Saint's outfit?
Why are you walking so late and dark, so far away?
And alone?
Alisto had no intention of questioning her about any of this.
The reason was clear.
No matter what he asked her now, she would definitely answer with a lie.
She obviously tried to escape, but she says she was just taking a walk?
And yet, she gets into the carriage obediently, which is funny.
She couldn't even hide her confused face, yet she acted so rudely.
Alisto did not want to ask questions that would put the Saint in an embarrassing position, nor did he want to hear her lies.
Therefore, he ended her escape attempt with the word “walk.”
But…
To go beyond the matter without questioning anything, and to warn her are two different things.
Therefore, he spoke in a casual tone, as if he was joking: “Walk, that's good.
For a moment, I thought you were trying to escape.”
The saint trembled as if she had been stabbed to the core, but she quickly controlled her expression and denied his words: “M, what?
I had no intention of escaping… haha.”
Alisto nodded calmly and said, “I was just thinking for a moment.
Of course, you didn’t intend to escape.
Didn’t you say yourself when we first met?
That I could imprison you until I trusted you.
Escape after that?
That doesn’t make sense.”
Atha realized she was in trouble.
Does this mean he'll lock me up?
A convenient imperial captivity or something that, if she messed up, might trap her in this would-be tyrant.
Her body shivered from the cold, so she quietly pulled the blanket next to her, wrapped it like a cloak and closed it in the front.
“Are you cold?”
“Yes, a little...maybe I walked too much.”
But at that moment, the Crown Prince showed a strange reaction.
He raised his hand several times with hesitant movements, then asked carefully: “Can I arrange it for you?”
Atha's eyes widened in surprise.
She had wrapped the blanket up to hide the maid's uniform, and there was a warning in her head telling her to refuse his request, but…
“Ah, yes”
Her mouth answered of its own.
Not entirely on his own, because, frankly, it was hard to say no to him in that setting.
She was worried about seeming suspicious, and she felt as if her weakness had been discovered, and she wasn't quite sure why, but rejection was hard.
As soon as she answered, he approached her, and she was surprised by the warm scent emanating from him.
She didn't know why this was surprising, but it was.
She was confused by his next hand movements.
His movements were careful to avoid touching her body, and his slow touching seemed strangely gentle.
For a moment, I completely forgot that he was a potential tyrant.
to throb?
Why is my heart beating?
As he spread the blanket around her neck, he wrapped it around her neck and secured it with his own pin so that it would not come undone, then walked away without hesitation.
Atha blinked rapidly, trying to calm her confusion.
Why is he so cute all of a sudden?
Then I suddenly realized that his attitude had not changed from the beginning.
He was constantly nice and polite to me.
Nice...too?
Yes, he bought her meat when she was hungry, so he's a nice person.
But why is he nice?
He's a potential tyrant!
At that moment, she remembered his voice in her head: <I see Miss Atha as a potential romantic partner.
I like it>
Suddenly, Atha had a big realization.
That's like the cliché [the tyrant is cold and sullen, but he's only warm with his woman], isn't it?
In the original novel, since the heroine is married to Cedric, Alisto's character is not highlighted in detail, but what if the character's settings were "a tyrant who is only warm with his woman"?
This was a possibility.
But, am I really [his woman] for the Crown Prince?
In the original novel, the Crown Prince did not have a lover, but there is no guarantee that it is her.
She can't know that.
While Atha was lost in her bewildered thoughts, Alisto was also a little confused.
His offer to arrange her cloak was a spontaneous act.
Why did I do that?
Was it because the saint looked pitifully shabby when he opened the carriage door and saw her?
Of course, she looked incredibly pathetic.
Cheeks frosted red, a shabby maid's uniform, wiped off makeup, tangled hair, a tired voice, and a look that desperately wants to get into the carriage.
How pathetic she was.
When he looked at her closely from the carriage, her petite and slender body seemed much smaller.
It looked like dust rolling on the ground.
Not only was her appearance pathetic, her hands wrapping the blanket were extremely clumsy.
When he spontaneously arranged the blanket for her, he felt a strange feeling.
She was sitting quietly throughout the arrangement process, looking pitiful, and her reddened cheeks were noticeable.
What is this?
There was something strange.
The way she accepted his soft touch was strange, and so was her face up close.
He suddenly felt a desire to take care of her, and at the same time, he felt uncomfortable.
No, saint is not my taste.
I was just using a convenient excuse with Gerold.
His partner was definitely a fateful, rare character.
Perhaps because Saint needed so much care, his instinct stirred a little.
Alisto coolly arranged his disturbance.
Meanwhile, Atha was thinking that this situation was a cliché, and was arranging the keywords in her mind.
Alisto, no matter how you looked at him, was a [tyrant who was only warm to his woman], and based on his gentle demeanor, it seemed that his “woman” was her.
Objectively, this wasn't a bad situation.
Since she learned that this world was a novel world, her goal had been to maintain her physical integrity, avoid early death, and live comfortably until she died of old age.
The reason she planned to be captured by Cedric was not complicated.
He was just the protagonist, and except for some aspects, he was portrayed as a loyal and kind man.
What she needs is comfortable shelter, free time, and security, not Cedric himself.
To sum it up, the person who would offer her imperial captivity had changed from Cedric to Alisto, but the situation itself had not gotten worse.
It's simpler than you think?
Moreover, Alisto was incredibly, stunningly, and exceptionally handsome.
If she had been in her previous world, she wouldn't have had a chance to even exchange a word with someone so beautiful.
This person is the Crown Prince.
A man who has money, power, beauty, and unlimited kindness for his woman, without any deficiency.
Furthermore, he has no intention of hurting her, is polite and kind, and said he sees her as a romantic partner.
At this level...
Maybe there's no need to run away?
While Atha and Alisto were arranging their thoughts, the carriage moved steadily and arrived at Blossom Palace.
Alisto accompanied Atha to her room.
“You were tired from walking so far, so sleep early tonight.”
He spoke gently as if he were addressing a child.
Sleep early, when did you last hear this greeting?
Atha felt a strange sensation rising, and she suddenly tilted her head.
Suddenly, I became curious about what “early” meant in this world.
“How early is it?”
Alisto looked at it for a moment, then took out a pocket watch and inspected it.
"It's usually around ten, but since it's past that, it's going to be hard tonight.
How about falling asleep by eleven?"
Atha checked the wall clock in the room and nodded without hesitation.
It seems that the concept of time in this world is not much different from that of the modern era.
“Hmm, usually ten o’clock, understood.
Okay, good night.”
With a light greeting with eyes, close the bedroom door.
Alisto stood in the dark corridor after closing the door.
Did you, just…
The standard for a saint’s early sleep has become ten o’clock because of my words?
“…”
Is this a weird feeling in my stomach, or is it just an illusion?
He decided to keep the marriage contract a secret for the time being.
Anyway, his goal was to love Saint, and she had better believe it was a love marriage.
He will keep the necklace until the last minute, to use it if he fails to win her heart or if she tries to leave.
To teach her that she cannot leave no matter what happens.