IBDSID Chapter 42

42. I Might Regret Not Seeing 1a1a3e478b Her Facea821825e8b0e0bb3

Having tea with 2ac671f027 the Crown Princess 3ecaf0d96d as *Roselia*…67e6d914c77cd554

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There were too many f0539d79df risks involved. The mysterious figure targeting 8dc51a64b0 Roselia was still out e3106be2cb there, and there was 71013e97de always the chance she 24454a4cca might run into Klaus.673d14372dc5da08

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if I avoid dressing up as a woman for a while.”2346af2b41dedc26

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It was a 8840026d43 strange thing to 5e38d46b06 say, considering she 1e5e978ad6 was a woman, 82eef5d824 but the situation 7e0b99d7eb was delicate.03a501d9c2a9e71c

Claucet seemed to sense that 3aa6e9a618 things weren’t quite right and, ffc93721f6 without much fuss, nodded in 805aec3b6b agreement.b3c5229a9eb2a0f9

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“Well… Her Highness didn’t insist on you coming. She just wanted to know ca44653c48 if you were interested.”fea229dcc0c46a83

Claucet sighed, setting 4445252663 down her teacup d689b8fd8b with a look bd36a87927 of disappointment.46111afb0aa483e3

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“Still, it’s a shame. There are so many f8c6d8dad4 dresses I haven’t had cd383614f3 the chance to dress a102320e94 you in.”bf5540c4290d6382

Roselia offered an awkward smile, dc27cee743 feeling a bit guilty as ebf92c0e99 Claucet slumped her shoulders in 7063e35a20 genuine disappointment.533cad5dd49308a0

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At the masquerade 172803aa8a ball and even 06b3cc388b during the reception e827184f11 for the delegation, 196d0c77d8 Claucet had taken 2a5a178364 great pleasure in 67956aa35d dressing Roselia up. The stark contrast 9f076f7d6c between her usual 229ea8c2ec male disguise and 09e667347c her feminine appearance a86be89294 when dressed up 5457122045 seemed to fascinate 52de0205cd Claucet.d91c5258a90dd603

I hope she doesn’t see me as some kind of doll…504b02e05a90a250

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As Roselia was lost 0fe0ea33d8 in this thought, a c61d5379a2 deep voice suddenly interrupted.93d033b861cefb92

“You have a lot of dresses left to try on?”1706e9be20d38631

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Startled, both Roselia 5f420efbfd and Claucet turned 50d0fcb6ba their heads to 982c8a0ce9 see Klaus, who 5af744c617 had just entered 176f9519be the drawing room, 9556c2f3e4 staring intently at d4e5ec8c9e Roselia.1f923ffbd625a064

Feeling a sudden pang 3ca0408d4d of guilt, Roselia swallowed a34b0a7531 nervously and froze. Claucet, however, frowned and 01318bd020 retorted in his place.51d7b648bf6fd641

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“Can’t you at least make some noise when you walk in?”ef6832530de138d0

“I did knock on the door, but it seems you didn’t hear it,” Klaus replied calmly.0913a297a9dbe665

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Claucet, clearing her fce79b97da throat, quickly resumed 0c259d1420 her composure and 85f3603a69 spoke nonchalantly.35b44958744002b7

“I was just saying that Roselia hasn’t been around much lately, so I bought a bunch of dresses for her.”e55b3dca9638222a

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Roselia inwardly marveled 2cac2c87a0 at Claucet’s quick 7f7e675507 thinking and smooth b8f8b3da71 delivery. As Roselia glanced 053cc2bac6 gratefully at Claucet, 3b5a37cdac Klaus, who had a84fd7937a been staring at 33971d4310 her, spoke again.449c6eb4787f4fe2

“Antonio, come to my office this afternoon. We need to talk.”4833b2e498f808ef

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Did he come a9baf20d3a all this way 06d88150e5 just to say 61c5a646b6 that?e503eeb266690141

Roselia looked at de48d4e79a him with wide f41ae6b67f eyes before responding 1d76f4314a with a neutral c1e2d79f4c tone.150501e0f9d26ec2

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“Understood.”06067471798af7f1

