Chapter 11
Rix cautiously asked again.
“Why are you afraid of fire?”
Ren stiffened at the question and swallowed dryly. The scene of the monster catching fire flashed through her mind. Goosebumps prickled all over her skin.
She looked down at her slightly trembling hands.
A once-stiff hand now lay gently over hers.
It felt like smoke had filled her lungs and risen to her throat.
Sensing something was off, Rix inwardly cursed himself and quickly changed the subject.
“Forget it. You don’t have to say.”
At that, the tension in Ren’s body gradually eased. The corners of her eyes, glimmering in the moonlight, were damp.
He had made a mistake. Biting his lip, he spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
When Ren didn’t reply, he added awkwardly.
“I was out of line.”
Ren gave a slow nod in response.
To smooth over the now-awkward atmosphere, Rix even resorted to asking why she had named the horse “Kiss.”
At that moment, the carriage finally came to a stop.
Mabel knocked and spoke.
“We’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
Without answering, Rix stared at Ren. She, now familiar with his golden eyes, calmly waited for him to speak.
With a small smile, Rix said,
“Open the door.”
He stepped out first. When Ren rose to follow, he extended his hand to her from outside. His palm was covered in scars.
Standing with all the poise of a fairytale prince, Rix looked up at her. She gently placed her hand in his, and thanks to his firm grip, she safely descended from the carriage.
“Greetings to His Highness Prince Rix and the Saintess.”
A line of people standing in front of the carriage bowed deeply.
An elderly man approached, his head covered in white hair with a few strands of black remaining. He leaned heavily on a black cane, his protruding belly causing him to limp as he walked.
Though only a few steps away from Rix, he was out of breath from the effort.
Taking Ren’s hand from Rix, he kissed the back of it.
“A pleasure to meet you, Saintess.”
“You must be Count Maphla.”
“That you know of me is the highest honor to my family.”
Count Maphla chuckled heartily. Ren smiled awkwardly and gently withdrew her hand. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice the discomfort and turned to introduce his family.
“This is my wife, Grace.”
She was a serene woman with graying brown hair and a gentle smile. Slender compared to her rotund husband, she wore no accessories save for modest pearl earrings.
Her dress was simple—quite modest for someone titled a countess.
“These are my second daughter Viola and my third, Sophia.”
As he introduced them, each daughter bowed respectfully.
Both Viola and Sophia had inherited their mother’s brown hair. While receiving their greetings, Ren subtly scanned for that person—the one who hadn’t appeared yet.
“And your eldest child…?”
Her heart began to race. Could it be?
Count Maphla laughed again and pointed somewhere.
“Here he comes now. He insisted on washing up properly before meeting the Saintess and ended up late. Please forgive my foolish son.”
“No, it’s quite alright!”
In truth, Ren didn’t hear a word the count said. Her eyes had locked on the man hurrying toward them.
Glossy black hair, emerald eyes, subtle dimples, and a smooth jawline—
“I’m Victor.”
Having run over, he caught his breath in front of her. As tall as Rix, he gave her a warm smile.
He looked exactly like Victor as described in The Saintess’s Dilemma. Or rather, how Minsuji had imagined him.
It felt like meeting a celebrity. Ren couldn’t even look him in the eyes properly.
“H-hello.”
Her voice shrank. Following his father’s example, Victor took her hand and kissed it.
His hands were incredibly soft and delicate—almost like a woman’s.
There was a scene in The Saintess’s Dilemma where the heroine imagined Victor stroking her cheek with those hands.
The very hands that once tormented Minsuji with second-lead syndrome were now holding hers. Unbelievable.
After a gentle kiss, Victor looked up and smiled at her again.
Ren quickly scanned his right eyebrow.
No scar.
In the novel, Victor received a scar during a sword fight with the male lead. If there was no scar yet… did that mean he hadn’t met the heroine?
Her thoughts began to wander with speculation, but Rix stepped forward and subtly placed himself between them. Ren snapped back to reality when Rix’s broad back blocked her view.
“You must be tired from the long journey.”
“Not at all. When Your Highness calls, I must come immediately.”
“How did you get here so fast? Isn’t it supposed to take a week?”
“I rushed quite a bit.”
“You all must be exhausted.”
“If we’d had more notice, we would’ve prepared accommodations. The capital residence has been neglected too long—it’s in shambles.”
“I’m fine. I’m the one who should apologize for not contacting you sooner.”
Rix smiled gently. A perfectly polite, diplomatic smile.
Count Maphla laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
Then Victor turned to Ren.
“I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you, Saintess.”
