Edited…

15. Haven’t we met before?

Klaus was walking down the corridor with Alejandro, knowing that he was going to meet someone here for some important business.

“What an interesting place to meet someone. That person must be quite knowledgeable and eccentric.”

“Please bear with it. After all, this is the most discreet place around here. It wouldn’t be harmful to establish connections.”

“Alright, alright, just guide me quickly.”

Flustered, Roselia had to turn around quickly and walk in the opposite direction.

Why, why is he here of all places!

Moreover, she was wearing the same blonde wig she had worn when she encountered Klaus in Algresia Village. Although their encounter was brief, Klaus, being sharp, was very likely to recognize her.

Worrying about Klaus walking behind her, she had to make a decision.

She couldn’t keep walking in the opposite direction indefinitely.

Nadia’s room was in the opposite direction from where Klaus was headed to.

Unable to decide what to do, she eventually turned to another corridor to her side.

So that even if she had to take a detour, Roselia intended to reach Nadia’s room through the opposite corridor.

As she turned to the corner to return to the right corridor leading to Nadia’s room, a huge shadow loomed over Roselia.

Feeling a prickling sensation at the back of her neck, Roselia slowly raised her head.

Above a neatly buttoned shirt that extended from his broad chest and till up to his neck, a familiar and chilling gaze was fixed upon her.

“Lady.”

Subconsciously on meeting Klaus’s gaze, Roselia swallowed hard.

“Haven’t we met before?”

It felt like facing a dangerous towering wall.

Being unexpectedly confronted like this, unlike in Algresia Village, she had no chance to hide her face. Roselia could only stand frozen in place like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

“Lady.”

He coldly repeated, staring persistently into her eyes.

“Haven’t we met before? Somewhere else?”

His icy gaze felt like it could penetrate her soul.

A chill ran down her spine as cold sweat trickled down her back.

However, Roselia managed to smile calmly and casually opened her mouth.

“Is that so?”

She decided to play dumb as the probability of fleeing seemed unlikely.

She thought it wouldn’t matter if she pretended not to know; he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Although Klaus’s expression as he looked down at Roselia’s smiling face was incredibly cold, to say the very least.

“From Algresia Village… Didn’t we bump into each other?”

“Did we? There are so many people I meet; it’s hard to remember.”

Roselia’s blunt reply prompted Klaus to glance at her attire and nod in understanding.

Misunderstanding seemed to dominate his gaze, and although Roselia felt unjustly accused, she managed to keep a calm expression.

She didn’t want to make matters worse by trying to explain her attire, as it would only prolong the conversation.

“Well then, I must get going.”

As Roselia tried to pass him, Klaus moved to block her path again, prompting a puzzled expression from her.

Curiously looking up at Klaus, Roselia attempted to ignore his persistent gaze and swallowed hard.

“One question.”

“W-what?”

Trying to appear nonchalant while Klaus’s gaze seemed piercing, Roselia managed to put on a poker face.

“Do you know Antonio?”

Indeed, he was suspicious after all.

Unintentionally, Roselia’s hand tensed with the sweat dripping from her palm.

Glad that she wasn’t meeting his eyes, Roselia tried to casually glance towards the end of the corridor.

At that moment, Alejandro appeared at that end of the corridor looking for Klaus.

Given Klaus’s current suspicion, if Alejandro encountered him with Roselia now, there was a high chance of being exposed by excessive questioning.

Without much thought, Roselia grabbed the lapel of Klaus’s suit and pulled him into the open door beside them.

Fortunately, it seemed to be an empty room, or at least one that wasn’t being used, as it was pitch black inside.

As Klaus, who had been forcibly brought into the room, looked down at the woman who was panting softly, his gaze was drawn to her green eyes, which seemed to lead him on under her artificial blonde hair.

For a moment, Klaus’s eyes, which were staring intently at her, showed a hint of confusion.

Why did he follow her so easily when he could have resisted?

Perplexed by Roselia’s scent, whether it was perfume or something else, Klaus quickly tried to regain his composure.

Yes, she could be Antonio’s sister. If those cursed Hesingk siblings were deceiving him, he needed to question them properly and extract a price. They dared to play him right under his nose; they should pay for that. That was all there was to it.

However, from the moment he entered the room, the scent emanating from her confused his thoughts.

It wasn’t until Alejandro’s presence receded that Roselia realized how closely she was pressed against the Duke in the dark room.

Quickly letting go of the Duke’s suit lapel, Roselia awkwardly cleared her throat.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Uh… I saw a guest that I know. It wouldn’t be good to show him that I’m with another guest like you.”

Roselia inwardly sighed with regret. It was unfortunate that she had to speak as if she were a server working here. Her mouth tasted bitter, but she had no choice but to overcome this embarrassment.

