Chapter 11
Then Rix cautiously asked once more.
“Why are you afraid of fire?”
For a moment, Ren stiffened, swallowing hard. The image of the monsters catching fire began to flash in her mind. Goosebumps rose across her entire body.
He looked at her slightly trembling hands.
Her once rigid hands were now folded on top of each other.
Her breath felt thick, as if she had inhaled choking smoke, rising all the way to her jaw.
Sensing something amiss, Rix cursed himself internally and quickly decided to drop the topic.
“Never mind. You don’t have to tell me.”
Slowly, the tension drained from Ren’s body. In the moonlight, her eyes glistened.
“I made a mistake,” he said, biting his lip.
When Ren didn’t reply, he added hesitantly,
“I apologize for my rudeness.”
Ren, still silent, slowly nodded.
To ease the awkward atmosphere, Rix even asked why she had named the horse Kiss—but before that could go further, the carriage finally stopped.
Mabel knocked on the door and announced,
“We’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
Without a word, Rix stared at Ren. By now, accustomed to his golden eyes, she waited calmly for him to speak.
With a small, amused smile, he said,
“Open the door.”
Rix got out of the carriage first. When Ren stood up, he extended his hand outside. His palm was scarred.
He looked at her politely, truly like a prince from a fairy tale. She placed her hand gently into his. Thanks to his strong grip, she descended from the carriage safely.
“Your Highness Rix, and to the Saint, I offer my greetings.”
The people lined up in front of the carriage bowed gracefully.
A man, his hair mostly white but with streaks of black remaining, approached. He held a black staff. His belly protruded more than others’, and as he walked, he limped slightly on one knee, relying on the staff.
Though just a few steps separated him from Rix, even that was taxing; he panted heavily.
He took Ren’s hand from Rix and kissed the back of it.
“Pleased to meet you, Saint.”
“You must be Count Mapla.”
“It is truly an honor that you know me.”
Count Mapla laughed heartily. Ren forced a small smile and discreetly withdrew her hand. Fortunately, he didn’t notice her slight unease and turned to introduce his family.
“This is my wife, Grace.”
She had light brown hair and a gentle, kind smile. Compared to her plump husband, she was quite slim. She wore no accessories except for simple pearl earrings, and her dress was modest—surprisingly plain for a countess.
“This is our second daughter, Viola, and our third, Sophia.”
Each child bowed slightly with each introduction.
Both Viola and Sophia had inherited their mother’s brown hair. As Ren exchanged greetings, she surreptitiously looked around for a certain someone who was nowhere in sight.
“And your eldest son…?”
Her heart began to race. Half hoping, half fearing, she braced herself.
Count Mapla laughed and pointed to someone approaching.
“Here he comes. He insisted he must wash properly to meet the Saint, so he ended up arriving late. Please forgive my troublesome son.”
“No, it’s fine!”
Actually, Ren couldn’t hear Count Mapla. She had already noticed someone rushing toward them in the distance.
Shiny black hair, eyes like emeralds, faint dimples, and a soft jawline.
“This is Victor.”
He arrived quickly, barely catching his breath, and smiled broadly. He was almost as tall as Rix.
He looked exactly like Victor described in The Saint’s Dilemma. Technically, it was the Victor from Minsuji’s imagination, but still.
Ren felt as if she were meeting a celebrity and stammered, unable to meet his gaze properly.
“Ah, h-hello…”
Her voice faltered. Victor then took her hand, following his father’s example.
His hand was unusually soft and delicate, almost like a woman’s.
In The Saint’s Dilemma, there was a scene where the heroine imagined Victor’s hand caressing her cheek. That same hand, which had tormented Minsuji-Ren as a side character, now held her hand. Unbelievable.
Victor gave a slight kiss to her hand and looked up at her, smiling brightly again.
Ren quickly scanned his right eyebrow.
No scars.
In the novel, Victor had a scar there from a sword fight with the male lead. Since it wasn’t there, that must mean he hadn’t met the heroine yet.
Just as her mind began to spin with conjectures, Rix subtly stepped in, blocking Victor from her view with his broad back. Ren finally regained her composure.
“You must be tired from the long journey.”
“Not at all. When Your Highness summons me, I must come at once.”
“How did you arrive so quickly? I thought it would take another week.”
“We hurried a bit.”
“Everyone must be exhausted.”
“If only we had informed you sooner, you could have rested before coming. The capital residence has been neglected for too long; it’s quite a state.”
“That’s fine. I apologize for not contacting you immediately.”
Rix smiled, his perfect, practiced smile.
Count Mapla laughed heartily and waved his hand.
Victor then addressed Ren.
“I truly wanted to meet you, Saint.”
