66. Just Look at Me, and I’ll Only Look at You

At her words, Klaus’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Roselia, didn’t you hear the marquess? It was revealed in the imperial trial that you’re related to Raphelios. If the fact that you’re a woman reaches his ears, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Even in the midst of all this, Klaus’s concern for her well-being made Roselia falter slightly, her tone becoming more subdued as she replied gloomily.

“But… because of me, you’re being called a sodomite and being dragged through the mud…”

Lowering her head, she bit her lip, her posture fraught with guilt. Klaus carefully reached out and touched her cheek.

“Shh… Roselia. To me, it’s actually a relief.”

His gentle tone, as if soothing a child, made Roselia look up at him in surprise.

Meeting her gaze, Klaus’s lips curved into a slight smile.

“Thanks to the rumors, the endless stream of marriage proposals has completely dried up.”

Whether he was joking or serious was unclear, but the humor in his voice made Roselia glare at him with feigned annoyance.

“Don’t joke about things like that.”

“I’m serious. But does it really matter? Either way, you’ll eventually become the mistress of the duchy.”

His nonchalant declaration left Roselia wide-eyed.

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what you heard.”

His confident smirk rendered her speechless, her mouth agape in shock.

“I said we should date, not get married!”

“To me, they’re the same thing.”

His natural, unbothered response made Roselia gasp in disbelief.

“Then I’ll take it back… I take it back!”

“Overruled.”

“You can’t just say that!”

“I just did.”

His brazen reply left Roselia stunned, her mouth hanging open. Seeing her reaction, Klaus finally asked hesitantly, gauging her expression.

“Do you dislike it?”

His uncharacteristic tentativeness caught her off guard, and Roselia faltered.

“It’s not that I dislike it, but…”

It was simply too unrealistic.

She had once been a servant in the duke’s household—how could she now become its mistress?

This felt more absurd than drinking kimchi broth before getting the rice cake.* Even she thought it was ludicrous, so the reaction of others was all too predictable.

Sensing her unease, Klaus stepped closer to her with a cautious demeanor.

“Once the issue with the grand duke is resolved, I’ll formally propose. Will you accept then?”

“That kind of thing…”

Her hesitation made Klaus gently lift her chin, ensuring her eyes met his.

“Just look at me, Roselia,” he murmured, his voice resolute. “I’ll only look at you.”

His unwavering tone made her gaze falter.

Somehow, his words felt like a spell.

If she only looked at him, it seemed like all her worries would simply disappear.

Seeing the way she stared back at him, Klaus smiled with a charm that could make hearts flutter. Slowly, he lowered his head.

A warm, soft sensation touched her lips, and Roselia’s eyes fluttered shut.

As if taking her response as acceptance, Klaus pulled her into a tight embrace, deepening the kiss.

Seeking her permission with every gentle movement of his lips, he silently implored her to open up. Roselia, blushing, shyly parted her lips, welcoming him fully.

Tl/N: Kimchi broth analogy: A Korean idiom that refers to someone getting ahead of themselves or assuming something before it happens.

* * *

The Rugbeljet imperial family, in the guest palace where the Raphelios delegation was staying, three or four envoys were gathered discreetly in the reception room.

“My goodness. Who would have thought there was a bloodline of Raphelios in Rugbeljet?”

The revelation of a Raphelios blood relative during the imperial trial was a story so widespread that no one in the imperial court was unaware of it.

Naturally, the Raphelios delegation couldn’t avoid hearing such news.

“How can we believe that? Isn’t it still an unproven claim?”

“If it’s from the Marquess of Euciliod, it’s as good as proven, wouldn’t you say? The Marquess of Euciliod is also one of the Raphelios bloodline.”

“You’re referring to that story about blood relatives being able to recognize one another?”

The older man with white hair coldly refuted the middle-aged men’s conversation.

“Even so, nothing can be confirmed.”

“Still, shouldn’t we report this to Lady Gwenhela?”

“The imperial palace has likely already been informed. Rugbeljet probably has more than a few spies planted there.”

At that moment, a man who had been quietly listening and lost in thought cautiously spoke.

“Now that I think about it, back when we attacked the Marquess of Euciliod 20 years ago…”

“Shh! Are you mad, speaking such dangerous words?”

As another middle-aged man warned him in alarm, the man lowered his voice further, muttering as if to himself.

“At that time, I think the Marquess’s wife and their child disappeared together…”

“Ahem! Wasn’t there a report long ago that both the Marquess’s wife and child had died?”

“Yes, there was. It’s just something that crossed my mind.”

Another envoy, who had been quietly observing the situation, nonchalantly added to the conversation.

“Even if the Marquess’s wife and child were alive, the child was a girl. The blood relative revealed this time is male.”

