Klaus was walking down the hallway with Alejandro, heading to meet someone for business.
“To think he’d ask to meet in a place like this—I should have known.”
“Please, be patient. He is the preeminent merchant guild master in this region. It wouldn’t hurt to establish a connection.”
“That’s enough. Just lead the way.”
Caught off guard, Roselia had no choice but to turn on her heels and head the other way.
Why, oh why! Why here of all places!
Furthermore, she was wearing the same blonde wig she had worn when she ran into him in the village of Algrisha. It had been only a brief encounter, but there was a high chance that someone as sharp as Klaus would recognize her immediately. She grit her teeth, acutely conscious of Klaus’s rhythmic footsteps behind her.
She couldn’t keep walking in the opposite direction forever.
Nadya’s room lay past the spot where Klaus stood. Unable to decide on a course of action, she eventually ducked into a side corridor, intending to take a detour through a parallel hallway to reach her destination.
Just as she rounded the corner and was about to turn right into the final stretch, a massive shadow loomed over her. A prickle of unease crawled up the back of her neck. Roselia slowly raised her head.
Past a broad chest, peering down at her from above a shirt buttoned neatly to the collar, were eyes that felt chillingly familiar.
“Lady.”
Roselia gulped as she met Klaus’s gaze.
“Haven’t we met before?”
It felt as though she were facing a massive wall. The encounter was so sudden that she hadn’t had a moment to hide her face as she had in Algrisha. Feeling sweat pool in her palms, Roselia stood frozen like a rabbit in front of a leopard.
“Lady.”
He stared intently into her green eyes and spoke coldly.
“Haven’t we met?”
His icy gaze felt as if it were piercing right through her. A chill ran down her spine, and cold sweat broke out. However, Roselia forced a calm smile and spoke with feigned nonchalance.
“Have we…?”
Since escape seemed impossible, she intended to play dumb until the very end. She figured that if she insisted she didn’t know him, there would be nothing he could do. Yet, Klaus’s expression as he looked down at her smiling face was dreadfully cold.
“Did you not… bump into me in the village of Algrisha?”
“D-did I? I meet so many people, it’s hard to remember.”
At Roselia’s blunt reply, Klaus glanced at her attire, his look suggesting that such an answer was expected. She felt a surge of indignation at his clear prejudice, but she forced herself to maintain a composed facade. Excuses in this disguise would lack credibility and only prolong the ordeal, so she decided to let it pass.
“Well then, I’m busy, so if you’ll excuse me.”
Roselia tried to sidestep him, but she widened her eyes in shock as Klaus moved to block her path like a wall. When she looked up in confusion, his calm navy eyes were staring down at her with persistent intensity.
“Let me ask you one question.”
“W-what is it?”
Roselia gulped, trying her best to ignore the weight of his gaze.
“Do you know Antonio?”
He had been suspicious after all. Without realizing it, Roselia clenched her white hands, sweat seeping out. She looked toward the end of the hallway, feeling grateful she wasn’t meeting his eyes, and tried to appear as indifferent as possible.
Just then, Alejandro appeared at the end of the hall, searching for Klaus. If she ran into Alejandro while Klaus was already suspicious of her, there would be no way out. Without a second thought, Roselia grabbed the lapel of Klaus’s suit and pulled him into an open room nearby.
Fortunately, it seemed to be a guest room, but it was unused and pitch black, without a single candle lit.
Klaus, having been pulled into the room by Roselia on a whim, looked down at the woman gasping for air against his chest. His gaze was drawn to the green eyes peeking out from beneath the somewhat artificial-looking blonde hair as she watched the door. A flash of bewilderment crossed his eyes.
If she had wanted to resist, she could have easily avoided being led by her hand, so why did she follow so willingly?
Klaus looked down at Roselia in confusion, but soon cooled his blue eyes and gathered his thoughts with cold logic. Yes, she might be Antonio’s younger sister. If those wretched Hessink siblings were deceiving him, he simply needed to interrogate her properly and extract a price. That was all.
However, from the moment they entered the room, a scent—whether it was perfume or her natural fragrance—began to cloud his thoughts.
Only after the sound of Alejandro’s footsteps faded did Roselia realize how closely she was pressed against the Duke in the dark. Quickly pulling her hand away from his lapel, she gave an awkward cough.
“Ah, I apologize. That… I saw a guest I know. It wouldn’t be good for them to see me with another client.”
