56. Breath Tickling the Palm

Even though it was just the act of wrapping a bandage, Klaus’s entire body tensed up.

Roselia, trying to ignore her own nervousness, silently continued wrapping the bandage.

As she wound the bandage around his chest, her hand brushed against his chest.

It was a brief touch, but the sensation of her fingertips against his skin burned as if they had been scorched. Was it possible that his wound had become inflamed?

Worried, Roselia carefully placed her hand near the wound to check his temperature.

When she touched a sensitive spot near his back, Klaus’s body flinched and stiffened.

She could feel his startled muscles tighten even more rigidly.

It seemed like he might have a fever… Roselia thought about asking the head butler for a fever reducer as she moved in front of him to tie off the bandage.

Kneeling down to tie the knot on his chest, she could feel his intense gaze on her, almost to the point of discomfort.

Roselia glanced up at Klaus’s eyes, but quickly averted her gaze, focusing on finishing the bandage knot as his penetrating stare bore into her.

However, her own nervousness caused her palms to sweat, and her fingers kept slipping, making it difficult to tie the knot properly.

Unable to endure the sensation of her fumbling any longer, Klaus suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Roselia looked up at him in surprise, and Klaus, with a voice that sounded as though he was holding something back, muttered roughly.

“That’s enough.”

“But I haven’t finished…”

“I’ll call someone else, so you should leave.”

Roselia carefully withdrew her hands, noticing that Klaus, struggling to catch his breath, didn’t look well.

His stiff expression, almost as if he was angry, made Roselia’s heart grow heavy.

Was he upset because she couldn’t even wrap a bandage properly?

Feeling a bit down, Roselia slowly got up.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

As she turned away, Klaus spoke in a low voice.

“I’ll say it again, whatever you saw, just forget it.”

Roselia paused, looking at Klaus’s back as he sat with his shoulders tense, then quietly left the room.

Once the door closed and she was gone, Klaus bent over and buried his face in his hands.

The thundering heartbeat made no sense.

The absurd suspicion he had tried to dismiss as mere illusion had grown into a near certainty, circling endlessly in his mind.

He was sure he was drawn to Roselia, so why did he feel a similar pull towards Antonio?

Damn it, that couldn’t be. It just couldn’t…

Klaus remained frozen, his face buried in his hands for a long while.

* * *

A few days after that incident, Roselia visited Count Bernas with Claucet as usual.

That day, they planned to set a table in the count’s garden and enjoy tea time.

It was a leisurely and tranquil time, almost hard to believe she had nearly been crushed by a pillar at a construction site just days before.

“The weather’s great today, perfect for a picnic, right?”

Claucet remarked cheerfully.

Roselia replied with a bright smile, agreeing with her.

“It feels nice to drink tea outdoors like this.”

Count Bernas, watching them with disapproval, grumbled under his breath.

“Do you think this place is some kind of picnic ground?”

“Oh, come on, Grandfather. It’s nice to enjoy some tea outdoors for a change,” Claucet responded playfully.

The count turned his head away, pretending to be annoyed, but he didn’t actually make any move to clear the table or send them away.

Roselia found it amusing how he was secretly enjoying their company, even while grumbling like a shy ten-year-old boy.

At that moment, Claucet, taking a leisurely sip of tea, glanced at Roselia’s expression and asked softly.

“How is Antonio doing? Is he feeling better?”

It seemed that Claucet was particularly sensitive about people getting hurt or sick after an accident, and her concern showed. Roselia reassured her with a gentle smile.

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. And the Duke seems to be doing better than expected, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

At the mention of Klaus, Claucet’s expression turned a bit sullen, as if recalling the time when she had cried like a child over him.

“I never said I was worried…”

Claucet muttered, burying her head in the papers she had brought, her tone brusque. Roselia asked curiously.

“What’s that?”

“Oh… it’s just some sketches I’ve been working on lately,” Claucet replied, somewhat bashfully as she showed her sketches.

The sketchbook, made of bound sheets of paper, was filled with drawings of small birds.

Looking closely, the sketches resembled the canary Klaus had gifted to Claucet.

Each sketch had a name written beneath it, and it seemed to match the canary she had received that day.

“Is the canary’s name Pipi?”

“Yeah, it chirps like ‘Pipi’ when it sings. Cute, isn’t it?”

Seeing Claucet’s face light up with a sweet smile just from thinking about the canary, Roselia found herself smiling too.

Just then, the count, who had been pretending not to care, made a comment.

“Be careful it doesn’t get snatched up by an eagle.”

At the sudden mention of an eagle, Claucet frowned and protested.

“Grandfather, Pipi is inside a cage.”

But the count, uninterested in her response, continued with his own thoughts.

“Eagles are cunning and sharp creatures. They wait for the right moment when their prey lets its guard down.”

Here we go again, another of his senile rants.

Nodding quietly, Roselia decided to just listen. It was best to stay silent in such moments.

“The predator strikes when its prey is distracted, preying on something trivial like a worm,” the count continued.

