52. Definitely Enchanted

Suddenly, Roselia’s heart began to race, as if it would leap out of her chest at any moment.

This feeling was different from the raw, physical sensation she had experienced during past encounters with Klaus.

There was something… a fear that if she reached out to him, she would be helplessly drawn in, and an exhilaration that this once-cold man was making such an expression solely for her.

And then, there was the fluttering excitement that painted visions of an impossible future.

Perhaps Klaus felt the same, as his hand slowly caressed her cheek.

Unlike before, when he had been rough and forceful, now his gaze was filled with longing, as though silently asking for her permission. His fiery stare made it hard for Roselia to breathe.

The touch of their shared breath seemed to burn her skin.

If she showed even the smallest sign of consent, Klaus would devour her whole.

And yet, he waited. Patiently. Without pushing her or demanding anything, as though all the choices were hers to make.

Caught in this moment of decision, Roselia gazed into his deep, night-sky blue eyes as if entranced. But just as his breath grazed her lips, she gasped, as if struck by lightning, and escaped from his embrace.

Once free of his arms, her chest heaved from the lingering tension.

Roselia felt disoriented by her own reaction, her eyes darting in confusion.

“I-I think I should go now.”

Without looking back, Roselia hurried out of the room.

Sobered by the heat of the moment, Klaus leaned against the wall, dragging a hand over his face in self-reproach.

He didn’t want to chase after her or corner her. After all, even he had been overwhelmed by the storm of emotions that had just surged through him.

Seeing Roselia stumble down the hallway, Claucet watched her with a puzzled expression.

“Roselia?”

But Roselia, lost in thought, didn’t even hear her and rushed out of the mansion as if fleeing.

All he did was call her name, but it felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Her body had stiffened, and her heart had raced uncontrollably.

No, this can’t be.

It must’ve been the wine. Yes, that one glass at dinner must have gotten to her. Or maybe it was the atmosphere, with the soft moonlight setting the mood.

Running across the garden, Roselia finally slumped down against a tree, exhausted, pressing her back to its trunk.

Get a grip, Roselia. You promised yourself you wouldn’t fall for the Duke.

This is just the plot of the original story playing tricks on you…

Roselia buried her face in her hands, feeling on the verge of tears.

But even as her hands pressed against her cheeks, she could feel the lingering warmth on her skin, and it left her confused.

Remaining as *Roselia* was too dangerous.

As a woman, it felt like she was constantly being drawn to Klaus, like a magnet, and before she knew it, she always ended up entangled with him.

Was it truly the original story’s setup, or was it his genuine feelings?

She couldn’t tell anymore.

And the way her emotions swayed toward him… it was becoming too much to bear.

* * *

Roselia was staring blankly into space when Claucet, noticing her strange behavior, poked the back of her hand.

“Antonio?”

“Pardon?”

“You don’t seem to like the flowers?”

Only then did Roselia realize she had been absentmindedly plucking the petals from the flowers Antonio had asked Melda to arrange in a vase. She gasped in surprise.

“Oh…!”

As Roselia absentmindedly lowered her gaze, she realized that the flowers Melda had carefully picked were now stripped bare, leaving only the stems behind.

It dawned on her that she had been so lost in thought about her encounter with Klaus that she hadn’t even noticed what she was doing. Roselia bit her lip in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry.”

“What happened with Klaus yesterday?”

Claucet propped her chin up and asked bluntly, causing Roselia to flinch and wave her hands dismissively.

“W-What do you mean, happened? Nothing!”

Claucet narrowed her eyes at Roselia’s exaggerated response.

“He must’ve followed you again and caused trouble, didn’t he? You’re too nice for your own good. I should give him a piece of my mind.”

Claucet had completely misunderstood the situation, and Roselia could only offer an awkward smile in response.

“Thank you, Lady Claucet.”

“For what? It’s nothing.”

Feeling proud of herself at Roselia’s gratitude, Claucet suddenly remembered something, her face lighting up as she spoke with a meaningful grin.

“By the way, I made a new painting. Want to see it?”

Did she paint something other than the one at Count Bernas’ estate?

Roselia nodded, and Claucet excitedly instructed a maid to bring the painting. When the maid returned with it, Roselia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Did you really paint this, my lady?”

“Yes! I took into account the advice Count Bernas gave me last time.”

Roselia was speechless as she looked at Claucet’s painting, which had improved even more since the last one.

Who would have thought Claucet had such talent for painting?

It was like having a raw gemstone right in front of her without realizing it.

Why wasn’t this side of Claucet mentioned in the original story?

In fact, the original story barely mentioned that Klaus had a sister, and everything about Claucet had remained a mystery.

While Roselia was pondering this, a shadow fell over them. Both she and Claucet turned curiously toward the source, only to find Klaus standing there, clearing his throat.

“It’s a nice day today.”

When Klaus made this casual remark, Roselia instinctively averted her gaze, much too noticeably.

