To Esteban’s sharp question, Klaus continued in a relaxed, indifferent tone. “I am speaking in terms of profit and loss. In Laphelios, hundreds, even thousands, of such educated, standout talents emerge every year. They create astronomical profits in the institutions and organizations where they settle.”
At Klaus’s words, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess both looked at him with wide eyes. “That is why in Laphelios, everyone wants to dip their spoon into school construction. The return on investment is far greater than the cost.”
Having finished, Klaus looked directly at the Crown Prince, a slow, relaxed smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I am investing. For the sake of those who will bring me profit in the future.”
The Crown Prince, who had been frozen at Klaus’s cold logic, suddenly burst into laughter. The sound was so abrupt that the Crown Princess, Roselia, and even Closette looked on in astonishment.
“Ah… as expected of Duke Baltezar. You have an incredible nose for the scent of money—and people. Fine, that project—I think I’d like to add a spoonful of my own.”
Klaus’s brow furrowed. “The fact that you have already approved the documents was help enough…”
“No, I mean the Imperial Family will also invest.”
Since Klaus already had more wealth than he could spend, the Imperial Family’s gold was of little use to him. Just as he began wracking his brain for a polite way to decline, the Crown Prince stepped in.
“Of course, compared to the Duke’s capital, a monetary investment would be a mere drop in the bucket. My proposal is to designate the school established by the Duchy as a National Academy.”
Klaus’s eyes widened. The Crown Princess was equally surprised by the unexpected proposal. If the school were built solely with the Duchy’s capital, it would remain a private institution. But if the Crown Prince brought in the Imperial Family and invested from the state budget, the situation would change entirely. The shift from private to national would grant the school a level of prestige and influence that money alone could not buy. Klaus began to deliberate, his interest piqued.
Watching Klaus with a relaxed air, the Crown Prince made his final condition. “But there is one condition.”
Klaus met the Crown Prince’s gaze in puzzlement. The Crown Prince glanced briefly toward Roselia before offering Klaus a meaningful smile. “I would like to receive progress reports on the construction from time to time. There is no need for the Duke to report every trivial matter personally. I would like to receive those reports through your servant, Antonio.”
For a moment, Roselia had to struggle with all her might to keep from leaping up. She glared at the Crown Prince with wide, frantic eyes, but he simply ignored her with feigned composure. Only Closette and the Crown Prince knew her true identity. To think he would target Antonio so naturally while knowing the truth—Roselia felt her feet dancing with anxiety as she stared at Klaus, wondering what the Crown Prince’s scheme could be.
Contrary to the expectation that he would immediately accept such a beneficial proposal, Klaus looked deeply contemplative. “You seem to visit the Imperial Palace to see the Crown Princess often anyway; couldn’t you see me at the same time?”
“Must it be Antonio?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
At Klaus’s persistent question, the Crown Prince curled his lips. “I’ve taken a liking to him.”
Everyone’s expression froze. While their inner thoughts differed, the shock was universal. The Crown Princess, who had assumed the Crown Prince liked Roselia, appeared stunned, and Closette wore an expression of sheer terror, fearing the Crown Prince had realized Roselia’s secret. Only Klaus continued to stare at the Crown Prince in silence, his expression as cold as before.
Suddenly, the sound of Closette’s hiccups echoed over the silent dining table. When Roselia looked at her with concern, Closette muttered, her face deathly pale, “I think I’m going to get indigestion…”
* * *
Klaus and Roselia sat side-by-side in the carriage. Because the Crown Princess had suggested he drop her off, Roselia had boarded the carriage feeling like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse. Closette had left for the Duchy estate in a different carriage halfway through the meal, claiming she felt unwell.
As Roselia shifted nervously, Klaus asked in a low voice, “Where is your home?”
“Pardon?”
“If I am to see you home, I must know where you live, must I not?”
Flustered, Roselia broke into a cold sweat. The Duke, having no way of knowing that Roselia was Antonio, looked at her with suspicion.
“Please, just drop me off at the Duchy estate, and I will find my own way.”
