30. Man or Woman?

“Tell me, were you kicked out of your house?”

Nadia’s blunt question made Roselia, who was preparing to leave, smile awkwardly.

“Ah, yes… well… circumstances led to that.”

Hearing the clear distress in Roselia’s voice, Nadia rested her chin on her hand, her expression curious.

“When you suddenly showed up last night, I thought maybe a man had dumped you.”

“What??”

“Well, it’s that age, isn’t it?”

Seeing Roselia’s startled reaction, Nadia smirked.

“It’s not like that.”

Roselia’s mind briefly flashed to Klaus’s face, making her feel a bit guilty, and she avoided Nadia’s gaze.

Noticing this, Nadia narrowed her eyes and gave a knowing smile.

“Sure, sure. You’re just at that age.”

“I told you, it’s not like that.”

As Roselia protested, she suddenly noticed a bottle of medicine on the table and froze.

Nadia, seeing Roselia’s eyes on the medicine, leisurely walked over, tapped the bottle, and spoke casually.

“It’s not from selling a painting but from a generous patron who appreciates my talent. Thanks to them, I was able to buy medicine and get proper treatment, so don’t worry.”

Nadia’s straightforward words eased Roselia’s mind somewhat.

“That’s a relief. I’ll bring more when I receive the next patronage.”

Nadia smiled broadly in response.

“You can come by anytime, not just for the patronage.”

“Pardon?”

“I get bored, so come visit often.”

Nadia’s bright and easygoing smile made Roselia smile back.

“Yes, I’ll visit again.”

With that, Roselia stepped out into the street, where the sun had not yet fully risen.

Luckily, she spotted an approaching carriage from afar.

Managing to catch the early morning carriage, Roselia quickly changed her clothes inside.

She had become so accustomed to being Antonio that she always carried men’s clothes in a small bag.

The coachman, seeing a woman board but a man disembark, looked as if he’d seen a ghost, but Roselia paid no mind and quietly entered the Duke’s mansion.

As the servants and maids were already busy preparing for the day, Roselia carefully avoided them and headed towards her room.

It was a perfect infiltration operation, one that even Roselia herself had to admit.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her and began unbuttoning her wrinkled shirt to change into more presentable clothes.

“So, you’ve finally arrived.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Roselia gasped and spun around.

There, lounging casually in an armchair, was Klaus.

“Your Grace…?”

Her eyes silently questioned why he was there. Klaus leisurely stood up, hands clasped behind his back.

“Where have you been?”

Where else? You dropped me off at Nadia’s house, and I stayed there overnight.

Suppressing the urge to voice her thoughts, Roselia tried to respond as nonchalantly as possible.

“It’s my personal business.”

Klaus, seemingly taken aback by her blunt response, exhaled sharply in disbelief.

“Personal business?”

Was she implying she went to meet a secret lover or something?

His expression twisted into one of displeasure.

“What personal business requires an overnight stay?”

Roselia, already feeling wronged, struggled to remain polite and rational in her defense.

“Even as my employer, you have no right to intrude on my personal life.”

Ah, that term “rights.” Klaus was reminded of Roselia’s brother and couldn’t help but smile sardonically at the similarity in their responses.

“I, as an employer, have the duty to manage and protect my employees. So, I believe I have the right to ask such questions.”

It seemed he wouldn’t leave until he got an answer.

Sighing deeply, exhausted from the uncomfortable night at Nadia’s, Roselia relented.

“I went to meet a friend.”

“Which friend?”

Annoyed by Klaus’s persistent questioning, Roselia’s face contorted in frustration.

“Would you even know them if I told you?”

“Man or woman?”

Klaus was surprised by his own question. Why did it matter if it was a man or a woman? Why was he concerned?

Roselia, confused by his sudden barrage of questions, sighed heavily.

“A woman.”

Since Nadia was a woman, Roselia had answered truthfully. However, Klaus’s reaction was one of shock.

Seeing his astonished expression, Roselia raised an eyebrow in confusion as Klaus coughed and averted his gaze.

“A woman… I see…”

Roselia frowned, wondering if she should have said it was a man instead.

As she pondered this, Klaus, seemingly deep in thought, suddenly turned cold.

“Regardless of your personal life, it shouldn’t interfere with your duties as a servant of the mansion.”

Roselia, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor, frowned.

“It’s not working hours yet.”

Servants officially started their duties at 7 AM, and it was still early.

Klaus, clearing his throat awkwardly, suddenly noticed the faint scent in the room and frowned.

Did he wear perfume to meet a woman?

The thought made Klaus even more displeased.

“Did you put on perfume?”

Startled by the unexpected question, Roselia replied with wide eyes.

“I didn’t put on any perfume.”

Could it be Nadia’s scent lingering on her?

As Roselia lifted her arm to sniff, Klaus spoke coldly.