Suddenly, Ren worried that she was interfering with the original story.
According to the novel, the Saintess Victor was supposed to meet wasn’t “Ren,” but “Lena.” As someone who had rooted for Victor and Lena to end up together, Ren had no intention of disrupting the narrative.
Stories are most beautiful when left untouched.
Especially since this was all before the original plot began—she had to be even more careful.
Ren replied politely and briefly.
“Thank you.”
“I—”
“Ren.”
Just as Victor was about to say more, Rix called her name.
It was the first time he had spoken her name with such a bright, radiant smile.
Once again, he stepped in between the two.
“Let’s go inside. The wind is cold.”
Not expecting to be escorted, Ren followed him almost involuntarily. She glanced back to see Victor’s hardened expression.
* * *
“I’m almost scared to go back home after staying in the capital. Everything will look so shabby in comparison.”
“Oh, please. Everyone in the kingdom knows the Maphla estate is beautiful.”
“It’s just a small territory. And any beauty is thanks to my wife and Viola.”
Count Maphla humbly shifted all credit to his wife and daughter. Rix seemed pleased by the modesty and smiled.
“You must be hungry. I brought my chefs. I daresay their skill is on par with the palace’s.”
“Oh, really? Now I’m curious.”
Guided by Count Maphla, Rix and Ren headed to the long dining table.
Candles flickered up the length of the table, glowing like a staircase of light.
Before Ren could sit, Rix once again pulled out her chair.
She glanced at the others at the table. All their eyes were on her. It felt like no one would sit until she did.
She smiled awkwardly and sat down. The chair was perfectly timed to slide in behind her.
Before her were golden floral plates, and countless forks, spoons, and knives. She felt dizzy again.
She could feel Rix glancing at her. Was she going to embarrass herself here?
Cold sweat broke out just as Rix spoke.
“As you know, the Saintess is from across Lake Tarcana and isn’t familiar with our customs. The temple only teaches saintly discipline, and I’ve had no one around to guide her in etiquette. She’ll need to learn quickly for the debutante ball, and I couldn’t think of anyone better than the Countess.”
Was he really advertising her like this here, too? Ren shot him a glance, but Rix ignored it and continued.
“So I was hoping to ask the Countess for help.”
“Anything you require, Your Highness,” the Countess said calmly, her manners flawless.
Rix leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands, grinning.
“Would you be willing to educate the Saintess for a while?”
“Educate her?”
“She must be presented at the debutante ball.”
The Countess was momentarily surprised but quickly recovered and smiled.
“Fortunately, our Sophia is preparing for her debut as well. They could learn together.”
“Excellent.”
Rix grinned again.
Viola, sitting next to Ren, lowered her head.
Worried, Ren was about to ask if she was unwell but noticed her red ears and the way she clutched her dress.
A girl in love?
Especially with Sophia across from her, smiling mischievously as if she were about to tease—Ren was certain of it.
Sisters were adorable.
Having grown up in an orphanage, Minsuji had never had a sibling-like bond with anyone her age.
She couldn’t help but envy them.
Maybe the sisters would stay up late gossiping about the red-haired prince, like Elizabeth and her sister in Pride and Prejudice.
Her mouth went dry.
She had long since given up on having a family while at the orphanage, but every time she met a perfect example of one, a pang of jealousy flared in her chest.
At that moment, her eyes met Rix’s.
He smiled softly, his crescent-shaped eyes charming as ever. Well, he was ridiculously handsome.
Ren quickly averted her gaze to her plate and began counting the flowers printed on it.
* * *
“You’re learning to ride?”
The Countess looked shocked as she lifted her wine glass.
“Yes, it’s been a week.”
“She stole my horse.”
“Your Highness’s horse?”
“No! It was a fair trade!”
Ren protested, and Rix shrugged. She was at a disadvantage. Before she could explain further, Sophia chimed in.
“I just started learning too! Maybe I can take lessons with the Saintess?”
“That sounds good.”
“I’ll teach you.”
Victor, sitting next to Sophia, finally spoke.
Until now, he had remained silent, his presence glowing like a halo. When he finally spoke, all eyes turned to him. But he acted unfazed, calmly cutting into his steak.
“You will?”
“There’s no proper riding instructor here, right?”
“Then I’d love that!”
Sophia looked at Ren excitedly. She seemed thrilled to meet someone her age.
“Victor is really good at riding.”
Victor’s and Ren’s eyes met. He smiled again, dimples appearing.
Flustered, Ren focused intently on slicing her rare steak.
Watching silently, Rix let out a quiet “hmm.”
