Was it too sudden?
The saint's eyes widened like a frightened gazelle.
She seemed genuinely surprised, so much so that she responded with a strange question.
“No, now?”
Of course now, woman.
He didn't know what was so funny about her saying that, but the laugh escaped him.
When Alisto laughed softly, as if amused, Atha's face turned red.
Oh, my God.
The sight of that handsome fox-like man staring at her with beautifully arched eyes and laughing was truly wonderful.
Was it just an illusion that she felt as if she was falling under some spell?
'His face exceeds permissible limits'
Alisto wiped his eyebrows with his hand as he laughed softly, then smiled shyly and repeated his question.
“Am I the only one who wants to hold your hand?”
Her heart skipped a beat.
No, the word 'beat' was too simple an expression.
Atha's chest was beating hard and fast.
“Doesn't Miss Atha feel the same way?”
A pleasant tingle tickled her chest.
How do you answer him?
She also wanted to hold his hand, but she seemed to have missed the right timing to respond.
Atha raised her head slightly after moving her eyes in confusion, so that her eyes met Alisto's eyes completely.
Then, he moved from his place and sat directly next to her.
A man approached her in an instant.
And the smell of a man became more pungent.
And a woman even tries to breathe carefully.
Then the man's left hand was extended in front of her.
“Your hand.
Will you give it to me?”
His deep voice, which sounded as if it would explode like groundwater at any moment, was calm and polite.
Atha raised her right hand and placed it on top of the man's large hand.
She felt her hand trembling slightly from tension, but he didn't care.
As soon as their hands touched, he intertwined his fingers between hers.
Just holding hands.
But that soft pressure made her feel as if she couldn't move.
She raised her left hand, trying to cool her glowing cheeks, but it was not easy.
The two didn't utter a word until they reached Blossom, but surprisingly.
That awkward and tense time...it was so much fun.
Atha may not have known, but she was the most eye-catching woman at today's banquet.
Not only because she appeared with Gerold Prince, with his massive body that would attract attention anywhere, behind her as a guard, but because she was the woman who was enjoying the party wooing the Crown Prince.
Moreover, the moment the Crown Prince appeared in the Astro Hall and had a friendly time with her, anonymous rumors spread among the observing nobles.
Rumor has it that Miss Atha of the Hermann family resides in the wings of Blossom Palace, specifically in a suite on the same level as the suite of the Crown Prince's brother, whom he loves more than anything in the world.
There is only one instance where Blossom news spreads as a rumor.
This is when the rumor was spread “by the will of the Crown Prince.”
This is no different from Alisto Prince himself declaring that Miss Atha belongs to him.
***
Cedric's heart was disturbed when he heard these rumours, even though he already knew the truth about their relationship.
As soon as he boarded the carriage returning to the city house, he loosened his tie.
Unlike him, who was drowning in fatigue, the smile did not leave the face of the host next to him.
“It was a proud day indeed.
When you said, Your Honor, that we should prepare for sea trade, I wondered how we would do it, but the answer was in the capital!”
While Cedric was taking off his suit jacket, unbuttoning two buttons of his shirt, and opening the carriage window to breathe the cool air, the steward did not stop talking.
“Especially meeting Count Curtis, it was really good luck.
I will summarize the follow-up points from today’s talk and present them to you in a document tomorrow.
Ah!
Did you see Miss Cecilia of the Ert family just now?
She looked like the embodiment of the ruler of beauty.
I have never seen a woman so beautiful in my life.
How about visiting the Ert family’s mansion tomorrow?”
Men of marriageable age had the right to visit the homes of single women without prior appointment during the banquet season.
But Cedric rested his head on his arm placed on the window frame and closed his eyes as if he did not care.
“Enough”
The host who was speaking excitedly calmly sniffed the air after the reaction contrary to his expectations, looked at Cedric's back with pitying eyes, then sighed faintly.
After that, he spoke energetically as if he had never been frustrated.
"You're definitely tired today, aren't you?
Take a rest and let's talk again tomorrow.
I'll prepare a bouquet just in case!
Talking about work is fine, but the original reason for coming to the capital was to get married anyway!"
The longer the host talked, the more Cedric felt ashamed of himself.
He had come to the capital to look for a bride, but his eyes were busy chasing Miss Atha who had already become another man's lover.
He had never felt so pathetic in his life.
**#
Three of the maids who had been appointed to help Atha prepare for the banquet remained as maids in the Almond Suite.
Since the low-ranking Gray Owl didn't know the identity of the other owls, it wasn't certain, but Ruby thought there was a high possibility that the new maids would be owls as well.
Anyway, with the entry of the new maids, Ruby naturally stopped doing hard work, and became a respected butler supervising three maids.
She brought with her a large bundle of mail that arrived at Almond's ward.
As expected, dozens of invitations arrived for Atha.
Ruby sat next to Atha excitedly and began reading the names of the senders written on the invitations one by one.
“…Countess Pamela, Baroness Kellstedt, Hassler… Oh my God, most of the nobility of the capital have sent invitations to Miss Atha.”
As for Atha, who received the invitations, she was indifferent.
She was lying lazily on the living room sofa and seemed to be staring in amazement at the sky outside the window, but her mind was filled with the image of the priest she saw at the banquet.
Was it because of yesterday's big surprise?
It had passed without suspicion naturally, but thinking about it now, the strange feeling that seemed to be a black and white scene, and the priest disappearing in the blink of an eye as if he had been swallowed by the ground, was extremely unnatural.
Of course, as for the feeling, since she actually came from another world, she might suddenly have such a feeling.
And the priest as well.
It seemed as if he had disappeared like smoke, but in reality she looked away from him due to the appearance of Alisto.
Since it was a crowded banquet hall and he was wearing inconspicuous white clothes, she probably just lost track of him.
So, what about the word 'nice to meet you' that echoed in her head?
Perhaps she imagined hearing this because she was immersed in the mysterious atmosphere.
Especially since she drank some wine.
However, she had this doubt.
'Was he a ruler?'
It may seem like a silly idea, but it's not completely impossible.
Since there is a saint here, and a temple, and I am the one who came from another world.
There is no guarantee that there will be no ruler, right?
Here lies the confusion.
Should I go to the temple to check?
Or do I pretend to be ignorant and live my life like this?
Of course, I can't leave the Imperial Palace now, but let's say I choose one of the two options.
What if I went to the temple and confirmed that the banquet priest was really a ruler?
Would he really come for no reason just to see my face?
impossible.
In the narratives, those who claim sanctity usually make an incapacitating request in such cases.
Since there is a reason you came into this world, do this and that for the world...
Just thinking about it was exhausting.
On the other hand, what if I pretended to be ignorant and lived like this?
'It might be a little creepy... but it'll just end up being creepy.'
Atha decided to live with peace of mind.
If he was truly a ruler, he would find a way to contact her again anyway.
No need to bring fatigue to myself, right?
I will escape as long as I can escape.
“Oh?
An invitation has arrived from the temple as well.”
Upon hearing this unwelcome news, Atha suddenly stood up and quickly extended her hand to Ruby.
“Give it to me”
Ruby handed the invitation from the temple to Atha without any doubt, so Atha strode forward and threw the invitation directly into the fireplace.
“Oh, Miss Atha?”
Whether she heard Ruby's confused voice behind her or not, Atha burned the invitation with an iron stick and said, “From now on, any mail that comes from the temple, get rid of it directly without having to tell me.”
Because it looks like it's going to get really annoying.