Chapter – 06
The Crown Prince’s palace was called “Blossom.”
Inside this Blossom Palace, there were several famous chambers that everyone knew.
First, on the central part of the third floor was Crown Prince Alesto’s residence, the [Akalia] Chamber.
To its right was the [Luster] Chamber, used by Prince Jerold Burns, the chief advisor and Alesto’s younger brother, who was born from the same mother.
Other large and small chambers filling the third floor were occupied by Alesto’s retainers and knights, either as living quarters or offices.
The chamber assigned to Asha was [Almond], located immediately to the left of the central Akalia Chamber.
It was large enough that she wondered if it was too big for her to live alone, and she remained there with only a maid.
As she briefly scanned the room, the maid appeared.
She bowed politely.
Since Asha had met maids a few times while at the Count’s estate, it didn’t feel awkward to interact with her, though she felt a little uneasy.
“Um… what’s your name?”
“I’m Ruby. Please feel free to call me if you need anything.”
“Alright, Ruby. Nice to meet you. But I think it’s better if I explore on my own for now. You can go for today.”
Ruby seemed slightly surprised but kept her hands together and maintained her polite posture.
“Yes, understood. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”
She left with light steps, and the door closed with a soft click.
As soon as the door closed, Asha’s jaw relaxed, and her mouth fell open in astonishment.
“Why is this place so extravagant?”
Her wide eyes moved slowly across the room, which had no empty space at all.
Several frames hung on the large walls, and around them, the walls were meticulously painted with sculpted depictions of myths.
Luxurious furniture, carpets that looked too expensive to even step on carefully.
Layers of drapes, intricate carvings, and gilded decorations.
And it wasn’t just the living room.
The bedroom, dressing room, tea room, and bathroom connected to the living room were all equally lavish.
Everything was so extravagant it almost felt sacred.
Her first thought, of course, was…
“Imprisoned in an emperor’s palace?”
But the feeling of excitement didn’t last long.
Asha had one unresolved question.
Why had he brought her here?
She could understand Cedric, but the Crown Prince? Why?
In her limited memory, he appeared in the original story only as a tyrant, and romance wasn’t a major part of the plot.
“No way someone would just grab a random girl because someone else told them to… wait a second.”
A sudden ominous feeling made her hair stand on end.
Could it be that the original female protagonist, “Asha,” was fated to be kidnapped somehow?
She remembered that in the original story, Cedric had shown extreme devotion, which could explain why someone would attempt to imprison the emperor.
But now the male lead was the Crown Prince instead?
Ugh, even if it changes, there should be limits.
What if a kind, devoted male lead suddenly became a tyrant-in-training?
Asha shivered and thought of Alesto.
He was certainly very handsome, but he had one fatal flaw.
“Scary…!”
Not just because the novel described him as a tyrant, but the atmosphere he gave off was intimidating.
In the short time she had experienced him, he wasn’t fierce, hostile, or directly threatening.
Instead, he was like a dangerous swamp, with a subtle poisonous mist spreading in all directions.
“….”
Maybe she should try running away first?
It would be better to struggle once than passively be semi-kidnapped, right? Maybe it would even make the story more interesting.
Considering a nonexistent audience, she nodded to herself.
It seemed safer to return to the original story.
Her determined eyes sparkled with resolve.
“Ugh… M-Mom…!”
Marvin’s legs gave out at the knight’s decisive movement, and he collapsed to the ground, tears welling in his eyes.
But the knight, exuding a cold aura, raised his sword.
“Your Highness!”
Freedis hurriedly crawled to the Crown Prince’s feet, bowing her head.
“Your Highness! It’s my fault! Please, I beg you, spare my child! H-Honey, honey! Sign the marriage contract quickly!”
Before she even finished, Count Herman quickly signed the contract and laid down beside his wife.
Alesto crossed his arms and looked at the count and his wife with an inscrutable expression, while Jerold, having confirmed the contract, placed the document in an envelope and nodded.
“All the paperwork is now in order.”
Alesto took a slow sip of the now-cold tea.
“By the way, what is Asha to you?”
Freedis, wiping the cold sweat off her face, looked at the Crown Prince with fear-stricken eyes.
Her instincts warned her: here, you must stay completely submissive.
“Ah, Asha… she is to become a noble saint.”
With that answer, the paperwork was fully completed.
Upon hearing the answer, Alesto smiled sharply for a moment.
The cold smile vanished in an instant. Silently, he placed the teacup on the table and quietly warned,
“If you don’t want to make your beloved daughter even more fragile or orphan her, always watch your words and actions.”
He left the reception room as if there was nothing more to say or hear.
Having spoken only about their child and heir, Asha had no more reason to face them.
“The family matters are settled. Nothing left to hold me back.”
Perhaps this transparency was a family trait.
For a moment, he wondered about the small, disheveled woman.
What was the saint doing in Blossom Palace?
Back in Blossom Palace, Asha, having decided to run away, quietly opened the living room door and checked the hallway.
After checking the right, left, above, and below, she quietly stepped into the corridor.
“No one’s here, right?”
Fortunately, the floor was covered with a thick carpet, so her footsteps made no sound.
“Did everyone leave work already?”
She had told the maid assigned to her to leave early today, but she had no way of knowing if palace staff followed a strict schedule.
It didn’t matter anyway.
For now, it was quiet, so escaping would be a bit easier.
She carried some anticipation as she made her way down to the stairs.
Passing the second floor, she paused at the landing to observe the bright lower floor.
Unlike the upper floors, the first floor had quite a few people moving about, and Asha naturally tried to blend in.
“Oh, right! My clothes!”
Only when she stepped onto the first floor did she realize she was the only one in ordinary clothes.
Looking closer, all men in the palace wore their formal attire, and any women visible were all in maid uniforms.
Panicked, Asha hurried toward a back entrance that staff would likely use, pretending to be a maid who had just returned from outside.
For some reason, she constantly felt eyes on her, which made her shoulders tense.
“No, stay calm!”
From all the novels she had read, possessed characters always carried themselves boldly.
She had to act shamelessly.
Her efforts paid off. She finally reached a secluded corridor and soon found the laundry room.
As soon as she slipped inside, she discovered a maid uniform someone had left behind.
“Of course. The fun of escaping is in the disguise.”
Changing into the maid uniform, she sat in a corner and carefully removed pearls one by one from her original outfit.
Though the small, unattractive pearls didn’t seem worth much, considering the poverty of the Herman Count family, they were a blessing.
At least it was a dress for a formal meeting, so she could salvage something. Otherwise, she would have left empty-handed.
After completing preparations for her escape, Asha exited the palace through a staff-only back door.
As she passed through the garden and left the Crown Prince’s palace entirely, she even exchanged greetings with a few maids, none of whom suspected her.
The start was going well.
Who would have guessed that escaping the palace of the infamous Crown Prince could go this smoothly?
She felt a pleasant premonition.
“Could this be a perk for being possessed, or a heroine buff?”
Feeling like she could do anything, her steps were light and quick.
At the same time, Alesto was in a carriage returning to the palace, reviewing documents.
He had spent the morning visiting the temple and attending to matters concerning the saint, leaving him little time for his official duties.
But the flow of work was interrupted.
Knock, knock.
“Your Highness. Garnet reporting.”
Alesto slightly opened the window as if prompting him to speak, and Garnet reported.
“An hour ago, the saint changed into a maid uniform and left Blossom Palace. She is currently heading toward the South Gate.”