You fool! Why are you avoiding him as Antonio?

As Roselia mentally berated herself, Klaus approached without suspicion and placed something on the table between her and Claucet.

It was covered with a cloth, concealing whatever was underneath.

“What’s this?” Claucet asked, her tone skeptical. Klaus cleared his throat again and answered in his usual flat manner.

“I thought of you when I bought it.”

At Klaus’ unexpectedly considerate words, Claucet’s eyes grew wide with surprise.

Of course, it wasn’t that Klaus had never given Claucet a gift before, but he usually just sent things through a servant without much care. This was definitely unusual.

“What’s gotten into you? You didn’t just have a servant deliver it?”

With a sideways glance at Klaus, Claucet carefully pulled back the cloth.

“Huh…?”

Under the cloth was a birdcage, and inside it was a small bird with pure white feathers, tilting its head and gazing at Claucet with bright, inquisitive eyes.

“A canary, I believe,” Roselia explained.

Claucet, unable to tear her eyes away from the bird, murmured almost to herself, “It’s so cute…”

Realizing how obviously captivated she was, Claucet quickly collected herself, clearing her throat and blushing.

“Ahem… Thank you.”

Klaus, momentarily taken aback by her gratitude, smiled softly—a warm, gentle smile that Roselia had never seen before.

As Roselia glanced at Klaus’s face, her heart fluttered once more at the sight of his unexpected smile.

Sensing her gaze, Klaus turned to look at her, forcing Roselia to quickly avert her eyes again.

“Antonio. Would you like to join me for tea?”

Roselia’s eyes widened in surprise at Klaus’ sudden invitation.

Tea? Did he just ask me to have tea?

Usually, when he had business with her, he would coldly summon her to his office. Tea was unheard of.

Roselia was so taken aback that she felt completely flustered.

However, quickly regaining her composure, she forced herself to respond with a steady voice, ignoring her rapidly beating heart.

“Yes, of course.”

Klaus nodded, stating that the head butler would show her to the room, and then left.

Claucet, still absorbed in watching the canary, didn’t seem to care about anything else.

Taking a deep breath, Roselia steadied her chaotic thoughts.

Roselia, you’re Antonio right now. Stop having unnecessary thoughts.

* * *

The tea room, prepared in a sunny space, was in stark contrast to Claucet’s style. It was neat, simple, and perfectly in line with Klaus’ personality.

Sitting across from Klaus at the table, Roselia nervously swallowed.

“So, you only have about a thousand verang left on your debt, right?”

The sudden mention of her debt made Roselia blank out for a moment, but she quickly nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

In fact, after selling the pieces she had acquired from the auction, Roselia would have around 500 more verang for herself.

Once that was accounted for, only about 500 verang of debt would remain.

“It hasn’t even been three months, and yet you’ve made remarkable progress. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to pay off even half this quickly.”

Klaus smiled approvingly, and Roselia found herself once again avoiding his gaze.

Klaus watched her curiously as he casually crossed his strong, long legs.

“What will you do after you finish paying off the debt?”

Roselia was caught off guard by the question and hesitated to answer.

She had never really thought about it. All she wanted was to repay the debt and distance herself from the Duke as quickly as possible.

As Klaus observed her quietly, he spoke in a serious tone.

“Once your debt is cleared, you’ll still need some income to support yourself and Roselia. You could continue staying in my estate if you like. You seem to have a good eye for art, so I could support you in that field as well. Or, if you prefer, I could find you a residence near the estate.”

It sounded as if he wanted to keep her by his side. Roselia’s expression hardened, and she responded firmly.

“No.”

Klaus’s face tensed for a moment.

“Once the debt is paid off, I plan to leave.”

“To where?”

She hadn’t given much thought to where she would go.

Maybe somewhere by the sea would be nice.

While Roselia mulled over these thoughts, Klaus’s expression grew colder, and he spoke bluntly.

“Are you planning to go to Raphelios with him?”

Roselia’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected mention of Raphelios.

Did he think she was planning to leave with the Marquess?

Caught off guard by his piercing gaze, Roselia fumbled with her teacup, causing it to slip from her hand. The tea spilled across the table and onto Klaus’s trousers.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry!”

Flustered, Roselia quickly pulled out a handkerchief and rushed over to Klaus to clean up the mess.

Luckily, the tea had only spilled on his knee. Klaus didn’t seem particularly bothered.

Roselia, consciously avoiding his gaze, busily dabbed at his trousers with the handkerchief.

But then…

Without a word, Klaus reached out and gently grasped her wrist, pulling her hand away from his trousers.

Had he been uncomfortable with her touching him?

Startled, Roselia looked up at Klaus in confusion. He suddenly pulled her closer and leaned down toward her shoulder.

As she froze, her skin prickling with awareness, Klaus’s low voice whispered,

“Are you wearing the same perfume as Roselia?”

TL/N: Spoiler for my besties he is actually gonna find out soon…. pretty soon