Edited…

5. The Socialite Star- The Leader of the Trend

Roselia, who was left speechless by Klaus’s question, rolled her eyes.

“Uh… well, you see…”

As if silently urging her to speak wherever she wanted, Klaus leaned against the wall with an expectant look, waiting leisurely. With a feeling of resignation, Roselia began to speak.

“I, um, didn’t like where the vase was placed, so I was in the process of moving it!”

“At this hour?”

“Yes…”

Roselia felt like disappearing into a mousehole at her own words, considering how feeble her excuse sounded.

Meanwhile, Klaus’s cold azure eyes scanned her once again. It felt like wherever his gaze landed, it turned red-hot, but Roselia made an effort not to flinch and smiled casually.

“It seems you have a hobby of sweating after taking a shower.”

“Well, rather than that, why are you here in my room…?”

Roselia hurriedly stopped herself mid-sentence, and her gaze turned towards the envelope Klaus was holding. It seemed like the Duke had personally brought the 20-grangs note that Alejandro had promised to deliver.

“Alejandro had to rush out for a sudden errand in the afternoon.”

With that explanation, Klaus extended the envelope towards her. Roselia, who was holding a flower vase covering her upper body, had no free hands, and Klaus spoke with an annoyed tone.

“Could you put that down, please?”

“No! I haven’t found the right spot for it yet! Here, please place it here!”

In response to her request, Klaus looked puzzled as he alternated his gaze between the flowers in the vase and her.

“Here?”

“Yes!”

“Place it here?”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

With her resolute response, Klaus sighed inwardly, thinking that she must be eccentric as he gently inserted the envelope into the bouquet of flowers stuck in the vase. Only then did Roselia exhale deeply, as if relieved.

As if he had completed his task, he was about to turn and leave but didn’t forget to drop one last comment.

“I expect exactly what you promised.”

Roselia awkwardly smiled as she was swallowing dry saliva, under the chilly gaze that seemed to say he’d sell her off without hesitation if the promise wasn’t kept.

“I wonder if that will be the result.”

On seeing her casual smile, Klaus slowly turned away, still wearing an unsatisfied expression.

However, at that moment, Roselia’s small voice, as if creeping in, grabbed a hold of him.

“Um… I’m sorry, but could you please close the door before you go…?”

“…”

Klaus, who had momentarily stood still in silence, approached quietly and closed the door. With the door closed, Roselia clung to the vase and sat down, feeling like her heart might jump out of her chest. She couldn’t help but think that if she continued to treat the Duke like this, she might not live up to her promise.

* * *

Roselia stood idly behind a group of about six young ladies chattering away around the tea table, which was placed in the center of the room.

She was short on time, trying to find ways to earn her 3,000 grangs immediately, yet she found herself leisurely trailing behind the Young Lady like a shadow…

Claucet, who sat in front of her, seemed to be in a good mood today, engaging enthusiastically in conversation with the other young ladies, her face beaming. Occasionally, one or two of the younger ones would glance at Roselia and even blush.

“Lady Claucet, I heard you have a new Domestico.”

“He’s handsome, isn’t he?”

Despite the cheeky remarks from Lady Claucet, the young lady she was speaking to, blushed. Claucet shrugged and turned her head toward Roselia.

“Antonio.”

Upon hearing the elegant voice of the haughty Young Lady, Roselia inwardly sighed deeply and willingly approached Lady Claucet, bowing her waist.

“Did you call, Miss?”

She spoke in a deliberately subdued voice to avoid giving away her true gender, and it surprisingly sounded like a pleasant soprano. The young ladies who heard Roselia’s voice started to giggle and blush.

“Why is his facial structure so delicate? I would readily believe that he’s a woman.”

“His eyes are truly beautiful, like emerald gems…”

“Look at that glossy black hair!”

Roselia felt awkward and broke out in a cold sweat at the effusive compliments from the young ladies. It seemed that the current trend among the society of women was to favor young men like the ‘domesticos’, and their reactions were understandable.

“Antonio was once a noble, so he exudes more grace and dignity than other servants.”

Claucet’s demeanor, as if she were bragging about her own child, was somewhat endearing.

“Oh my! That explains it! I thought there was something special about him!”

“Which noble family does he come from? But… is he no longer a noble?”

“Oh, Madeline, what does it matter? Nowadays, it’s the era of buying and selling titles, even if a family has fallen. As long as you earn money, you can buy back your status.”

Hmm… Roselia didn’t know that, but it was valuable information. It meant that if she had enough money, she could purchase and sell titles.

While she was preoccupied with thinking about immediate survival, it was information worth considering for long term survival.

“But… if Antonio resigns from being a Domestico, it would be terribly sad.”

“That’s right… I’m already starting to feel sad.”

Roselia inwardly rolled her eyes at the young ladies’ conversations that went as far as predicting the future. The fact that Their expectations and emotions about the person they were talking about was actually a woman made Roselia feel guilty.

“Oh, by the way, my father brought back some items from the Western Empire not too long ago. Would you like to see them?”

The blonde young lady presented a piece of jewelry that looked like a bouquet of flowers adorned with gemstones.

Examining the jewelry briefly, Roselia could make an educated guess about its identity, matching the descriptions she had read in novels.

It was an unusual piece of jewelry in the current Lugbelzet Empire, but it was a trendy accessory in the Raphelios Empire in the West.

