26. It seems that the siblings are alike in their ability to irritate others.

Klaus also did not understand why he was reacting so sensitively.

For some reason, when he saw Antonio being grabbed by the wrist by the Crown Prince, an inexplicable anger suddenly surged within him.

He usually had a sensitive disposition regarding his property and belongings, so he could only guess that he was angry because someone was handling what was his carelessly.

After calming himself and organizing his thoughts, Klaus opened his mouth calmly.

“Will you only listen to me if the Crown Prince grabs you by the neck? His Highness is someone who would not hesitate to behead you if you displease him.”

Hmm… I already knew that part well.

That’s why the original Roselia was executed by the Crown Prince so futilely.

Of course, Klaus was the one who contributed the most to that incident.

When Roselia stared coldly at the floor, Klaus, thinking he had gotten through to her, continued speaking.

“There is no benefit to you in attracting the Crown Prince’s attention. So…”

“Thank you for your advice. But as I said earlier, this is not just about repaying the Duke’s debt, it’s also a promise between me and the Crown Princess. I will handle it well so as not to cause any harm to the Duke.”

Roselia did not want to listen to the words of Klaus, who had remained indifferent until the moment she died.

And the biggest reason was that, as she had told Klaus, it was now an issue related to her promise to the Crown Princess.

She recalled the face of the Crown Princess, who had bitterly said she wished there were more people like Roselia in the imperial family.

She was a woman who inspired much more trust and affection than the men who talked about killing.

With a cold expression, Roselia bowed slightly to Klaus and then turned and walked away without hesitation.

* * *

Roselia, dressed as a man, stood in front of Klaus’s office door and swallowed nervously.

Why did she boldly declare that she would personally repay the next debt as Roselia…?

She felt like slapping her past self.

As Roselia took a deep breath and was about to knock on the office door, she heard voices from inside.

“It seems… the noble council hasn’t approved the school site construction.”

After Alejandro’s calm voice, Klaus’s voice, sounding like he was holding back his anger, was heard.

“They’re making such a fuss just because it slightly overlaps with our land. It’s obvious; they’re looking for an excuse to squeeze money out of me under the pretense of school construction.”

“Indeed… perhaps we should reconsider the school construction project…”

“Hah…! If they want money, I’ll shove it down their throats so they can’t utter a word. Damn it. That’s why I earned money in the first place.”

“…Then I’ll compile a list of the nobles who own land near the school site.”

As Alejandro said this and opened the door, Roselia instinctively turned around and hid.

Alejandro, seemingly preoccupied, didn’t notice her and disappeared down the end of the hallway.

After watching Alejandro disappear, she swallowed dryly and cautiously knocked on the office door.

“Is there something else you need to ask?”

At Klaus’s irritated voice, Roselia carefully began to speak.

“I… it’s Roselia.”

“…”

After a brief silence, Klaus responded in a low, deep voice.

“Come in.”

As Roselia cautiously opened the door and entered, she couldn’t help but avoid Klaus’s gaze, who was leaning against the desk and staring at her.

Glancing at Klaus, she noticed he looked unusually tired and disheveled, with his shirt unbuttoned in a way that was uncharacteristic for him.

He seemed to have pulled at his shirt irritably, as a few buttons were missing.

“Come over here.”

Roselia hesitantly approached the table he pointed to, sneaking a look at his face.

“You ran away again that day.”

For a moment, Roselia was confused whether he was referring to the incident at the palace or in the back alley, but quickly composed herself and answered calmly.

“Well… my companion wasn’t feeling well.”

Klaus, recalling the thin, unhealthy-looking woman who had been with Roselia, frowned and spoke coldly.

“Stop being stubborn and come back to the mansion.”

“What?”

“What’s your reason for wanting to stay there, even risking such dangerous situations?”

It seemed Klaus believed she was living in such poor conditions in the back alley.

“At that time… it wasn’t about me; I was helping my companion…”

“Regardless, you were in that situation too, weren’t you?”

Despite his calm voice, there was inexplicable anger in Klaus’s eyes.

Meeting his gaze, Roselia furrowed her brow and sighed deeply.

“As I’ve told you before, I’m more comfortable where I am. I have no desire to live in the duke’s mansion.”

At her resolute response, Klaus irritably ran a hand through his hair.

“You and your brother are both equally infuriating.”

Klaus spat out his words and stood up, catching Roselia’s gaze.

Klaus, who looked utterly exhausted and somewhat angry, slowly approached her.

