49. The Duke Jealous of the Marquis

After Viscountess Clemence and the Royal Guards departed, the atmosphere at the banquet naturally began to disperse.

Count Blimund, after politely bidding farewell to Count Bernas, let out a deep sigh and disappeared into the depths of his mansion.

Roselia, who had been blankly surveying the chaotic surroundings, suddenly came to her senses and approached Count Bernas.

“Grandfather, what brings you here?”

“Do I look that sick to you?”

“No, actually, you look so healthy that it’s surprising.”

Roselia recalled the bombshell announcement her grandfather had made earlier and asked worriedly.

“But to declare yourself my guardian… Can you really just decide that on a whim?”

“A soldier never goes back on his word.”

Grandfather, you’re no longer a soldier; you’re a senile old man…

Roselia bit back the words that nearly escaped her lips, forcing an awkward smile instead.

Well, he might just forget about it by tomorrow.

As Roselia tried to brush it off lightly, Klaus suddenly stepped forward and bowed to the Count.

It was such an unusual sight—Klaus bowing so respectfully to someone other than royalty—that Roselia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“It’s been a long time, Count Bernas.”

“Oh, the young Duke of Valtazar?”

“I’m a Duke now.”

“Really? Has it been that long? What about your father?”

Mentioning the late Duke of Valtazar, Klaus’s father, caused Klaus’s expression to turn a bit complicated. It seemed that the Count’s dementia was acting up again.

Knowing that it wouldn’t do any good for the Count’s condition to become widely known, Roselia quickly stepped between them.

“Count! Aren’t you feeling tired?”

“Now that you mention it, I do feel tired. And it’s all your fault!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll escort you back to the mansion.”

Roselia, glancing at Klaus to gauge his reaction, gently pushed her grandfather away from the scene.

Claucet, who had emerged from the powder room after a long absence, noticed the party winding down and quickly hurried after Roselia.

“What’s going on? Antonio! I’m coming too!”

* * *

After the capture of the criminal who had targeted Roselia, she and Claucet were invited to a tea party hosted by the Crown Princess.

Claucet had dressed Roselia in an especially extravagant manner, making her look so dazzling that it was almost overwhelming.

The Crown Princess, who looked at Roselia with a fond smile as if she were watching a younger sister, spoke first.

“I heard about what happened. It must have been terrifying when those assailants attacked.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Everything turned out fine.”

“Still, it’s a relief that the mastermind was caught. Who would have thought that the notorious Lugvela was actually Viscountess Clemence…”

At this, Claucet lifted her chin haughtily and interjected.

“I never liked that woman anyway.”

Seeing Claucet, who had only recently debuted and was just beginning to shed her girlishness, trying to act mature, the Crown Princess chuckled and asked.

“Did Lady Claucet ever have the chance to converse with Viscountess Clemence?”

“Even from a distance, I could tell she was unpleasant.”

“It wasn’t just her figure that you found displeasing?”

“Your Highness!”

The Crown Princess, seemingly enjoying her time with the adorable Claucet, teased her, causing Claucet to bristle, feeling as if she were being treated like a child.

Her reaction brought laughter to both the Crown Princess and Roselia.

At that moment, a shadow fell over the group, interrupting their laughter.

“I hope I’m not intruding on your conversation, ladies.”

It was the Marquis of Euciliod, Johannes, who had been staying at the Royal Guest Palace as part of the Raphelios delegation.

His sudden appearance startled not only Roselia but also the Crown Princess and Claucet, with the latter even showing a hint of caution. The Crown Princess had recently engaged in tense negotiations with him over the Empire’s treaty.

Johannes, observing the ladies, smiled and extended his hand toward Roselia. In his hand was a bouquet of brightly colored flowers, seemingly picked from the royal garden.

“A gift to console you for all the hardship you’ve endured.”

“My goodness, how beautiful.”

It was Claucet, not Roselia, who responded to the gesture.

While Claucet fussed over the bouquet, Roselia, still a bit flustered, accepted the flowers and looked at him with curiosity.

“Are these for me?”

“Who else here has suffered as much as you, Roselia?”

Johannes pretended to look around playfully, causing Roselia to let out an involuntary chuckle.

“Thank you.”

Roselia smiled, breathing in the floral scent, and looked genuinely happy, which brought a smile to Johannes’s lips as well.

Cecilia had loved flowers, even as a baby.

It had been a daily routine for their mother to take Cecilia on walks through the Marquis’s garden.

Suddenly, a breeze blew past, brushing against both Roselia and Johannes.

As the wind carried a subtle fragrance, Johannes’s eyes widened in realization.

This sweet scent wasn’t coming from the flowers.

It was a unique fragrance that emanated from those who carried the strong bloodline of Raphelios.

