Chapter 3

While Asha sat meekly in the carriage like a mouse before a cat, Cedric couldn’t take his eyes off it as it disappeared into the distance.

He had arrived earlier than the agreed time and had been leisurely walking through the lavender garden.

As he passed the time, he happened to see a couple standing near the garden entrance, chatting softly.

The woman’s back was all he could see, but she was small and delicate, the very image of a typical woman from the capital he had once imagined. The man beside her was a face Cedric knew well.

‘That’s His Highness, Crown Prince Alesto. What an unexpected coincidence.’

When Cedric had wiped out the pirates near the Dalbert territory, Alesto had been the one to provide considerable funding and military support.

They had never met in person before, so until now Cedric had only seen him in portraits.

The support had always come under the Crown Prince’s name, but he had never personally appeared.

Still, he was a benefactor and someone Cedric deeply respected.

‘I’d like to go greet him, but would that be a bother? Hard to decide.’

As he hesitated, the woman turned slightly, and her pale face came into view.

When their eyes met, he stopped in his tracks.

It felt as if time itself had stopped.

‘She’s beautiful…’

And divine.

Her fluttering hair was soft as down, her movements graceful like a fairy.

Even the sight of her dress trailing into the carriage as it departed was lovely.

Time, which had seemed to stop for Cedric, began to flow again only after the carriage vanished completely from sight.

He realized he had been holding his breath.

A long sigh escaped him as he watched the carriage shrink into the distance.

‘Are all women in the capital that beautiful?’

Feeling a sudden, almost childlike anticipation, he waited for Lady Asha of the Herman family.

But even after the red sunset faded, she never appeared.

* * *

Asha racked her brain for a plan.

How could she get out of this carriage?

If she reached the Imperial Palace like this, she might never get another chance to escape.

Then, a good excuse flashed through her mind.

She spoke carefully.

“Um, I just thought of something. If I disappear like this, my family might worry.”

Of course, Alesto didn’t consider her concern a problem.

“I’ll make sure your family has nothing to worry about.”

Asha drew in a sharp breath.

‘When he says “make sure,” does he mean… erase them? I mean, not literally, but still, they’re my first family in this life.’

She didn’t dare ask out loud, so she tried another route.

“There’s something important at home.”

“I’ll retrieve it tomorrow.”

“It’s hidden well in my room.”

“Then nothing in your room will be left behind, not even a single sheet of paper.”

“Wow… that’s very… reassuring.”

After just two tries, Asha ran out of things to say.

She was never very good at talking or improvising to begin with.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince, Alesto, who had grown up in the Imperial Palace surrounded by snakes, found the Saintess fascinating.

How could someone be so transparent?

‘She wants to run away.’

Of course, he had no intention of letting her go, but neither could he leave her trembling like a frightened mouse.

She seemed worried about her family earlier. Should he use them to his advantage?

He immediately shook his head.

Threats and intimidation weren’t the right approach.

She could turn back time, after all. If pushed too hard, she might reverse time and vanish somewhere completely out of reach.

The best thing to do now was to make her abandon the thought of escape on her own.

Better yet, make her want to stay by his side.

‘If that’s the case…’

Growl.

A sudden sound drew his attention, and he turned his head toward her. The Saintess’s face flushed bright red as she cleared her throat.

“Ahem… hmm…”

She seemed desperate to hide the sound of her stomach, but it refused to stop.

“I… I’m hungry…”

She smiled awkwardly, her face so red it looked like it might burst.

Alesto stopped the carriage right away.

There were still more than thirty minutes left before reaching the palace. It would be better to feed her something now.

The carriage stopped at the edge of a shopping district, and he led her into one of the restaurants he often visited, The Lion’s Table.

His lips curved slightly upward.

Asha pretended not to notice.

Unfair as it was, she really hadn’t eaten properly all day.

She was used to hunger.

Back in Korea and even now as Asha, she had never lived in an environment where she could eat whenever she wanted.

‘In the orphanage and in the factory, meal times were strict, and even if portions were small, we couldn’t sneak snacks in between. The count’s household was the same, always strict about diet.’

In short, she had never had time, money, or comfort.

‘All I had this morning were a few biscuits.’

It was already long past lunch and nearing evening.

The scent of the bread and milk from the charity event still lingered in her mind.

Her stomach had growled like thunder, but she hadn’t expected a full meal out of it.

She had only hoped for a bit of bread and milk before bed to soothe her hunger.

But instead…

Alesto stopped the carriage and brought her straight to a tidy restaurant?

He opened the menu and placed it in front of her so she could see it easily.

“What do you like?”

Humans were fickle creatures, and she was a simple one among them.

The image of bread and milk vanished instantly from her mind.

“Meat.”

* * *

While waiting for the food, wine was served.

Asha awkwardly mimicked Alesto, holding the glass by its stem and rolling it gently before speaking.

“Um, I’ve been wondering about something.”

“What is it?”

She cleared her throat and asked.

“Why do you keep speaking so politely to me? …Even though you’re such an important person.”

This was a class-based society where rank determined speech, regardless of age.

He was the Crown Prince, beneath only the Emperor and Empress themselves.

Why would someone like him speak politely to the daughter of a mere count’s family?

His answer came immediately.

“Because I see you as someone I want to court.”

Cough.

The straightforward reply caught her so off guard that she choked on her wine.

She hurriedly reached for water, and Alesto calmly took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

“You said your fantasy was to be taken by a handsome man and loved, didn’t you? I like you, Asha. If our relationship deepens, you’ll become precious to me, so I can only speak to you with respect.”

His words were perfect, the very image of a courteous gentleman speaking sweetly.

Then why did a chill run down her spine?

Was the air cold?

Or was it his voice that felt cold?

No.

She already knew the reason.

Because the man saying such sweet words was a future tyrant.

In The Saintess’s Life in Captivity, there were hardly any characters who were truly sane.

And one of them was this Crown Prince.

She mustn’t forget that the default setting of the original novel was confinement.

‘Wait a minute.’

Then it hit her. This wasn’t reality.

The realization that she was inside a novel made her uneasy all over again.

Could it be?

Would this turn into one of those stories where she just wanted a peaceful life but the hidden villain or tyrant ends up obsessing over her for no reason?

‘No way… surely not.’

While Asha ate quietly, trying to shake off the ominous feeling, Alesto watched her changing expressions one by one.

When he told the Saintess he saw her as a romantic interest, it was simply his chosen method.

Whether or not he truly loved her didn’t matter.

What mattered was making her heart waver.

He could even marry her if needed.

Because the power to turn back time was worth that much.