77. I feel like I’m being punished.

Roselia stared blankly into Klaus’s deep eyes, her face growing warm on its own.

Thump.

Her heart, as usual, began to race uncontrollably. At the same time, a tightness spread across her chest, and she felt as if something was slipping out of her. Panicked by the sensation, she lowered her gaze.

Noticing her reaction, Klaus smirked, his lips curling upward.

As his face inched closer, Roselia instinctively raised her hand, pressing her palm against him to stop his advance.

“T-This is inappropriate!”

She stammered, her face flushed even as her scent lightly wafted through the air.

Klaus tilted his lips in amusement.

“Hmm… You’re not engaged to anyone, and a man and woman feeling attracted to each other isn’t exactly inappropriate, is it?”

His confident remark left Roselia dumbfounded.

Just a while ago, he was furious, accusing her of deception. Now he was suddenly so forward?

It seemed he had softened considerably upon learning that she wasn’t romantically involved with the Marquess.

But this situation was troubling for her.

Even if he didn’t believe her, she knew the flow of the original story and couldn’t act entirely on impulse.

“I don’t like you,” she said firmly.

Klaus leaned back slightly at her resolute rejection.

“Are you serious?”

His piercing gaze made Roselia feel as though she had been caught lying. Avoiding his eyes, she murmured, “For now… I don’t have any such thoughts about you, Your Grace.”

“So, ‘for now’ means it’s possible in the future?”

“….”

At his serious question, Roselia glanced away, biting her lips.

Perhaps, in the future, she wouldn’t even be by his side… but for now, it seemed better to leave things at that.

While Roselia’s expression turned somber, Klaus interpreted her words as a partial acknowledgment of his feelings. A charming smile spread across his face.

“Fine. If you truly dislike it, I’ll restrain myself.”

Saying this, Klaus took her small hand, still raised to block him, and pressed a kiss to her palm.

Startled by the unexpected gesture, Roselia froze as Klaus pressed his nose to her palm.

He nuzzled her hand with his lips and nose like a puppy, as if even her palm exuded a sweet scent. Roselia’s face grew hot at his unusual behavior.

Sensing her reaction, Klaus’s gaze deepened, and he slyly flicked his tongue against her palm.

The soft, warm sensation startled Roselia, and she gasped as she quickly pulled her hand away.

Klaus, now watching her with slightly heavy breaths, gave her a bittersweet smile.

“I feel like I’m being punished,” he said softly.

His intense gaze, the warmth of his breath brushing against her forehead, and the overwhelming heat of his proximity made Roselia’s heart pound wildly.

Thump, thump.

Whenever she saw him, her scent would escape, and whenever the scent escaped, his gaze would turn like this. That gaze would unsettle her heart, making the scent escape again—a vicious cycle.

Roselia began to doubt if she’d ever manage to learn how to control this scent at all.

Klaus, after studying her for a long moment, let out a deep sigh as though suppressing something, and stood.

“For now, I’ll step back, as you said. Learning to control the scent is more important,” he said, moving away.

As Klaus stepped aside, Roselia quickly stood and straightened her wrinkled clothes.

While she was busy fixing her attire, Klaus perched on the table at a distance, his gaze fixed on her.

“And… you don’t have to pay off the debt anymore,” he said.

“What?” she asked, surprised.

“Technically, it’s not even your debt but the Count’s family’s. There’s no reason for someone unrelated by blood to repay it.”

His unexpected offer left Roselia momentarily stunned.

Her plan had always been to repay Klaus’s debt entirely and sever all ties with him. She believed that to part from him for good, she needed to leave no lingering connections behind.

Resolute, she shook her head firmly.

“No, there’s not much left to pay. I’ll finish repaying it.”

At her adamant refusal, Klaus’s brows furrowed in displeasure. He watched her stubbornly for a moment before letting out a sigh, brushing his hair back with his hand.

“Hah… Who could ever win against your stubbornness?”

As though conceding defeat, he shook his head, and Roselia seized the moment to drive her point home.

“And, from now on, please continue calling me Antonio,” she said firmly.

Klaus’s expression darkened at her remark, clearly displeased with her drawing such a boundary.

Sensing his reaction, Roselia quickly offered a logical reason, hoping to justify her request.

“I’m living as a man right now. If you call me Roselia, someone might overhear and figure it out.”

Her reasoning, though sensible, didn’t sit well with Klaus. Still, he reluctantly nodded, albeit with clear reluctance.

“Fine, have it your way.”

Klaus let out a deep sigh, furrowing his brows as though in agony.

“If this keeps up, I might just bury my face in you… Can’t you do something about that scent?”

At his blunt remark, Roselia’s eyes widened in shock. Without missing a beat, she strode firmly toward the window, her resolve clear as she threw it wide open.

“Ventilation will take care of it,” she declared confidently.

Klaus stared at her, momentarily stunned by her boldness, before a soft, amused laugh escaped him, his expression both exasperated and entertained.

