43. What Was It That We Shared That Day?

As Roselia watched Klaus with his head bowed, she felt a strange twinge in her chest. She tried to ignore the feeling and turned her head away, muttering nonchalantly.

“…I’ll tell her.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Roselia bit her lip in surprise. What am I saying? Am I really going to meet him as Roselia?

While she was still grappling with her confusion, Klaus slowly lifted his head and looked at her, his voice low.

“Really?”

His face was filled with hopeful anticipation, making Roselia avert her gaze, pretending not to notice.

“I can tell her, but I can’t promise she’ll come.”

Even though Roselia’s tone was brusque, Klaus’s lips curled into a small smile.

“Thank you.”

Roselia cleared her throat awkwardly, turning away from the unfamiliar sight of his smile.

“I’m just passing on the message. That’s all.”

She told herself that this was just a polite response in front of the Duke. Meeting him as Roselia was something she wanted to avoid for as long as possible, maybe even forever.

* * *

Then why am I even considering Klaus’s words?

Roselia stood absentmindedly watering the old, crumbling flowerbed, her eyes fixed on the wall.

Stop thinking about it! There’s nothing to think about! What would I even do if I met him as Roselia?

“Brother, is something bothering you?”

The sound of a young girl’s voice snapped Roselia out of her reverie. She quickly turned her head to see Erlin, who looked much cleaner than before, peeking at her while holding a rag doll. Erlin was the daughter of the little-known artist Abello, whom Roselia had recently discovered.

That’s right. She had come to Abello’s house as Antonio to deliver the sponsorship funds.

“Uh-oh, you’re flooding it!”

Erlin pointed at the flowerbed, and Roselia hastily lifted the watering can.

“Oh, sorry!”

Erlin watched for a moment before suddenly spinning around and running in the opposite direction.

“Dad! We’ve got a problem!”

Is she going to tell on me?

Roselia scratched her head in embarrassment as Abello, who had been painting, wiped his paint-stained hands on his apron and approached with a smile.

“You could have just delivered the funds and left. Why bother with this?”

Abello was much more lively and cheerful than before, and his words carried a playful tone.

“Oh, I had some time to spare.”

The truth was, Roselia simply didn’t want to return to the Duke’s mansion and face Klaus.

“How’s your sister doing? Is she feeling better?”

“Oh, yes. Well…”

Usually, Roselia would visit as herself to deliver the funds, but with someone targeting her, she had come as Antonio this time. She had used the excuse that Roselia was ill, just as she had done with Nadia.

But while trying to kill time, she ended up ruining the flowerbed. Feeling embarrassed, Roselia scratched her head again. Abello, smiling at her, sat down on the flowerbed’s edge.

“Is something troubling you? I still feel bad about turning you away the first time we met, so if you’d like, I can listen.”

“Oh, no… it’s nothing…”

“From the look on your face, it doesn’t seem like ‘nothing’.”

Abello’s warm smile made Roselia sigh and take a seat beside him on the flowerbed.

“Well… there’s someone who keeps occupying my thoughts. But I’m not in love or anything! They’re just… on my mind a lot, that’s all.”

“And?”

Abello looked at her with a gentle, curious smile, like an older brother listening to a younger sibling.

“The thing is… we can’t ever be together romantically. It’s just impossible.”

If I let things go that way, I could end up dead. That’s how it goes in the original story, after all.

Roselia’s expression darkened, and Abello, noticing her troubled look, turned his gaze to the distance with a thoughtful smile.

“But this person keeps popping into your mind and you can’t stop thinking about them, right?”

“Yes…”

“Hmm… Avoiding the situation won’t solve anything. Isn’t that why you’re so conflicted right now?”

“But…”

Roselia felt as if Abello’s answer had brought her back to square one, so she looked down at the ground in frustration. Abello gave her a kind smile and patted her on the shoulder as he stood up.

“Whether you end it or continue it, that’s up to you. But to make a decision, you need to understand your own feelings first. And to do that, you’ll have to confront them.”

Roselia remained silent, staring at the ground in deep thought, while Abello gently encouraged her.

“As a man, it’s better to face things head-on than to run away, don’t you think?”

I’m not a man, but a woman… Still, he was right. Running away wasn’t the answer, but it seemed like she had been doing just that, trying to avoid the situation altogether.

“And there’s no such thing as an impossible relationship. Even if the world disapproves or looks down on it, if you’re drawn to each other, then that’s all that matters.”

“Is that your experience talking?”

Roselia asked, looking up at Abello, who glanced toward his daughter, Erlin, playing with her rag doll inside the house. A soft smile spread across his face.

“Indeed.”

Seeing the light in Abello’s eyes, Roselia slowly stood up.