“Don’t wear it again. It doesn’t suit you.”

Roselia felt indignant.

Before she could respond, Klaus turned towards the door.

“Come to my office after breakfast. I have something to discuss.”

He likely wanted to talk about the Crown Prince’s proposal.

Though Roselia already knew the details, she nodded calmly.

Klaus gave her a lingering glance before leaving the room.

Finally, Roselia let out a sigh and collapsed onto her bed, feeling drained.

She couldn’t understand why Klaus was so upset.

* * *

“I’ll never have dinner with His Highness the Crown Prince or that man again.”

Claucet grumbled, her voice petulant.

Roselia couldn’t help but smile gently, finding Claucet’s frustration endearing.

Claucet’s expression soured even more at Roselia’s reaction, and she protested loudly.

“I’m serious. I thought I was going to die. Melda had to prick my fingers three times!”

Hearing about the finger pricking, Roselia mused on how similar this world was to the one she originally lived in.

While Roselia was lost in her thoughts, Claucet, feeling guilty for leaving Roselia behind the previous night, spoke hesitantly.

“I’m sorry about yesterday… nothing bad happened, right?”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Lady Claucet. It was His Highness the Crown Prince who insisted on keeping me there.”

Roselia had intended to leave with Claucet, but the Crown Prince had insisted on holding her back, making strange threats about not listening to Antonio’s story.

Thinking about it, if not for the Crown Prince, she wouldn’t have had to take Klaus’s carriage, and none of today’s events would have happened.

Blaming the Crown Prince for everything, Roselia’s expression naturally turned sour.

Seeing this, Claucet looked even more contrite and mumbled.

“Are you mad, Antonio?”

“What? No, I’m not mad at you, Lady Claucet.”

Seeing Claucet’s dejected look, Roselia quickly waved her hands with a smile.

Claucet, finally reassured, gave a sly smile and leaned in to whisper something.

“Actually, the Crown Princess felt bad about yesterday and sent a letter.”

“The Crown Princess?”

“Yes! She wants to invite us to a tea party today as an apology. It’s a tea party just for ladies, so neither His Highness the Crown Prince nor Klaus will be there.”

Unlike the excited Claucet, Roselia felt a cold sweat break out.

She would have preferred to avoid the palace altogether, but finding no suitable excuse to decline, Claucet continued with a bright smile.

“And the dress you ordered has arrived.”

“My dress?”

Discussing dresses while dressed as Antonio felt odd, but Claucet clapped her hands in delight.

As if on cue, Claucet’s personal maids and Melda appeared.

This situation felt eerily familiar…

“I ordered several dresses in your size, based on the green dress you wore to the debutante ball. Go ahead, pick one!”

There were more than just a few…

Roselia looked at the row of dresses hanging on a rack with a weary expression.

“Lady Claucet, I think any of the existing dresses would be fine…”

“Nonsense! You’re going to the palace; you need to dress accordingly! That dress you wore yesterday was embarrassing to even call a dress. I didn’t say anything because you were Antonio, but it was really shameful.”

Was it really that bad…?

Although Roselia had spent a considerable amount on that dress, it was from a commoner’s dress shop and not of the best quality.

While she hesitated, Claucet signaled to Melda and the maids, who immediately swarmed around her.

Melda’s determined expression showed she was ready to make Roselia’s transformation perfect this time.

Two hours later, Roselia’s appearance was even more elaborate than at the masquerade ball.

“Oh my, Roselia… I mean, Antonio! You look so beautiful!”

“You can call me Roselia when I’m dressed like this.”

This time, instead of the green dress from the ball, Roselia wore a blue dress that highlighted her delicate features.

Wearing matching accessories and shoes, Roselia let out a sigh of relief at finally being ready.

Seeing Claucet rise with an excited expression, Melda brought out a matching blue dress for her.

Roselia, puzzled, looked at the dress, and Claucet giggled.

“I ordered this to match with you. Isn’t it pretty?”

Seeing Claucet’s enthusiasm, Roselia smiled, unable to resist.

“Alright, get ready. I’ll go to my room and gather my clothes.”

Roselia needed to keep men’s clothes handy in case she had to switch back to Antonio.

As she was leaving Claucet’s room, she bumped into Klaus.

“Antonio?” Klaus looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on him. “No, Roselia?”

“Yes, Your Grace. I was just about to go get my things.”

Klaus’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her appearance. The elegant blue dress suited her well, but something about seeing her like this unsettled him.

“Be quick about it. We don’t have all day.”

Klaus said curtly before stepping aside to let her pass.

Roselia quickly nodded and walked past him, her heart pounding from the unexpected encounter. She couldn’t quite understand why Klaus seemed to be in such a mood, but she decided not to dwell on it too much as she headed to her room to gather her things.