21. Caught by the Collar

If she got caught by the Duke this time, there would be no escape.

Feeling a threat to her life, Roselia instinctively took a step back.

The Crown Prince, who had been watching the scene with a smile as if enjoying a play, seemed to feel a pang of conscience and stepped in front of the Duke.

“Duke Valtazar, I don’t think you came here to dance with me.”

“Step aside.”

In response to Klaus’ threatening voice, the Crown Prince continued with a smirk.

“Oh dear, approaching so menacingly will surely frighten the lady.”

“This is not something for Your Highness to concern yourself with.”

It was a rebuke directed at the Crown Prince for neglecting the Crown Princess and wandering off.

Seeing Klaus’ eyes filled with defiance, Esteban’s face gradually hardened.

“Do you realize your tone is exceedingly insolent?”

“……”

It was as if sparks were flying between the two.

While Esteban and Klaus were engaged in a silent battle of nerves, Roselia took the opportunity to step back.

Klaus, who noticed her too late, glared fiercely.

“Hey!”

As soon as Roselia heard Klaus’ voice, she turned and ran through the crowd.

She heard Klaus swearing and chasing after her.

Madman! He looks like he’ll choke me if he catches me!

With Klaus pursuing her fiercely, Roselia ran to the secluded garden.

The garden, with its many bushes and trees, was the perfect place to hide.

Since it was night, she thought she could easily lose the Duke if she hid well.

Having run into the garden, Roselia quickly concealed herself in the bushes.

Crouching and holding her breath, she watched Klaus run past her hiding spot.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Roselia waited a while before cautiously emerging from the bushes.

As she brushed off the leaves from the pretty dress Claucet had carefully prepared for her, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Startled, Roselia turned her gaze behind her.

There stood Klaus, breathing heavily, his dark navy eyes glinting as he held her wrist.

“You have quite a knack for running away.”

Roselia gulped.

“This is already the third time, isn’t it? That you’ve run from me.”

Klaus’s hand approached Roselia’s stiffened face.

As she squeezed her eyes shut in response to his sudden action, his hand slowly removed the mask covering her eyes.

As the mask was taken off, Roselia’s emerald eyes sparkled under the moonlight in the dark night sky.

Looking down at her, Klaus murmured her name in a low voice.

“Roselia.”

The sound of her name, clearly spoken by him, made Roselia’s gaze waver.

For some reason, it struck her how well his blue-tinted black hair and dark navy eyes suited the pitch-black night sky. Perhaps it was her mind’s way of coping with the harsh reality she was suddenly facing, wanting to escape this situation.

“Roselia de Hesingk.”

As if to anchor her wandering thoughts, Klaus called her name again.

Finally coming to her senses, Roselia looked at Klaus with a tense expression.

Seeing his eyes filled with certainty, it seemed there was no room for denial.

Ignoring the trembling at the corners of her eyes caused by nerves, Roselia opened her mouth, trying to stay calm.

“You must be mistaken.”

At her curt response, Klaus twisted one corner of his mouth.

“What could I be mistaken about? That the woman I saw at the tavern that day wasn’t you? Or when I encountered you in Algreshia Village? Or do you want to deny that you are Roselia?”

“If I say it’s all a misunderstanding… you wouldn’t believe me, would you…?”

Half resigned, she asked, and Klaus coldly hammered in the nail.

“After losing track of you that day, I re-investigated the Hesingk Barony. Your death certificate was fake, as I found out upon closer inspection.”

Roselia swallowed hard, unable to control her nerves.

Watching her, Klaus smiled slyly and tilted his head leisurely.

“Well… we can blame the incompetent officials who squander taxpayers’ money without doing their jobs properly… but at least one thing is clear—Antonio deceived me.”

For a moment, Roselia’s gaze flickered as she looked at Klaus.

Could it be…?

It seemed Klaus was certain that the person in front of him was Roselia, but he did not appear to realize that Antonio and Roselia were the same person.

This was actually a stroke of luck.

Her ultimate goal was to avoid being noticed by him as a woman. As long as he didn’t discover her true identity while she was Antonio, things might go smoother than expected.

While Roselia was organizing her thoughts, Klaus continued to speak, looking down at her intently.

“Have you been in contact with Antonio all this time?”

Klaus stood there, his dark navy eyes glinting as he held her wrist, breathing heavily.

“You have quite a knack for running away.”

Roselia swallowed hard.

“This is the third time already, isn’t it? That you’ve run from me.”

Klaus’s hand approached Roselia’s tense face.

As she squeezed her eyes shut in response to his sudden action, his hand slowly removed the mask covering her eyes.

As the mask came off, Roselia’s emerald eyes sparkled under the moonlight.

Klaus, looking down at her, murmured her name in a low voice.

“Roselia.”

The sound of her name, clearly spoken by him, made Roselia’s gaze waver.

For some reason, it struck her how well his blue-tinted black hair and dark navy eyes suited the pitch-black night sky. Perhaps it was her mind’s way of coping with the harsh reality she was suddenly facing, wanting to escape this situation.

“Roselia de Hesingk.”

As if to anchor her wandering thoughts, Klaus called her name again.

Finally coming to her senses, Roselia looked at Klaus with a tense expression.

Seeing his eyes filled with certainty, it seemed there was no room for denial.

Ignoring the trembling at the corners of her eyes caused by nerves, Roselia opened her mouth, trying to stay calm.

