114. I Think of You Dozens of Times a Day

“Uh…”

Both Roselia and Klaus froze like statues.

Roselia was the first to snap out of it, her face turning bright red as she hastily slammed the door shut.

Klaus sat there, staring blankly at the closed door.

Why… why is the Duke here?

Then, Claucet’s words from earlier came rushing back to Roselia.

‘This room is off-limits to guests, so don’t worry!’

Could it be that this was actually Klaus’s private resting quarters?

As Roselia’s mind raced in confusion, a familiar voice came from outside the door.

“Roselia…”

Klaus, who had likely been just as shocked as she was, now sounded composed.

Roselia forced herself to calm down and answered as bluntly as she could.

“Y-Yes?”

“Didn’t you need help?”

It seemed he had overheard her calling for Eva.

But the help she needed was getting out of her dress—Roselia swallowed nervously.

“N-no, I’m fine. I can manage on my own.”

She desperately wanted to change into men’s clothing as quickly as possible, but the tightly laced dress, secured from her shoulder blades to her waist, was proving impossible to undo on her own.

She had already loosened part of the laces, making it impossible to put the dress back on properly.

Stuck in a predicament, she clutched the slipping bodice and hesitantly asked,

“Um… was Eva not outside?”

Klaus fell silent.

It sounded like he was glancing around the room.

After a brief pause, he replied in a calm tone.

“She doesn’t seem to be here. You came with your maid?”

Roselia sighed, then started struggling again, trying to untie the dress herself.

“If you’re in the middle of changing, why not call another servant?”

Klaus’s matter-of-fact suggestion made Roselia grit her teeth.

At that moment—

As Roselia struggled to untie the laces of her dress, she accidentally stepped on the hem, causing her to stumble.

“Kyah!”

Startled by her sudden scream, Klaus immediately pushed open the door to the powder room.

“Roselia!”

She had fallen, and her arm had scraped against the gold-trimmed edge of the table, leaving a small but noticeable cut.

Alarmed, Klaus rushed to her side, quickly assessing her condition.

“Are you alright?”

Roselia, her dress half undone, hastily pulled the fabric over her chest and flushed red.

“I-I’m fine, so please just leave.”

Despite her firm tone, Klaus didn’t budge.

Blood had begun to seep through the scratch on her arm, and his expression hardened.

With a furrowed brow, he swiftly opened one of the drawers in the powder room and pulled out antiseptic and bandages.

The ease with which he found them suggested he had used this room more than once.

Without hesitation, Klaus also retrieved an ointment and knelt beside her, carefully lifting her injured arm.

“Just bear with it for a moment. I’ll call a servant after I patch this up.”

With practiced hands, he pulled out a handkerchief from his breast pocket and gently wiped away the blood.

Roselia watched his side profile in silence as he tended to her wound.

His sharp features were set in a serious expression, brows slightly furrowed as if he were treating a far more severe injury.

She had assumed he was someone who had never bothered to treat another person’s wound before, yet his movements were quick and precise.

As she continued staring at him, Klaus glanced up, briefly locking eyes with her.

Realizing she had been watching him so intently, Roselia quickly turned away, her face heating up.

That was when she became acutely aware of his touch.

His hands, firm yet careful, held her arm as he applied the antiseptic.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she swallowed nervously, unsure of where to look.

Then, in a calm voice, Klaus spoke.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

He was referring to her appearance in a dress.

Ever since arriving in Raphelios, she had only ever presented herself as Antonio.

“That hair suits you better.”

His unexpected compliment made Roselia glance at him in confusion.

Klaus was gazing at her with a slight, smooth curve at the corner of his lips.

Only then did she realize—unlike before, her hair was long again, resembling how she looked before she cut it.

Her face flushed.

For some reason, she felt as if she had shown him a part of her true self, making her feel oddly vulnerable.

But while she fidgeted with embarrassment, Klaus quietly observed her every expression, as if etching each one into his memory.

“If you hadn’t entered the ducal estate as a servant… you would have looked like this all along, wouldn’t you?”

His voice carried a faint trace of regret.

Roselia responded as evenly as she could.

“Going to the ducal estate was my choice.”

Of course, she had been forced into it due to debt, but if she had truly wanted to escape, she could have run away long before then.

Yet, instead of fleeing, she had chosen to confront Klaus directly.

Hearing her blunt response, Klaus let out a small smile.

“I’m grateful for that choice. If you hadn’t made it… we never would have met.”

His words were so direct that Roselia found herself staring at him again, wide-eyed.

By then, Klaus had already finished disinfecting her wound and was carefully wrapping a bandage around her arm.

Roselia’s expression turned puzzled when she noticed the slight tremble in Klaus’s hands.

“Roselia… I think about you dozens of times a day, wishing I could return to the time we spent together.”

His voice carried a weight of longing, his brows furrowed in distress. The sheer emotion behind his words sent a jolt through Roselia’s heart.