“But, I’m telling you, Pipi is safe inside a cage…” Claucet protested irritably, but suddenly, a thought flashed through Roselia’s mind—the medicinal herbs she had discovered on the school grounds.

Could that have been a deliberate distraction?

What if someone targeting the Duke’s estate was intentionally creating diversions, waiting for the right moment to catch the Duke off guard?

But if they were that significant, they wouldn’t have been absent from the original story…

What could I have missed from the original plot?

Klaus had been portrayed as the hidden threat to the Empire and the imperial family, but perhaps he wasn’t the true mastermind.

Someone who could frame the Duke and use his household to undermine the imperial family for their gain.

A sudden realization struck Roselia, and she froze, staring into the air.

* * *

After returning from the count’s estate, Roselia headed straight to Klaus’s study.

She reached the door and knocked without hesitation.

“It’s Antonio!”

At the urgency in her voice, a response soon came from within, granting her entry.

Seeing her flustered state, Klaus set down his documents and asked with curiosity.

“What’s the matter?”

Roselia met Klaus’s gaze without wavering, speaking firmly.

“The emblem I described to you… Could it be the crest of a noble house?”

She seemed to be referring to the emblem she had sketched.

The same emblem that adorned the badges worn by those who targeted her.

Klaus’s expression darkened, his tone cold as he spoke.

“I thought I told you not to concern yourself with that.”

Despite Klaus’s clear attempt to draw a line, Roselia pressed on.

“It might be the emblem of a particular house. Please, look into it more closely.”

Realizing she wasn’t going to back down, Klaus sighed deeply and replied with a frosty tone.

“We already investigated that emblem. It’s not associated with any noble house.”

Roselia fell silent for a moment, then spoke again with a determined expression, as if she had made up her mind.

“Then… could you look into the organizations under the Grand Duke Rubelio’s domain?”

Klaus furrowed his brows at her request.

“The Grand Duke Rubelio?”

Even under Klaus’s skeptical gaze, Roselia met his eyes with a resolute look.

They had never been prominently featured in the original story, but she knew of their existence through the lore.

The Grand Duke of Rubelio, next in line for the throne after the Crown Prince.

He was the younger brother of the late Emperor and the uncle of the current Crown Prince.

Officially, the succession should have proceeded with the Crown Prince ascending to the throne after the Emperor’s passing. However, the aristocratic council had delayed the coronation, citing the Crown Prince’s lack of readiness.

Rumors quietly circulated that the aristocracy saw the Grand Duke of Rubelio as the true heir.

If a conflict arose between the imperial family and the Duke of Valtazar’s house, the Grand Duke Rubelio’s faction would stand to gain.

They could keep the influential Duke’s house in check while possibly eliminating the troublesome Crown Prince without lifting a finger—gaining everything at once.

Even if the Duke’s rebellion failed, the Grand Duke of Rubelio would lose nothing.

In fact, the Crown Prince would end up dealing with the ambitious Duke’s house that had been threatening the Grand Duke’s position within the noble ranks.

Roselia, her expression composed, continued speaking firmly to Klaus.

“Investigate the organizations under the Grand Duke’s influence. There might be a group connected to that emblem.”

“Antonio. Do you even realize what you’re suggesting?”

“Yes, I do.”

The Grand Duke was still a member of the imperial family.

Roselia’s words could be seen as defamation or slander against the imperial family—grounds for imprisonment.

“Do you understand the implications of doubting the Grand Duke?”

“I think it’s better to be prepared than to be caught off guard later.”

“Hah…”

Roselia and Antonio truly were unpredictable, like wild cards.

Yet, despite himself, Klaus couldn’t help but feel concerned.

What Antonio had just suggested, true or not, was a dangerous statement—one that could cost him his life if he wasn’t careful.

“I’ll say it again. Stay out of this matter.”

Klaus’s voice was low and growling, a clear warning as he continued.

“Don’t get curious. And never speak of this again. Anywhere.”

Roselia, frustrated by Klaus’s reluctance to discuss the topic, retorted sharply.

“If the Grand Duke of Rubelio is the real culprit, then staying put means playing right into their hands!”

At that moment, there was a sudden sound of something hitting the glass window from outside.

Before Roselia could react, Klaus swiftly moved to her side, covering her mouth as he glared out the window.

“Damn it, Antonio. Just because this is the Duke’s mansion doesn’t mean it’s safe. So, please…”

He could feel her ragged breath against his palm as he held her mouth shut.

Their bodies were pressed uncomfortably close due to the urgency of the situation.

Suddenly, the memory of the time he had covered Roselia’s mouth to hide from the Crown Prince on the terrace of the imperial banquet hall came rushing back.

Why was he thinking of that moment now, with Antonio?

The intensity and thrill he felt then… everything seemed so similar.

Why was he feeling that same sensation with Antonio, Roselia’s brother?

As an unfamiliar, tingling sensation spread across his palm, Klaus furrowed his brows and looked down at Roselia.

Roselia, too, looked up at him with unsteady eyes.