Chapter 15

When the door quietly opened, the Saintess appeared with a face that was a complete mess.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her nose and lips were swollen.

She looked pitiful.

Alesto did not believe she had cried simply because she was confined.

At their very first meeting, she had asked him to lock her up, and even when he asked again before doing so, she said it was fine.

So why had she cried?

Because she had seen Cedric and could not follow him?

Was that why she felt regret?

Or was it resentment?

He looked down at her for a long moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“I heard you have not eaten anything.”

“I am sorry.”

That was when Alesto felt something strange.

It was as if his heart had dropped deep inside his chest.

He was overcome with a sudden, unexplainable urge to touch her cheek but stopped himself halfway.

Was this really appropriate?

In the end, he withdrew his hand without so much as brushing her face.

‘Come to think of it, she still has not turned back time to escape.’

Why not?

If she hated being here so much that she cried, why had she not used her power?

What could be the reason?

As he pondered, a few possibilities came to mind.

Perhaps she did not yet know what kind of ability she possessed.

Or she might not know how to use the power to turn back time.

It could even be that she simply lacked the means to use it right now.

He decided to test her.

“An apology will not cancel your confinement.”

Her red, rabbit-like eyes, which had been meeting his all this time, drooped sadly.

She had looked downcast since earlier, but now even more so.

“…Yes.”

Even with that gloomy expression, the Saintess answered obediently.

Oddly enough, Alesto felt his mood ease a little as he looked at her.

Or perhaps he could not bear to see her looking so pitiful.

Or maybe he simply wanted to be kind to her out of pity.

‘Indeed…’

Beyond her beauty, the Saintess possessed a peculiar charm.

Any man without a firmly fixed type would easily fall for her and probably grant whatever she asked for.

At least he could rest assured for now.

It seemed she would not be going anywhere soon.

Whether she had given up on the idea of escaping or simply lacked the means to do so, he did not know.

Feeling more at ease, Alesto finally looked around the Saintess’s bedroom.

‘It is small.’

The chamber itself was not too cramped for living, but it would feel tight for someone confined for days on end.

He looked at her sorrowful, rabbit-like eyes and spoke generously.

“Then, I will expand the range of your allowed activity to the entire imperial palace. You only need to state your destination clearly when leaving the Blossom Palace.”

Asha’s eyes widened.

‘The entire imperial palace?’

The palace grounds held not only several separate residences but also forests, lakes, gardens, and fountains.

It was a paradise filled with places to stroll or picnic.

This was exactly the kind of comfortable confinement she had wished for.

Before Alesto could change his mind, she quickly replied,

“Alright!”

Then she asked curiously,

“But why are you suddenly being so generous?”

He smiled faintly and replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“I said I would confine you, but I have not assigned any guards. Yet you have not left the Almond Chamber of your own accord. That earned you a bit of my trust. You must have felt stifled. You did well.”

Did this mean that if she continued earning his trust, she would eventually be allowed to leave the palace entirely?

For now, that did not matter.

Just having freedom within the palace was enough for her to live quite happily.

‘Now this feels like a proper imperial confinement.’

Meanwhile, Alesto looked at the Saintess, whose eyes were still swollen and red but who accepted his words as if she had never cried.

He felt… something hard to describe.

After all, this was the same woman who had once asked to be confined, then later disguised herself as a maid and tried to run away.

‘I should pretend to loosen her leash while tightening my watch instead.’

He needed to see whether she truly had no intention of escaping again.

Or if she was just waiting for another chance to slip away.

The thought of her running off again flashed through his mind, and it was an unpleasant image.

Before he realized it, he asked,

“What should I do if you ever try to leave the palace without permission?”

Her running away was not actually a serious problem for him.

He could easily bring her back.

Even if she turned back time by ten years and hid somewhere remote, once she activated that divine power, he would immediately know and retrieve her.

The real problem was that the more she used that ability to flee, the more guarded she would become.

And that would make it harder to reach her.

So although his question came out half impulsively, he did need a rule to prevent another meaningless back-and-forth between them later.

Yet before he could think further, she replied with confidence,

“Leave the palace without permission? I do not think that will happen.”

“…”

To Alesto, she looked as if she truly had no such thought in her head.

But Asha had thought about it briefly.

‘Would I ever give up my comfortable imperial confinement and run away?’

She had simply not thought deeply about it before answering.

In the end, Alesto decided to make their discussion official.

It would be to his advantage to have a written agreement that bound her in some way.

“Well, it would be fortunate if that never happens, but we can never be sure what people will do. I will add a clause for violation.”

As he wrote out the terms, he read them aloud.

“If you leave the palace without permission, your range of activity will be restricted. The first time will be limited to the Blossom Palace, the second time to your current room, the Almond Chamber. Is that acceptable?”

The Saintess agreed without hesitation.

“Yes, that is fine.”

But she added her own condition.

“Then there should be a reward too, not just punishment. If I follow the confinement rules well, please grant me one wish each month.”

Alesto smiled faintly.

“As long as the wish is not for freedom, I will grant anything.”

And so the two of them completed a written agreement on the rules and penalties of her confinement.

* * *

After Alesto left, Ruby became even more enthusiastic about persuading Asha to attend the ball.

To be honest, Asha had no desire to go.

A ball?

Just the word sounded flashy and exhausting.

Though she did feel a little curious.

In any romance fantasy, there was always a grand ball scene, so she wondered how it would look in real life.

‘…Still, it sounds tiring.’

After a long moment of hesitation, she finally decided.

“Alright, I will go.”

“Really?!”

Since the ball was being held in the imperial palace, it was within the limits of her allowed movement. And with Ruby watching her so eagerly, it felt impossible to refuse.

Besides, she had been living comfortably thanks to Ruby’s help, and her confinement range had even expanded because of her.

They would be spending a long time together, so it was only fair to give something in return.

“But do I not need an invitation to attend?”

It was not as if they would let her in just because she showed up in a dress.

At that, Ruby shot up from her seat as if she had been waiting for permission.

“Do not worry about that. I will go and get the invitation right away.”

* * *

A short while later, Ruby returned with the invitation in hand and Jerold Burns beside her.

‘Wait… him?’

Surprised by the unexpected visitor, Asha sat up properly after lazing on the sofa.

“Ahem, it is an honor to see you, Your Highness. What brings you here?”

Jerold looked at her and explained.

“I heard you will be attending the ball. My brother is too busy to escort you today, so I, as his younger brother, will do so in his place.”

Then he turned to Ruby.

“Can you be ready in two hours?”

Ruby bowed enthusiastically.

“If you assign me five maids to help, we can make it happen.”

It was a confident answer.

Jerold nodded, told Asha he would return in two hours, and then left the Almond Chamber.

In the hallway, he ordered his attendant, Rapo, to assign Ruby five maids to assist her.