Roselia sighed inwardly. She had ended up calling herself a clerk. The taste in her mouth was bitter, but it was the only way to overcome this crisis. She thought it was a fairly plausible excuse, but it didn’t seem to sit well with Klaus, who glared down at her coldly.
Thinking that his navy eyes were strangely dark, Roselia moved to try and escape the situation.
“Then… I have some business to attend to…”
She tried to slip past his massive frame, but his arm shot out to block her path. As Roselia gulped in panic, Klaus’s low, gravelly voice echoed.
“You haven’t answered the question I asked earlier…”
A danger signal flashed. If she dragged this out any longer, she’d be caught! Roselia ignored his gaze, feigning such nonchalance that she added a sharp, annoyed edge to her voice.
“I told you I don’t know anyone by that name, so could you move your arm?”
At Roselia’s bold reply, Klaus let out a breathy laugh and continued.
“Then why can’t you look me in the eye?”
“……”
“Isn’t it polite to look at someone’s face when you’re talking to them?”
With those words, Klaus’s frame drew even closer. His sturdy leg brushed against the folds of her dress. Roselia let out a sharp gasp, her eyes darting around in confusion. As if he found her reaction interesting, he reached out, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look up at him.
“I’ll ask again. Do you know Antonio?”
Too close. He’s too close to even answer!
Reacting to the sensation that her heart might jump out of her chest, Roselia couldn’t hold back; she shoved him away roughly.
“I told you I don’t know him!”
Roselia didn’t look back and bolted out the door. She knew her face was flushed even without looking in a mirror. Furious at her own incomprehensible reaction, she stomped out of the building. She didn’t think she would be able to hold a proper conversation even if she met Nadya now.
Damn it, Duke Baltezar!
Perhaps it was because of their time spent together in the original novel, but she was infuriated by the way her body reacted so sensitively to even the smallest contact, as if it were instinctively drawn to him.
* * *
Roselia watched Closette, who was wearing a mask adorned with black peacock feathers, and shook her head. Unhappy with the reaction, Closette protested with a pout.
“Is it no good?”
“Yes.”
At Roselia’s direct critique, Closette immediately conceded and tried on another mask offered by Delma. This one was decorated with green feathers and a gold rim. It was an elegant, sophisticated piece, but it did not harmonize with the clear, sapphire-like eyes of Closette.
When Roselia shook her head again, Closette, with a look of stubbornness, held out her hand to Melda.
“Next!”
Melda glared at Roselia and handed over the final mask. It was a sky-blue piece encrusted with blue sapphires and decorated with white feathers. Roselia, who had been tilting her teacup to her lips, looked at the mask—which matched Closette’s silver-blue hair and eyes perfectly—set her cup down, and smiled.
“Is this one okay?”
When Closette asked with a wide smile, Roselia nodded.
“Yes, it suits you beautifully.”
“Right? I thought this was the best one, too. Oh, and now that I think about it, this mask would look great on Antonio, wouldn’t it?”
What Closette held up was the mask with green feathers and a gold rim she had tried on earlier. It would have been a combination that matched Roselia’s emerald eyes well. The only problem was that it was a woman’s mask. Of course, she was a woman, but since she was posing as a male servant, she could not wear it.
“You’re joking, right?”
“What a pity. I think Antonio would be really pretty even if he were a girl.”
It was likely a lighthearted comment, but Roselia felt a prick of guilt and just sipped her tea.
“If I were to attend the Lady’s debutante wearing that, I’d be branded a pervert.”
“Well… you couldn’t wear it to my debutante, but what’s the harm in trying it on for a moment?”
“Pardon?”
Roselia broke into a cold sweat as Closette approached with an impish grin, mask in hand.
“My Lady, please…”
“Just once, Antonio. Please? I think it would match your green eyes so well. Don’t you wonder, Melda?”
When she brought Melda into it to seek agreement, even Melda, who had been standing there idly, chimed in.
“Well, it wouldn’t compare to your beauty, my Lady, but I am a little curious.”
“See, Antonio? Just once. Please?”
Roselia let out a deep sigh and had no choice but to nod. Thrilled by her consent, Closette skipped over. She placed the mask over Roselia, who was sitting quietly on the sofa, and was silent for a moment. Roselia, who had closed her eyes, wondered why Closette wasn’t saying anything, and slowly opened them.
In front of her was Closette, her eyes shining as if she had discovered a masterpiece.
“My Lady?”
“Good heavens, Antonio… why weren’t you born a girl?”