Chapter 11

When Asha went out with the Crown Prince and the Almond Room was left empty, Ruby hummed to herself while tidying up the place.

She still had some time left. Maybe she could take a short nap before the afternoon shift.

After checking to make sure the room was spotless, she was about to step into the small resting room prepared for servants when someone came looking for her.

Knock knock.

Flinch.

The instant she heard the knock, Ruby instinctively knew.

‘A bribe.’

But this soon?

The Almond Chamber had only just received its new master. It had not even been a full day yet.

Truthfully, this was her first time handling something like this, so her heart raced nervously, but she could not avoid it.

[Middle-Level Duty] Report to Lady Watch, the head maid, who approached the Almond Chamber and what conversations took place.

This was not a simple order to report on a few visitors.

It meant she was expected to speak with everyone who tried to approach the Almond Chamber.

In other words, she had no right to refuse a conversation based on time, place, or mood.

To calm her nerves, Ruby took a deep breath, then carefully opened the door.

The person standing there was Mr. Perel, the candle keeper of the Blossom Palace.

“…Mr. Perel? What brings you here?”

Her voice carried clear confusion, while Perel smiled with easy charm.

“Miss Ruby, so you have been assigned to the third floor. Here, take these first.”

He held out four long, thick boxes.

“What are these?”

“They are candles made with premium essential oils. Specially prepared for the Almond Room. And this one is a small gift for you, Miss Ruby.”

With that, he set a small box on top of the candle boxes.

The packaging was luxurious, and Ruby immediately knew this was the bribe.

“What kind of gift?”

Perel held the door for her with one hand and winked.

“Every beautiful woman deserves a gift. Oh right, by the way, who is the new lady in the Almond Room?”

Ruby looked down at the boxes, her mind uneasy, then steadied herself.

‘It is too late to back out now.’

She licked her lips nervously and set the candle boxes on a small cabinet by the door.

Then she opened the elegant box meant for her. The moment she did, Perel spoke smoothly.

“It is sapphire. I thought it would go nicely with your blue eyes.”

Seeing the size of the sapphire, Ruby quickly closed the lid and slipped it into her pocket.

“…You asked who the new lady is, right? She is Lady Asha, daughter of the Count of Herman.”

* * *

Asha quietly turned her gaze away from Cedric and spoke to Alesto.

“Your Highness, what about you? Have you ever been in a relationship before?”

Since she had brought up the topic of romance, the Saintess’s attitude had clearly changed.

Her cheeks were flushed, her voice carried a shy tone, and a faint smile lingered on her lips.

It was a satisfying reaction.

‘At this rate I will soon be able to whisper words of love to her.’

Naturally, the corners of his lips rose.

“I am also new to it.”

Her eyes widened.

“Really?”

Alesto nodded lightly.

“Yes. Do I not look like it?”

Asha rolled her eyes as if caught off guard, then admitted honestly.

“Well, you seem so confident. I thought you might have some experience.”

Alesto took a slow, deep breath and exhaled with a small, awkward smile.

“I am glad I look composed. I was worried I might seem stiff or boring from nervousness.”

She pouted slightly, her lips curving as if to hide her bashful excitement.

Watching the Saintess showing her feelings so openly made Alesto’s throat feel dry.

He took a sip of wine to moisten it.

Then, as he set down the glass, he noticed something strange.

‘What is this?’

The Saintess’s expression had suddenly gone stiff.

Her eyes, which had been fixed on him, now looked slightly off to the side.

* * *

‘What is going on?’

Asha was thinking the same thing.

She had only turned her gaze for a second when her face suddenly burned. Cedric was staring right at her.

If their eyes had merely met for an instant, she might have brushed it off.

After all, people make eye contact by chance all the time.

But that was not the issue.

‘Why is he not looking away?’

That was the problem. He kept staring at her endlessly.

‘We are basically strangers. Does he somehow know I was supposed to meet him for a marriage arrangement? Why is he looking at me like that?’

Was it not rude to stare at a woman having lunch with another man? It felt almost like a provocation.

Asha quickly turned her eyes away, her throat going dry as she swallowed hard.

Her heart, small and timid as it was, started pounding wildly.

‘If I think about it, Cedric was gentle and loyal when Asha stayed obedient at the mansion, but when she tried to run away or someone else appeared, he became ruthless.’

The image of the obsessive Cedric from the original novel flashed in her mind.

Lost in that anxious thought, she suddenly heard a calm, low voice in front of her.

It was deep and steady, yet far too gentle for the situation.

“Do you often get distracted while talking?”

“N-no, sir?”

Startled, Asha lifted her head quickly to face Alesto. He tilted his head slightly, as if wondering what was behind him.

“Wait, no, hold on!”

Panic took over and the words slipped out before she could stop them.

There was a high chance that the Crown Prince had already investigated her before allowing her into the palace.

He would never let just anyone live near him.

He might already know about her failed arranged meeting with Cedric.

And now, in the middle of a sweet, romantic lunch, it looked like she had been distracted by another man, and that man was her would-be fiancé.

Would a temperamental crown prince just ignore that?

And look at Cedric’s expression now.

He looked like a man who had just caught his lover cheating.

If Alesto and Cedric recognized each other right now, something terrible would definitely happen.

‘No, that cannot happen. Nothing bad can happen.’

This was supposed to be her peaceful path to being confined by the emperor. Trouble had no place in it.

It absolutely could not happen.

Maybe her desperate wish reached somewhere, because Alesto turned his head only halfway before stopping.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms lazily.

“Would you rather I did not check?”

Asha rubbed her face with both hands and peeked out between her fingers.

He was smiling again, the same relaxed smile from yesterday, but there was something different about it.

It was sharper, darker.

Her mind went blank the moment she saw it.

She swallowed dryly, her shoulders shrinking smaller and smaller.

Her lips moved a few times before she finally nodded.

“Yes.”

The man before her smiled even wider, or maybe that was just her imagination.

“I will ask again, sincerely. Do you truly not want me to see who that man is?”

How did he even know it was a man?

A chill ran down her spine.

She mentally listed her options.

The first option, let Alesto confirm who Cedric was.

Not good.

And just as expected, Cedric seemed to sense that something was wrong.

His once gentle expression had hardened, and his blue eyes were turning sharp and cold.

Behind her sat a freezing Cedric. In front of her sat a dangerously calm Alesto.

Her heart was pounding so fast she could almost hear it.

‘Alright, get it together.’

Crisis can strike anytime.

But I can get through it.

I am the heroine after all.

I can do this.

After regaining her confidence, she decided on the answer that would prevent immediate disaster.

“Yes. I do not want you to check.”

Maybe he did not like that answer.

Alesto let out a faint laugh, then stayed silent for a few seconds.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was smooth and composed.

“Alright then. But Asha, you did say it yourself. Until I can trust you completely, I am allowed to keep you confined.”

Asha’s back went cold.

It hit her all at once that she had stepped straight into a tiger’s den with no way out.

And then Alesto told her what her future would be.

“I will do just that.”

His voice, when he spoke of confinement, was terribly sweet.

‘Oh right. I am the heroine of a confinement story, aren’t I?’

She had almost forgotten.