149. For Revenge…

Breathing heavily through his fever, he muttered in a dazed voice, eyes still unfocused.

“Is this a dream…?”

As if trying to confirm whether it was reality or not, Klaus brought the hand he was gripping tightly to his cheek and gave a faint, self-mocking smile.

“I guess… it’s not a dream.”

The heat he felt on his fingertips was enough to burn.

How could he smile in a condition like this?

Roselia, expression cold, pulled her hand from his grasp.

Perhaps because he was so unwell, her small hand slipped free more easily than she expected.

“Don’t be foolish. Get up and take your medicine.”

At her serious tone, Klaus gave a faint, weak smile.

“Did you come all this way just to tell me that? How very honored I feel…”

Even in this state, he still found room for sarcasm. Roselia frowned ever so slightly.

“Don’t twist things. I only stopped by because I can’t stand unnecessary fuss.”

With that, she thrust the tray with the medicine in front of him as if to prove her point. Klaus said nothing, simply watching her in silence.

“If you’re so bothered, then it must mean you do care that I’m sick.”

Her shoulders stiffened at his pointed remark.

“Don’t twist my words.”

Her voice, though feigned indifferent, made Klaus smile bitterly as he rested the back of his hand on his aching forehead.

“You were the one who said it… That the closer you and I became, the more misery we’d bring to ourselves and everyone around us.”

She didn’t answer.

It was something she’d said back when she’d been exposed as a woman while working in the ducal household.

She couldn’t explain then why she had to disguise herself as a man, or why she couldn’t be with him—so she had simply spoken what she knew to be true.

But why was he bringing it up now, when he hadn’t even listened to her back then?

As she silently looked down at him, Klaus slowly sat up and stared at the floor with a heavy expression.

“Like you said… damn it, everything just keeps getting worse. That’s probably why I remembered it.”

He gave a dry, self-deprecating laugh.

Roselia remained quiet. She couldn’t deny it.

At least, not with what she knew from the original story.

Then, slowly lifting his head, Klaus looked directly into her eyes.

“But you were wrong.”

His firm voice made Roselia glance at him in surprise.

Meeting her gaze without wavering, he continued.

“This has nothing to do with our relationship. All of it—everything that’s happened—is simply the burden and karma I must bear for being Duke of Valtazar. The situation now is nothing more than the result of someone’s malice and coincidence colliding.”

It was as if he saw straight through to the heart of her guilt—the guilt she had carried for hesitating, for never fully stepping outside the bounds of the original narrative.

Roselia’s eyes wavered.

Klaus looked at her with quiet sorrow.

“So you don’t need to feel guilty. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

At those final words, Roselia’s heart lurched painfully.

She had wanted to hear those words—desperately, irrationally—from someone. And now, hearing them from him, she couldn’t stop her heart from trembling.

No… she hadn’t even realized until this moment that she’d been wanting to hear that.

“If there’s any fault, it would be mine.”

His fault… He truly believed all of this was a consequence of being Duke of Valtazar.

Seeing that he too bore guilt, just as heavily as she did, Roselia’s lips parted.

She wanted to tell him no—that it wasn’t his fault either. She wanted to reach for him, to say it all without restraint.

Startled by the swell of her own emotions, Roselia suddenly stood up.

Turning her head with forced composure, she said coolly,

“If you have the energy to talk like that, then take your medicine.”

Without another glance, she turned and walked to the door.

At the threshold, she paused with her hand on the knob, then finally spoke in a low voice.

“Revenge can only be achieved when your body and mind are healthy.”

With that, she stepped outside and disappeared.

Klaus stared blankly at the door for a long moment.

Revenge…

Yes, he would have it. He would expose the one who dared to touch the House of Valtazar and make them regret it so bitterly, they’d beg for death.

Whether they were royalty, or even the ruler of the empire.

Whoever had hurt Claucet had done it to break him.

They wanted him pushed to the edge, unhinged and destructive.

And he was dangerously close.

Just a little more pressure on his weakest point, and he would be past saving.

And apart from Claucet, his only weakness was Roselia.

If something happened to her too… he would be destroyed beyond repair.

Klaus bit down on his lip as he stared at the door she had just exited.

Not a single word she’d said had sat comfortably in his heart, but there was one thing he did agree with.

To exact revenge—

To protect her in the chaos to come—

He would have to stay away from her.

With darkened eyes fixed on the floor, Klaus finally reached for the medicine on the table and swallowed it down in one go.

* * *

Roselia smiled softly as she read through the letter from Raphelios.

It was from Johannes.

As always, her eternal ally and blood relative comforted her, telling her not to worry and to focus on caring for the young lady before returning.

He also shared that the Empress and Crown Prince Aaron were concerned about her, and in typical older brother fashion, scolded her not to overexert herself while nursing the patient.

Suppressing a chuckle, Roselia read on quickly.