He came so close that he leaned over her, placing his hands on the table behind her, almost as if to intimidate.

Roselia, caught off guard, sat down on the table, trapped between his arms, her eyes wide in shock.

“If you like the work there so much, how about serving me instead?”

At his words, spoken so close she could feel his breath, Roselia’s eyes widened.

Could he possibly mean what she thought he did?

Seeing her green eyes flicker with confusion, Klaus gave a self-mocking smile.

“I’ll reduce your debt depending on your performance.”

Roselia frowned, wondering if she had heard him correctly.

“What… did you say…?”

His navy-blue eyes looked down at her, filled with a strange, clear intensity despite appearing somewhat blurred, as if intoxicated.

As Roselia stared at him in confusion, one corner of Klaus’s mouth twisted upward.

“Do I need to be more straightforward? Sleep with me.”

Roselia’s mind froze like a stone.

Was he really drunk?

The Klaus she knew was cold-hearted and selfish, but not the type to speak so shamelessly.

But before she could end her confusion, Klaus continued.

“If you’re staying there because of the debt, wouldn’t it be better to reduce it directly through me? Of course, it depends on how you perform…”

Smack-!!!

Unable to hold back any longer, Roselia’s hand flew to Klaus’s cheek.

His head snapped to the side, and he didn’t move for a while.

The cold silence was palpable, but Roselia glared at him with sharp eyes.

Breathing heavily with either anger or fear, her chest heaved violently.

Klaus, who slowly turned back to face her, wiped the blood from his split lip with his fingers indifferently.

There was no trace of regret in Roselia’s eyes as she looked into his navy-blue ones.

“No matter how much of a duke you are, you have no right to judge others carelessly.”

Roselia’s eyes blazed as she bit her lip.

“Even if I were doing such things, you have no right to treat me that way.”

As Roselia spoke coldly, Klaus’s gaze, quite inappropriately, wandered to her lips.

How could such harsh words come out of that small mouth…?

He had only intended to scare her a bit and then step back.

However, the frustration from things not going his way had twisted and erupted, leading to this unexpected slap.

What amused him more was that, despite being slapped by her, his mind felt clearer, and his eyes followed her like a broken doll.

It must be because of the perfume she wore.

That strange scent had pushed him to act out of character, saying foolish things.

Klaus calmly withdrew his arms that had trapped her and stood up.

Only then did Roselia, finally free to move, stand up quickly and take a step back, glaring at him. Klaus looked at her bitterly, running a rough hand through his hair.

“I apologize for speaking nonsense. I think I spoke out of exhaustion.”

Even as Klaus apologized, Roselia didn’t lower her guard.

Seeing her suspicious and disgusted gaze, Klaus frowned and rubbed his face.

“You keep insisting on being Stubborn…”

“Stubborn?”

Roselia’s face grew even more displeased.

“What I owe is money, not my body. Even if I were a maid in the Duke’s house, you wouldn’t have the right to dictate my movements.”

Moreover, it wasn’t even her debt; it was the debt of the Count of Hesingk. When that damned Count died, she, as his adopted daughter, had to shoulder the entire debt.

Although she had given up on running away, knowing that this ghost-like duke would find her no matter what, thinking about it now made her feel unfairly treated and frustrated.

“And besides, my brother and I are repaying the debt little by little, so I don’t understand what your dissatisfaction is.”

Klaus sighed deeply as he looked at the agitated Roselia.

“My point is… instead of being treated harshly in such places, wouldn’t it be less tiring for both of us if you stayed at the Duke’s mansion?”

“So why do you care about how I’m treated?”

As Roselia, already in a foul mood, pressed on, Klaus sighed and ruffled his hair irritably.

“Ha… let’s stop this. It seems we can’t communicate.”

“And who exactly is not communicating?”

Unable to bear it any longer, Klaus slammed the table irritably.

Bang!

Instead of being startled, Roselia’s eyes widened even more.

“I’m tired, so let’s end this for today.”

At Klaus’s cold tone, Roselia huffed and approached him.

As she suddenly got closer, Klaus was taken aback and looked down at her with wide eyes.

The scent she wore hit him again.

Bang!!

While Klaus was staring at her, Roselia slammed the table just as he had done.

Startled by the sudden noise, Klaus looked at Roselia in disbelief.

Roselia snorted at him and spoke.

“This is part of the debt as promised.”

Finally, Klaus’s gaze shifted to the table Roselia had struck.

There, a pouch clearly containing money lay abandoned.