“I’ve spent countless nights agonizing over why you left me. No matter how much I denied it, I came to realize that, from your perspective, my choices must have felt like a betrayal. And then, while I was away rescuing the Crown Princess, you were kidnapped… You must have resented me for not being by your side.”

That resentment had existed, in part.

But it wasn’t the fundamental reason she had left.

She, too, had been swayed by him. But more than anything, she feared the future that awaited them—the future already written in the original story.

So she had wished for them to remain nothing more than strangers.

To simply be grateful that they were both alive, and to hear of each other only from afar…

But she couldn’t bring herself to say any of this.

Instead, Roselia pressed her lips together and kept her gaze fixed on the floor.

“After all of that, I finally understood—more than anything else, you are what’s most precious to me. And if I’m given another chance, I won’t let you go again. I will protect you, no matter what.”

Her grip tightened around the fabric of her dress.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

Because if she did, she feared she would falter.

She feared that, just for a moment, she would let go of all her worries and allow herself to lean into his embrace.

But there were too many things they had to protect.

The Duchy and the Marquisate…

Claucet, who was so dear to them both.

Johannes, who had been waiting for her alone for over a decade.

And the kind and loyal people who followed them.

They couldn’t allow themselves to fall apart.

They had to stay steadfast in their roles.

As Klaus watched Roselia biting her lip with all her strength, his gaze softened with a mix of pain and understanding.

Then, ever so gently, he let go of her arm.

By now, the white bandages were neatly wrapped around her wound.

“But I won’t pressure you,” he said quietly. “I’ll simply… wait behind you, like I always have. Because that’s the only way I know how to protect you.”

Then, as if making a solemn vow, he leaned forward and pressed a careful kiss to her shoulder, just above her bandaged wound.

It was a light, reverent touch—yet it made every muscle in Roselia’s body tense.

Noticing her reaction, Klaus smiled softly before rising to his feet.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll call for a servant.”

But just as Klaus turned to leave, a familiar, loud voice echoed from outside.

“My lady, are you still not done? I’m coming in!”

Without a second thought, Eva flung the door open and stepped inside—

Only to freeze on the spot at the sight of Klaus standing right in front of her.

“Dresses can be difficult to take off, so I thought I’d hel— Huh…?”

Eva’s brain seemed to shut down as she processed the scene before her.

Meanwhile, Klaus remained utterly composed as he spoke.

“I’ve already treated Roselia’s wound, but make sure to have it checked again when you return to the marquisate.”

And with that, he brushed past Eva and disappeared out the door.

Eva gawked after him, unable to close her gaping mouth.

Then, as the meaning of Klaus’s words finally sank in, she snapped her head toward Roselia in alarm.

“My lady, you got hurt?!”

“It’s nothing serious.”

Ignoring Eva’s fussing, Roselia remained where she stood, staring silently at the door Klaus had just walked through.

* * *

Roselia had come to the Empress’s palace alongside Marquis Bellog, the head of the Bellog Trading Company.

As they walked through the corridors, Bellog admired the various artworks displayed throughout the Empress’s residence. When they passed through the cloister overlooking the garden, he let out another sigh of admiration.

“As expected of the imperial garden—it is aesthetically stunning, and the air is filled with a wonderful fragrance.”

Hearing this, Roselia curiously glanced around the garden.

It wasn’t yet the season for flowers to be in full bloom, so there shouldn’t have been any noticeable scents.

Is the marquis particularly sensitive to smells…?

Just as she was mulling over the thought, a familiar silhouette passed by on the other side of the cloister.

It was only a fleeting glimpse, but the silver hair, petite frame, and delicate posture immediately reminded her of Nora.

“Viscount, is something wrong?”

Noticing that Roselia had suddenly stopped in her tracks, Bellog looked at her questioningly.

Only then did Roselia regain her senses and shake her head.

How could Nora, who worked at a back-alley tavern, possibly be inside the imperial palace?

“It’s nothing. The Empress must be waiting. Let’s go.”

Convincing herself that she must have been mistaken, Roselia resumed walking toward the Empress’s chambers alongside Bellog.

TL/N: Incase you guys noticed In the Korean text, Eva used “아가씨” (agassi) to address Roselia.
“아가씨” (agassi) is a term used to refer to a young noble lady or a respectable young woman in general. It is specifically feminine and used when addressing a noblewoman or a lady of higher status.
If Eva had addressed Roselia as “lord” in the masculine sense, she would have used “도련님” (doryeonnim) or “영식” (yeongsik), which are used for noble sons or young masters.
Since she called her “아가씨”, Eva was treating Roselia as a lady in that moment, not as Antonio (her male disguise). SO this novel is in 3rd pov in the authors pov if it was in Rosliea’s it would have been similar to author and if it was in diff povs. Well I would have dropped it.

 

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