For a brief moment, the man stared at Roselia with wide, startled eyes.
“Wh-what the? Won’t you let go?”
Before the man could react, Roselia lunged into his space, hooked her shoulder under his arm, and pulled with all her might while lowering her center of gravity. His feet lifted off the ground, and with a short, sharp shriek, he was sent flying.
Thud—!!!
Before anyone could even blink, the man was slammed onto his back. The sudden impact caused his eyes to roll back, and he collapsed, unconscious. Only then did Roselia stand up, look down at him, and say, “I let go. Happy?”
To think I’d actually use the self-defense skills I learned in my previous life in a situation like this…
The satisfaction that my money hadn’t been wasted lasted only a second. As the fallen man’s comrades stared at her with bloodthirsty glares, Roselia swallowed hard. As she hesitated, the men began to approach, each spewing curses.
The fierce, menacing energy radiating from them made Roselia swallow a groan of despair. Damn it. I might have gotten lucky enough to stop one, but taking on several large, sturdy men was impossible. It would be nice if, like in typical novels, an ability would suddenly manifest in a moment of crisis… but that was never going to happen.
“Grab that energetic woman first!”
At the shout, the men rushed at Roselia in unison. Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking this was the end, a familiar voice rang out.
“Your Grace!!!”
This voice is… Alejandro…?
While she opened her eyes in confusion, an incredible scene unfolded. A long, sturdy leg flew out of nowhere, catching the man reaching for her square in the head.
Crash—!!!
The man, struck by immense force, was sent tumbling across the ground, sliding away with a sickening thud. The other men stood frozen, eyes wide with bewilderment. Everyone’s gaze shifted to one direction.
There, standing tall and composed, was Klaus, looking at the men with an impassive expression. Only then did Roselia realize the situation and call out to him.
“Your Grace…?”
Klaus, who had been standing with his back to her, slowly turned to look at her. His gaze wasn’t filled with concern or relief, but with such icy coldness that even Roselia shrank back.
“You always manage to surprise me in the most unexpected situations.”
While Klaus was distracted by Roselia, another man spotted an opening and lunged.
“Who do you think you are, you noble trash!”
Perhaps he hadn’t imagined that a Duke would appear in an alleyway like this; he rushed at Klaus without fear, assuming he was merely a low-ranking noble.
Having mastered academics, swordsmanship, and athletics at the academy, Klaus’s movements remained flawless despite his long hiatus from active combat. He dodged the man’s attack fluidly and brought his leg down on the back of the flailing attacker.
Whack—!!!
“Ugh—!!”
At that moment, another man who had stealthily approached Roselia and Nadya reached out to grab Roselia as a hostage. But Klaus’s hand reached him first, clutching the man by the throat. Klaus didn’t even look at Roselia, his voice dropping into a deep, guttural growl that sounded like a beast.
“Is this the kind of place you chose after rejecting my offer?”
Spitting out the words, Klaus kicked the man he was strangling right in the gut. The man slammed into the wall, gasping and letting out pained groans. Though his glare remained murderous—as if he wanted to tear the man apart—his next words were once again directed at Roselia.
“Neither you nor Antonio ever bother to listen to a word I say.”
As he turned to face her, the ominous aura emanating from him made Roselia swallow again. With that cold, piercing look in his eyes—as if he wouldn’t even glance at a stray dog—Roselia felt a sudden surge of resentment.
No, did I ask for your help? He rushes in, handles everything, and then glares at me? Behind his chilling, hard stare, a dark, heavy shadow seemed to loom. Since it was true that he had helped her, Roselia offered a cautious word of thanks.
“Th-thank you.”
Just then, Alejandro, who had been running from afar, finally reached Klaus and gasped for breath.
“Oh, Your Grace! I was so startled when you suddenly jumped out of the carriage!”
Unlike the calm Klaus, Alejandro was huffing as if he were about to collapse. Klaus looked down at him with disdain. Ignoring his gaze, Alejandro scanned the surroundings, his eyes widening.
“But… who are these men? No, more importantly! That’s not what matters right now!”
Alejandro, who had been looking around with a puzzled expression, suddenly shouted as if he had just remembered something.
“We’re going to be late for the meeting regarding the construction of the Algrisha school! This is the first meeting with the construction firm, the merchant guild leader, and the local officials!”
