120. Rather, Use Me

Klaus’s cold voice caused Roselia and the man holding her hand to widen their eyes in surprise.

As Roselia inadvertently grabbed the money, the man finally released her hand.

He then looked down at Klaus’s hand with an expressionless face.

“You should let go of that hand immediately.”

Startled by the man’s sharp voice, which sounded like he might draw a knife at any moment, Roselia quickly explained to Klaus.

“This person was just trying to pay back the money.”

“Money?”

Only then did Klaus loosen his grip on the man’s wrist.

As the hold on his wrist was released, the man brusquely shook it off and bowed his head toward Roselia.

“Then the debt is all paid. I’ll see you again later, Viscount.”

As the man said this and calmly turned to leave, Roselia’s eyes widened in surprise.

Did she ever introduce herself as the little Viscount of Bernas?

Lost in thought for a moment, Roselia turned her gaze away from Klaus, who was standing like a statue in front of her.

“What do you mean by debt?”

At Klaus’s indifferent question, Roselia let out a deep sigh.

“I just covered the accommodation fee since you came to the hotel without any money.”

Klaus tilted his head at her words.

“From what you’re wearing, you don’t seem to be lacking money…”

She had considered that possibility, but…

It could be that he made a fortune selling items brought from Zelos.

Since trade with Zelos had been nearly non-existent, she had heard that goods from there were quite expensive.

Thinking this, Roselia casually walked past Klaus.

“Well then, I have a prior engagement, so I must take my leave.”

Since Klaus didn’t need to be involved in her meeting with Bellog, Roselia hurried to exit.

However, Klaus caught her wrist again, causing her to turn her head in surprise.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

At his serious tone, Roselia, still surprised, sighed and nodded.

He led her to what appeared to be a private space, a reception room for VIPs rather than a guest-only lounge.

After confirming that Roselia had entered the room, Klaus closed the door.

Click—

Roselia’s expression widened in shock as he not only closed the door but also casually locked it.

In a private room with just the two of them, locking the door made her nervous, and she asked bluntly to hide her embarrassment.

“Why are you locking the door?”

At her blunt question, Klaus turned his head and smirked, curling his lips alluringly.

“Do you really think I would do something to you?”

Roselia’s face flushed at Klaus’s pointed question, and she glared at him sharply.

“If you have something to say, please finish it quickly.”

Seeing Roselia step back, Klaus smiled bitterly and plopped down onto the sofa across from her.

“I heard there’s a royal meeting scheduled for a vote on the coronation. Including representatives from various countries.”

Klaus spoke while crossing his arms.

“Of course, I received an invitation as well.”

Roselia knew about the royal meeting, but she didn’t understand what Klaus was getting at, furrowing her brow.

“What do you want to say?”

At Roselia’s cold question, Klaus gazed at her intently.

“The House of Valthazar will lend its support.”

Roselia’s eyes widened at Klaus’s nonchalant statement.

“I can see exactly what you’re planning. Of course, that would be the most certain way. But it’s like throwing a piece of meat in front of starving hyenas.”

Roselia quickly composed her expression.

“What I do is none of your concern, Duke.”

At Roselia’s cold words, Klaus slammed his hand on the table without realizing it.

“How can I not be concerned?”

Seeing his anxious demeanor, Roselia bit her lip and remained silent.

Klaus, now standing close to Roselia, looked down at her with burning eyes.

“How can I not care about you? Huh? If you have a way, why don’t you tell me?”

Unlike his usual demeanor, he appeared very anxious.

This was likely because Duke Rubelio was involved in this matter.

Klaus, showing signs of anxiety, turned away and roughly ran his fingers through his hair to calm himself.

Then he spoke in a deliberately composed manner.

“I’ll make sure the coronation of Prince Aaron proceeds smoothly, even if I have to bribe the neutral nobles. So for heaven’s sake, don’t act rashly.”

Roselia sighed as she looked at Klaus’s expression.

“You don’t need to do that.”

If Klaus bribed the neutral nobles of Raphelos, Duke Rubelio would undoubtedly notice.

The Duke of Rugbeljet bribing nobles from another empire would be an unforgivable act under the Rugbeljet imperial law.

The moment the only duke of Rugbeljet buys off nobles from another empire to place Prince Aaron on the throne, rumors questioning his motives would circulate.

Duke Rubelio would seize that opportunity to accuse Klaus of treason.

If that happened, it would be no different from the original storyline where Klaus dies for treason.

Roselia then spoke calmly.

“I won’t be attending the royal meeting that day.”

