31. Escaping the Lion Only to Meet the Black Panther

As Roselia inhaled sharply in surprise, Klaus’s expression became peculiar.

“I heard Antonio was in Claucet’s room. Why are you coming out of here?”

Roselia froze, losing her words. The situation was so sudden that her mind went blank.

“I didn’t see a carriage enter the duke’s residence. When did you come in?”

Klaus’s suspicious words caused sweat to form on Roselia’s palms.

“Well, I…”

Usually, Roselia would have retorted sharply, but this time she was at a loss and flustered.

Just as Roselia swallowed dryly, a savior’s voice came from behind her.

“I called Roselia over. How much did you pester her about debt that she walked here without a carriage?”

Claucet’s blunt words softened Klaus’s tone a bit.

“You did?”

“Yes, the Crown Princess invited her to another tea party.”

Klaus couldn’t guess why the Crown Princess was interested in Roselia, but since Claucet had no reason to lie, he reluctantly accepted it.

“Where is Antonio?”

As Klaus looked behind Claucet, Roselia and Claucet’s eyes met briefly.

Claucet seemed flustered, unable to think of an excuse for Antonio.

Roselia quickly opened her mouth, seizing a sudden thought.

“My brother went to our house for a bit.”

“Antonio did?”

Klaus raised an eyebrow skeptically at the unexpected departure. Roselia quickly added more.

“The roof was about to collapse, so he went to fix it. The rainy season is approaching, so I asked him to repair it in advance.”

Remembering the dilapidated house he saw when he brought Roselia home, Klaus nodded understandingly.

“I see. I was worried about that rundown house. Good to know it’s being taken care of.”

Since they were planning to repair Nadia’s house with donations soon anyway, it wasn’t entirely a made-up story.

As Roselia awkwardly smiled back at Claucet, Klaus, who was watching them both, spoke casually.

“If you’re going to the imperial palace by invitation of the Crown Princess, let’s go together. I have business there too.”

Roselia’s expression stiffened at Klaus’s suggestion. Being in a confined space with Klaus amid the tension with Antonio was uncomfortable.

Claucet, noticing Roselia’s discomfort, replied bluntly with a displeased face.

“When did we ever ride in the same carriage? Forget it. I’ll go with Roselia alone.”

“How did you two get so close?”

Klaus knew Claucet and Antonio were close but didn’t know about Roselia, so he asked curiously.

Claucet responded nonchalantly.

“Well, I got to know her through Antonio, saw her at my debutante, and we’ve been to many events together, including the Crown Princess’s banquets.”

Thinking back, the woman in the green dress at the debutante with Claucet was indeed Roselia.

Klaus accepted this explanation, and Roselia sighed in relief, looking at Claucet gratefully.

Claucet looked back at Roselia with a proud smile, as if seeking praise for her quick thinking.

* * *

“Sorry about yesterday. I didn’t expect it to be such an event…”

The Crown Princess smiled awkwardly, and Claucet quickly waved her hands.

“No, it’s not something for Your Highness to apologize for. It’s Klaus’s fault for thinking about work even while eating.”

At Claucet’s blunt words, Eveline smiled as if finding her endearing.

“We were the ones who brought up work first, the Crown Prince and I.”

“It was just a casual question from Your Highness, but Klaus took it as an invitation to talk endlessly.”

“Haha, you’re still the same, Lady Claucet. Anyway, today is a tea party for the ladies, so let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

At the Crown Princess’s kind words, Roselia and Claucet bowed politely.

Then, Ikelia, sitting next to the Crown Princess, carefully spoke.

“You’re Antonio’s sister, right? Nice to meet you. Roselia, was it?”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Ikelia de Herden.”

Lady Ikelia, the younger sister of the Crown Princess Eveline and a member of the Marquess of Herden family, was someone Roselia had previously met through Claucet.

Feeling grateful to the person who had acted as a bridge to meeting Eveline, Roselia responded warmly.

“How is Antonio doing?”

Ikelia asked, her face flushed.

With a troubled smile, Roselia reluctantly replied.

“Yes… my brother is very busy these days.”

“Lady Claucet, why didn’t you bring Antonio with you as your companion today?”

At Ikelia’s disappointed question, both Roselia and Claucet flinched and gave awkward smiles.

“Today is a day for us ladies to enjoy our tea time together. I didn’t want to bring Antonio along.,”

Claucet responded smoothly, her calm demeanor impressive given her young age.

Ikelia didn’t think much of Claucet’s response and quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, I heard that the delegation from the Raphelios Empire will be arriving soon. They say the Marquis representing the delegation is very young and handsome.”

