90. A Desperate Heart

“Dead…?”

Roselia’s voice trembled, barely managing to escape her lips.

Alejandro, looking equally disoriented, continued in a somber tone.

“The rapids below the cliff make it almost impossible to recover a body. I need to head to the imperial palace immediately to handle the aftermath. Please excuse me.”

With a devastated expression, Alejandro left the study, leaving Roselia to collapse back into her chair like a lifeless doll.

‘This can’t be… It can’t…’

Once again, the timeline had accelerated. Klaus, who was originally fated to die under accusations of rebellion six months later, had met his demise while rescuing the Crown Princess.

Roselia felt as though all the blood in her body had drained away. Her hands and feet trembled uncontrollably, rendering her incapable of coherent thought.

A crushing fear gripped her, the belief that it was her interference with the original story that had caused all this chaos.

Just as Nadia had died earlier than expected, Roselia feared that Klaus’s premature death was also her fault.

It was a struggle even to remain upright, her guilt weighing her down like lead.

“What did Alejandro say just now?”

Claucet’s voice startled Roselia, making her stiffen.

Turning slowly, she saw Claucet looking at her with a naive and curious expression, clearly unaware of the situation.

“His face was pale as a ghost when he left. Did something happen?”

Roselia swallowed hard, her throat dry.

Even she was struggling to process the news, her mind a foggy mess. The thought of telling Claucet, who had her own trauma surrounding the loss of loved ones, was terrifying.

‘Not yet… She doesn’t need to know yet.’

Alejandro might return with better news. Until then, she needed to stay calm.

Forcing a smile onto her rigid face, Roselia replied, “The Crown Princess has been safely rescued.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Then Klaus will be back soon, right? Honestly, he needs to stop worrying so much about her like she’s still a little girl. No wonder the Crown Prince gets annoyed with him.”

Claucet rambled on, oblivious to Roselia’s inner turmoil, before turning to her with a concerned look.

“Antonio, are you okay?”

“Huh…?”

Startled, Roselia looked at her, her anxiety evident. Claucet frowned.

“You’re sweating so much. Are you feeling unwell?”

Roselia couldn’t bring herself to meet Claucet’s gaze.

It wasn’t just the secret she was keeping about Klaus—it was the overwhelming guilt that weighed on her. She felt as though she had been the one to take away Claucet’s last remaining family member.

“I’m not feeling well. I’m sorry, but I need to rest.”

“Go ahead. If you feel worse, call for me or Melda, okay?”

Roselia nodded quietly and hurried back to her room.

Closing the door firmly behind her, she slid down to the floor, leaning against the door as if her strength had left her.

Nadia’s death, Count Bernas’s incident, and now Klaus’s untimely demise… It all felt like her fault.

“What am I supposed to do…?”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She had only struggled to survive. She had only tried to protect the people she loved.

And… she had only loved him.

‘Was that my mistake…?’

Perhaps she was nothing more than a contaminant in this world—a foreign element that disrupted its natural flow.

As her thoughts spiraled, Roselia’s eyes fell on the open window.

‘That should’ve been closed when I left…’

Had she been too distracted to shut it properly earlier?

Standing, Roselia walked toward the window to close it.

Just as she reached it, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

The sensation of someone behind her—unfamiliar and threatening—made her freeze.

She turned abruptly, only to be met with a rough hand clamping over her mouth.

“Mmph!”

Before she could struggle further, a damp cloth pressed against her nose and mouth, and darkness quickly overtook her.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through a cracked window, casting fractured rays over a worn, musty bed.

Klaus stirred, heavy eyelids fluttering open as his mind finally cleared.

“Ugh…”

“You’re awake now?”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Klaus turned his head to see a rugged man with a bushy beard sitting casually nearby.

“Who are you?”

“Who do you think? The owner of this house and the one who saved your life,” the man replied.

Noticing the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and abdomen, Klaus glanced around cautiously, his guard lowering slightly. The room, lined with animal hides and reeking of wood, suggested the man was a hunter.

“Where am I?”

“Impatient, aren’t you?” the hunter said, carving the tip of an arrow as he continued.

“You’re in the outskirts of the Hebelt Mountains’ forest. I found you swept up in the river.”

The hut where Klaus had found the Crown Princess was further up the mountain. Judging by the hunter’s words, the river’s current had carried him a considerable distance.

“Judging by your uniform, you’re a soldier. What happened up the mountain? A couple of days ago, I saw some fancy carriage with soldiers escorting it come down from there.”

