95. Why Is There No Scent?

Roselia glared at Klaus, who stood confidently before her, and spoke sharply.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Her suspicious question was met with Klaus’s calm response.

“This hotel is now the property of the Valtazar Duchy. I’ll be staying here for a while to oversee operations for my new business venture.”

Doubtful of his words, Roselia turned to Claucet, who flinched under her gaze and responded with an awkward laugh.

“I’m here to, uh… experience the hotel’s services firsthand. Think of it as, um, a customer satisfaction survey.”

Roselia sighed deeply and turned her focus back to Klaus, her eyes narrowing.

“This changes nothing. I’m not going back to the duchy.”

For a fleeting moment, Klaus’s seemingly indifferent eyes betrayed a hint of hurt.

The moment passed so quickly that Roselia dismissed it as her imagination.

Contrary to her thoughts, Klaus spoke with a bitter tone, his voice heavy.

“That’s why I came here, Roselia.”

The weight of his words caused her heart to beat faster, though she stubbornly avoided showing any reaction, averting her gaze.

At that moment, Johannes stepped between them, glancing around at the bustling surroundings before interjecting.

“There are too many eyes here. Perhaps we should take this conversation inside.”

Roselia, however, firmly cut him off.

“No, there’s nothing more to discuss.”

With that, she turned to leave, but Klaus reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Roselia glared sharply at him, but Klaus’s steady voice interrupted her protests.

“If this place makes you uncomfortable, I can always visit the marquisate.”

Her eyes darted toward Johannes, knowing that the marquisate was likely under surveillance by the concubine faction’s spies. Seeing Johannes subtly shake his head, Roselia let out another frustrated sigh before responding curtly.

“Just for a moment.”

Reluctantly, she followed Klaus into the grand hotel, a landmark of Felton Harbor. As she stepped into the opulent interior, Roselia couldn’t help but gape at its splendor.

“When in the world did this hotel…”

Her words trailed off as she took in the dazzling surroundings, her frustration momentarily eclipsed by astonishment.

“Bought it two weeks ago,” Klaus replied casually.

Two weeks ago was shortly after Roselia had arrived in Raphelios.

As Roselia frowned in exasperation, Claucet, unable to contain her excitement, interjected.

“The hotel’s name is Dreaming Valtazar!”

At the strangely whimsical name—so unlike Klaus—Roselia raised an eyebrow, responding dryly, “You might want to wake up from that dream soon.”

The reply didn’t come from Klaus but from Claucet, who muttered with a deflated expression, “I named it…”

Oh no.

Seeing Claucet’s shoulders droop in disappointment, Roselia hastily changed the subject.

“More importantly, Your Ladyship, my letter…”

“Letter?”

Ah. It occurred to her that the timing of her letter’s arrival might have overlapped with Claucet and Klaus traveling to Raphelios.

Roselia offered an awkward smile and shook her head.

“Never mind.”

“Oh, by the way, don’t worry about Grandfather Bernas or Mr. Abello. The duchy is keeping a close eye on them. Alejandro has also been tasked with delivering the Crown Princess’s funding for now.”

“That’s a relief.”

Roselia felt guilty for leaving so abruptly, unable to properly say goodbye to those she cared about.

Claucet, noticing her somber expression, quickly jumped in.

“If you’re so worried, let’s just go back to the duchy already.”

Despite Claucet’s suggestion, Roselia only managed a strained smile.

By then, they had arrived at the hotel’s reception room.

However, calling it a reception room felt like an understatement. Its sheer size and grandeur left Roselia wide-eyed.

Goodness… this could easily pass for a ballroom.

“No one is to enter the reception room while I’m here,” Klaus instructed the staff, who appeared to be the hotel manager.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After dismissing the manager, Klaus led them to a table by the window.

Roselia sat on a luxurious, sunlit sofa and wasted no time getting straight to the point.

“What about the duchy? Who’s taking care of it while you’re here?”

Klaus casually crossed his legs and replied, “I have a capable aide. There’s nothing to worry about. Geoffrey will manage the estate just fine.”

She could vividly imagine Alejandro crying somewhere.

“And what’s this hotel business about?”

“There’s no need to look at me so suspiciously. This is something I’ve been planning for a while; I just moved the timeline up a bit.”

Klaus’s gaze turned serious, the calculating look of a businessman taking over.

“Raphelios, unlike Rugbeljet, has active exchanges with other nations, which means there’s a high flow of visitors from various countries. When this hotel in Felton Harbor came on the market, I simply decided to purchase it.”

At that moment, Johannes, who had been quietly sipping his tea, chimed in with a calm remark.

“As far as I know, they wouldn’t have sold it for a low price.”

Johannes’s unexpected remark made Klaus smirk slightly as he replied leisurely, “I spent enough to buy two estates and three mansions.”

Roselia’s jaw dropped.

The estates and mansions he referred to were certainly not run-down places like the Hesingk barony.