“Thank you, Abello. I think I’ve sorted out my thoughts.”

“Anytime.”

Having organized her thoughts, Roselia tidied up and left Abello’s house. Now that she had made up her mind, she wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

As she walked down the road to hail a carriage back to the mansion, a sleek carriage passed by her. Inside, the young Marquis Johannes von Euciliod was absentmindedly gazing out the window when he suddenly spotted a man with black hair strikingly similar to his own. He shouted out impulsively.

“Wait!”

The carriage, which had been heading from the capital to the Valtazar estate, abruptly halted at his command.

“What’s the matter, Marquis?”

His aide asked, puzzled, but Johannes, still peering out the window, furrowed his brow and ran a hand through his hair.

“Apologies, I must have imagined it. Let’s continue.”

A man who looks like me? A doppelgänger, perhaps…

It must have been because of the strange tale the Crown Princess had shared. The look on her face had been as if she had seen a doppelgänger herself.

Lost in thought, Johannes let out a faint chuckle, resting his chin on his hand.

I must be more tired than I thought, getting worked up over nonsense like this.

* * *

Roselia stood outside the mansion, clutching the hem of the light green dress Claucet had given her, biting her lip.

Okay, just like Abello said, I’ll face him head-on and set some boundaries.

With this resolve in mind, she slowly entered the mansion, unaware that a pair of eyes watched her every move from the shadows.

Following the now familiar routine, Roselia allowed Jeffrey, the butler, to escort her to Klaus’s office. Although she could find her way there blindfolded, she maintained the pretense of being a guest and politely followed his lead until they reached the door.

“Your Grace, Lady Roselia is here.”

Jeffrey, having apparently been informed beforehand, opened the door to the study without waiting for a response from Klaus and gestured for Roselia to enter. She swallowed nervously, her throat dry, and stepped past Jeffrey into the room.

As usual, Klaus was seated at his desk, sifting through a stack of documents. But this time, instead of continuing with his work, he immediately set the papers aside and fixed his gaze on her as soon as she entered.

Roselia tried to ignore his intense stare and spoke curtly.

“You wanted to see me.”

Klaus’s eyes roamed slowly over her from head to toe, making Roselia feel a bit self-conscious. She cleared her throat awkwardly. Finally, Klaus looked her in the eyes and murmured in a low voice.

“It’s a relief that you don’t seem hurt.”

There was a tenderness in his voice that caught Roselia off guard, prompting her to respond more brusquely than she intended.

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. There’s no need for you to worry.”

Her words seemed to irritate Klaus, as one of his eyebrows twitched slightly in annoyance.

“Where have you been all this time?”

“That’s not something I’m comfortable discussing.”

Klaus had resolved to speak calmly with her, but her evasive and cold demeanor felt like she was hitting a wall. The more she brushed him off, the more something inside him itched and grew restless. He had been so anxious and worried, yet here she was, acting distant and indifferent. His frustration began to surface.

“Have you been with that man?”

The question, which he had mulled over countless times in his mind, finally slipped out.

Roselia frowned, taken aback by the abruptness of his inquiry.

“What?”

“…The man you claim to be your lover.”

As realization dawned on Roselia about what Klaus was implying, she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. The thought of explaining herself seemed ridiculous, so she turned her head away in frustration.

“Who I spend my time with is none of your concern, Your Grace.”

She looked back at him, her gaze sharp and final.

“And stop having people follow me.”

Damn it, even Lugvela, who’s targeting Roselia, wouldn’t look at me with such disdain.

Klaus felt a wave of irritation as if he were the one being treated like a scoundrel. Is my worry and concern so offensive to her, while that man is perfectly fine?

His initial resolve crumbled under the weight of his twisted emotions, and unfiltered words spilled from his mouth.

“Does that man even have the ability to protect you?”

What is he even talking about?

The very person who had been treating the Crown Princess like a mere annoyance was now acting as though he had the right to interrogate her? And after assigning a spy to follow her, no less?

Roselia’s own anger flared up, and she had no intention of holding back her response.

“Whether he can protect me or not doesn’t matter. I’m with him because I want to be.”

“Goddammit, Roselia.”

At the words “because I want to be,” Klaus abruptly stood and strode toward her, his anger palpable. Roselia, startled, steeled herself, straightening her back in defiance.

Klaus stopped right in front of her, so close that she could feel his heated breath on her face. He leaned down, almost growling his words.

“Then what was it that we shared that day?”

Roselia instantly knew what he was referring to, but she forced herself to remain calm, turning her gaze away to hide her trembling eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her attempt at playing dumb only made Klaus smirk as he leaned in even closer.

“Do I need to remind you?”