There were few reasons for such an extravagant procession to descend from the Hebelt Mountains.

The Crown Princess immediately came to mind. Klaus steadied himself and asked, “Did the carriage bear any insignia?”

“It looked like it might’ve had the royal crest, though I can’t say for sure. A hunter like me doesn’t usually see such things.”

“What about the soldiers’ attire?”

“They were wearing red cloaks.”

Relief washed over Klaus. It seemed the Crown Princess had been safely rescued by the Imperial Guard.

Although the news was comforting, an inexplicable emptiness lingered in his chest.

‘Was Roselia right after all? Did the Crown Prince rescue her?’

The thought of Roselia and the duchy’s people worrying about him made Klaus push himself to move. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing in pain.

“You shouldn’t move yet!” the hunter exclaimed, startled by Klaus’s attempt to stand.

Though his injuries still hurt, the hunter had done a commendable job treating them. Klaus found himself able to move, albeit with effort.

It was only then that he noticed the coarse, borrowed shirt he wore. His expression twisted in displeasure.

“Where are the clothes I was wearing?”

The hunter gestured toward a neatly folded pile on the table. Klaus retrieved a single 10-berang coin from the pocket of his garments and flipped it to the hunter.

The coin was the last one left after his other belongings had been swept away by the river.

The hunter caught it, his eyes widening at the amount.

“Well…”

“Do you have a horse I could borrow?” Klaus asked.

* * *

Riding hard, Klaus finally arrived at the ducal estate, barely staying upright as he dismounted, clutching his injured shoulder. His legs buckled as he touched the ground, his strength waning.

At first, a servant approached him warily, suspicious of the shabby figure entering the estate unannounced. However, upon closer inspection, the servant’s eyes widened in disbelief. Blinking repeatedly, they realized the man before them wasn’t a phantom.

Before the servant could react, the head butler, Geoffrey, rushed out of the manor, his voice trembling.

“Your Grace!!”

“Good heavens! The Duke has returned alive!”

Klaus’s sudden appearance threw the estate into chaos.

Alejandro, who emerged moments later, looked on the verge of tears as he ran toward Klaus.

“Your Grace!!”

Geoffrey, quick to notice Klaus’s poor condition, barked orders to the nearby staff.

“Get a physician immediately! His Grace needs treatment at once!”

Supported by Alejandro, Klaus glanced around and asked weakly, “Where is Antonio…?”

“Well…”

Alejandro hesitated, his eyes darting nervously, unable to meet Klaus’s gaze.

Sensing something was wrong, Klaus’s brow furrowed deeply, his piercing glare demanding an answer.

Finally, Alejandro stammered, “After receiving news of your… presumed death, Antonio disappeared.”

“Disappeared? What do you mean?”

“They left a note asking not to be searched for… and vanished.”

Hearing this, Klaus’s expression twisted with frustration.

“Where is the note?”

“It’s in the drawer of your study, Your Grace.”

As soon as Alejandro replied, Klaus shoved him aside and bolted toward the study.

“Your Grace! You need medical attention first…!”

Ignoring Alejandro’s plea, Klaus stormed into the study, his steps heavy with determination.

He yanked open the drawer and retrieved the note, scanning it quickly. Alejandro followed shortly after, panting and trying to calm him.

“Your Grace, please tend to your injuries first…”

“No.”

“What?”

“This note—it’s not Antonio’s handwriting.”

Klaus’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the hastily scribbled handwriting. He’d seen Roselia’s writing countless times and knew it well. The note was a crude forgery.

Realizing something was amiss, Klaus’s gaze sharpened.

The estate’s defenses felt uncharacteristically lax—a fact that now stood out like a glaring flaw. He turned to Alejandro with a cutting question.

“What happened to the shadows stationed here?”

Caught off guard, Alejandro hesitated before explaining.

“After the news of your disappearance, we sent all available personnel to the Hebelt Mountains to search for you…”

“Damn it! Who ordered that?!” Klaus snarled, crumpling the note in his fist.

“We were prioritizing your safety above all else…” Alejandro trailed off, clearly troubled by Klaus’s fury.

Though seething with anger, Klaus took a deep breath to steady himself. Blaming Alejandro entirely wouldn’t solve anything.

“Deploy the shadows immediately. Find Antonio!” he ordered.

With that, Klaus strode out of the study, his steps filled with urgency.

“Where are you going? You must get treated first!” Alejandro shouted after him, alarmed by Klaus’s stubbornness.

 

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