Edited…

6. A Wet Shirt

“Do you not know what Lady Claucet desires?”

Despite his impassive expression, a chilling coldness lingered in his eyes.

“I know very well what Lady Claucet needs. For the future of Lady Claucet, the honor and wealth of the family are necessary. There’s nothing more certain in this trashy world.”

Having said that, Klaus slowly approached Roselia. His gaze, looking down at her, was not just cold but almost ruthless, causing Roselia’s whole body to stiffen.

“Antonio de Hesingk.”

Klaus, slowly lowering his head, whispered into her ear like a growl.

“All you have to do is repay 3,000 grangs within a year. It’s better not to meddle any further. Even if it is so-called for my sake.”

His breath, touching her ear, was undoubtedly warm like a veil, but in the place where his breath passed, a cold and bitter sensation like ale remained. It felt as if a sharp blade had just grazed near her neck.

Klaus left the frozen Roselia behind and walked away calmly.

Left alone, Roselia, because of the ardor of the Duke that she felt right in front of her, had to shake her shoulders to get rid of her stiffness. Only after the Duke’s presence disappeared into the exclusive carriage could Roselia finally exhale the breath she felt stuck in her throat. She hadn’t understood the description in the original novel that the Duke could kill someone with just his gaze, but now she keenly felt it.

Roselia relaxed, moving her trembling legs to head towards the mansion.

Near the entrance of the mansion, Klaus, who had been standing behind a tree, was glaring at her with clenched fists.

“Don’t do unnecessary things, Antonio.”

It was almost as if they were siblings, saying the same thing, with Klaus having a very displeased expression.

“It seems like I did something unnecessary.”

Feeling tired for no reason, Roselia immediately offered an apology.

Upon reflection, she felt like she had done something truly unnecessary. She had said she wouldn’t get involved with the Duke, but she ended up making unnecessary comments. Even the Duke and the Young Lady didn’t interfere with each other with such unnecessary meddling.

With a bitter feeling, Roselia bowed her head towards the Young Lady and tried to move away to give her space.

At that moment, Klaus bluntly threw out his words.

“Come down to have dinner together later.”

With those words, the cloaked figure of the Duke disappeared into the mansion with a graceful stride. Roselia, who was watching that scene with a puzzled expression, slowly made her way to her room, seemingly not understanding the message.

Dinner time quickly arrived. Roselia, dressed in a neat shirt and casual pants, sat at the dining table in a relatively comfortable attire.

Behind Lady Claucet, who was already seated, servants lined up to serve the meal. Their gazes all seemed disapproving as they glanced at Roselia.

Claucet, still in her indoor attire but with the updo Roselia had done earlier, seemed to be lost in thought. Roselia, who had unconsciously found amusement in her own thoughts about Claucet’s appearance, snapped back to reality at Claucet’s voice.

“I noticed earlier that you seem familiar with handling women’s hair…”

As Claucet spoke, her gaze towards Roselia seemed sharp, almost as if she suspected Roselia to be Klaus’s younger sister. Roselia, swallowing dryly, tried to maintain composure.

“I used to groom my younger sister’s hair from time to time.”

“Younger sister?”

“Yes, after my father passed away, we had to dismiss all the servants, so I occasionally did it myself.”

Antonio grooming hair was certainly unheard of. Well, considering all the servants were dismissed and she had to take care of her hair, it wasn’t entirely false.

“Where is your younger sister now?”

“She passed away from the same illness as my father.”

It was somewhat ironic to speak of her own death in such a calm manner, but Roselia didn’t feel any heightened emotions.

Claucet, holding a utensil, dropped it as she exclaimed, “She’s dead?”

Perhaps she wasn’t accustomed to the concept of death at her age.

“Yes, not too long ago. The death certificate has already been filed.”

“Antonio…”

Come to think of it, Lady Claucet, like Klaus, lived alone after losing her parents.

While Roselia and Antonio were no different from strangers, in a way, their situations were somewhat similar.

“Feel free to groom my hair sometime…”

Huh? What’s with that confused look?

Although it seemed like Claucet had misunderstood something, Roselia didn’t feel the need to correct her and just smiled awkwardly.

“Did you get along well with your younger sister?”

Thinking of Antonio, Roselia had to force a fake smile while sweating. As in the end, they parted ways not with a farewell but a harsh confrontation.

“Yes, well…”

“Having recently lost a younger sister must be distressing…”

“Well… yes?”

“That heartless person brought you here to repay his debt, didn’t he…”

“That’s…”

It felt awkward how the conversation veered. It was a correct statement, but it made Klaus seem even more ruthless, making Roselia uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry. If you stick by my side all the time, that heartless person won’t be able to bother you.”

