42. I Might Regret Not Seeing Her Face

Having tea with the Crown Princess as *Roselia*…

There were too many risks involved. The mysterious figure targeting Roselia was still out there, and there was always the chance she might run into Klaus.

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if I avoid dressing up as a woman for a while.”

It was a strange thing to say, considering she was a woman, but the situation was delicate.

Claucet seemed to sense that things weren’t quite right and, without much fuss, nodded in agreement.

“Well… Her Highness didn’t insist on you coming. She just wanted to know if you were interested.”

Claucet sighed, setting down her teacup with a look of disappointment.

“Still, it’s a shame. There are so many dresses I haven’t had the chance to dress you in.”

Roselia offered an awkward smile, feeling a bit guilty as Claucet slumped her shoulders in genuine disappointment.

At the masquerade ball and even during the reception for the delegation, Claucet had taken great pleasure in dressing Roselia up. The stark contrast between her usual male disguise and her feminine appearance when dressed up seemed to fascinate Claucet.

I hope she doesn’t see me as some kind of doll…

As Roselia was lost in this thought, a deep voice suddenly interrupted.

“You have a lot of dresses left to try on?”

Startled, both Roselia and Claucet turned their heads to see Klaus, who had just entered the drawing room, staring intently at Roselia.

Feeling a sudden pang of guilt, Roselia swallowed nervously and froze. Claucet, however, frowned and retorted in his place.

“Can’t you at least make some noise when you walk in?”

“I did knock on the door, but it seems you didn’t hear it,” Klaus replied calmly.

Claucet, clearing her throat, quickly resumed her composure and spoke nonchalantly.

“I was just saying that Roselia hasn’t been around much lately, so I bought a bunch of dresses for her.”

Roselia inwardly marveled at Claucet’s quick thinking and smooth delivery. As Roselia glanced gratefully at Claucet, Klaus, who had been staring at her, spoke again.

“Antonio, come to my office this afternoon. We need to talk.”

Did he come all this way just to say that?

Roselia looked at him with wide eyes before responding with a neutral tone.

“Understood.”

She assumed it was probably just another round of scolding or some minor errand he wanted to assign her.

* * *

Klaus was reviewing a stack of overdue documents in his office when he heard a knock on the door.

Is Antonio here already?

“Your Grace, a guest has arrived.”

It was Jeffrey, the butler, not the voice he was expecting. Klaus relaxed his shoulders and asked, slightly puzzled.

“A guest? Who is it?”

“They introduced themselves as Viscountess Clément.”

Viscountess Clément…

Klaus didn’t know her well, having only seen her in passing at public events. However, given his extensive knowledge of high society, he was familiar with her background.

She had become Viscountess Clément after the death of her husband, the previous Viscount. Normally, noble titles were inherited by blood relatives, but the Viscount had no such kin. Whether she had married the elderly Viscount knowing this was unclear…

One thing was certain: upon her husband’s death, Viscountess Clément naturally inherited his title along with the lucrative iron mine that belonged to the Viscount’s estate.

“Let her in,” Klaus commanded.

The door to the study opened as the butler gestured for the guest to enter. A woman walked in with a leisurely stride. Unlike the women of Rugbeljet, who favored umbrella-like voluminous skirts, she wore a form-fitting long skirt that clung to her legs. Though her outfit was a formal suit, the top was provocatively revealing, making it seem as if she wore nothing underneath the jacket, her ample chest visible.

Klaus knew that Viscountess Clément was notorious for her complex relationships with men, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly at the sight. The word “seductress” was more fitting for a woman like her, not Roselia.

“It’s been a while, Duke Valtazar.”

Her voice was as sultry and sticky as her appearance. Klaus, forcing down his discomfort, responded coldly.

“What brings you here?”

“Oh my, so chilly to your guest.”

Klaus’s stern gaze clearly conveyed that he had no patience for idle chatter.

Unfazed, the woman flashed a flirtatious smile and continued, “I’ve recently taken an interest in business ventures outside of my mining operations.”

She sauntered over to Klaus’s desk and perched herself on the edge.

“For example… investing in the construction of schools…”

Klaus’s face showed clear displeasure as she carelessly sat on the documents spread across his desk.

“The Duke’s estate has sufficient funds for school construction.”

“Hm… I wasn’t offering money…”

As she spoke, she lightly trailed her fingers over Klaus’s firm arm resting on the desk. Klaus, staring at her coldly, couldn’t tolerate it any longer. He grabbed her wrist and stood up, his eyes darkening with menace as if to ask what she thought she was doing.