Roselia looked at Klaus in disbelief, but he simply added nonchalantly, “With the imperial agreement between Raphelios and Rugbeljet, the Felton and Vardan harbors have opened. Purchasing this hotel wasn’t just about running a hotel business.”

Johannes, watching the steam rise from his teacup, nodded. “You’re planning to secure control over the trade routes.”

“As expected of the marquis who spearheaded the agreement—you understand quickly.”

Klaus shifted his gaze meaningfully to Roselia. “I made the decision because I believe it’s worth far more than what I invested.”

Though his words were directed at Johannes, his eyes seemed to speak directly to her. Roselia avoided his gaze, refusing to show any reaction.

Klaus continued to observe her intently for a moment before finally raising his teacup to his lips and steering the conversation elsewhere.

“By the way, have you found the family you mentioned in Raphelios?”

Roselia stiffened at the question, her shoulders betraying her unease as she glanced toward Johannes.

Klaus frowned slightly, displeased by her hesitation. But before he could press further, Johannes set down his teacup and spoke in his usual calm tone.

“You’ll dig for the truth no matter what, so I might as well tell you, Your Grace.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the marquis’s cryptic remark.

Meeting Klaus’s gaze squarely, Johannes declared firmly, “Roselia is part of the marquisate.”

Klaus’s smirk faltered as he processed the statement.

“Everyone seems eager to claim guardianship over Roselia—first Count Bernas, now the marquisate. What’s so special about her?”

“You misunderstand. Roselia has always been part of the marquisate,” Johannes corrected.

The humor drained entirely from Klaus’s face.

“She is my younger sister, lost twenty years ago.”

Klaus’s expression shifted from surprise to shock, and finally to a dawning sense of unease. The memory of the marquess’s wife and daughter disappearing two decades ago resurfaced in his mind, aligning with the timeline of Roselia and her mother’s arrival at the Hesingk barony.

‘This… I didn’t see this coming,’ Klaus murmured to himself, his face reflecting the realization of a complex new challenge.

Unyielding, Johannes delivered the final blow. “So from now on, I will not tolerate any mistreatment of Roselia.”

“…”

“Of course, this information must remain a secret from society for now. I trust you understand why and will act accordingly.”

Klaus, visibly shaken, remained silent, his grim expression showing the weight of the revelation.

Seeing this, Johannes rose carefully and addressed Roselia. “Let’s return to the marquisate.”

Roselia followed suit, rising cautiously from her seat.

As she moved to leave, Claucet hesitantly grabbed her hand.

“Roselia, can’t you stay for dinner?”

Claucet’s forlorn tone made Roselia hesitate, her face showing her discomfort.

She glanced toward Klaus, biting her lip.

‘So that’s why he brought Claucet along,’ she thought bitterly.

Pretending not to notice her gaze, Klaus sipped his tea with an air of practiced indifference.

* * *

And so, they ended up dining together.

As Claucet excitedly chattered, the culinary prowess of the first-rate chef sourced from Raphelios was indeed impressive.

If only Klaus’s constant gaze hadn’t been fixed on her throughout the meal, Roselia might have been able to enjoy it fully.

Feeling as though the meal might sit heavily on her stomach, Roselia decided she needed some air and carefully rose from her seat.

“I’ll just step out to the powder room for a moment,” she said quietly.

She left the dining room and walked down the silent corridor. The hotel was still unoccupied by guests, leaving the halls eerily quiet.

As powder rooms were usually located near reception areas, Roselia walked in the direction of the reception hall.

That’s when someone suddenly grabbed her arm.

Startled, Roselia was pulled into a narrow adjoining corridor. She looked up, her eyes wide with surprise, only to see Klaus standing before her, blocking her way with his imposing frame and a calm expression.

As she stared up at him, Klaus hesitated briefly before parting his lips.

“I wanted to talk to you properly, just the two of us.”

Roselia ignored the tremor in her chest and turned to leave.

“There’s nothing we need to discuss alone.”

As she moved to slip past him, Klaus casually placed his hand against the wall, cutting off her retreat.

His towering figure loomed too close, his presence overwhelming. It reminded her of the countless dreams in which their bodies intertwined.

Her overly honest heart betrayed her, racing wildly against her will.

Determined not to let her emotions show, Roselia bit her lip hard.

She despised Klaus’s selfish behavior, acting as if he had any right after she had left with such resolve.

Drawing upon the techniques Johannes had recently taught her, Roselia focused on suppressing the scent that emanated from her whenever her emotions ran high.

Though it felt as if her chest would burst and her breath caught in her throat, it was a temporary solution to hold back the telltale fragrance.

As she bit down so hard that she nearly drew blood, Klaus leaned closer, lowering his head near her neck.

“This is strange,” he murmured, his brows knitting together as he gazed at her.

“Why can’t I smell your scent?”

His confusion was palpable. Normally, even casual interactions with her were enough to evoke the alluring fragrance he had come to associate with her.

Roselia met Klaus’s deep gaze head-on and responded firmly, her voice steady despite her pounding heart.

“Because I don’t feel anything for you anymore, Your Grace.”

 

 

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