Atha was completely discouraged.
Why does he hate the idea of me being in danger?
Is he really worried about me?
Does this anxiety stem from feelings of admiration for me?—
It was just her curiosity.
Does this warrant all this anger?
So how am I going to meet the governor now?
Do I have no choice but to wait until He comes to me?
Although Alisto did not leave his place, the dialogue with him was completely interrupted after that topic.
Atha was eating the marinated grilled chicken he had prepared, but she felt so uncomfortable that she did not even know whether the food was entering her mouth or nose.
'I'll definitely get indigestion like this.'
She munched on the chicken nuggets absentmindedly, and finally began to contemplate the picnic spot.
The cute little birch forest inside the Crown Prince Palace.
The trees seemed dense, suggesting that the place would be cool and refreshing even in summer, and since they hadn't seen anyone in a while, it seemed like people didn't frequent this place very often.
There's a squirrel climbing the tree, and a rabbit raising its ears warily in the distance, and is that a deer—no, a roe?
...It wouldn't be a 'gurani' (Korean water deer) for sure, would it?
Atha chewed the meat and swallowed it seriously, immersed in a stream of random thoughts.
As they say, when you feel upset and afraid of indigestion, you should chew food more thoroughly than usual to avoid intestinal problems.
Suddenly, her eyes accidentally fell on Alisto's lunch box that he had never touched.
She pretended not to care, stuck her fork into a piece of chicken and put it in her mouth.
“Yum, yum”
The food was supposed to be very delicious, but for some reason she didn't feel the taste of it.
'Why is he still sitting like that?
'It makes me nervous'
They didn't fight openly, so it was strange and embarrassing for her to apologize for something.
No, he was the one who suddenly got angry and raised his voice, so why is he now acting as if he was the one holding a grudge?
It's illogical.
Oh my God, I don't know.
I'll stop caring about him.
- That's what I thought, but how can a person ignore the presence of another person next to him when he behaves in this way?
Even if he's just a character in a novel.
In the end, Atha addressed Alisto, who seemed annoyed: “But, is dating really like this?”
Hearing her question, Alisto who was immersed in deep thought turned his head towards her.
…dating?
***
In the Blossom Banquet Hall, towards evening time.
Baron William jumped up when he heard words he had not expected: “What?
Sir Howser himself?
Will you live with us at Dalbert?”
Then Count Curtis's voice was heard next to him in a tone that suggested a headache: “The details will have to be decided later, so how can you say that you will go like this suddenly?”
But Sir Howser shouted loudly: “If sea trade expands, we will definitely need diplomacy!
Naturally, I, who has extensive experience and good results, should go!”
He spoke in a loud, confident voice, which did not look bad in the eyes of Dalbert's sailors.
Moreover, Sir Hauser was, as he said of himself, one who had lived his whole life on his tongue.
And for someone like him to take the initiative with such enthusiasm?
It seemed from the talk that nothing was certain yet.
But even if the decision was postponed to the future, they felt grateful for the sincerity of Sir Howser's feelings now.
The ice quickly melted in Baron William's heart, and he began exchanging toasts with Sir Hauser.
On the other hand, Cedric was receiving the drink that Gerold offered him and drank it quickly, then left the building for a while under the pretext of needing an outside breeze.
Although the situation requires him to integrate and have fun, drunkenness will be a problem.
He's never lost to anyone at a drink, but Vice Chancellor Gerold Prince really...
'He is a monster in every sense of the word.'
Cedric let out a sarcastic laugh as he watched the sunset that was about to disappear.
The day had not yet fully set, and it had only been less than an hour since the banquet had begun, and yet he needed the outside breeze.
Looks like he chose the wrong place to sit.
He didn't have to sit next to Vice Chancellor Gerold, who looked as if even the legendary "Blue Drinking Whale" of the deep sea wouldn't be able to keep up with him.
He decided to take a walk to regain consciousness.
While he was walking in the garden, which was carefully arranged as if it were a painting drawn by an artist, his gaze fell on a place.
At the far end of the garden, there was a dense forest of cypress trees.
There was a wooden bench between the garden and the forest, the place seemed secluded and quiet.
The atmosphere between the bright, colorful garden and the calm and relaxing cypress forest was completely different, as if the forest belonged to another world.
This aroused Cedric's curiosity, so he began to approach step by step towards the cypress forest.
But at some point—
A woman appeared, tying her long hair into a ponytail, and blocked his way.
“The forest cannot be used at the moment.”
It was a face Cedric knew.
No, more accurately, it was a face he had saved from personal photos.
Was her name Garnet?
One of the closest associates of the Crown Prince.
He heard that she originally belonged to the Emperor's private guard, but now she has defected and is protecting the Crown Prince and undertaking all the difficult and dirty tasks.
Her being here now, does it mean that the Crown Prince is the reason why the forest cannot be used?
‘If I wait here a little longer… will I be able to meet Miss Atha as well?’
'If I'm lucky, I might be able to at least say hello to her...'
***
Until a little while ago, Alisto's mind was filled with all kinds of worries and anxieties.
Because he discovered the fact that the saint was completely oblivious to her personal safety.
In fact, what would I expect from a woman who asked a man she was meeting for the first time to pick her up and lock her up.
I should have realized it then, but I caught on too late.
'Should I rework the plan regarding the revelation?'
Until recently, he had no intention of preventing the revelation from being made public.
If the revelation was known, it would be natural for those who became more ambitious about the saint's ability, but Alisto was confident that he would not allow anyone to take it away from him.
As for the saint’s heart—which was the most important thing—he was working to win it smoothly, and her personal protection was guaranteed by the presence of the “Boom” of the Imperial Palace.
But looking at it now, it seemed like his thinking was very naive.
Because the person in question—the saint herself—seems to have no idea of caution.
Otherwise, how could she think of going to the temple when she knew the content of the revelation?
And look at her now, talking coldly and asking if dating is like that.
"...I don't really know either.
I've never been in a dating relationship."
When he turned his gaze towards her, his eyes fell on her swollen cheek as she chewed meat and her gloomy facial expression.
He inspected her lunch box, then stuck his fork into a piece of grilled asparagus and gently extended it toward the saint.
“The doctor said you should eat a variety of vegetables, too.”
Alisto thought the saint was going to take the fork, but she bent her head slightly and pulled the piece of asparagus straight into her mouth.
Then she said, smiling brightly: “Now I feel like it’s a little like dating.”
Alisto looked at the empty fork in his hand and let out a short laugh.
“I'm sorry I raised my voice earlier.”
The saint put more meat into her mouth, which still contained asparagus, and said jokingly, “Yes, you have exaggerated a little.
I only asked out of curiosity.”
Alisto poked a piece of roasted red pepper with his fork and held it out to her again.
“What were you wondering?”
She pulled out the pepper with her mouth this time as well: “Why did you say that you hate me being in danger?”
Alisto began examining the lunch box to see what he was going to feed her next, and secretly thought: 'I wonder about that too.'
Why was I so angry to see her so careless about her safety?
“……”
While he was silently choosing a ripe strawberry, the saint continued: “I thought you would say that you are doing this because you love me.”
At that moment, Alisto's hand that was sticking the fork into the strawberries stopped.
'Love her?'
'I love her?'
'Who?' Saint?’
'And she's not even the girl of my dreams?'
'I had no plan to love you?'
'I just wanted to keep you by my side because I need your strength?'
'Why me?'
Thousands of similar and repeated questions ran through Alisto's mind.
But it's ridiculous.
That among all those questions, there was not a single question that negated the fact that he loved her.
When he realized this, he felt like his head was spinning.