Johannes’s gaze instinctively turned toward Roselia, who was smiling at the flowers. Meanwhile, the Crown Princess and Claucet seemed oblivious, their expressions unchanged.

Of course, they wouldn’t notice…

The scent exuded by those with the bloodline of Raphelios was close to pheromones, detectable almost exclusively by the opposite sex. The more intense the emotions—whether joy, sorrow, or love—the stronger the fragrance became.

Previously, it was likely that no noticeable scent had been detected because there hadn’t been any significant emotional upheaval.

Now, with this realization, Johannes was almost certain that Roselia was indeed Cecilia.

His gaze toward Roselia was filled with a complex mix of affection, longing, and joy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Roselia asked, tilting her head in confusion, unaware of his thoughts.

Even this simple gesture reminded Johannes of the young Cecilia, making his heart swell with emotion.

And along with this growing affection, another concern began to rise within him.

At this level of fragrance… it meant her blossoming was not far off.

If she hadn’t learned how to control the scent, the process of blossoming could be dangerous.

He needed to be by her side when that time came.

While Johannes steeled himself with this resolve, a breeze carried a flower petal onto Roselia’s head.

Johannes, who had been looking at her fondly, reached out slowly.

“Roselia, excuse me for a moment.”

He gently brushed his hand over her hair, picking up the petal.

“You had a flower petal in your hair.”

He smiled kindly as he spoke, and Roselia, blushing slightly, returned his smile.

His smile brought a warm feeling to her heart, a sensation that made her inexplicably happy.

It must be because he’s so handsome…

While the two were lost in their thoughts, there was someone else also experiencing a whirlwind of emotions.

Klaus, who had just finished reporting the progress of the school construction to the Crown Prince, stood in the corridor overlooking the garden. He was glaring at Roselia and Johannes, who were laughing together.

Seeing them smiling at each other, a simmering irritation began to build inside Klaus, twisting his insides.

She’s smiling like that—something she’s never done for me—at someone else, and it made his chest ache with inexplicable anger.

What is this disgusting feeling?

Not understanding the emotions welling up inside him, Klaus clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his hands bulged.

* * *

As usual, Roselia, still in the guise of Antonio, visited Count Bernas that day and was having tea with him.

While pouring tea into Count Bernas’s cup, Roselia cautiously observed his expression.

“Grandfather, about what you said… about becoming my guardian…”

Roselia carefully broached the subject, setting down the teapot and speaking with concern.

“Did you ask for the Viscount’s opinion?”

At her question, the Count frowned in displeasure.

“Why would I need that boy’s permission?”

“But he’s the heir to the Count’s family.”

The Count scoffed, dismissing her concerns as he took a sip of his tea.

“If he doesn’t show up at the estate within three months, I’m thinking of disowning him from the family.”

Although his words were harsh, Roselia knew it was just bluster.

The Count, who was a soldier at heart, was secretly proud of the Viscount, who was busy with state affairs, even though he never showed it. Though, with the Viscount spending most of the year at sea as a naval officer, the Count did seem a bit lonely…

At that moment, Claucet, who had now become a regular visitor to the Count’s estate, spoke up excitedly.

“Look at this! Isn’t it better than the last one?”

What had started as a plan to encourage the Count to paint had become a hobby for Claucet. Her painting skills had improved significantly, to the point where she had made remarkable progress in just two weeks.

Could it be that Claucet had a hidden talent for this?

While Roselia marveled at Claucet’s painting, the Count glanced at it from a distance and muttered.

“You’ve moved from painting with your feet to using your hands, at least.”

Claucet puffed out her cheeks in response to the Count’s typical, harsh critique.

“Hmph…”

Pouting as she looked at her easel, the Count slowly stood up and limped over.

“You’ve used too much paint here. And doesn’t the vase stand out more than the flowers? You need to add more color to the flowers so that they become the focal point.”

The Count took the brush from Claucet, who was too stunned to react, and began making quick, seemingly careless strokes. Yet, in no time, the painting, which had been decent before, was transformed into something extraordinary.

Claucet, watching in awe, looked at the Count with admiration.

“Wow… Grandfather, you’re really good at painting!”

Her previous doubts now seemed foolish as she admired the Count’s masterful brushwork.

For a moment, the Count seemed taken aback by her praise, as if he had just learned something new about himself.

“Me?”

“Yes! It looks so much better now that you’ve worked on it!”

“…”

The Count fell silent, as if lost in thought, but then his voice suddenly turned gruff, as if something was bothering him.

“I’m hungry. Prepare some food.”

“Grandfather! Antonio isn’t a servant of the Count’s estate!” Claucet protested.

Ignoring her, the Count sat back down on the sofa and then suddenly looked at Roselia with wide eyes.

It was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

“And why is a girl wearing a man’s clothes?”

Roselia and Claucet froze simultaneously.