Chapter 11
When Asha went out with the Crown Prince, the Almond Room was empty.
Ruby hummed cheerfully as she tidied up the place.
She still had some time left—maybe she could sneak in a quick nap?
After checking that everything was spotless, Ruby was just about to step into the small side room reserved for attendants to rest when someone knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
She flinched.
And almost instinctively, Ruby knew who it was.
‘A bribe.’
But this soon?
The Almond Palace had only gotten its new mistress less than a day ago!
Truth be told, this was her first time experiencing something like this, so she was nervous. But she couldn’t avoid it.
[Mid-level directive]
Report in full to Lady Watch, the head maid, who approaches the Almond Palace, and what conversations are held.
It wasn’t a simple information-gathering task.
Her mission was to speak with everyone who tried to approach the Almond Palace—no matter who, when, or where.
Meaning, Ruby had no right to refuse a conversation, regardless of timing, place, or personal feelings.
To calm her pounding heart, she took a deep breath and cautiously opened the door.
Standing outside was Mr. Ferel, the candle manager from Blossom Palace.
“…Mr. Ferel? What brings you here?”
Her voice was full of confusion. Ferel smiled in his usual friendly way.
“So you’re the one assigned to the third floor, Miss Ruby. Here, take these first.”
He handed her four long, thick boxes.
“What are these?”
“They’re candles made with a blend of rare aromatic oils. Specially made for the Almond Room. And this—” he placed a small box on top of the candle boxes with a casual flick—
“—is a little gift for you, Miss Ruby.”
The packaging was exquisite. Ruby immediately recognized it for what it was: a bribe.
“What’s this gift for?”
Ferel held the door open for her—since her hands were full—and winked playfully.
“Every beautiful woman deserves gifts. Oh, by the way, who’s the new resident of the Almond Room?”
Ruby stared at the gift box, her expression torn. Then she composed herself.
‘There’s no backing out now.’
She wet her lips and set the candle boxes down on the cabinet near the doorway.
When she opened the small, luxurious gift box, Ferel quickly commented,
“It’s sapphire. I thought it would suit your blue eyes nicely.”
Ruby saw the size of the sapphire, snapped the lid shut, and quickly slipped it into her pocket.
“…You asked about the new resident, right? She’s Lady Asha of the Herman Count family.”
✶ ✶ ✶
Asha quietly averted her gaze from Cedric and spoke to Alesto instead.
“Your Highness, what about you? Have you ever been in love?”
Since bringing up the topic of romance, her demeanor had changed noticeably.
Her cheeks flushed, her voice grew shy, and a small smile lingered on her lips.
Alesto was pleased.
‘At this rate, she’ll be whispering words of love soon enough.’
Naturally, the corners of his mouth lifted.
“It’s my first time too.”
Her eyes widened.
“Really?”
Alesto gave a calm nod.
“Yes. Do I not look like it?”
Asha, caught off guard, looked around before confessing honestly.
“Um—yes. You seem… really composed. I thought you’d be more experienced.”
Alesto took in a slow breath, exhaling with an awkward chuckle.
“I’m glad I look calm. I was worried I’d seem nervous and ruin the mood.”
She pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile, her whole face radiating flustered excitement.
Watching her beam with such innocent delight made his throat go dry.
Alesto took a sip of wine to moisten it.
But when he set the glass down again—
‘Huh?’
Something was off.
Asha’s expression had stiffened. Her gaze, which had been fixed on him, was now subtly diverted.
‘What is that?’
Asha was thinking almost the same thing as Alesto.
Because when she happened to glance away, she caught Cedric staring right at her.
If their eyes had only met for a brief moment, she would have brushed it off.
People’s eyes meet by accident all the time.
But—
‘Why… why isn’t he looking away?’
That was the problem.
He wasn’t just glancing. He was watching her intently.
‘We’ve never even met properly, right? Does he already know I was supposed to be his arranged partner? Why is he staring like that?’
A man looking at another man’s date like that—wasn’t that basically picking a fight?
Feeling threatened, Asha quickly turned away and swallowed hard.
Her already timid heart began pounding wildly.
‘Come to think of it, Cedric was gentle and sweet only when Asha stayed quietly at home—but once she tried to run away or another man got involved, he turned utterly obsessive.’
The derailed version of Cedric from the original novel flashed through her mind.
As she sat there frozen, lost in thought, a calm yet strangely menacing voice spoke across the table.
“Do you often get distracted in the middle of a conversation?”
“W-what?”
Startled, Asha jerked her head toward Alesto, who was now glancing behind him, frowning.
“Wait! Don’t—!”
Panicked, Asha shouted before she could stop herself.
It hit her then—Alesto must have done his homework before letting her into the Imperial Palace.
He wouldn’t have brought just anyone into his residence.
Which meant… he might already know about her broken engagement with Cedric.
And now—
She was on a date, got caught staring at another man, and that man happened to be her former betrothed.
Would the Crown Prince—infamously known for his dangerous temper—just let that go?
Worse still, Cedric’s expression was dark and stormy, like someone who had just witnessed his lover cheating.
If those two locked eyes now—something terrible was bound to happen.
‘No, no, no. This is bad. Really bad.’
Peaceful “imprisonment by the Crown Prince” was her survival route.
She couldn’t afford chaos.
Her desperate prayer must’ve worked—partially.
Exactly halfway—only halfway—Alesto turned his head before stopping and looking back at her.
He crossed his arms and leaned lazily against his chair, voice slow and smooth.
“So you’d prefer I not check who it is?”
Asha, hands pressed to her flushed face, peeked at him through her fingers.
He smiled the same languid smile as yesterday—but there was something different now.
Sharper. More dangerous.
Seeing that expression made her mind go blank.
She swallowed dryly, her shoulders shrinking in instinctive submission.
After a few failed attempts to speak, she finally nodded.
“Yes.”
His smile deepened—perhaps darker than before.
“Let me ask again. Do you truly not want me to check who that man is?”
How did he even know it was a man?
Goosebumps rose on her skin.
She quickly ran through her possible choices.
Option one: Let Alesto confirm Cedric’s identity.
Yeah, no. That would be disastrous.
To make things worse, Cedric—who must have sensed the tension—was now visibly stiff. His soft, gentle aura had vanished, replaced by a cold, steely expression. His blue eyes glinted dangerously.
Behind her, Cedric radiated icy fury.
In front of her, Alesto oozed perilous charm.
Her heart felt like it might literally burst.
‘Okay. Get it together.’
Crises happen all the time.
But she could handle this.
She was, after all, the female lead.
She could do this.
After a moment of steeling herself, she made her decision—the one that would cause the least immediate trouble.
“Yes. I’d rather you didn’t check.”
Alesto chuckled softly, then let a long silence stretch between them.
When he finally spoke again—
“Very well. But… you did say something yesterday, didn’t you? That it would be fine for me to keep you confined until trust is built.”
Her back went cold.
Too late, Asha realized that the tiger’s den she had entered had no exit.
Then Alesto quietly pronounced her sentence.
“Then I’ll do just that.”
The sweetness in his voice was laced with unmistakable menace.
‘Ah, right. I’m the heroine of a confinement romance.’
How could I forget?
