33. The Jealousy of the Blind Duke

Roselia froze at Klaus’s sudden question. What on earth was he talking about? Trying to calm her anxious heart, she carefully asked.

“Why are you asking that?”

Initially, Klaus had asked the question simply to confirm his identity as a man by meeting Roselia a few more times. But seeing Antonio’s noticeable tension sparked a strange feeling within him.

It was almost as if he wanted Antonio to get angry or jealous.

“Because I’m interested.”

Klaus said, his tone as casual as if he were demanding the repayment of a debt. However, his words shocked Roselia to the core.

She had gone through all this trouble to change her fate, to avoid becoming the Duke’s woman and dying under his control. But now it seemed like all her efforts were in vain.

With alarm bells ringing in her mind, Roselia, driven by desperation, blurted out.

“No!”

Klaus raised an eyebrow in surprise at her firm refusal.

“Why not?”

“Because… well…”

Klaus waited patiently for her to continue. Cornered, Roselia finally closed her eyes and said.

“Roselia has a lover.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she bit her lip in regret, but she knew this was the most definitive way to turn him away. The most important thing was to make Klaus lose interest, so she focused on escaping the immediate crisis.

However, Klaus’s expression turned displeased as he stared at her intently.

“A lover, you say? A lover who lets her live like that?”

Klaus’s voice was cold, filled with the misunderstanding that Roselia was working in a tavern. Not to mention the house that was falling apart. Klaus was certain that if he were Roselia’s lover, he would have taken her away from that house immediately.

Roselia, trying to match Klaus’s suspicious gaze, replied bluntly, “It’s an engagement arranged in childhood, so he’s living far away now. But a promise is a promise, and a lover is a lover.”

It was a plausible excuse to explain an absent lover.

Klaus, still skeptical, asked sternly.

“When was this promise made?”

“When isn’t important! Roselia’s feelings are what matter! My sister will never think of meeting another man. She won’t!”

Roselia’s firm words made Klaus smile faintly, curling the corner of his mouth.

“If there are no guards at the gate, you just have to break in, don’t you?”

Roselia’s eyes widened at Klaus’s metaphor. Was he saying he would take the shot since there was no goalkeeper?

Frozen in place, Roselia quickly shook her head.

“That’s trespassing!”

Klaus, still clasping his hands calmly, asked.

“Do you dislike my interest in Roselia?”

“Of course!”

Klaus looked at her meaningfully at her immediate response. “Why? I’m not lacking in looks or background.”

Is he seriously bragging about himself? Roselia couldn’t believe the serious expression on Klaus’s face as if he were merely stating facts.

“What brother would be pleased to see his sister taken as a debtor’s hostage?”

“Hostage, you say… The sister’s opinion might differ, don’t you think?”

“Roselia will agree with me!”

Klaus, observing her resolute answer, asked again. “Why do you dislike it so much?”

“I already told you. As her brother—”

“Is there another reason?”

Roselia looked at him, confused by the unexpected question. Klaus seemed to be waiting for a different answer.

“Another reason?”

As Roselia stared at him, perplexed, Klaus brushed his hair back and looked away, changing the topic abruptly.

“Never mind. You may go now.”

Roselia, stunned by his sudden change, stood there dumbfounded.

“I said you may leave. Didn’t you hear me?”

His cold tone snapped Roselia back to reality. She bowed and quickly turned to leave. As she walked out the door, still puzzled, Klaus irritably ran his hand over his face.

“Sigh…”

What exactly had he been hoping to hear from her?

Klaus muttered to himself, pressing his palm against his forehead and leaning back in his chair. His broad shoulders, left alone in the spacious study, seemed particularly lonely that day.

* * *

Three days passed quickly. It was the day of the welcoming banquet for the Raphelios delegation, an event Ikelia had been eagerly anticipating. Claucet and Roselia, both wearing the Raphelios-style dresses gifted by the Crown Princess, were on their way to the imperial palace in the Duke’s carriage.

They weren’t the only ones; numerous noble carriages, invited by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, formed a long procession to the banquet hall in the palace.

“Wow, Roselia, it looks like every noble in the empire is attending this banquet,”

Claucet exclaimed, pressed against the carriage window as she admired the endless line of luxurious carriages.

Roselia watched Claucet before sighing deeply.

“I feel like I don’t belong here.”

“What are you talking about? You’re a guest invited by the Crown Princess herself!” Claucet retorted with a pout.

“But I’m hardly considered a noble anymore,” Roselia replied despondently.

Claucet, with a sharp expression, countered, “Who cares about titles? If you have an invitation, you’re a guest like anyone else.”

Roselia, comforted by Claucet’s blunt words, smiled warmly at her. Despite Claucet’s haughty demeanor, she occasionally spoke with maturity beyond her years. Perhaps growing up without much familial affection had made her mature early.

Feeling her heart grow heavy with these thoughts, Roselia brightened her smile for Claucet. “You’ll be the most beautiful lady at the banquet tonight.”

Though Roselia’s sentiment was sincere, Claucet replied with a playful grin.

“Roselia, you have no idea how beautiful you look today.”

Roselia glanced down at her attire, finding Claucet’s words hard to believe. She wore the Raphelios-style dress given by the Crown Princess, accessorized with emerald jewelry at her wrists and neck. Unlike her usual voluminous wig, her blonde hair was elegantly styled in the Raphelios fashion, revealing her slender white neck and shoulders adorned with matching emeralds.

Despite Claucet’s proud expression, Roselia felt exposed and awkward, lightly touching her bare shoulders. Trying to change the topic, she asked.

“Is the Duke coming separately?”

“He’s already at the palace to greet the delegation,” Claucet replied curtly.

Indeed, Klaus, busy with his personal business and duties as a high-ranking noble, had many matters to attend to at the palace. Lost in these thoughts, the carriage finally reached their turn to disembark. The path to the banquet hall was so dazzlingly decorated that it almost hurt the eyes.

As they walked on the red carpet illuminated by lights, they were greeted by an all-too-familiar yet unpleasant voice.

“Lady Claucet?”

Claucet and Roselia turned to see Jusid, elegantly dressed in a red gown, hiding a sneer behind her fan.

It had been a while since they last saw her, and it seemed Jusid had managed to attend the banquet.

“It’s been a while, Lady Jusid. How’s your side?”

Jusid’s face flushed red with anger at the reminder of the time Claucet had kicked her. She fumed inwardly but couldn’t say anything, remembering the shameful incident and her lack of standing to retaliate.

As Claucet scoffed at her, Jusid composed herself and approached them with a feigned air of nonchalance. “You didn’t bring your domestic companion today?”

Jusid’s gaze shifted to Roselia, standing beside Claucet.

“And this lady is…?”

“She’s my friend,”

Claucet stated boldly, her expression challenging.

Jusid, frowning, scrutinized Roselia again.

“I don’t recall any noble lady I don’t know. She must be from a lower noble family?”

“What does her background matter? Roselia is a guest invited by the Crown Princess herself,” Claucet declared proudly, leaving Jusid wide-eyed with surprise.

“The Crown Princess? How unexpected. But…”

Jusid’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Roselia’s face. “I’m sure I’ve never seen her before, but she looks strangely familiar.”

Roselia felt a chill run down her spine at Jusid’s words.