64. Unwelcome News

Roselia’s gaze wavered in disbelief.

The dark-haired man smirked as he looked at her.

It was Antonio, the infamous scoundrel of the Hesingk County, who had squandered the family’s fortune in drinking and gambling until his disappearance after his father’s death.

As Roselia struggled to process his sudden appearance, Antonio looked her up and down with a sneer.

“Not exactly looking your best, are you?”

“Weren’t you dead?”

She’d thought he’d been killed, captured by some back-alley gang over his gambling debts… In the original story, his survival had never been confirmed; he’d simply been taken away and never returned.

Had her interference altered even this part of the original plot?

“I nearly died. But I lost my hand instead.”

Antonio raised his arm, showing off the empty sleeve where his hand should have been, his expression smug. Roselia’s brow furrowed deeply.

Antonio grinned, a mocking edge in his voice.

“While I was scraping by in the gutter, I heard some interesting rumors.”

He scratched his ear with his remaining hand.

“They say the eldest child of the Count of Hesingk is now a servant in the Duke’s household. Imagine that.”

Roselia’s gaze sharpened, tension seeping into her voice as she responded.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Antonio chuckled at her guarded tone.

“While I was wallowing in the filth, you were living in the lap of luxury with the Duke.”

“You brought that filth upon yourself,” Roselia replied coldly, her voice cutting.

Antonio shrugged.

“Who knows… But what if I told the Duke who you really are? Think you’d still be so comfortable?”

At his casual threat, Roselia’s face went rigid.

“What?”

“Would the esteemed Duke of Baltezar keep a liar in his midst? You’d be lucky if he didn’t kill you.”

She knew all too well that he was right.

Klaus, who valued trust and integrity above all else, would likely react harshly to betrayal, especially from someone he trusted.

“What do you want?”

Roselia steadied herself, her gaze piercing. Antonio’s grin widened.

“Smart as always, Roselia. You catch on quickly.”

“….”

“Get me two thousand berangs within two weeks. Otherwise, your secret gets out.”

Anger flared in her. She had expected a demand for money, but two thousand berangs? Even if he’d asked for two hundred, it would have been outrageous.

She had nearly killed herself repaying the two thousand berangs of debt owed by the Count Hesingk.

If anything, he should be the one repaying her!

Noticing her thoughts, Antonio smirked slyly.

“Two thousand is a bargain. That mansion was mine by rights, and selling it would have easily brought in that much.”

The audacity! He was calculating his inheritance based on the debt-ridden estate his father had passed down to him.

“Seeing you skulking around in disguise, hiding in that mansion… You think the Duke wouldn’t be disgusted?”

Roselia could no longer hold back. She shoved Antonio against the wall, gripping him by the collar.

“I paid off that damned Hesingk debt—two thousand berangs! You should be paying me back, not the other way around!”

With one hand missing, Antonio barely resisted, only grinning back at her mockingly.

“Who asked you to pay? You chose to cozy up to the Duke yourself.”

The audacity of his words was almost beyond belief.

Before Roselia could say anything further, Antonio pushed her hand away and stepped back.

“Two weeks.”

With a final smirk, he disappeared into the shadowy alley.

Roselia watched him vanish, her hands trembling in fury.

* * *

Roselia was sweeping the front yard absentmindedly when a heavy “thud” at her feet startled her out of her thoughts.

It was Denver, one of the Duke’s servants, who had tossed a large box in front of her.

Denver had made his dislike of her clear from the start, and now he seemed comfortable enough to speak down to her.

“Antonio, put this in the storage.”

The box was so large that even an adult man would struggle with it. Roselia could only gape for a moment.

Denver glanced at her with disdain and added, “You’re a servant. This shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Hmm… well…”

By now, she was used to his attitude.

And she wasn’t one to distinguish work based on gender. It was heavy, sure, but it wasn’t impossible to carry.

With that thought, Roselia bent down and began lifting the box with a grunt. The size made it difficult for her to see where she was going.

Suddenly, the weight lifted from her hands, and she blinked in surprise, looking up to see an all-too-familiar figure.

“Where does this need to go?”

Both Roselia and Denver turned to stare at Klaus, who was now holding the box.

Denver’s face went pale as he realized who had intervened.

“D-Duke?”

Klaus looked at Denver with a cold gaze and spoke icily.

“Where should I put this?”

Denver, swallowing hard, took the box from Klaus’s hands, his face now white as a sheet.

“I-I’ll take care of it!”

He scurried away, practically fleeing with the box, and Roselia sighed heavily as she watched him go.

While Klaus’s help was convenient, this would only lead to more talk among the servants—about favoritism and special treatment.

Just great, another reason for them to resent me.

Roselia looked at Klaus with a slightly annoyed expression.

“I could have managed.”

Klaus glanced at her slender arms and murmured under his breath.