“It must be from a collateral branch of the bloodline among distant ancestors. Its influence will be negligible.”

“Indeed. I only mentioned it because it came to mind.”

Perhaps bothered by the middle-aged man’s words, the older man with white hair frowned and asked.

“There hasn’t been a female of the bloodline since the late Empress 50 years ago, has there?”

“If a female of the bloodline had appeared, there wouldn’t have been room for the concubine factions in the Raphelios imperial family to arise as they have now.”

“Exactly. If a female of the bloodline were to appear at this time, the dynamics of the imperial family would be turned upside down.”

As if deciding this discussion had gone too far, the white-haired man slammed the table harshly.

“Enough! Stop discussing things that haven’t even happened! Even though we’re in a foreign country, there may be ears listening!”

“Quite right. The fact that the blood relative is male is a stroke of luck.”

“For now, we’ll be returning to our homeland in three days. Let’s discuss the details then.”

With that, the envoys, excluding those aligned with the Marquess of Euciliod and the Empress’s faction, concluded their secret conversation and quietly left their seats.

* * *

In the duke’s library, Roselia let out a deep sigh as she read a book on the history of Raphelios.

There was scarcely any detailed information recorded about the bloodline of Raphelios.

The only thing mentioned was that most of the significant figures who had influenced Raphelios’s history were part of the bloodline.

To think that Roselia, whom she had considered nothing more than a minor character in the original story, turned out to be part of the Raphelios bloodline…

Was this part of the setting the original author had in mind?

Or was it another error caused by deviating from the original plot?

As she pondered this, the contents of the original story suddenly flashed through her mind.

Come to think of it… in the original story, Roselia was supposed to die in about three months.

Although the event had been brought forward and she had managed to avoid death, there was no way to be certain that this was the final incident tied to her demise.

Three months…

Feeling an unexplainable heaviness in her heart, Roselia absentmindedly touched her lips.

It still felt as if Klaus’s warmth lingered there.

If she were to die like the original Roselia, would Klaus grieve for her?

The Klaus from the original story wouldn’t have given such a thought, but now, somehow, she felt certain.

If she were to die, the current Klaus would be utterly broken, to the point of no return.

The image of him suffering and in despair made her heart ache slightly.

She had to avoid the original story’s trajectory at all costs. To do that, she needed to anticipate and prepare for anything that could threaten her.

With a resolute expression, she reopened the book, but just then, the butler Jeffrey entered the library.

“Antonio.”

Tl/n: He uses nim, showing repect by adding nim to her name

Since Klaus’s declaration, Jeffrey had been treating her with utmost respect.

Klaus’s word was law to him, and it seemed he didn’t even consider defying it.

When Roselia looked at him curiously, Jeffrey bowed politely and continued.

“You have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

“It’s the Marquess of Euciliod.”

Puzzled, Roselia followed the butler’s guidance to the reception room where the marquess was waiting.

When she opened the door to the well-lit reception room, she spotted Johannes gazing out the window. Delighted, she called out to him.

“Marquess!”

At her cheerful voice, Johannes turned and offered his usual warm smile.

“Antonio, have you been well?”

“Of course, but what brings you here…?”

As she looked at him curiously, Johannes responded with a bitter smile.

“I’ll be returning to my homeland soon.”

“Ah… I see the empire agreement has been successfully concluded.”

Her tone carried a hint of sadness as she spoke.

It was only natural for him to return to his homeland, yet for some reason, her heart felt empty and forlorn.

Perhaps she had grown fond of him over time, she thought.

As she reflected on this, Johannes watched her intently and finally opened his mouth with some difficulty.

“Roselia…”

Hearing him suddenly call her by her real name instead of Antonio, which he had been using to hide her identity, Roselia looked at him in surprise.

Johannes hesitated for a moment before continuing, his gaze filled with affection.

“Would you consider returning to Raphelios with me?”

At his serious question, Roselia’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean, all of a sudden…?”

Meeting her gaze directly, Johannes spoke calmly.

“Aren’t you curious about your real family?”

“My real family?”

Looking at the bewildered Roselia, Johannes continued with utmost seriousness.

“Have you ever wondered if there might be family in Rugbeljet looking for you?”

His meaningful words left Roselia frozen in place, staring blankly before she slowly lowered her gaze.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not curious, but…”

She stared quietly at the table, a bitter smile on her lips.

“What would change even if I met them now? We’ve lived in different worlds.”

If it had been before she met Klaus, she might have considered it, but now, she wanted to stay by Klaus’s side rather than meet family she didn’t even know.

It was almost amusing how her feelings had changed. Now that she had admitted she liked him, Klaus had become her only hope and reason to keep going.

Watching her closely, Johannes finally opened his tightly shut lips and spoke again.

“What if they’re missing you?”

 

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