CHAPTER 06
The words coming from the old fortune teller were intriguing—but at the same time, a wave of fear washed over her.
She had a strong feeling that she shouldn’t answer carelessly.
‘I’ll avoid it for now and come back to ask later.’
The fortune teller, arms stretched forward, looked as though he might lunge at her at any moment.
‘No, this won’t do. I’m leaving.’
Everett, already halfway out of the tent, turned abruptly and started to run.
Thud—
She had just picked up speed when she collided hard with someone.
Before she could even scream, the impact knocked her backward.
But the person she ran into quickly reached out and caught her, supporting her waist.
Surprised by how quickly it all happened, Everett found herself gasping for breath in the man’s arms.
“Why is it that the young lady always shows up by falling over?”
A familiar voice with a hint of amusement spoke from above her head.
‘Kyle?’
As Everett quickly tried to lift her head, a large hand gently pressed down on her crown.
“If you suddenly jerk your head like that, you’ll hit me. Your head may be tough, but my chin’s pretty delicate.”
Another short laugh followed.
Kyle then removed the arm that had been wrapped around her waist.
When Everett stepped back and looked up, Kyle was standing there in the flesh.
‘Why is Kyle here? Don’t tell me he’s interested in fortune-telling?’
As if reading her mind, Kyle shook his head slightly.
“I don’t believe in fortune-telling. I was just passing by. But what about you, young lady? Were you getting your fortune read? Why were you coming out of that tent? Ah, right… you can’t speak.”
Kyle sighed lightly.
“But more importantly—it looked like you were running away from someone. Did that fortune teller threaten you like those thugs from yesterday?”
Everett’s desperate escape had made it obvious to anyone watching that she was fleeing something.
Kyle began to walk toward the tent, but Everett grabbed his arm tightly.
He had effortlessly thrown two novice priests into the underground prison before.
‘That fortune teller might know something about how I came to this world…’
“What’s in there?”
‘If he charges Kyle with some strange power… he might lose his life.’
“You’re telling me not to go in?”
Everett nodded quickly.
Seeing her pleading expression, Kyle’s lips curled mischievously.
It was the look of a mischievous boy who just had to do whatever he was told not to.
“You’re making me even more curious, you know.”
Everett wanted to immediately shout that nothing had happened.
But she had a bad feeling that if she did, she’d be the one ending up in the underground prison today.
‘I have to stop him. Think. How do I stop him?’
Letting go of his arm, Everett quickly stepped in front of him.
And then—grabbed him.
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
Kyle, who had been playfully walking along, froze in place.
He looked down in surprise at Everett hugging his waist.
“W-what are you doing? Hugging me in the middle of a public square during broad daylight?”
Kyle stammered as his body stiffened. Everett clung tighter to his waist.
Kyle let out a short gasp.
‘Just walk over me instead. But don’t throw that old fortune teller into the underground prison.’
Everett’s feelings were desperate—but Kyle’s face was slowly turning red.
It had been a joke, half serious.
He wasn’t wearing his royal garments but plain clothes, and his reddish-brown hair was hidden under a hood. Still, none of that mattered.
If he called out, the nearby knights would rush over.
If anyone like those men from yesterday tried to harass Everett again, Kyle was ready to teach them a lesson.
But now—
Kyle couldn’t enter the tent.
He couldn’t call the knights either.
‘What is with this young lady?’
He could’ve easily shaken her off with one hand.
She was small, thin, and fragile.
But the spot where her cheek rested on his chest beat wildly, and he couldn’t bring himself to push away the slender arms around his waist.
He understood Everett was telling him not to go inside.
He got it. He wouldn’t go.
Just two words would’ve made her let go—but Kyle remained silent.
‘I guess… it’s okay to let go now?’
Everett had hugged him on impulse to stop him, but now she wasn’t sure when to release him.
“How long are you planning to hug me, young lady? Don’t you know that this kind of action could be considered a crime against the royal family?”
At the words “crime against the royal family,” Everett quickly let go and backed away.
