empty rooms.”
Roselia wavered for a moment before reluctantly nodding.
When she had been a servant, she had simply changed into her disguise in the carriage while traveling alone, but now, with Eva and Claucet present, that wasn’t an option.
Seeing her agreement, Claucet grinned triumphantly and quickly hailed a carriage to take them to the hotel.
* * *
The room Claucet provided was a top-tier suite on the highest floor of Valtazar Hotel.
According to Claucet, it was the only VIP room left unoccupied, reserved just in case of emergencies.
Knowing that the room was not meant for regular guests made Roselia feel slightly less burdened about using it.
After entering with Eva, Roselia headed straight to the powder room to change clothes.
“Shall I help you?”
It was common for noble ladies to have maids assist them while dressing, but Roselia still found it awkward and embarrassing. Instead, she preferred to change by herself and only call Eva for the final adjustments.
“No, I’ll change first and call you later.”
As usual, Eva nodded and waited in the sitting area, glancing around the lavishly decorated room.
As expected of a top-tier VIP suite, it was extravagant beyond comparison—even more opulent than the rooms in the marquis’ estate.
It was fit for royalty.
Completely absorbed in admiring the decor, Eva suddenly realized she was still holding Claucet’s parasol.
“Oh no… I need to return this to Lady Claucet.”
After a brief hesitation, Eva called out to Roselia.
“My lady! I’ll just go see Lady Claucet and be right back!”
There was no response from the powder room.
Thinking it was just a short errand, Eva shrugged and left the room with the parasol in hand.
Shortly after Eva departed, the door opened once again.
But this time, the one who entered wasn’t Eva—it was Klaus, the master of Valtazar.
Looking exhausted, Klaus stepped inside and lazily unfastened the top button of his tightly secured shirt, heading straight to the bedroom as if it were second nature.
Without bothering to change, he collapsed onto the bed, pressing his fingers against his forehead as he let out a weary sigh.
His half-unbuttoned shirt and tousled hair were clear signs of his exhaustion.
The pressure of simultaneously managing the hotel business and the trade route expansion was finally catching up with him.
Even with Alejandro assisting him, overseeing two large-scale ventures in a foreign land was overwhelming.
But once Klaus set his sights on a goal, he never stopped until he achieved it.
And these projects were deeply connected to Roselia.
No matter what, they had to succeed.
As he massaged his aching forehead, a familiar scent wafted through the air.
The headache that had been tormenting him seemed to ease almost instantly.
At first, Klaus thought a servant might have lit some incense while cleaning the room.
But the scent wasn’t just pleasant—it was her scent, the one that lingered in his memory and haunted his thoughts.
His senses snapped to attention.
Then, realizing how absurd it was, Klaus let out a bitter chuckle.
“Am I seriously hallucinating her scent now…?”
He had long since lost count of the nights he spent yearning for Roselia.
Not just at night—every waking moment was filled with thoughts of her.
The short, blissful time they had spent together at the ducal estate felt like a fleeting illusion.
The fact that he had been the one to throw away that happiness made it unbearable.
As always, he closed his eyes and clung to those memories.
Even now, the idea that he was hallucinating her scent made him scoff at himself.
Meanwhile, in the adjoining powder room, Roselia was locked in a silent struggle with her dress.
It had been so long since she last wore one that even taking it off was a challenge.
She had made a mistake by not calling Eva sooner—if this were her usual men’s attire, she wouldn’t have needed any help.
After wrestling with the tightly laced back ribbons for what felt like forever, Roselia finally gave up and called out.
“Eva!”
Klaus, who had been lying down, basking in his imaginary fragrance of Roselia, suddenly jolted upright.
His eyes snapped open.
Holding his head in disbelief, he muttered under his breath.
“Now I’m hearing hallucinations too?”
He let out a self-deprecating laugh and was about to lie back down when—
Bang!
The powder room door flew open.
“Eva, come in and help me—!”
Before Klaus could even react, his entire body froze mid-motion.
Roselia, panting slightly, stood in the doorway—her dress half-undone, clinging precariously to her shoulders.
Both of them were so shocked that they stood completely still, like statues.
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