She had spoken as naturally as she could, but Klaus’s expression crumpled. “You intend to walk from the Duchy at this late hour?”
“I… I’ll be fine…”
As Roselia dragged out the words, Klaus continued with a deeply displeased look, knitting his brows. “Do you still say such things after what happened to you last time?”
Remembering being chased through the back alleys, Roselia closed her mouth. Scrambling for an excuse in her embarrassment, she eventually gave him the address of Nadya’s house.
The carriage rattled along at a fast pace. Unlike Roselia, who had reached a state of near-resignation, Klaus gazed out the window, lost in thought. He had accepted the Crown Prince’s proposal, but it had taken him an uncharacteristic amount of time to agree. Why did employing a servant bother him so much? Why was he so displeased?
Suddenly, the image of Antonio from when he had rescued him from the water came to mind. Unlike the way he usually held his guard up like a sensitive cat, the way he had cringed like a terrified puppy had triggered an inexplicable protective instinct. Perhaps he had accepted the Crown Prince’s proposal just to avoid deciphering that feeling.
Sighing, Klaus looked at his sister, Roselia. Her face, filled with worry as she stared out the window, kept reminding him of Antonio, and Klaus offered a self-derisive smile. He had also had an unintended friction with her not long ago.
*Let’s sleep together…* Even now, it was an absurd thing to say. Klaus felt as if his mind were losing its way whenever he dealt with the Hessink siblings.
“Regarding what happened that day…”
At Klaus’s sudden voice, Roselia turned to look at him in confusion.
“I apologize once again.”
“That day?”
Roselia searched her memories. The time she had cried so unseemly after being saved from the lake? No, she was Antonio then… The last time with Roselia…
Her expression stiffened awkwardly. “Ah… that day…”
Tugging at her throat in embarrassment, she opened her mouth awkwardly. “You apologized right away, Duke. Well, I didn’t exactly behave with grace either…”
A second awkward silence fell. Fortunately, the carriage arrived at the destination. Klaus stepped out first, gallantly took Roselia’s hand to escort her, and stared at the shabby house that was their destination.
“This is… where you live?”
His brow furrowed as he stared at the dilapidated house with its partially collapsed roof. Roselia hurriedly blocked Klaus’s path and gave an awkward smile.
“Ah, yes. As you can see, the house is humble, so I’m afraid I cannot invite you in.”
“Is this… a place where a person can live?”
“Of course! I’m living here just fine! Now, please, be on your way!”
Klaus, who had been urged into the carriage as if being shoved, looked at Roselia with displeasure mixed with worry, and reluctantly ordered the driver to depart. Watching the retreating carriage, Roselia let her shoulders slump.
“It looks like… I’ll have to rely on Nadya for today…”
* * *
Upon returning to the Duchy estate, Klaus stopped dead in his tracks while heading toward his office. Antonio’s room, located across the hall, came into view.
Suddenly, the bandages he had seen beneath the shirt when he rescued him from the lake came to mind. It seemed he had fallen into the lake without his wounds even fully healing… A wave of worry arose, wondering if the wounds might have become infected or if the aftermath would affect his health.
Startled at realizing he was worrying more than necessary, Klaus irritably swept his bangs back. To worry about a man who was merely a debtor—to him, Antonio was no different from any of the other servants. A servant who was just a little bit too annoying…
After standing and pondering for a long time, Klaus’s feet, contrary to his head, were already heading toward Antonio’s room. Stopping in front of the door, he agonized, as if reprimanding himself. Finally, letting out a long sigh, he rationalized that as an employer, he had a duty to check on his servant’s health, and he knocked.
*Knock, knock.*
No sound came from within. Klaus waited, then knocked again.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
As expected, there was no response. Frowning, Klaus carefully opened the door and called out.
“Antonio.”
Hesitating in the still, quiet room, Klaus stepped inside. A quick sweep showed that not even a trace of warmth remained, and not a single light was lit. The fact that he wasn’t in his room at this late hour meant…
Klaus let out a hollow laugh, as if he found it absurd. “Ha… so, a night out, is it?”