In the first place, only influential figures, including the nobles of Raphelos and representatives from other countries, were eligible to participate in this royal meeting.

As a mere little Viscount of another empire, she had no right to attend.

At Roselia’s calm words, Klaus seemed somewhat relieved and sighed.

“Then how do you plan to resolve this?”

“The marquisate will handle it, so there’s no need for you to worry any further, Duke.”

As Roselia said this, she turned to approach the door.

Placing her hand on the doorknob, she paused and turned back to Klaus to deliver her final statement.

“So please, Duke, don’t act rashly.”

* * *

As Roselia entered Bellog’s room, she was taken aback to see Asif lounging comfortably on the sofa in the middle of the room.

Opposite him, Bellog was looking at Roselia with an awkward smile.

“I told you that you didn’t need to join us today, but you’re so stubborn…”

With a sigh at Bellog’s pitiful voice, Roselia approached and sat next to Asif.

“How did you know I was meeting the marquis today?”

At Roselia’s question, Asif smiled broadly.

“I just visited the Yukilion Marquis’s mansion a little while ago. Since you went out for work, it was obvious where you would be.”

Roselia shook her head at Asif’s cat-like, lazy smile.

“By the way, I haven’t seen your sister around… At her age, she should love parties, yet she hasn’t shown her face at any.”

It seemed he still remembered the excuse she had given when she was dressed as a woman.

She thought he wouldn’t care much, but it was surprising that he was looking for her even at the party…

Deciding she needed to cut off Asif’s interest appropriately, Roselia replied bluntly.

“My sister has returned to our home country, Rugbeljet.”

“Huh? Already?”

Seeing his somewhat disappointed expression, Roselia furrowed her brows in confusion.

“Why do you react like that?”

At Roselia’s sharp question, Asif awkwardly scratched his chin and chuckled.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I was just a bit curious. You two have a very similar vibe.”

Roselia stiffened involuntarily at Asif’s words.

She had certainly controlled her fragrance when she was dressed as a woman.

Since she was also wearing a veil, he shouldn’t have been able to see her features clearly… His remark, suggesting he felt something from her during that brief conversation, left her astonished.

Roselia quickly changed the subject.

“We need to talk about business now, so if you have nothing useful to say, please leave the room.”

Asif, who had looked somewhat deflated at her words, straightened up.

“I finally got to see your face after so long; there’s no way I’m leaving.”

As he said this, Roselia couldn’t help but smile slightly at Asif’s captivating red eyes.

* * *

As Roselia stepped out of the Valtazar Hotel, she looked at the coachman with a perplexed expression.

“The wheel is broken?”

“Yes… We are changing the wheel, but the other side is also damaged, so it might take some time. It seems like it will take a while; would you like to catch another carriage instead?”

Watching the flustered coachman, Roselia forced a smile.

“That’s fine. I’ll just take another carriage.”

With that, Roselia scanned the area around the hotel.

Usually, a few carriages would be waiting in front of the hotel, but today, there seemed to be no carriages in sight, likely due to the large number of guests.

Rather than waiting idly, Roselia thought it would be better to take a walk to the bustling district to catch a carriage, so she set off without hesitation.

After walking to the vibrant area near the port, Roselia admired the busy street vendors.

At that moment, she felt as if someone was staring at her, and she quickly turned her head.

However, only busy passersby were around, and there was no one suspicious in sight.

Tilting her head in confusion, Roselia resumed her walk but soon felt an unsettling sense that someone was following her.

Feeling a growing sense of unease, Roselia quickened her pace to catch a carriage.

She could sense that the presence following her was also speeding up.

As the certainty that she was being pursued grew, her heart began to race loudly.

Was it a shadow sent by Duke Rubelio?

Could they be so blatant about it?

Or was it a shadow sent by the concubine faction?

With all sorts of thoughts racing through her mind, Roselia found herself almost running, and soon, sweat was pouring down her forehead like rain.

At that moment, someone grabbed her shoulder.

“Ah!”

Startled, she screamed and instinctively took a defensive stance.

“Antonio.”

At the familiar voice, Roselia, who had been crouched in fear, slowly opened her eyes.

The one gripping her shoulder was none other than Klaus.

“Duke…? You were following me?”

As she confirmed his face, a wave of relief washed over her, almost feeling like a lie.

However, Klaus still maintained a stiff expression as he held onto her shoulder.

“Stick close to me. We’ll move to where the carriage is.”

With Klaus’s serious tone, Roselia instinctively sensed that Klaus was not the only one pursuing her.

 

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