I looked up with curiosity to see a man with black hair, his face partially obscured by a hood. The man, who had been glaring ahead, swiftly kicked his leg out toward the assailant rushing toward us. The attacker caught the blow in his abdomen and tumbled backward, sprawling onto the cobblestones. As if they had been waiting for the signal, a soldier-like man began to beat the fallen assailant with his scabbard—a savage, rhythmic thrashing.
“Argh! Argh!”
Roselia stared at the sight blankly before looking back up at the man who was still holding her. Their gazes met; it was as if he had been looking down at her the entire time. The man’s green eyes widened, caught in a moment of pure astonishment. Roselia’s eyes matched his, mirroring the same sudden shock.
Johannes looked down at the woman in his arms, struggling to believe his own senses. Her features, the very aura she exuded, were strikingly similar to his own. And those eyes—that same clear, emerald green… Could it be?
“Cecelia…?”
“Yes??”
But that was impossible. Cecelia, his younger sister, was a daughter of the Eucheliode bloodline, born with ink-black hair. Furthermore, it was absurd to think she could have vanished in Laphelios only to surface here, in an empire on the exact opposite side of the continent.
Quickly composing his thoughts, Johannes forced his voice into a calm, level tone.
“My apologies. I mistook you for someone else. Are you hurt?”
“Ah… no…”
On the other hand, Roselia was stunned. The man looked so incredibly similar to her when she was disguised as Antonio. Even beneath the shroud of his robe, he could not hide his radiant features or his formidable, commanding presence. Could such a mirror image really exist in the world? She was still reeling from the question when a new figure lunged toward them while Johannes’s aide was busy clearing the area.
“Roselia!!!”
At the familiar, guttural voice, Roselia whipped her head around. Her heart plummeted at the sight of Klaus rushing toward them, his sword drawn and his intent clearly murderous. Even Johannes, a man of extraordinary swordsmanship, was so blindsided by the raw, sudden bloodlust that he could not react in time.
Johannes, still holding Roselia, reflexively raised his sword to block Klaus’s strike. The move seemed to incense Klaus further; he delivered a brutal kick to Johannes’s abdomen and snatched Roselia away in one fluid motion. Roselia’s jaw dropped as she watched the black-haired man who had just saved her fly through the air. Seeing him land three meters away, she finally found her voice and shrieked in shock.
“What are you doing?!”
Klaus, who had rushed over the moment he received a report from the shadow he’d assigned to watch her, scowled at her indignation.
“What am I doing? I’m saving you.”
Stunned by his deadpan reply, Roselia snapped out of her trance.
“No, why did you kick an innocent man!”
“Was that man not trying to kidnap you?”
“He was saving me from being kidnapped!”
Klaus froze. Realizing his mistake, he looked at Johannes with a flicker of awkwardness. Just then, Johannes’s aide, Rognan, stepped forward with his sword raised.
“Who are you to attack the Marquess!”
At Rognan’s sharp, stinging rebuke, Johannes pulled himself up from the ground, his expression bitter.
“You’re a bit late to intervene. Can’t you tell by the crest on his coat? It’s the Baltezar Duchy.”
“That means…”
As Rognan looked between Johannes and Klaus in disbelief, Klaus’s brow furrowed in annoyance. He addressed the man in the robe.
“I believe I was rude earlier. But if you know my identity, isn’t it common courtesy to reveal your own?”
At Klaus’s cold inquiry, the man offered a bitter smile and slowly pulled back his hood. Klaus stood frozen, his eyes widening in slow, measured realization.
“Antonio…?”
While Klaus remained paralyzed, Rognan spoke up with clear displeasure.
“This is the representative of the Laphelios Delegation, Marquess Eucheliode.”
“Marquess Eucheliode…?”
Klaus’s chaotic gaze finally steadied. They were different. The man before him was taller and broader than Antonio, and upon closer inspection, his features held a more mature edge. Yet, the resemblance remained haunting.
While Klaus was lost in his thoughts, Johannes bowed with a faint, tight smile.
“I did not expect to meet under these circumstances, so let us forgo formal introductions for the time being.”
“Why is the representative of the Laphelios Delegation here?”
“I sent a letter stating I would pay a visit today—have you not seen it yet?”
Only then did the letter from Alejandro cross his mind. It was still sitting on his desk, unread, because he had been too obsessed with finding Roselia. Klaus sighed, clutching his forehead, and looked between Johannes and Roselia with deep suspicion.