At Ikelia’s excited words, the Crown Princess rebuked her with a stern voice.

“Ikelia. They are important guests visiting for the sake of an agreement. Please refrain from personal comments.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Come to think of it, the original story did describe a delegation from Raphelios arriving around this time for an inter-empire agreement.

The representative of the delegation was a sub-male character who fell for the Crown Princess. What was his name again?

As Roselia pondered this, the Crown Princess, noticing Ikelia’s downcast expression, softened her tone.

“Well… since the delegation from Raphelios is coming, there will be a welcoming banquet. Should we prepare some Raphelios-style dresses?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the Crown Princess in surprise at her nonchalant suggestion.

“Now?”

Claucet asked in astonishment.

The Crown Princess nodded with a meaningful smile.

* * *

“Miss Roselia, are you ready?”

“Yes, yes! I’ll be right out!”

At Ikelia’s excited voice, Roselia, freed from the maids’ hands, awkwardly looked at herself in the mirror.

Having unexpectedly entered the salon inside the Crown Princess’s palace, Roselia was the first to change into a Raphelios-style dress.

Unlike the Lugbelzet dresses resembling mid-19th century European clothing, the Raphelios dress had a vibrant mix of late-19th century European styles and various national costumes.

The mermaid line dress, accentuating the elegant curves of a woman, with a slit up to the thigh, reminded one of a cheongsam or a Greek goddess’s attire.

Unfamiliar with this style of dress, Roselia hesitated to step out of the dressing room.

“Roselia, the maids said you’re ready. Why aren’t you coming out?”

At Claucet’s urging voice, Roselia reluctantly took a step and emerged from the dressing room.

The women, who were curiously looking at Roselia, froze with their mouths agape.

“Is it… strange?”

Embarrassed, Roselia awkwardly smiled and adjusted the dress’s slit. The Crown Princess was the first to respond with a bright smile.

“Heavens, Roselia. You look stunning.”

Claucet immediately started fussing over her, and for some reason, Ikelia blushed.

“Oh my! The Raphelios-style dress is so beautiful! I want to try on what Roselia is wearing!”

“There are plenty of dresses, so calm down, Claucet. I never thought Raphelios-style dresses could be so beautiful until I saw you in one, Miss Roselia.”

“You look so beautiful… If a goddess descended, she might wear such a dress…”

Is it really that much?

Embarrassed, Roselia smiled awkwardly and replied.

“Thank you. It feels a bit strange because I’m not used to this style. Can I change back now?”

“What are you talking about? It would be a waste to change out of such a beautiful dress right away. Why don’t we enjoy the tea party in Raphelios-style dresses today?”

Unlike the hesitant Roselia, Claucet was thrilled with Ikelia’s suggestion.

“Great! I’m in favor! Then I’ll go change next!”

Claucet cheerfully followed the maids to the dressing room, and Roselia, unable to help but smile, carefully spoke to the Crown Princess.

“Your Highness, may I go wash my hands?”

“Ah, sure.”

With the Crown Princess’s permission, Roselia immediately turned and headed towards the powder room on the opposite side of the salon.

The attached powder room was occupied by Claucet, so she headed to a spare one a bit further away.

At that moment, someone grabbed her wrist roughly and pushed her against the wall.

Startled and about to scream, Roselia’s eyes widened at the familiar figure in front of her.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Damn it, Antonio. No, Roselia… What did you do with my warning? Your scent is all over the palace.”

What on earth is he talking about now?

Confused by the Crown Prince’s sudden appearance and incomprehensible words, Roselia frowned.

“Let go of me. What are you talking about?”

“Sigh… With your skin exposed like this, of course your scent is strong. I tried to brush it off before, but now I can’t. You need to understand the seriousness…”

Unable to comprehend the Crown Prince’s ramblings, Roselia pulled her wrist away forcefully.

“Let go of me!”

“Damn it, listen to me!”

Roselia, finding the Crown Prince’s grip too forceful, finally shoved him away and ran off.

Luckily, the Crown Prince was distracted by a servant’s greeting, so he didn’t immediately follow her.

Frightened, Roselia fled the palace and headed to the garden.

In the original story, the Crown Prince wasn’t this much of a lunatic… Is this also a result of the story changing?

Lost in such thoughts, Roselia found herself wandering in the middle of the garden.

“Oh no…”

Realizing she needed to return to the Crown Princess and Claucet, Roselia turned around hastily.

But as she turned, she froze, seeing a familiar figure staring at her blankly.

The wind blew from behind Roselia, scattering the garden’s petals.

Klaus de Valtazar…

He stood at a distance, watching her like a statue.