“What is this? It doesn’t look like a necklace… it’s not quite the right length for a bracelet either…”

“It can’t be an earring… Could it be an accessory to wear on a dress?”

Each young lady offered her opinion, but none of them came up with the correct answer.

“It seems the young ladies don’t know much either. I received it as a gift, but I have no idea how to use it…”

At that moment, the quiet Roselia, who had been pretending to sleep, uttered a few words.

“It’s called a ‘hairpin.'”

“What?”

Instantly, all the young ladies turned their attention to her, and Roselia, who had just cleared her throat awkwardly, continued in a subdued voice.

“If it’s not too impolite, may I offer to put it on you myself?”

She felt sorry for the young ladies who were unaware that she was a woman and wanted to alleviate her guilt by helping them a bit.

Contrary to Roselia’s expectations, the owner of the jewelry, the young lady, blushed and nodded her head.

Roselia took the hairpin and carefully swept up the young lady’s hair, deftly and skillfully arranging it. Her hands moved with expertise and familiarity, as she had always taken care of her own rich, flowing hair.

The delicate skill of her hands left the surrounding young ladies in awe and admiration as they watched her. With her elegant and even somewhat graceful updo, Roselia placed the hairpin around the young lady’s updo, creating a pleasing shape and aesthetic.

In the Western Raphelios Empire, the fashion was for neatly arranged updos that exposed the neck and shoulders, unlike the Lugbelzet women who let their hair flow long upon the shoulders. This hairstyle, along with the hairpin, was expected to soon become a trend in the Lugbelzet society.

Roselia smiled warmly at the young lady who awkwardly touched her neck and shoulders, seemingly uncomfortable with the new style.

“It suits you very well, dear. Since the weather is getting warmer, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wear your hair like this.”

“R-really?”

The young lady blushed, feeling embarrassed, and Roselia felt a slight sense of relief that lifted the weight of her guilt.

At that moment, Claucet, who had been silently observing the scene, chimed in.

“Antonio.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“I want one too.”

“Oh, alright…”

Seeing Claucet puff up her cheeks like a child who had something taken away by her mother, Roselia couldn’t help but break into a faint, amused smile.

* * *

Inside the returning carriage, Claucet sat with the updo that Roselia had done for her, looking out the window with a beaming face. Roselia found her appearance somewhat cute and thought that if she had a younger sister, this is how it would feel.

Then, as Claucet, who had been humming a tune while gazing out of the window, casually turned her head, her eyes met Roselia’s. Feeling a bit awkward, Claucet cleared her throat and turned away.

“I don’t actually like this hairstyle. I’m just feeling a bit cheerful today.”

“Oh, I see. You look lovely though.”

Roselia smiled warmly and nodded.

“It’s a relief that Viscountess Madeline seems to be quite pleased, unlike the Lady.”

At Roselia’s words, Claucet stiffened her shoulders, wore a somewhat displeased expression, and turned her head towards the window as she mumbled something almost inaudible.

“It’s not that I don’t like the hairstyle… I mean…”

“Huh? I couldn’t quite hear that.”

“Never mind! Anyway… I heard from Al…”

Al? Who’s Al? Could it be that she’s talking about Alejandro?

“He said that Klaus… brought Antonio as a servant because of debts…”

Well, it’s not entirely accurate. She herself proposed it first as a way to repay her debts… but let’s focus on the main point.

“It’s unbelievable… how can there be someone so obsessed with money when they’re from the same bloodline?”

Amidst the grumbling, Roselia felt a sense of unease and bitterness in Claucet’s words. She tilted her head curiously.

“That heartless person… I’ll apologize on behalf of the Duke Valtezar’s family as his sister.”

“No… It’s not necessary for the Lady to apologize…”

“It’s just that the heartless one will face a great downfall someday, and as you being my personal domestico, I’ll protect you from him.”

“No, really… There’s no need to go that far…”

Claucet’s determined expression made Roselia decide not to press on the matter further. It seemed that there might be some unresolved issues between them as siblings.

In the original novel, the focus was mainly on Claucet as the antagonist, and there were hardly any descriptions or developments regarding the younger sister of the Duke, Claucet. Details about Claucet’s family background or past were never mentioned. It was only known that her parents had passed away early on…

While being lost in thought, the carriage had already arrived at the Valtezar mansion.

As Claucet was escorted out of the carriage, it seemed like Klaus was about to head out for some business as he walked towards them.

Claucet, who noticed Klaus, seemed flustered and puffed up her cheeks like a child who had something taken away by her mother. She passed Klaus by with an aloof demeanor, not even offering a greeting. Watching her walking away, Roselia, who couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her, decided to strike up a conversation with Klaus.

“Why didn’t you greet the Young Lady first?”

Klaus, with a somewhat surprised expression, turned his head as if her words were unexpected.

“How does that concern you?”

“The Young Lady is still young, and she seems a bit cold. I thought a greeting from you might be nice.”

“Seems like you have ample free time on your hands to worry about that.”

With that remark, Klaus started walking again. However, as Lady Claucet’s previously cheerful expression turned dark and stern, Roselia couldn’t help but make another comment.

“It seems like the Duke doesn’t quite understand what the Young Lady desires.”

As if her words had touched on something forbidden, Klaus, who had slowly halted his steps, stared at her with a cold gaze that seemed to pierce right through her.