While Klaus and Alejandro were talking, Roselia helped Nadya up and slipped away. It was too dangerous to show her face as Roselia to Alejandro. Unlike the surprisingly dense Klaus, Esteban had recognized her at once; a meticulous man like Alejandro would certainly figure it out.
As she quietly led Nadya away, Alejandro’s lecture continued.
“Why on earth are you beating up these upstanding citizens? Why?”
Klaus, his brow furrowed, retorted quietly, “In what world are they ‘upstanding citizens’?”
“Well! One shouldn’t judge people by their appearance! Besides, we were sitting perfectly fine in the carriage, so why did you suddenly jump out and start brawling?”
Annoyed at being painted as a villain, Klaus looked back at the spot where Roselia and Nadya had been standing, and began to speak. Or rather, he tried to.
“I merely found that woman an eyesore, so…”
“A woman? What woman?”
Alejandro looked around at the men sprawled on the ground, then peered suspiciously at Klaus. “Where is there a woman here?”
“There was clearly Roselia and another woman…”
“Roselia? That name sounds familiar… No! That’s not what’s important right now!”
Finally regaining his focus, Alejandro grabbed Klaus by the arm and dragged him toward the carriage.
From behind the alley, Roselia let out a sigh of relief as she watched the scene with Nadya. Nadya, watching her with a confused expression, spoke up.
“Why are we hiding?”
Meeting Nadya’s puzzled gaze, Roselia hesitated for a moment before offering an awkward smile.
“Well… they looked like people of high status… I didn’t want to get involved in any complicated trouble.”
“Weren’t you acquainted with that nobleman?”
“Oh… he was a former employer! Haha! Let’s move, though. If we stay here talking, those men might come chasing after us.”
At Roselia’s quick change of subject, Nadya tilted her head, but eventually turned and began to walk. “Follow me. Since we’ve met, I’ll take you to my home, even if it’s a bit pathetic.”
* * *
The place they arrived at was a dilapidated wooden shack that looked as if it would collapse at any moment. With one side of the roof sagging, it looked like it wouldn’t even keep the rain out on a stormy day.
The interior was just as miserable. The furniture was so old and broken that it was hard to believe someone could live there, and there was trash scattered everywhere. However, amidst the clutter stood several canvas boards that looked like landscape studies.
And in the brightest corner of that dreary, shabby house, stood an old easel with a painting that looked as though it were yet to be finished. It was an abstract piece, blending dazzling rays of light and rainbow-like halos that contrasted sharply with the damp, dark room. Just looking at it made one feel dazed, as if being pulled into the painting.
As Roselia stared at the work, lost in a trance, Nadya approached cautiously and gave a bitter smile.
“That’s my final painting.”
At Nadya’s sudden confession, Roselia turned to her, puzzled. While she knew from the original story that Nadya was destined to die from an illness, she didn’t know the timing. Watching the lonely expression on Nadya’s face, Roselia found it hard to speak.
“Why is this your final one?”
To Roselia’s tense question, Nadya smiled as if it were nothing. “I’ve run out of paint. And I don’t have a single coin left to buy more.”
Only then did Roselia notice the old wooden palette by the easel; the paints had been scraped down to the very bottom. She must have bought those paints by scrimping on her own meals. Yet… why hadn’t she sold the paintings when she had gone looking to buy them? At that time, Roselia had been in the form of Antonio, so she couldn’t have asked.
As Roselia looked at Nadya with complicated eyes, Nadya chuckled and continued.
“Don’t look at me with such pity. I was going to give up on painting anyway.”
Roselia struggled to part her lips. “Have you… ever thought about selling your paintings…?”
At Roselia’s sincere question, Nadya leaned her back against the wall with a faint smile.
“Painting… was my only escape. It was the only time I felt free enough to forget this filthy reality.”
Nadya smiled bitterly. “I might sell my smiles and my body… but I didn’t want to sell my freedom, too.”
Nadya was smiling as she said it, but it looked as though she were crying, and Roselia’s heart ached. She didn’t need to hear it or see it; looking at her body and her eyes told her everything.
She must have worked in that bar since she was old enough to stand. Perhaps even earlier, doing whatever was necessary to keep from starving. She must have survived by selling her smiles, her body, and her entire life. In that process, she would have lost love, her health, and her hope.
To her, painting must have been the only shred of hope she refused to sell, the only thing she refused to lose.