“With those delicate arms?”

“….”

Left speechless, Roselia pressed her lips together in silence.

Klaus scanned her face for a moment before speaking in a calm, steady voice.

“Come to my office for a moment.”

Roselia watched Klaus in bewilderment as he turned and walked away, then wordlessly followed him.

As they entered his now-familiar office, Klaus spoke up without even taking a seat.

“I heard you went outside the mansion yesterday on the chamberlain’s orders.”

Klaus’s voice held a hint of anger, and Roselia tilted her head in confusion as she responded.

“Yes, I went to get medicine because Roy was in severe pain.”

“Who did you meet in front of the mansion?”

At this, Roselia’s expression stiffened.

“Did you have me followed again?”

Klaus sighed, rubbing his forehead as he continued.

“Have you forgotten the threats to you? It’s uncertain if it’s from the Grand Ducal family, but someone is targeting you. How could I just stand by?”

“….”

“Was it an agent of the Grand Ducal family? Did they make contact with you?”

“No.”

Fortunately, it seemed the shadow Klaus had assigned to her hadn’t overheard their conversation.

“I heard there was an altercation.”

“It wasn’t that serious.”

Roselia’s evasive response made Klaus frown. Every day felt like treading on thin ice, unsure when the Grand Ducal family might strike.

According to his informants, people disguised as ordinary citizens kept lurking around Antonio, changing daily. The threat of a sudden attack loomed constantly.

Frustration boiled within him, especially when Antonio, oblivious to Klaus’s concerns, seemed to put up walls around himself.

“Why are you hiding things from me?”

“There’s no reason to report every detail of my personal life to you, Your Grace.”

Klaus’s patience finally snapped.

He pressed his hand against the wall beside her with a loud *thud*, his voice a low growl.

“Damn it, Antonio. I’m trying to protect you.”

Feeling the tension radiating from him, Roselia realized just how angry he was. She lowered her gaze, replying calmly.

“It was just an old friend. Don’t worry about it.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes, watching her as she avoided his gaze.

“A friend… Then why does it feel like you’re protecting him?”

“….”

For a moment, Roselia’s temper flared, and she met his gaze directly. But as Klaus’s intense stare bore into her, she looked away again.

It wasn’t about protecting Antonio. She just didn’t want *him* to know.

Swallowing down the words on the tip of her tongue, Roselia bit her lip.

Unconsciously, Klaus’s gaze lingered on her lips, pressed white under her teeth.

Even in this maddening situation, he found himself tracking her every small movement.

Part of him wanted to silence those infuriating lips, to kiss her so thoroughly that she wouldn’t dare utter another word of defiance.

But if he acted on that impulse, she, who had once dismissed the idea of same-gender affection, would probably recoil in horror.

Exhaling a ragged breath, Klaus finally pulled back, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

“Forget it. You’re dismissed.”

Roselia watched him turn his back to her, his stance rigid and unyielding, before clenching her jaw and exiting the room.

* * *

Later, as Roselia left the mansion to head to the Count’s estate, she looked up in surprise when a carriage pulled up beside her.

The door of the Duke’s carriage opened, revealing Klaus seated inside.

“Get in.”

Without even meeting her gaze, his tone was cold, and Roselia turned her head defiantly.

“I can walk.”

“Get in while I’m being nice.”

This time, his piercing blue eyes finally met hers.

Feeling exposed under his gaze, she reluctantly complied, climbing into the carriage.

“I have business at the Count’s estate as well.”

Klaus was headed to see the item the Count had promised to show him. Though, truthfully, he wanted the reassurance of seeing Antonio safely within the estate walls.

At his unruffled tone, Roselia resignedly boarded the carriage, and the two traveled in tense silence.

Ten minutes later, they arrived, and Roselia hurriedly exited, as though fleeing.

Entering the quiet estate, she called out as she looked around.

“Grandfather, I’m here.”

Was he in the study?

As she began to head down the hall, she caught sight of a figure collapsed nearby and felt her heart drop.

“Grandfather?”

Taking a few steps closer, Roselia realized it was indeed the Count lying on the floor. She rushed to his side, a horrified scream tearing from her lips.

“Grandfather!”

“Antonio! What’s going on?”

Klaus ran to her, alarmed by her frantic call.

Seeing Roselia trembling as she shook the Count’s unresponsive form, Klaus gritted his teeth and sprinted toward them.

Roselia, noticing Klaus’s arrival, stammered in a panic.

“Grandfather… the Count, he…!”

Without a word, Klaus lifted the Count onto his back and strode swiftly toward the carriage.

As she followed, Roselia’s gaze fell on a letter lying where the Count had collapsed.

Acting on instinct, she picked it up, her face freezing as she read the contents.

It was a death notice for the young Count, redirected from Eskivan.

“Why… is this here?”