46. Catching a Clue

It wasn’t something trivial… I really should have stayed over at Nadia’s house…

Alejandro, unaware of Roselia’s inner thoughts, continued speaking with a carefree smile, as if he had completed his task.

“Well then, I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll be off now.”

Roselia nodded and found herself staring blankly at Alejandro’s figure disappearing at the end of the corridor.

It had been only a few hours since she, as Roselia, had done such a thing with him in the study.

Roselia felt irritation bubbling up within her as her body responded without any willpower, like a trained puppy, whenever it came to him.

In truth, she just wanted to ignore his summons and sleep as if dead, but Roselia had no choice but to drag her reluctant feet toward his study.

Damn it, I’m just a servant. When I’m called, I have to go. What power do I have?

Roselia stood in front of Klaus’s study, let out a deep sigh, and knocked on the door.

“It’s Antonio. I heard you called for me.”

“Come in.”

Hearing the prompt reply, Roselia took a deep breath and opened the door to the study.

Unlike his usual self, always seated at the desk surrounded by documents, he was sitting on the sofa, sipping from a glass of liquor.

Roselia hesitated, puzzled by the unusual sight, and Klaus gestured for her to come closer.

“Did you meet with Roselia?”

“No, we missed each other, so I couldn’t see her.”

“I see… Given what happened today, it’s probably best to let her rest.”

Klaus’s voice, sounding self-mocking, caught Roselia’s attention, and she looked at him with curiosity.

“Antonio.”

Klaus’s expression seemed unusually somber today, and while Roselia briefly wondered why, she quickly froze at the question he threw at her.

“Is the person said to be Roselia’s lover… the Marquess of Euciliod?”

How on earth did he come to that conclusion?

It was absurd and almost laughable, but on second thought, it seemed like a plausible guess.

After all, she had hinted that Roselia’s lover was someone who kept his distance.

The time when Roselia claimed to be with her lover coincided with the period when the Raphelios delegation visited.

In a way, he might be the perfect candidate to make the Duke lose interest.

To divert the Duke’s attention, the lover had to be someone beyond his reach, and such a person didn’t exist within the empire.

Well, the Crown Prince was an option, but he was someone she wanted to avoid at all costs.

On the other hand, the Marquess of Euciliod, a pillar of the Raphelios Empire and the representative of the delegation, had everything—ability, appearance, status—and was someone the Duke couldn’t easily touch.

Having reached that thought, Roselia found herself inadvertently speaking.

“Yes, that’s correct. He is Roselia’s lover.”

Antonio’s words made Klaus’s expression harden.

Even though it was something he had already suspected, hearing it confirmed aloud made his chest tighten, and he found himself unable to speak properly.

Klaus, who had been gazing at Antonio, now turned away with a bitter expression.

“I see…”

That expression made Roselia feel oddly uncomfortable.

Lying about something the person in question didn’t even know about didn’t feel good.

Moreover, Klaus’s unexpected expression…

Just as Roselia was about to shake her head to dispel her uneasy feelings, Klaus spoke in a deeply sunken voice.

“Roselia was almost attacked today.”

She was well aware of that.

But it seemed Klaus thought Antonio, Roselia’s brother, wouldn’t know.

While Roselia was still pondering how to respond, Klaus spoke first.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Roselia’s eyes widened at Klaus’s sudden apology.

“I should have expected that they’d be lurking near the mansion.”

Did he think that calling Roselia to the mansion was what led to this?

Roselia hadn’t considered that, so she awkwardly refuted his words.

“You can’t monitor everyone outside the mansion. The important thing is that she’s safe. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Her words seemed to bring him some comfort, but Klaus still looked pitiful, like a puppy caught in the rain.

“I should apologize properly… no, I’ll make sure to apologize to the Marquess of Euciliod later.”

To see the mighty Duke of Valtazar looking so defeated…

Even if it was to firmly establish her stance with him, did she go too far with the lie?

As Klaus waved her away, Roselia left the study with a strangely heavy heart.

* * *

As usual, Roselia, still in the guise of Antonio, visited Count Bernas’s estate and entered his room with a lively voice.

“Grandfather, I’m here.”

“…”

The Count, sitting on the sofa with a somewhat displeased expression, glanced at her briefly before turning his head away indifferently.

Was he sulking because she hadn’t visited in a while?

“How are you feeling today?”

“An old man should just die already.”

Roselia chuckled softly at the Count’s grumpy remark, thinking he seemed quite sulky.

“You don’t mean that. I’ll clean this room today, so just stay put.”

“…”

With that, Roselia rolled up her sleeves and headed to the adjacent room.

The Count, who had been watching her with a blank expression, soon returned his gaze to the window.

She had just begun cleaning when suddenly, the doorbell rang, causing Roselia to look toward the door with a puzzled expression.

“Grandfather, are we expecting any visitors today?”

“I don’t know.”