Ren worried that she might interfere with the original story. In the story, the Saint to meet him was not Ren but Lena. Ren, who had hoped Lena and Victor would end up together, had no intention of twisting the original plot.
The original story is most beautiful left untouched.
Especially since the story hadn’t begun yet, she had to be cautious.
She spoke politely and briefly.
“Thank you.”
“I—”
“Ren.”
Before he could continue, Rix called her.
It was the first time he had smiled so brightly while calling her name.
He cut between her and Victor, moving closer.
“Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”
Caught off guard by his protective gesture, she followed him. Glancing back, she saw Victor’s serious expression.
“I’m worried that after staying in the capital, I’ll be too spoiled and find everything else shabby.”
“The whole nation knows that Count Mapla’s estates are beautiful, yet you say this.”
“It’s just a small territory. Managing the estate is mainly my wife and Viola’s effort.”
Count Mapla calmly gave credit to his wife and eldest daughter, which even made Rix smile.
“Are you hungry? I’ve brought the chefs. I can assure you their skill rivals even Your Highness’s chefs.”
“Oh? That sounds intriguing.”
Rix and Ren followed Count Mapla to the long dining table.
Candles adorned the table like stair steps, casting a radiant glow.
Before Ren could sit, Rix again pulled out the chair for her.
Ren glanced at the Count Mapla household staff. Their gazes were fixed on her; it felt like no one would sit until she did.
She smiled awkwardly and sat. The chair slid perfectly into place, positioning her at the table.
In front of her were luxurious tableware decorated with golden flowers, countless spoons, forks, and knives. Ren felt overwhelmed once more.
As she settled, she felt Rix’s glance. Panic rose; would she embarrass herself here? Cold sweat formed, but Rix finally spoke.
“You know, the Saint comes from beyond Lake Tarkana and isn’t familiar with our country’s etiquette. The temple only teaches the Saint’s rules, and there’s no one around me fit to teach etiquette. She must adapt fully before the ball, and after thinking, only the Countess came to mind.”
Ren slightly glared at him, thinking, Do you really have to advertise like this? But Rix ignored her and continued.
“So I’m asking the Countess for a favor.”
“Anything, Your Highness.”
The Countess seated beside Count Mapla spoke calmly and politely.
Rix, resting his elbows on the table and supporting his chin with both hands, smiled mischievously.
“Countess, could you oversee the Saint’s education for the time being?”
“Education?”
“She must be listed among the debutantes.”
The Countess, momentarily surprised, quickly recovered and smiled.
“Fortunately, our Sophia is also preparing for her debut. It’s perfect for them to learn together.”
“Excellent.”
Rix smiled slyly.
Viola, seated beside Ren, lowered her head completely.
Ren worried for a moment that she might be unwell—but then noticed her ears flushed red and hands gripping her dress. She fell silent.
This is just like a girl in first love.
Especially when Ren saw Sophia diagonally across, smiling mischievously as if ready to tease her sister, she was certain.
Siblings are truly adorable.
Ren, having grown up in an orphanage, had met peers, but never experienced having sisters. This was beyond her dreams.
She envied them.
Probably, the two would stay up late, discussing the red-haired prince, just as Elizabeth and her sister did in Pride and Prejudice.
Her mouth felt bitter.
Although she had given up on family in the orphanage, every time she encountered such a perfect, happy family, a pang of jealousy struck her heart.
Her eyes met Rix’s.
He smiled faintly. The crescent shape of his eyes was captivating. Indeed, he was incredibly handsome.
Ren diverted her gaze to the plate, counting the flowers painted on the white china.
The Countess, raising her wine glass, spoke in surprise.
“You’ve been learning horseback riding?”
“Yes, for a week.”
“You took my horse!”
“Your Highness’s horse?”
“No, that was a fair trade!”
Ren bristled, but Rix shrugged. She was on the defensive. Before she could explain further, Sophia added,
“I also haven’t been riding long! Then I can learn alongside the Saint, right?”
“That would be good.”
“I’ll teach you to ride.”
Victor, sitting next to Sophia, spoke for the first time.
Until now, he had only exuded an aura like a halo, never speaking. When he finally did, everyone turned to him—but he casually continued cutting his steak, unbothered.
“Your brother will teach?”
“There’s no suitable riding instructor here.”
“Then that’s perfect!”
Sophia looked at Ren, excitement in her voice. She seemed thrilled to have a peer.
“Victor is an excellent rider.”
Ren’s eyes met Victor’s again. His smile revealed his dimples once more. Having nowhere else to look, Ren focused on cutting her steak, still streaked with blood.
Rix quietly made a low sound of approval: Hmm.