That’s a bit problematic… If she couldn’t repay the 20 grangs Klaus gave her within two months, he would surely come for her life. That’s why she couldn’t spend all her time as Lady Claucet’s maid.

“That’s a bit inconvenient. To repay the Duke’s debt, I have my own work to do. Of course, I won’t refuse to be your domestico, but I would appreciate it if you could guarantee me my time as well.”

Claucet’s eyebrows, which had softened a bit, furrowed again at Roselia’s firm words.

“How much is that debt? With the salary I receive as your maid, it would be difficult to repay, wouldn’t it?”

While Claucet had agreed to pay Roselia 500 grangs per week for her maid duties, paying off 3000 grangs would take more than ten years. Could she survive without revealing her identity during that time? The animated look in Klaus’s eyes haunted Roselia, sending shivers down her spine.

“The salary provided by the Lady is not enough.”

Claucet responded to Roselia’s firm answer with a stubborn expression, as if her pride had been wounded.

“How much debt are you in for?”

“5,000 grangs. Oh, selling the Marquis’s mansion covered some of it, so it’s about 3,200 grangs precisely.”

Claucet, hearing Roselia’s nonchalant words, stood frozen with her mouth agape. It seemed she had no intention of repaying such a large sum at once.

“Fine. Let’s agree that you’ll take care of your domestico work for only three days a week.”

Perhaps quickly conceding to the amount mentioned, Claucet took a step back. Roselia found Claucet’s withdrawal surprisingly cute, like a princess taking a step back herself, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you, Miss.”

“But in return, can you groom my hair whenever I want? The maids in the mansion aren’t as skilled at updos as you are.”

“Of course.”

As they spoke, Denver, a servant who had been waiting, approached with a water jug to refill Roselia’s empty glass. Denver, a new servant with a high stature, seemed visibly displeased as Lady Claucet’s attention shifted to Roselia.

At that moment, while Lady Claucet was momentarily distracted by eating, Denver, intentionally or not, tilted the water jug towards Roselia.

“Hey!”

Upon Roselia’s exclamation, Denver, belatedly realizing the situation, awkwardly apologized.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Mr. Antonio. I lost my grip…”

Realizing the intentional action by Denver too late, Roselia, who was about to say something, had to hastily rise from her seat as her thin white poet shirt clung to her chest. Someone observant might notice that she had an extra layer of fabric underneath.

“Are you okay, Miss?”

Claucet, belatedly realizing Roselia’s situation, looked in their direction.

“Antonio, what happened?”

Whether he overheard something from outside or sensed something amiss, Klaus, with a stern expression, scanned Roselia and Claucet.

Claucet, perhaps not pleased with Klaus’s appearance, promptly turned her head, keeping her mouth shut. Klaus, looking at Roselia with a chilly gaze, opened his mouth coldly.

“You seem quite at ease, dining together with Claucet. Have you already earned the 500 grangs you told me about?”

Though she wanted to leave this place quickly with her wet shirt, the presence of Klaus standing in front of her made Roselia stiffen like a rabbit in front of a predator.

“What’s going on?”

Maybe Klaus heard something from inside, as he cast a stern look at both Roselia and Claucet.

 

Wanting to leave quickly with her wet shirt, Roselia’s expression twisted uncomfortably at Klaus’s sarcastic words.

“I cannot refuse the Lady’s request.”

His challenging gaze seemed to say, “Haven’t you brought this upon yourself by becoming the Duke’s servant?”

As Klaus’s gaze reached her, Roselia’s shoulders trembled, but she forced herself not to cover her chest. Klaus’s gaze lingered on her wet shirt, and Roselia bit her lip in discomfort.

“It’s inappropriate for you to refuse the Lady’s request.”

His eyes, still fixed on Roselia, slowly traveled down to her wet shirt. Trying to hide her discomfort, Roselia avoided covering her chest.

“Your shirt is wet. It’s not like you drank the water with your body.”

After saying that, Klaus’s gaze turned to the servants in the dining room.

In response, a startled Denver, realizing the situation, stiffened his shoulders and bowed deeper.

Roselia, more eager to leave than to argue, bowed her head to Klaus and attempted to move towards the exit.

“As you can see, considering my state, I should leave the seat first.”

Saying so, she tried to pass by Klaus, but his large hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Startled by the unexpected contact, Roselia looked up at Klaus with wide eyes.

Klaus, with a cold and sharp gaze, was staring intently at Roselia.

“Are you hurt?”

As surprising as the sudden contact was, Roselia, not grasping the flow of the conversation, asked in return.

“What?”

In response to her dumbfounded question, Klaus furrowed one eyebrow and looked down at her wet shirt. More precisely, it seemed like his gaze was directed inside the wet shirt.

“It seems like you have bandages on the inside.”

At that moment, Roselia’s body stiffened, and a cold sweat ran down her back.