The Count replied indifferently, his eyes still fixed blankly on the window. Roselia sighed deeply and moved toward the door. The doorbell rang impatiently again.

“Yes, I’m coming!”

Roselia opened the door, and upon seeing who was there, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Lady Claucet…?”

“What on earth? What happened to your appearance?”

Claucet frowned at Roselia before brushing past her and stepping inside.

Claucet looked around the estate as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, causing Roselia to follow her in a fluster.

“What brings you here?”

“Antonio hasn’t been spending time with me lately, so I came to see you myself.”

Claucet said this with a pout, then began peeking into various rooms as if searching for something, leaving Roselia feeling awkward.

“Where is the Count? I should greet him first.”

Before Roselia could respond, Claucet found the room where the Count was and smiled brightly.

However, the Count’s expression remained indifferent as he looked at Claucet.

“I’m not buying anything!”

The Count’s sudden outburst startled Claucet.

“Pardon? I’m not here to sell anything….”

Equally flustered, Roselia quickly stepped between Claucet and the Count to explain.

“This is Lady Claucet from the House of Valtazar.”

“I don’t care if she’s a lady or not, I’m not buying anything!”

Grandfather, as if a noble lady would go around selling things…

While Roselia gave an awkward smile, Claucet leaned in close and whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He has dementia, and his condition has worsened lately.”

Claucet’s eyes widened at Roselia’s whispered explanation.

“Wait, is this old man the painter you’ve been looking for?”

“Yes… but as you can see, his condition is such that I haven’t been able to even look at any of his paintings.”

Roselia’s words were half a lament. Suddenly, Claucet smirked mischievously, the kind of smile she wore when she was up to something, making Roselia feel a bit uneasy.

* * *

“Grandfather, how do you like my painting?”

Claucet asked energetically, having set up an easel and started painting with paints she had brought with the help of Melda.

The Count glanced at the painting and responded gruffly.

“Even if I painted with my feet, it would be better than that.”

It was part of Claucet’s plan to provoke the Count, but she seemed to have gotten so into it that she genuinely felt annoyed and protested.

“Then why don’t you try painting, Grandfather!”

“Why should I?”

“Then don’t criticize it!”

Despite Claucet’s whining, the Count remained calm and retorted.

“Then don’t paint where I can see it.”

“Ugh…”

Watching the bickering pair, Roselia couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Roselia, who had been watching the back-and-forth between Claucet and the Count with an amused expression, noticed the sun setting outside the window and approached them.

“It looks like we’re done here, so we should head out, Lady Claucet.”

The Count, who had been sitting indifferently, looked at them and spoke up.

“You’re leaving already?”

Though he tried to sound indifferent, his voice held a hint of regret, which made Roselia smile warmly as she responded.

“I’ll come back soon.”

The Count turned his head away with a blank expression as if he hadn’t just shown any emotion, but Roselia, knowing his true feelings, smiled softly.

As they left the Count’s estate and boarded the waiting carriage, Claucet asked curtly.

“Is that old man really the painter?”

“He certainly is.”

In the original story, it was explained that Count Bernas was the painter. While it could possibly be his son, the Viscount, it was unlikely that the Viscount, who was an active military officer, had much time to paint. The Count was more likely the artist, despite his dementia causing his mental state to fluctuate.

While Roselia was lost in thought, Claucet, who didn’t seem entirely displeased with their time at the Count’s estate, spoke with a mock grumpiness.

“Well, it can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll have to help out from time to time.”

It’s probably just because she’s bored…

Roselia looked at Claucet affectionately and let out a soft, amused sigh.

* * *

At the Rugbeljet Royal Palace, where the Raphelios delegation was staying in an entire separate wing, Johannes von Euciliod glanced up as Lognan entered the study and spoke calmly.

“Did you investigate?”

At Johannes’s question, Lognan nodded as if he’d been waiting.

“Her name is Roselia de Hesingk. She’s the daughter of a fallen Count’s family.”

So, she was a noble of Rugbeljet?

But given her attire and the fact that she traveled without a carriage, she didn’t seem like one…

Sensing Johannes’s suspicion, Lognan quickly added more information.

“Count Hesingk died with a debt to the Duke, so now the Hesingk siblings are working to repay that debt.”

A debt… So that’s how she became acquainted with the Duke.

The rumors about the Duke being willing to do anything for money made Johannes uncomfortable.

It was easy to imagine how the Duke, infamous for his cold-blooded nature, might treat a debtor.

Suppressing his growing discomfort, Johannes looked at Lognan and asked.

“Does she have any siblings?”

“Yes, she has an older brother. However, he doesn’t seem to be her biological brother.”

Noticing Johannes’s unusual interest, Lognan continued, puzzled.

“It seems that Count Hesingk remarried, and both Roselia and her mother were registered under the Hesingk family.”

“Her mother and she were registered under the Hesingk family…? When did that happen?”

“About 19 years ago, it seems.”