* * *

Roselia was on her way to the imperial palace, carrying a painting she had received from Abello.

Worried about not having seen Abello and Erlin recently, she had decided to visit them. During her visit, Abello had handed her a completed painting.

She intended to deliver Abello’s painting to the Crown Princess while also conveying the news of Nadia’s death, who had been under the Crown Princess’s patronage.

As usual, she arrived at the palace disguised as a servant of the Duke’s estate and was led to the parlor by an attendant.

After exchanging polite greetings, Roselia sat at the table and briefly recounted the recent events to the Crown Princess.

“I see… We’ve lost a brilliant artist from Rugbeljet,” the Crown Princess said, her expression tinged with sadness as if it were a personal loss.

Then, with a cautious tone, she asked, “Antonio, are you all right?”

“Pardon?”

“Delivering patronage funds must have created a bond. Knowing your character, Antonio, I doubt you treated the artists you supported as mere obligations. Perhaps… they were more like friends to you.”

Meeting Roselia’s eyes with a genuine expression of concern, the Crown Princess added warmly, “That’s why I’m worried about you.”

Her words of comfort stirred an unexpected welling of sorrow in Roselia, who had been telling herself she was fine all along.

Fighting back tears that threatened to spill, Roselia forced a bittersweet smile.

“I… I’m fine,” she replied softly.

The Crown Princess seemed to understand her feelings and responded with a gentle smile.

“Thank you for making the effort to visit despite your worries. This is a token of gratitude for bringing me such a beautiful painting again today.”

With that, the Crown Princess handed her a check for 1,000 Berangs.

Roselia accepted the check, her heart momentarily filled with an inexplicable turmoil.

This amount would settle all the Duke’s debts once she delivered it. And yet… she couldn’t shake off the strange sense of unease.

Lost in thought, she exited the Crown Princess’s parlor but was suddenly stopped by an unfamiliar figure blocking her path.

A man, who appeared to be a royal attendant, stood before her with a stern expression.

“Are you Antonio?”

“Yes, but what is this about…?”

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, has requested to see you immediately.”

Roselia’s eyes widened in surprise.

Though initially puzzled, she quickly deduced the reason. The Crown Prince had previously stated that he wanted her to personally report on the Duke’s business dealings, though Klaus had been handling most of the reports instead.

It was likely the Crown Prince had grown irritated by this arrangement.

Not wanting to provoke his ire further, Roselia nodded and followed the attendant.

Soon, they stopped in front of a room adorned with intricate designs. The attendant turned to her and spoke in a neutral tone.

“Before meeting His Highness, we need to inspect your belongings.”

“Inspect my belongings?”

Roselia tilted her head in confusion, surprised by the second inspection since she had already gone through one at the palace entrance.

Perhaps visits to the Crown Prince required extra precautions. Accepting the necessity, she handed her bag to the attendant.

After thoroughly searching through it, the attendant returned her bag without comment and opened the door.

“Please wait inside. His Highness will be with you shortly.”

“Understood.”

Stepping inside, Roselia scanned the room with wide eyes.

The Crown Prince’s parlor was lavishly decorated with gold and jewels, exuding both grandeur and an overwhelming sense of authority.

Standing idly in the center of the room, Roselia found her thoughts drifting to the Crown Prince.

Though he was the one who killed the original Roselia in the novel, he hadn’t harmed her in this timeline. In fact, she realized he had even helped her before—providing hints about controlling her scent.

Determined to apologize for not personally reporting to him sooner, Roselia resolved to explain everything when he arrived.

But as time passed, she began to grow suspicious.

*Why isn’t he here yet?*

Thinking to ask the attendant, she turned to the door and tried to open it, only to find it firmly locked.

*Click, clack.*

The handle wouldn’t budge, as if it was stuck. Roselia’s expression hardened with confusion and unease.

Just then, the sound of many footsteps approached from the other side of the door.

The steps halted abruptly outside, followed by the sharp, commanding voice of the Crown Prince.

“Antonio, open the door.”

Assuming the Crown Prince mistakenly believed she had locked it, Roselia hastily replied, “Your Highness, I’m sorry, but the door won’t open.”

“Are you saying someone locked it from the inside?”

“Well, I’m not sure, but—”

The Crown Prince paused for a moment before addressing someone nearby.

“Break it down.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The booming voices of guards echoed as they began striking the door handle with what sounded like heavy metal.

Startled, Roselia backed away from the door, her eyes darting nervously.

Soon, with a loud crash, the door gave way, and the Crown Prince entered the room, flanked by the royal guards.

Still bewildered by the incomprehensible situation, Roselia froze, her expression blank.

The Crown Prince’s cold gaze locked onto her.

“Your Highness…?” she murmured.

Tl/N: As a finance student, I hereby declare that I’m bad with currencies and took HRM to get out. I saw a comment that said that the currency was not edited . IDK HOW TO EDIT IT. Heck, I’m even bad at my own country’s currency exchange, how am i supposed to solve this. Ill be happy if you guys can guide me on editing it fr

 

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