34. The Duke’s Interest

Roselia stood frozen, knowing that if the cunning Jusid discovered her identity, it wouldn’t end with just her secret being revealed. Just as she stiffened, Claucet intervened, grabbing Roselia’s arm.

“The Crown Princess must be waiting for us! Let’s go, Roselia!”

With perfect timing, Claucet pulled Roselia away, leaving Jusid looking after them with a persistent gaze.

As they navigated through the crowd, putting distance between themselves and Jusid, Claucet let out a sigh of relief. “She’s so persistent. Be careful not to catch Jusid’s eye again. You know how she can be once she sets her sights on something.”

Roselia shivered at the memory of Jusid’s actions, recalling the time she had stripped her clothes off. As she rubbed her arm and frowned, Claucet scanned their surroundings.

“We should find the Crown Princess and pay our respects, but it’s hard to get through this crowd…”

Just then, Claucet’s eyes widened as she spotted something. The crowd seemed to part on its own, creating a path. Roselia followed Claucet’s gaze and stiffened as she saw who was approaching through the parted crowd.

It was the Crown Prince, Esteban, walking straight toward Roselia. The scene eerily mirrored the masquerade ball, with the crowd holding its breath and watching them. Esteban’s expression was rigid, likely still remembering how Roselia had escaped from him last time.

He stopped just in front of her, his lips curling into a slight sneer.

“You ran away quite well last time.”

Roselia swallowed hard and bowed as calmly as she could. “I greet the sun of the empire.”

“Enough with the formalities. Isn’t it too much? I tried to help you, after all,” Esteban said, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

Not this nonsense about her scent again, Roselia thought, lowering her gaze and pretending not to understand.

“I don’t know what you mean, but if I offended you, I apologize,” she replied.

“An apology…”

Esteban scoffed, then smiled crookedly.

“Forget the apology. You’ll have to be my first dance partner tonight.”

This crazy Crown Prince…

Unlike the masked ball, their faces were fully visible now, and this wasn’t just any banquet—it was one welcoming dignitaries from another empire. Dancing with the Crown Prince could cause problems for both the Crown Princess and the empire’s reputation. However, as someone who wasn’t even a proper noble, she couldn’t refuse the Crown Prince’s request.

As she bit her lip in frustration, the crowd on the opposite side parted again, murmurs rising. A tall man in a black tailcoat walked toward them.

Klaus…

Walking neither too fast nor too slow, Klaus approached confidently and stopped in front of Esteban and Roselia. Unlike the masquerade ball where he had been too late to intervene, Klaus had arrived just in time this time. He bowed slightly to the Crown Prince before turning to Roselia.

“I was hoping you’d be my first dance partner tonight…”

Klaus said, his voice unusually gentle as he offered his hand to Roselia.

“Would you do me the honor?”

His usually cold command had softened into a kind request, and Roselia, almost entranced, found herself placing her slender hand in his. Klaus, smiling in satisfaction, firmly took her hand and led her to the center of the ballroom.

It wasn’t until she felt his grip tighten around her hand that Roselia snapped out of her daze and began to panic. She wasn’t sure why she had accepted Klaus’s request, but seeing the Crown Prince’s hardened expression from a distance, she thought it wasn’t a bad choice after all.

“It’s best not to look at the Crown Prince,”

Klaus whispered, pulling her closer.

Roselia’s gaze shifted to Klaus, puzzled by his calm remark. As she tried to decipher his words, she noticed a few men in unfamiliar attire among the nobles and swallowed hard.

The emissaries from Raphelios…

They were the nobles from the delegation for the agreement between Lugbelzet and Raphelios, led by the Crown Princess. If she had danced with the Crown Prince, it would have caused a scandal, damaging both the Crown Princess’s efforts and the empire’s reputation.

Could Klaus have intervened for the Crown Princess’s sake?

As the thought crossed her mind, Roselia’s eyes returned to Klaus. She understood the situation, but somehow, she didn’t feel entirely pleased.

“Was it for the Crown Princess and the empire?”