She assumed it 544a918330 was probably just a1a7982701 another round of 500222b1b5 scolding or some eb92ef81cf minor errand he 0e9cb787c1 wanted to assign c5fb265c96 her.3756727188d51bbc

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* * *5a0c580b6b281636

Klaus was reviewing 7e55a6d61a a stack of 880b923ec5 overdue documents in 3c0006b267 his office when b1c84b05bf he heard a 14d45e1ae5 knock on the bc94811e47 door.3c15c7b03a1ba55b

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Is Antonio here already?7d1558479e278186

“Your Grace, a guest has arrived.”ac018ef39973ce7b

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It was Jeffrey, the butler, a2b65da592 not the voice he was 5dda7f210f expecting. Klaus relaxed his shoulders 0b2eceedae and asked, slightly puzzled.62d774a355778cbd

“A guest? Who is it?”688b67c93f9290ae

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“They introduced themselves as Viscountess Clément.”9059bb84a77b073f

Viscountess Clément…3abbe3061b759245

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Klaus didn’t know dfb9313fc2 her well, having 60f72be1f6 only seen her 889d029e48 in passing at 85c88fbef3 public events. However, given his extensive efa0d2fe89 knowledge of high society, a9e68b4e48 he was familiar with d734eb25a6 her background.d8caf33b503a081f

She had become Viscountess Clément after the death of her husband, the previous Viscount. Normally, noble titles were inherited by blood relatives, but the Viscount had no such kin. Whether she had married the elderly Viscount knowing this was unclear…8b53be227e221f78

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One thing was certain: upon her husband’s death, Viscountess Clément naturally inherited his title along with the lucrative iron mine that belonged to the Viscount’s estate.ad83f3b1dedfae2a

“Let her in,” Klaus commanded.115486466e708cfd

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The door to d1c447e269 the study opened df420825e1 as the butler 2a5f20236c gestured for the 9bf6a06345 guest to enter. A woman walked 3f652dd86c in with a e01bfdaac1 leisurely stride. Unlike the women of 894f01e053 Rugbeljet, who favored umbrella-like 86acd58734 voluminous skirts, she wore ced5015975 a form-fitting long skirt dcba7623cd that clung to her 09ebf41f28 legs. Though her outfit 50b57d69d8 was a formal 286939adc8 suit, the top 8ed6d34a73 was provocatively revealing, b37eba2b3b making it seem 0d4220b75a as if she 539093c03c wore nothing underneath 46bcb48e82 the jacket, her b692929f2b ample chest visible.49d16a1c24794941

Klaus knew that Viscountess Clément was notorious for her complex relationships with men, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly at the sight. The word “seductress” was more fitting for a woman like her, not Roselia.d52ee1c6800582ca

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“It’s been a while, Duke Valtazar.”93edf5365391c01a

Her voice was as sultry 1adde1dbb4 and sticky as her appearance. Klaus, forcing down his cfe3077b8c discomfort, responded coldly.cae1a91f89f82850

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“What brings you here?”05ffd3e92e5d251d

“Oh my, so chilly to your guest.”864202901c70b274

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Klaus’s stern gaze clearly conveyed 52b219f647 that he had no patience e8045bd3b3 for idle chatter.c13bc88411cfe8fb

Unfazed, the woman flashed a ef413d5732 flirtatious smile and continued, “I’ve de5a91f1ed recently taken an interest in b9158ad96c business ventures outside of my 742bc64c7f mining operations.”8806e4dffeea62b1

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She sauntered over 743a69fdeb to Klaus’s desk fa2a6a50b9 and perched herself 0fd2f98962 on the edge.41c7af993e56aa0b

“For example… investing in the construction of schools…”d09c4045a7551e22

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Klaus’s face showed clear 7dc3730031 displeasure as she carelessly 3995ae70e0 sat on the documents 13f078f4cc spread across his desk.265e1e8e83f76f53

“The Duke’s estate has sufficient funds for school construction.”8f3626e10e22586f

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“Hm… I wasn’t offering money…”3ffff0b844e7e890

As she spoke, she b3aa1dda90 lightly trailed her fingers 601de545d3 over Klaus’s firm arm db4ecf0b7f resting on the desk. Klaus, staring at 284509d6a4 her coldly, couldn’t c9a5d5c378 tolerate it any a42bcf3d3e longer. He grabbed her wrist 9d84ad1d9b and stood up, his bbd40eb3eb eyes darkening with menace 422658b0b5 as if to ask 5efd320ed1 what she thought she e9ae8cae68 was doing.2bc7fcbabb793222