Despite the dangerous aura radiating from him, the Viscountess merely smiled, her lips curling seductively.

“I meant to offer the iron mine owned by the Clément estate as collateral.”

Klaus’s expression shifted to one of calculated interest. The Clément estate’s iron mine was highly coveted, even by the wealthiest elites.

“I may not have enough wealth to rival the Valtazar estate, but I was thinking of offering the mine as collateral, along with half of its annual yield for one year. What do you think?”

Klaus’s eyes, now sharp with rational calculation, quickly assessed the potential benefits. Investing in the school in exchange for the iron mine as collateral was a tempting offer. Half of the annual yield for a year meant securing nearly a fifth of the empire’s distributed iron ore.

Noticing his interest, the Viscountess smiled leisurely and leaned closer to him, her hand playing on his chest as she exhaled a hot breath.

“Of course, I’m willing to discuss other investments as well. But that depends on your preferences, Duke…”

Before Klaus could even react, she pressed herself against him, her hands trailing over his chest. Just then, a knock on the door interrupted the moment.

“Your Grace, it’s Antonio.”

The knock and the soft, youthful voice made Klaus abruptly release the Viscountess’s wrist, forcibly detaching her from his chest. Viscountess Clément looked up at him with wide eyes, shocked by the rough treatment.

But Klaus merely gazed down at her coldly, his expression unyielding.

What is with this man? Is he even human?

As she stood there frozen in disbelief, Klaus spoke toward the door, his voice icy.

“Wait a moment.”

He then calmly walked over to his chair and sat down, lacing his fingers together as he addressed the Viscountess in a cool, businesslike tone.

“I’ll consider your proposal regarding the school investment with the mine as collateral.”

His tone was so detached and formal that the Viscountess found herself at a loss for words, stunned by the sudden shift.

Looking at the dazed woman, Klaus didn’t miss the chance to drive his point home.

“If you have nothing more to discuss, I’d appreciate it if you would leave.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment, the Viscountess bit her lip before turning to leave. As she stormed out of the office, she caught sight of a man standing in the hallway in a servant’s uniform. It was the servant who was said to be Roselia’s brother.

Is he really throwing me out for the sake of that servant?

Feeling humiliated, she shot a venomous glare at Roselia before storming off. Roselia, bewildered by the sudden hostile look, could only stare in confusion.

A deep voice snapped her out of her daze.

“Come in.”

Roselia approached Klaus, who was sitting behind his desk with a few of his shirt buttons undone, looking somewhat disheveled. She was momentarily puzzled by his appearance, but Klaus fixed her with a steady gaze and spoke.

“Why have you been visiting Count Bernas’s estate?”

Roselia’s brow furrowed in response.

“Did you have someone follow me?”

“Answer my question first.”

Who’s supposed to be angry here? This is absurd.

Annoyed by Klaus’s audacity in having her followed and then questioning her, Roselia’s response was sharp.

“I don’t think I owe an honest answer to someone who has me followed.”

Her sharp retort made Klaus realize he had been too hasty and rough. He sighed deeply, recognizing that his irritation from dealing with that insufferable Viscountess had carried over into this conversation.

“I… I only had someone follow you out of concern.”

“…”

Since when did the word “concern” start affecting her so much? Whenever Klaus mentioned being worried, it seemed to weaken Roselia’s resolve. His mention of worrying about not just Roselia but even her as a servant cooled her anger slightly.

But just as her mood began to soften, his next words made her bristle again.

“Where exactly is Roselia?”

“You mean even with your spies, you still can’t find her?”

“Don’t be sarcastic, Antonio.”

Klaus sighed again, his voice more subdued as he tried to reason with her.

“Roselia is surprisingly elusive. Where is she hiding?”

“…”

“Antonio, if you don’t want to drive me mad with frustration, please…”

Klaus’s expression showed a mix of fatigue and desperation as he continued.

“I won’t force her to stay at the estate. I just want to see her, even for a moment… Can’t I?”

For the first time, Roselia saw Klaus, usually so composed and aloof, looking vulnerable. Her expression faltered slightly.

“Why are you so desperate to find Roselia?”

In response to her tense question, Klaus let out a low sigh, running a hand over his face.

“Because I feel like I’ll regret it if I don’t see her right now.”

As he sat there, his head bowed and his hands pressed to his forehead, Roselia’s eyes widened in disbelief.