The first trade transaction of the merchant alliance had been completed successfully, and they were already discussing the second.

As expected, Marquis Bellog was leading the operation excellently, and surprisingly, Hyen had also been quite helpful in advancing the merchant business.

He then grumbled that Prince Asif, unsettled by her sudden disappearance, had practically made himself at home in the marquis’s estate.

With the coronation over and the merchant business stabilized, one would think he should return to Benuve—but he was lingering, for reasons unknown.

Roselia couldn’t help but wonder if Prince Asif might even follow her all the way to Rugbeljet.

No way… surely he wasn’t that desperate for something to do…

“What did the Marquis say?” asked Eva, who was gently brushing Roselia’s hair with care.

“He said not to worry about the marquisate and to take my time.”

There were many words written, but that one sentence captured the core of it.

No matter when, or how long it took—he just wanted her to return safely.

Feeling the warmth in his handwriting, Roselia smiled again.

“All done! Are you heading out right away?”

“Yes, I should.”

As Roselia stood, Eva quickly moved to help her prepare.

Today, she was scheduled to visit the imperial palace to greet the Crown Princess and then see Claucet.

Visiting the palace while Claucet was still in such critical condition made her uneasy, but she couldn’t ignore the Crown Princess’s summons.

“To the palace, miss?” asked Langerton, the butler, who was already waiting by the entrance with a perfectly upright posture.

Roselia glanced briefly toward the study where the Count would be and offered Langerton a small smile.

“Please take good care of the Count for me.”

“Of course. You and Miss Eva as well—safe travels.”

At the mention of her name, Eva’s face turned bright red.

Roselia let out a soft chuckle as she watched Eva’s flustered expression, which only made the girl blush down to her ears. In response, Eva raised her voice unnecessarily.

“W-We’ll be late, my lady!”

At Eva’s fussing, Roselia gave a final nod to Langerton before reluctantly boarding the carriage.

The carriage rolled swiftly through the city streets, headed straight for the imperial palace.

* * *

Leaving Eva behind in the carriage, Roselia entered the imperial palace and began walking down the well-polished corridor toward the Crown Princess’s quarters.

Tap, tap, tap—

The sharp sound of her heels echoed across the quiet hallway.

Soon after, she heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction.

The moment Roselia caught sight of the figure coming toward her, her body went rigid.

Unlike her, who froze in her tracks, the man strode confidently forward, his gait full of arrogance.

Sunlight streaming through the corridor windows struck his hair, turning it to molten gold.

Beneath that golden hair, a man with eyes darker than gold stared straight at her.

He stopped right in front of her and tilted his head with an air of superiority.

“It’s been a while, Antonio.”

Roselia forced her stiff neck to bow low.

He looked down at her in clear displeasure, his lips twisting into a sneer.

“Or should I say… the young lady of House Euciliod?”

Even as he taunted her, Roselia maintained her composure and bowed with perfect courtesy.

“…I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince looked down at her with a crooked smile and asked casually,

“So even after becoming the Marchioness’s ward, you’re still playing the Duke’s lapdog. You really haven’t changed.”

Her brow furrowed at his words.

Why was he so obsessed with linking her to Klaus?

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what Your Highness means.”

“I hear you’re still slipping in and out of the Duke’s estate like it’s your home. The Marquis must be terribly disappointed—finally reunited with his kin, only for her to fawn over the Duke and serve him like a loyal hound.”

Roselia suppressed a sigh.

Did he even know who his enemies were anymore?

“I’m merely visiting to help care for the young lady. There’s nothing between the Duke and me, so you need not concern yourself.”

“Nothing between you…? And yet that same Duke stepped into a royal trial and put his life on the line for a woman who means nothing to him?”

He was referring to the time she had stood accused of treason and been brought before the imperial court.

Roselia looked at the Crown Prince with clear irritation, her tone turning cold.

“I don’t know what answer Your Highness is hoping for, but I’ve only spoken the truth. I am no longer a servant of the ducal house, nor do I intend to be involved with the Duke in any way whatsoever.”

She said it firmly, drawing a clear line.

She intended to make it impossible for the Crown Prince to keep dragging her into his delusions of treason or rebellion.

“So please, refrain from misunderstanding further. As Your Highness said, I am now part of House Euciliod. I have no intention of staying long in Rugbeljet.”

“No intention of staying long in Rugbeljet, hmm…”

The Crown Prince’s gaze still held a glimmer of suspicion, but Roselia answered him with unwavering clarity.

“I plan to return to Raphelios within the next two weeks. After that, I will not set foot in Rugbeljet again.”

The Crown Prince tilted his head, stroking his chin thoughtfully, then directed his gaze past her, toward someone behind.

“You heard that, Duke. What are your thoughts?”

At the sudden words, Roselia whipped her head around.

There stood Klaus, who had just arrived, his face frozen in a rigid expression.