Chapter 7

The southern gate, where the Saintess was heading in a maid’s disguise, was the main entrance of the Imperial Palace.

Alesto took the report of her escape attempt without the slightest surprise.

He had already expected this.

That was why he had ordered the servants on the third floor to let her move freely and only assigned an owl to keep watch.

‘As I thought. Her purpose was never here.’

Now that he had confirmed she hadn’t approached him to infiltrate the palace, the next question was when he should reel her back in.

“How long will it take for the Saintess to reach the southern gate?”

Garnet hesitated for a moment, then answered cautiously.

“Judging from her pace when she left and her current speed… it will likely take her sixteen hours, Your Highness.”

Alesto finally lifted his head from the papers he had been reviewing.

“Sixteen hours?”

“She started off running, but soon began walking, and now… she seems to lack stamina. At this rate, I cannot guarantee she will even make it out of the palace by the end of the day. And since she is wearing a Blossom Palace maid uniform, she will have trouble catching a carriage.”

In other words, she was suffering miserably.

* * *

It might seem unrelated, but Fridis Herman had always been clear about her goal in raising Asha.

When Asha came of age and married, she would fetch a high price as a bride.

Asha was beautiful, yes, but a pretty face alone would not bring the highest offer.

Fridis believed that her daughter had to grow into a flawless beauty, one who made people sigh in admiration at a single glance.

According to the beauty standards of this era, the three most important features were a slim waist, a short stature, and pale skin.

Fridis strictly controlled Asha’s diet and rarely allowed her to go outside.

Sunlight darkened the skin, after all.

And so, what was the result?

“Huff… huff…”

Asha had grown into a woman who could not even walk for an hour, much less run for several minutes.

The night was pitch-black.

She could not see where the road ended.

Eventually, exhausted, Asha crouched down in front of a roadside flower bed.

Her stomach growled, and her legs trembled too much to keep walking.

At first, she had felt so confident, as if she could do anything.

The palace gate was far, but she was sure she could catch a passing carriage.

It happened all the time in novels.

A tired heroine walking down a dark road, a carriage approaching, a kind coachman offering help, a small act of kindness.

‘Where are you headed, miss?’

And then she would be escorted safely to her destination.

Asha had seen such scenes countless times.

Of course, in the real world, she would have been cautious of strangers, but this was inside a novel, so it seemed possible.

‘Besides, Asha is the main character. It might be scary, but still… ah! A carriage!’

Asha jumped up and waved both arms high.

“Over here! Please, wait a second!”

She ran and shouted, hoping to get their attention, but the heartless coachman did not even glance her way.

‘He ignored me again!’

This was already the tenth carriage to pass her by as if she were invisible.

What Asha didn’t know was that the maids from Blossom Palace were considered highly suspicious by all palace coachmen.

There were rumors that servants connected to the Blossom Palace often became entangled in strange incidents and mysteriously disappeared.

But Asha simply thought, Well, that’s life. Things never go the way you want them to.

How much farther would she need to go before leaving the palace grounds?

Would her body even last that long?

The night air was growing colder, and as her sweat cooled, the chill sank deep into her skin.

Her stomach was empty, her legs weak.

‘If the Crown Prince hadn’t said such ridiculous things earlier, I would’ve eaten more while I could.’

She was already struggling like this, yet she still had no idea how much farther she needed to walk.

Moments ago, she had felt like she could do anything. Now she thought she might collapse before even reaching the palace gate.

After a short pause, she turned back to look at the road she had come from.

She had walked so long, yet the grand silhouette of the Crown Prince’s palace was still visible in the distance.

‘…’

Maybe she should just try escaping another day.

She already knew how to get out, so next time would be easier.

It hadn’t been that difficult, after all.

She could eat more, build stamina, find a small carriage, pack warm clothes and snacks…

If she prepared well, she would surely succeed next time.

Her decision didn’t take long.

She was too tired to think straight.

So Asha decided to return to the palace for now.

‘Ugh, this body is useless. How did I end up like this?’

She trudged back toward the palace.

Behind her, a faint light began to grow brighter.

Asha didn’t even turn around. She simply moved closer to the flower bed at the side of the road to let the carriage pass.

There was no point in trying again. No one had stopped for her before, and she didn’t want to waste her energy.

It was fine.

Running away might be hard, but she could at least walk back to the palace if she took her time.

But then, something felt strange.

The carriage that should have passed her long ago was still behind her, and its sound was slowing down.

Uneasy, Asha turned to check.

There it was, a white carriage with golden trim, bearing the flag of the Crown Prince.

Her body froze instantly, stiff as a statue.

The carriage came to a stop beside her.

The door opened, and warm air flowed out, brushing gently against her cheek.

“What are you doing here?”

It was Alesto.

Asha swallowed hard, meeting his gaze.

“I was… taking a walk.”

For a brief moment, his golden eyes seemed to flash.

And suddenly, she understood what made his presence so chilling.

It was his eyes.

Golden eyes had always been said to belong to beasts.

If you thought about it, hawks and tigers had yellow eyes too.

“A walk. Are you planning to continue?”

There it was again, that lazy tone, calm even with his prey right before him.

He really was a predator, just one resting in a comfortable place.

Through the open carriage door, she could see the soft cushions and a thick blanket, all radiating warmth.

Asha glanced at him cautiously, only to find their eyes locking again.

She blinked.

‘Huh?’

Something inside her stirred.

It was an instinct, clear and powerful.

This beast had no intention of harming her.

Somehow, it felt less frightening to look straight into his eyes than to look away.

Though, to be fair, it was only less frightening, not unfrightening.

She realized once again how fickle human hearts could be.

Moments ago, she had been ready to walk all the way back. But the moment she saw the Crown Prince and his carriage, she wanted to ride instead.

After a short hesitation, she shook her head lightly.

“No, I was about to finish my walk… may I ride with you?”

As she stepped a little closer, Alesto’s lips curved into a graceful smile.

“Get in. We’ll go together.”

Asha climbed in eagerly, unable to hide her relief.

Of course she had been waiting for this.

As she stepped into the carriage, she lifted her skirt slightly so it wouldn’t catch.

Something felt off. The fabric, the weight, the shape…

‘Wait. I’m wearing a maid uniform!’

She had completely forgotten.

What if he asked why?

No matter what she said, it would sound suspicious.

Her blood ran cold, and her mind spun as she tried to think of an excuse.

‘Should I just say I have a thing for maid outfits again? What if he thinks I’m weird?’

But to her surprise, the Crown Prince didn’t ask about her clothes at all.

Instead, he spoke lightly, almost teasingly.

“It’s good to know you were just taking a walk. For a moment, I thought you might be trying to run away.”

Asha swallowed hard.