Chapter 2

She spoke timidly as if embarrassed, but her small voice carried a strange sense of conviction.

Even though she had just met this unfamiliar man for the first time and told him to take her away and lock her up, there was no fear in her tone.

‘This isn’t fear. It feels more like… expectation?’

The man tilted his head slightly, his eyes curious as he asked seriously.

“Why are you saying that to me? We only just met.”

‘…Huh?’

Asha froze.

She thought he would fall for her at first sight and gladly take her away if she said so.

Shouldn’t he be happy about it?

She had believed that if she acted friendly and cooperative enough, everything would proceed smoothly without any actual kidnapping or confinement.

She never expected him to question her right away.

Asha had to admit that she had taken this world, her situation, and even the man before her too lightly, thinking of them as mere characters from a novel.

But now that she had already told him to take her away, she couldn’t just say she had misspoken.

Her head spun as she struggled to come up with something to say.

“Um, everyone has their own fantasy, right? My fantasy is to be taken away by a handsome man and loved.”

Then she smiled brightly.

A possessor should always win through boldness. Yes, that was the way.

Honestly, what kind of woman in the world could say something like that to a man she just met, judging only by his looks?

But Asha knew something others didn’t.

Cedric was the kind of man who would love her endlessly for the rest of her life.

So she gathered every bit of courage she had.

And sure enough, the man’s reply was positive.

“Alright. Come with me.”

‘Yes!’

The response startled her a bit, but it was exactly what she had hoped for.

Her heart fluttered with the sense that everything would go smoothly from here on out.

Thinking of the cozy imperial confinement she would soon enjoy, she spoke with a hint of anticipation.

“It’d be nice if the room had big windows…”

But her sentence never finished.

The man suddenly grabbed the brooch on his collar and tore it off.

Of course, a brooch was something one could remove at any time. That part she could understand.

‘But why… why is his hair changing color?’

The moment the brooch came off, his shining blond hair turned pitch black in an instant, and his eyebrows darkened to match.

Asha couldn’t immediately comprehend what was happening.

Just then, as if perfectly timed, a grand carriage adorned with gold trim appeared at the entrance.

A man riding beside it dismounted quickly and bowed to the man standing next to her.

“Your Highness, the cleanup is complete.”

Then he turned toward Asha and gave a polite nod.

“Lady Asha of the Herman family, I presume. It is an honor to meet you. I am Jerold Burns.”

That was the moment Asha realized something had gone very, very wrong.

She might not know the name Jerold, but she recognized the surname.

‘Burns? Burns is the imperial family name?’

And there was only one man in the empire who bore that surname and was addressed as ‘Your Highness.’

Alesto S. Burns.

The Crown Prince supported and trusted by the Empress’s faction who held firm control over the most powerful noble families in politics.

A chill ran down her spine.

In the original story, the Crown Prince hadn’t appeared often but whenever he did, he left a terrifying impression as a ruthless tyrant.

He was portrayed like a cruel demon, a man who often stood in opposition to Cedric, the male lead.

‘Wait, wait. Why is the Crown Prince here?’

Where was Cedric?

Asha was completely thrown off but kept her mouth tightly shut.

If she said the wrong thing now, she might scream instead of speaking.

If she blurted out something foolish like she had mistaken him for someone else or mixed people up, she might lose her head before she could finish the sentence.

There were people who were reassuring when on your side and terrifying when not.

Alesto was different.

He was merciless even to his allies and if he became your enemy, you’d better say goodbye to sleep.

‘So the cozy rabbit den I thought I found was actually a tiger’s lair?’

Cold sweat broke out and her scalp tingled.

Outwardly, she tried to remain composed.

She should have kept her mouth shut before spouting that nonsense about her fantasy and just run away.

Was it too late now to turn things around? Should she try to escape even now?

Her voice trembled involuntarily.

“Y-your Highness, it is an honor to meet you.”

Asha greeted Jerold Burns first before realizing she had just made another mistake.

She had forgotten to properly greet the Crown Prince himself.

Panicking, she quickly turned and lowered herself before him.

“I am deeply sorry for not recognizing the star of the Empire. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Asha Herman, daughter of the Herman family.”

She did her best to appear calm, but Alesto immediately noticed how flustered she was.

As the Crown Prince, he was well-versed in reading people’s hearts, and she was far too easy to read.

He had seen her start to panic the moment he removed his disguise brooch and revealed his true hair color.

Then Jerold appeared, and as she trembled like a frightened goat while greeting them again, Alesto became certain.

When she told him to take her away and confine her, when she said her fantasy was to be loved by a handsome man, she had said all that without realizing who he was.

At first, when the Saintess he had never met suddenly told him to take her away, suspicion had been his only response.

To claim her fantasy was to be taken by a handsome man and loved?

Did she expect him to believe that?

There had to be a hidden motive. Either that or she had already turned back time.

If that were the case, maybe she had some ulterior scheme for sneaking into the Imperial Palace.

He decided to take her with him for now even if he doubted her.

Whatever her reason was, keeping her close was safer.

Whether she was plotting something or not, it was better to watch her within sight.

But still…

She truly didn’t know he was the Crown Prince?

The Saintess who could turn back time?

‘Then… was what she said about wanting to be taken away by a handsome man really just an innocent fantasy?’

Well, that fantasy wasn’t exactly innocent in the first place.

Alesto looked down at the woman before him, fidgeting and lost for words like a confused child.

* * *

Asha’s head was in complete chaos.

How could meeting her match and following him be this difficult?

In the original story, the Crown Prince didn’t appear this early.

So where on earth was Cedric?

Then, as her eyes wandered aimlessly, she spotted a man.

A man standing by the central fountain, looking in her direction.

His blond hair gleamed in the sunlight. That had to be Cedric, the man she was supposed to meet today.

What should I do?

‘Should I run away now?’

Unfortunately, Alesto could see every thought and feeling written plainly on her face.

Following her gaze, he noticed the man standing by the fountain.

And he immediately understood.

The man the Saintess had meant earlier, the one she wanted to be taken away by, wasn’t him at all but that man over there.

It was obvious enough. The Saintess couldn’t take her eyes off him, her gaze softening and glimmering with emotion.

‘No. That won’t do.’

Feeling strangely displeased, Alesto stepped forward and blocked her view.

She flinched like a startled puppy and looked up at him in alarm.

Her round eyes and drooping lashes looked pitiful enough to make anyone soften.

‘Too late for that look now.’

Now that he knew she possessed the power to turn back time, there was no way he would let anyone else have her.

He smiled faintly and extended his hand toward her.

“I’ll trust what you said about not running away.”

His expression was serene and elegant, yet to Asha, his words sounded completely different.

‘If you run, you’ll regret it.’

A chill ran down her spine and she instinctively flinched.

Then she obediently accepted the Crown Prince’s escort and stepped into the carriage.

And at that very moment, she knew it in her bones.

Running away was no longer an option.