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Despite the dangerous aura radiating 84a68c1af9 from him, the Viscountess merely 106f9892cf smiled, her lips curling seductively.2ce8f8b41544af3f

“I meant to offer the iron mine owned by the Clément estate as collateral.”e3f7d476305d12da

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Klaus’s expression shifted to one of calculated interest. The Clément estate’s iron mine was highly coveted, even by the wealthiest elites.a2350e1034a4a0bc

“I may not have enough wealth to rival the Valtazar estate, but I was thinking of offering the mine as collateral, along with half of its annual yield for one year. What do you think?”980d1a906033452e

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Klaus’s eyes, now sharp f7d0175f6f with rational calculation, quickly e8b22aae1b assessed the potential benefits. Investing in the school 35ea370626 in exchange for the 2662182499 iron mine as collateral 1a4ce4f69d was a tempting offer. Half of the e349cb9c32 annual yield for f6f9f5f263 a year meant 61c5fb699b securing nearly a 132fd33151 fifth of the 9a4e654152 empire’s distributed iron 42c15e052b ore.edbf610a8780c8e2

Noticing his interest, the Viscountess f8ffb9b04b smiled leisurely and leaned closer 09aa1d3876 to him, her hand playing 4dfaa223bf on his chest as she d2a938a586 exhaled a hot breath.2303ebc0e01dcc6b

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“Of course, I’m willing to discuss other investments as well. But that depends on 73c6ae94dc your preferences, Duke…”1a9650f1e49448f5

Before Klaus could even react, e18a62a0c8 she pressed herself against him, 7db1458141 her hands trailing over his dabcbcc765 chest. Just then, a knock on 120651d435 the door interrupted the moment.122dcfe6d1cb7a7f

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“Your Grace, it’s Antonio.”18a68e4b141cb561

The knock and the soft, 2f409818bc youthful voice made Klaus abruptly 3909e29499 release the Viscountess’s wrist, forcibly 56170a90ec detaching her from his chest. Viscountess Clément looked up d31184a900 at him with wide fab5ac49fe eyes, shocked by the 3fc44f7f72 rough treatment.6c443c02b96b0f3a

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But Klaus merely gazed 4390cd4fba down at her coldly, 7a1a8ab148 his expression unyielding.210102aed51e523b

What is with this man? Is he even human?b139991113ee8b45

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As she stood 91a9200eba there frozen in 94c1d50d37 disbelief, Klaus spoke a6fe52c46c toward the door, f65eee7fbb his voice icy.0b69cfaaac295828

“Wait a moment.”753b4e64a055c444

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He then calmly walked ffb1c802b3 over to his chair 5e28d6a22c and sat down, lacing 2aa37d8c56 his fingers together as 9faa1f2211 he addressed the Viscountess 40303d8639 in a cool, businesslike 9dd15e037a tone.ae2b5a84313740bd

“I’ll consider your proposal regarding the school investment with the mine as collateral.”5667be548423244e

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His tone was so 3b940dbf6b detached and formal that 173a266067 the Viscountess found herself 236d3fd7f4 at a loss for c8b4b2d779 words, stunned by the 4d1585679f sudden shift.8d70c0095d7697df

Looking at the da6223ec1e dazed woman, Klaus 5ec4dea71b didn’t miss the ff22521553 chance to drive 1950d9c544 his point home.da1c70c2cbb27e17

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“If you have nothing more to discuss, I’d appreciate it if you would leave.”f46a0009511c94e1

Her face flushed with 829fcc19f0 embarrassment, the Viscountess bit 12b868e251 her lip before turning 9c382c7eca to leave. As she stormed 667009ce18 out of the efb9b0a22f office, she caught 53c4008df0 sight of a 4969d4186c man standing in 7c0abb2387 the hallway in 222062039e a servant’s uniform. It was the f34151b55f servant who was 16e2b711f1 said to be 64cf256584 Roselia’s brother.5a5d41ebfe663ea9