“For now, I shall thank you for saving Roselia.”
Having said that, Klaus stepped firmly in front of Roselia, blocking her from Johannes’s view.
“We are returning to the mansion.”
Roselia’s brow furrowed. It was starting again. His habit of barking orders as if the world revolved around his whims. Glaring at him in annoyance, she sidestepped him and moved toward Johannes.
“I’m sorry, but could you give me a ride?”
Johannes’s eyes went wide. He cast a quick glance at Klaus, then looked back at the woman with the familiar face who watched him so earnestly. He found himself nodding.
Taking that as a yes, Roselia boarded the Marquess’s carriage without a second look at Klaus. Klaus stood there, frozen, his expression a mask of pure bewilderment. Breaking the silence, Johannes offered an awkward, apologetic smile.
“Since the Lady’s stability is the priority, it seems we should reschedule our appointment with the Duke for another time.”
With those words, Johannes bowed stiffly and entered the carriage. Flustered, Rognan glanced at Klaus, bowed, and followed suit.
The carriage vanished with a loud clatter, leaving Klaus alone on the street. An uneasy thought flickered through his mind. Could it be… No, the man had acted as if he were seeing Roselia for the first time. But even so, his gaze… it had been incredibly affectionate.
His mind spinning, Klaus irritably swept his bangs back. Whatever the case, the fact that she had chosen that man over him was twice as shocking as a business bankruptcy. As he rubbed his forehead, one realization struck him like a physical blow:
Could it be that Roselia’s type is a man who resembles her brother, Antonio?
Klaus groaned, clutching his face in total frustration.
* * *
“Thank you for your help. Please let me off right over there.”
Johannes looked at her with an inquisitive expression.
“Let me take you all the way home. Surely you’ve been through enough for one day?”
The thought of going to Nadya’s house had long since vanished. The remnants of the attackers might still be lurking in the alleyways. For now, she just wanted to collapse in her room and rest.
“You can just drop me off over there. My house is in that vicinity.”
At her firm insistence, Johannes reluctantly nodded and relayed the instruction to the coachman. As Roselia prepared to exit, Johannes hesitated, watching her expression before speaking with difficulty.
“By the way, don’t you think we look quite similar?”
Looking directly at him, Roselia offered a faint, breathy smile.
“Well, they say there are one or two look-alikes for everyone in the world.”
Johannes looked lost in thought for a moment before offering a gentle smile.
“Since I am clearly the older one, perhaps it is more accurate to say that you look like me.”
Watching the man crack a light joke, Roselia couldn’t help but laugh. Johannes watched her with a warmth that hadn’t been there before.
“But why were those men targeting you?”
A shadow fell over Roselia’s expression. It seemed linked to the rumors involving the Duke or the Crown Prince, but she couldn’t tell an outsider about such dangerous matters.
“I’m not entirely sure myself…”
Johannes smiled, signaling that he wouldn’t press her.
“You are a lady with many stories.”
The carriage came to a halt. Roselia bowed, appearing startled.
“Then, I shall take my leave. Thank you so much for today.”
Watching her bow, Johannes curled his lips into a soft, genuine smile.
“I look forward to meeting you again.”
Roselia found herself smiling back. Johannes did not signal the carriage to leave; he watched for a long while until she disappeared around the corner. Beside him, Rognan spoke up quietly.
“It is a strange resemblance. I could almost believe you two were siblings.”
“…”
Unlike the kind smile he had shown Roselia, Johannes’s face was now a mask of cold, sharp thought.
“What is the relationship between that woman and the Duke?”
“Pardon? If you ask me…”
“Investigate it.”
“The Duke?”
Johannes turned a disdainful glare toward his aide.
“The woman, I mean.”
Rognan’s eyes widened.
“Are you planning on chasing skirts in the middle of such a busy schedule?”
“That is not it. Just get it done and bring me the report.”
Johannes paused, his eyes narrowing.
“And find out the mastermind behind the attempted kidnapping.”
Not knowing the private history of the Eucheliode family, Rognan simply assumed his superior had taken a sudden romantic interest and nodded.
* * *
After changing back into her Antonio attire, Roselia quietly entered the mansion and headed toward her room. She spotted Alejandro standing in front of the door and called out to him, confused.
“Mr. Alejandro?”
“Oh, I thought you were inside. It seems you were out and about.”
“Is something the matter?”
“The Duke would like to see you for a moment.”
In an instant, Roselia’s expression stiffened instinctively.