She asked, looking directly at Klaus.

Klaus, who had been trying not to stare at her exposed shoulders, looked down at her with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you ask me to dance?” Roselia clarified.

For a moment, Klaus was at a loss for words, meeting her gaze.

“Well… that’s part of it, but…”

Suddenly, he smiled—a rare, genuine smile that took Roselia by surprise.

Klaus, smiling? The cold-hearted Klaus?

As Roselia stood there, bewildered, Klaus pulled her closer and murmured in her ear.

“I didn’t want the Crown Prince to take you.”

What did he just say? The warmth of his breath against her ear made her blush.

As Roselia tried to process this, the music picked up speed, giving her no time to think. Klaus led her expertly, his head bending close to her exposed shoulder as he whispered.

Did you know?”

A shiver ran down her spine as his breath tickled her skin.

“You smell wonderful.”

Roselia’s mind went blank. She remembered Klaus asking Antonio if he wore perfume, scolding him for it, saying it didn’t suit him. And now, he claimed she smelled nice.

The situation was strange and fraught with danger. If, as the Crown Prince had said, she truly had a distinctive scent, Klaus might recognize it as the same scent he associated with Antonio.

Roselia quickly pulled away from Klaus, just as the music was ending. She forced a smile and bowed. “I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I think I should retire for now.”

With that, she turned and walked away from Klaus, blending into the crowd of nobles who had begun to change partners with the new song.

Klaus watched her go, realizing he had no reason to stop her, and lowered his hand. When Roselia returned to the banquet hall, Claucet and Ikelia were waiting for her.

“Roselia! My goodness, are you alright? Dancing with Klaus…,”

Claucet asked worriedly, knowing Roselia’s true identity as Antonio.

Ikelia, interpreting it differently, joined in.

“My goodness, dancing with Duke Valtazar… How’s your heart?”

Both Claucet and Roselia turned to Ikelia with wide eyes. Ikelia, puzzled by their stares, tilted her head.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Oh… Lady Claucet, maybe you don’t understand because Duke Valtazar is your brother, but he’s quite famous in society.”

“What’s he famous for?” Claucet asked, frowning.

“He’s known for never dancing with anyone. With that cold, charismatic aura, he keeps everyone at a distance. Many women admire him from afar,” Ikelia explained, smiling.

Claucet looked disgusted, but Ikelia continued. “There was only one person before Miss Roselia who danced with him.”

Claucet seemed to understand who she was referring to and fell silent. Roselia, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, “Who was that?”

“The Crown Princess,” Ikelia replied.

It was expected, but for some reason, it made Roselia uncomfortable. She couldn’t understand her own reaction, and her brow furrowed.

Ikelia, unaware of Roselia’s feelings, changed the subject, looking around.

“When the Crown Prince approached you earlier, I was so surprised. Luckily, he’s now busy with the Raphelios envoys alongside the Crown Princess.”

True to her words, the Crown Prince stood next to the Crown Princess, engaging in conversation with the Raphelios emissaries. Most of the conversation seemed to be led by the Crown Princess, with the Crown Prince occasionally responding.

But then, the Crown Prince’s gaze flicked towards Roselia, and she felt a chill run down her spine. He wouldn’t dare leave his post to come after her, would he?

As Roselia thought this, Claucet, looking at the Raphelios delegation, spoke up.

“Wasn’t the representative supposed to be a young, handsome man? All I see are middle-aged men.”

Ikelia chuckled.

“The representative had some issues and left later than planned. He’ll arrive in a few days, so we won’t see him at tonight’s banquet.”

Roselia scanned the delegation, realizing that the Crown Princess’s potential suitor—the sub-male lead—must be the missing representative. The novel had praised his looks, and none of the current delegates fit that description.

As she pondered this, the Crown Prince’s gaze landed firmly on her again. Unlike before, he was unmistakably staring at her.

No way…

Suddenly, Esteban excused himself from the Crown Princess and the envoys and began striding towards Roselia. Cursing inwardly, Roselia handed her champagne glass to Claucet and quickly turned to walk away.