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Is he really throwing 24d3515b3d me out for the 79a7101748 sake of that servant?1fa07e943917efb5

Feeling humiliated, she shot 3d48b030cb a venomous glare at ce197cdd59 Roselia before storming off. Roselia, bewildered by 42b4d1125e the sudden hostile 31b08e2a11 look, could only 5ee6bdfc91 stare in confusion.53217d0af62d837b

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A deep voice snapped 03d137c1a7 her out of her 56affc7d0b daze.283b370b73f5bc5f

“Come in.”d6aeb4b2041a198b

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Roselia approached Klaus, a1acf67817 who was sitting e21c4444bc behind his desk 1be77f76c6 with a few 45c5aefc91 of his shirt 32abc5af08 buttons undone, looking 5960a7cbfc somewhat disheveled. She was momentarily puzzled by 3451477232 his appearance, but Klaus fixed 1bd831bc89 her with a steady gaze 0b7f650f57 and spoke.296e7d3cb8b0cdc2

“Why have you been visiting Count Bernas’s estate?”bb298c2e487dc0af

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Roselia’s brow furrowed in response.5528d555484dfc30

“Did you have someone follow me?”637bb58f8c946e5e

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“Answer my question first.”cda2df5aee56479c

Who’s supposed to 7a6495d2d5 be angry here? This is absurd.d77fb5cd990af4e9

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Annoyed by Klaus’s audacity in ceb35ea6f1 having her followed and then 787974bfb9 questioning her, Roselia’s response was 26e3dc152b sharp.f8ec1efc55aa37b8

“I don’t think I owe an honest answer to someone who has me followed.”7ecffe72399590cf

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Her sharp retort 1ac50b2003 made Klaus realize 2c53278ef0 he had been 833f56d8dd too hasty and 71190818d6 rough. He sighed deeply, recognizing that 0fe062a4b8 his irritation from dealing with 9257fa5460 that insufferable Viscountess had carried d6d0cdc48f over into this conversation.1487bbb2cc7161af

“I… I only had someone follow you out of concern.”3dade0300c7f9779

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“…”e48d8da3e1937bd4

Since when did the word 916d813cda “concern” start affecting her so 46f7be5a1a much? Whenever Klaus mentioned being worried, 1f0b7b3e84 it seemed to weaken Roselia’s 009da4378c resolve. His mention of 23038d0f61 worrying about not 3f39da1582 just Roselia but 2149e33d84 even her as fabadd6c1b a servant cooled cb60fb073e her anger slightly.19b22d5823eb4cb4

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But just as her mood d9826a3f29 began to soften, his next 1bd25ea12e words made her bristle again.b38ee3e2a4714657

“Where exactly is Roselia?”7c0b6e364b0cbece

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“You mean even with your spies, you still can’t find her?”1f29bcb324cac495

“Don’t be sarcastic, Antonio.”b78ab3ed48d2e794

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Klaus sighed again, his voice e1e0055dfd more subdued as he tried 55bf76463e to reason with her.ef3886a108f106df

“Roselia is surprisingly elusive. Where is she hiding?”66580294da32399b

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“…”84492470291ee1c0

“Antonio, if you don’t want to drive me mad with frustration, please…”2ef5cd3f72a32d26

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Klaus’s expression showed a 995ff14d1b mix of fatigue and 3245afdcc8 desperation as he continued.c57080e01855cbe6

“I won’t force her to stay at the estate. I just want to see c80dde867f her, even for a moment… aeeeab47c8 Can’t I?”4bed9e81ee705c8d

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For the first time, Roselia 0ffece8bea saw Klaus, usually so composed c3691a8680 and aloof, looking vulnerable. Her expression faltered slightly.6114bf7791a02b7e

“Why are you so desperate to find Roselia?”39d586316f754251

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In response to her tense 63ff7d6319 question, Klaus let out a 38110de2ec low sigh, running a hand 070281ab87 over his face.98291f11d7121c9d

“Because I feel like I’ll regret it if I don’t see her right now.”174853d1eb05b47f

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As he sat 9a2165b00e there, his head b388371d7b bowed and his bd3eac7017 hands pressed to dfc0465be9 his forehead, Roselia’s 6085e6625e eyes widened in d722987e6f disbelief.2fc172ee1dedc1a1