Although she thought it was a reasonably convincing excuse, Klaus seemed to think otherwise as he looked down at her with a cold gaze.

With the thought that his navy blue eyes were strangely intense, Roselia made an effort to move her body to escape from this situation.

“Well then… I’m a bit busy right now so…”

She tried to slip away through the gap between the door and his massive body, but his arm blocked her way.

As a bewildered Roselia swallowed nervously, Klaus’s deep, resonant voice filled the air.

“I asked you a question earlier, and you didn’t answer…”

A sense of danger flashed. If she lingered any longer, she knew she would get caught!

While Roselia tried to ignore his gaze, she retorted irritably, adding a touch of impatience.

“I really don’t know that person you’re talking about, so can you just move your arm? I have to go.”

Responding confidently, Roselia’s words prompted Klaus to produce a wry smile.

“But why won’t you look me in the eyes?”

“…”

“Isn’t it polite to face the person you’re talking to?”

Klaus’s massive frame got even closer to her.

His very solid and noticeable leg touched the hem of the dress Roselia wore, causing a slight gust of wind that made her wallow in embarrassment.

Before she reacted, he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

“Let me ask again. Do you know Antonio?”

Too close. It was way too close for her to answer!

Feeling as if her heart would leap out of her chest, Roselia couldn’t help herself and forcefully pushed him away.

“I said I don’t know!”

Without looking back, Roselia swiftly exited through the door swiftly.

Even without looking at a mirror, she could feel her face burning. Roselia, still agitated by her inexplicable reaction, left the building without a second thought.

At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with Nadia.

Damn it, Duke Valtezar!

Whether it was due to writhing in discomfort or some instinctive repulsive attraction, Roselia found herself irritated by even the slightest contact with the Duke.

* * *

Roselia looked up at Claucet, who displayed in front of her a mask with blackened peacock feathers, and shook her head with a shiver.

Seeing Roselia’s uneasy reaction, Claucet protested with a rough expression.

” You don’t like it?”

“Yes.”

Acknowledging Roselia’s straightforward opinion, Claucet immediately conceded and Melda presented another mask.

This time, it was a mask adorned with green feathers and a gold border.

Although it gave off an elegant and sophisticated vibe, it didn’t quite harmonize with Claucet’s sapphire-colored clear eyes.

When Roselia shook her head in disagreement, Claucet, with a distressed expression, extended her hand to Melda.

“Next!”

Melda glanced at Roselia disapprovingly before handing her the last mask.

It was a sky-blue mask adorned with white feathers and embedded with blue sapphire stones.

As Roselia, who had been holding her cup to her lips, looked at the mask that complemented Claucet’s blue-silver hair and sapphire eyes, she lowered her cup and smiled.

“This one is perfect.”

With a broad smile matching Roselia’s positive response, Claucet asked again, and Roselia nodded in agreement.

“Yes, it suits you well.”

“Right? I thought this one looked the best too. Oh, and now that I think about it, this mask would probably go well with Antonio, wouldn’t it?”

Claucet produced the mask adorned with green feathers and a gold border that she had shown earlier.

It did complement Roselia’s emerald eyes, but the problem was that the mask was intended to be worn by women.

Although she was indeed a woman, she couldn’t wear a women’s mask because she was pretending to be a male now.

“Aren’t you joking?”

“That’s too bad. Antonio would have looked so pretty if he were a woman.”

It was a casual remark, but Roselia felt a pang of guilt.

“If I wore that mask and attended the debutante ball, people would think I’m a pervert.”

“Well… You probably can’t wear it to my debutante ball, but it’s okay just to try it on for a moment, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me?”

With an eerie smile on her face as Claucet approached, Roselia felt like she was about to break out in a cold sweat at Claucet’s impending appearance.

“Milady, please…”

“Just once, Antonio. Please? Your green eyes would match the mask so well. Aren’t you curious too, Melda?To see how he would look?”

Even Melda, who was standing nearby, for no particular reason, started to agree with Claucet as she was dragged into the conversation.

“Well, I can’t compare to your level of interest, Lady Claucet, but I’m a little curious too.”

“See, Antonio, even Melda wants to see you with it. Come on, try it on just once. Please?”

Roselia sighed deeply and reluctantly nodded her head at Claucet’s persistence.

Ecstatic at her acceptance, Claucet approached Roselia with the mask in hand.

Quickly placing the mask on Roselia, who was now sitting on the sofa, Claucet remained silent for a moment. Claucet was awe-struck.

Roselia, who had closed her eyes, slowly opened them in confusion when Claucet didn’t react after putting on the mask.

Claucet’s expression resembled that of someone who had discovered a great masterpiece right before them.

“Lady Claucet?”

“Oh my, Antonio… Why weren’t you born as a woman?”