Fortunately, the fortune teller didn’t come out of the tent.
‘This feels like… I totally overreacted…’
Only now did Everett fully reflect on what she had just done.
A noblewoman hugging a man in broad daylight was bad enough—but the man was Duke Kyle.
In the original story, Kyle laughed carefreely and acted indifferent to worldly matters just to survive, but he was sharper and more powerful than anyone.
A lion, quietly waiting to tear the throat of its prey.
‘But… he was also kind of crazy, wasn’t he? Ugh. I can’t believe I just hugged that Kyle.’
Everett looked at her hands.
‘I must’ve lost my mind. What if he says to cut off my arms?’
“What are you thinking so deeply about? If you did something wrong, you should apologize first. Don’t you think?”
Suddenly, Kyle was standing close in front of her.
Since she was supposed to be mute, Everett put on the most pitiful face she could muster.
‘There it is again—that cat-like expression.’
A small smile crept across Kyle’s lips.
Every time she reacted like this, he wanted to tease her even more.
“Touching a royal without permission is a serious offense, but… I’ll let it slide this time.”
Everett’s eyes sparkled as she immediately smiled brightly.
“Letting it slide doesn’t mean you’re forgiven. Just means I’ll remember it. You owe me one, young lady.”
Kyle tapped her forehead lightly with his finger.
Her warm skin felt like it was melting his cold hand.
“I never forget people who owe me. I hope you don’t either.”
Kyle couldn’t quite understand his own behavior just now.
The old him would’ve never done something like that.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her for some reason—but dismissed it as temporary curiosity about this unique young lady.
Everett nodded quickly, indicating she understood.
“Oh, and the thing I gave you before—”
“Kyle!”
Alfred came running, shouting his name.
“I need to give that back—”
“Kyle! Kyle!”
Kyle’s previously calm expression crumpled in irritation.
“What is it? I told you I just wanted to quietly look around the square today.”
“Kyle, the Emperor is looking for you. You’ll need to return to the palace.”
At the mention of the Emperor, Kyle’s expression hardened.
“Young lady, we…”
He looked like he wanted to say something more to Everett, lips twitching—but instead, he sighed.
“See you next time.”
With those parting words, Kyle turned and walked away in long strides.
“Phew…”
Everett felt like her legs might give out right there.
“But… what was he going to say at the end?”
She quickly shook her head.
“Don’t think about it. I can’t keep getting involved with the male lead. I just need to make money with tarot cards and leave the capital before the original story begins.”
The male and female leads would live happily ever after.
If the story could just end with that, maybe she’d return to her original body.
That was Everett’s plan to go home.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted. It feels like I used all my energy for the day at once.”
She felt completely drained, wanting nothing more than to go home and collapse into bed.
But there was another reason she had come to the square today besides meeting the fortune teller.
She needed paper for making tarot cards.
So Everett trudged toward the alley lined with general stores.
“What are you looking for? Miss, we have what you need! Come take a look!”
The alley was bustling with shopkeepers trying to lure in customers.
Everett went into a few shops and explained what she was looking for, but all she got were negative answers.
“What if I can’t find it?”
Passing by the general stores, Everett turned into a different alley.
There were more shops of all kinds—but one in particular caught her eye.
A store with all sorts of odd items hanging in front.
<Pan’s Magic Tool Shop>
“Magic?”
As expected from a romance-fantasy novel like The Saintess’ Arcana, magic was a part of the world.
But it was more like science—using mana to create and operate various devices.
A wooden puppet stood out front, waving its hand like a person.
“Is that puppet moving with magic too?”
Everett was drawn in, gazing at the puppet.
“A magic tool shop… maybe I’ll just take a look.”
Having never seen magic before, and despite her exhaustion, curiosity began to light up Everett’s eyes again.
“Welcome.”
The sound of a cheerful bell rang as she opened the door, and a man’s voice greeted her from somewhere inside.
“What do you need?”
A man who had been bending over to sort items straightened up—
“Huh? That face…”