“You must be mistaken.”

At her curt response, Klaus twisted one corner of his mouth.

“What could I be mistaken about? That the woman I saw at the tavern that day wasn’t you? Or when I encountered you in Algreshia Village? Or do you want to deny that you are Roselia?”

“If I say it’s all a misunderstanding… you wouldn’t believe me, would you…?”

Half resigned, she asked, and Klaus coldly hammered in the nail.

“After losing track of you that day, I re-investigated the Hesingk Barony. Your death certificate was fake, as I found out upon closer inspection.”

Roselia swallowed hard, unable to control her nerves.

Watching her, Klaus smiled slyly and tilted his head leisurely.

“Well… we can blame the incompetent officials who squander taxpayers’ money without doing their jobs properly… but at least one thing is clear—Antonio deceived me.”

For a moment, Roselia’s gaze flickered as she looked at Klaus.

Could it be…?

It seemed Klaus was certain that the person in front of him was Roselia, but he did not appear to realize that Antonio and Roselia were the same person.

This was actually a stroke of luck.

Her ultimate goal was to avoid being noticed by him as a woman. As long as he didn’t discover her true identity while she was Antonio, things might go smoother than expected.

While Roselia was organizing her thoughts, Klaus continued to speak, looking down at her intently.

“Have you been in contact with Antonio all this time?”

Roselia hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

She needed to craft a story that was as natural and believable as possible. If this panther-like man detected even a hint of a lie, he would surely rip her to shreds.

“I’ve met with him occasionally where I’ve been staying. Please don’t blame Antonio. My brother… he only did it because he cares about me.”

Klaus twisted his mouth into a crooked smile at Roselia’s sorrowful act.

“So, that place where you’ve been hiding from my eyes was that kind of place?”

He was clearly referring to the tavern where they had encountered each other.

Given the location and her attire at the time, he must have believed she was working there.

Roselia thought of explaining but quickly changed her mind. Denying it would require her to explain why she was dressed like that in the tavern, and making an excuse for an excuse seemed pointless.

“Think what you like. Just know that I’ve been doing my part to help pay off the Duke’s debts.”

At her words, Klaus’s expression twisted into a bitter smile.

“Doing your part, huh? Is that how you met the Crown Prince?”

What nonsense is this now?

Did he think she was serving the Crown Prince in that kind of place?

Even if that were the case, what did it matter to him?

Though it was exasperating, she had no desire to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Think what you want.”

At her indifferent words, Klaus’s brow furrowed.

He suddenly remembered seeing her almost kissing the Crown Prince at the ball, making him even more displeased.

But he kept his composure and changed the subject.

“Then… how did you get into the Duke’s banquet hall? Only nobles invited by Claucet could enter here.”

Roselia hesitated for a moment before answering calmly.

“I happened to meet Lady Claucet, and she gave me an invitation.”

“Claucet’s invitation? You?”

Roselia felt a bit guilty but trusted that Claucet would back her up no matter what she said.

“I happened to meet her in the market, and when she learned I was Antonio’s sister, she kindly took care of me.”

Since it was well known that Antonio, as Claucet’s domestic servant, was favored by her, it was a plausible reason.

While Klaus was lost in thought, Roselia decided that lingering in his sight any longer would do her no good and began to back away slowly.

Klaus, leisurely folding his arms, looked down at her like a satisfied predator and spoke quietly.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Uh… I thought you were done with me, so I was just going to leave quietly…”

“Who said you could?”

Klaus’s firm voice sent a chill down Roselia’s spine.

In just two steps, Klaus closed the distance Roselia had tried to put between them and looked down at her menacingly.

“The debt is in the name of the Hesingk Barony, so it wouldn’t be fair to make Antonio pay it alone.”

“Well… I am helping to pay it off too…”

She was Antonio, and she was Roselia, so technically, she was right.

But Klaus seemed unsatisfied with her answer and looked at her coldly.

“Since you’ve been caught anyway, wouldn’t it be easier for both of us if you came to the Duke’s estate to repay the debt?”

Roselia gulped again.

Good heavens… is he suggesting I play both roles in the Duke’s estate?

She was already on the verge of a breakdown.

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Roselia tried to maintain a calm expression and smiled.

“I can’t stand being around too many people.”

“Being around people doesn’t seem to be an issue at the place you’re staying now. Working as a maid at the Duke’s estate would be much more comfortable than that.”

His words implied that he believed she was working at a tavern, which made Roselia frown.

“I’ll decide what’s more comfortable for me. If you’re worried I’ll run away without paying the debt, don’t be. Next time, I’ll come to settle the debt myself instead of Antonio.”

Klaus couldn’t help but laugh at her determined gaze, thinking of Antonio.

Are they siblings, even if they’re not related by blood?

Looking at Roselia’s unwavering eyes, Klaus finally decided to take a step back.

Since the debt was gradually being paid off, there was no need to force someone who clearly didn’t want to stay.

“Fine, then. I’ll wait for the next debt settlement.”

With a relaxed smile, Klaus stepped back, and Roselia quickly turned and left the garden.

Her heart pounded wildly, fearing he might chase after her again.

Glancing back repeatedly, Roselia quietly slipped into the shadows of the mansion.

Even after she disappeared into the light of the mansion, Klaus’s dark blue eyes continued to follow her.