Chapter 3

 I’m the Only One Who Knows the Male Lead Is the Mastermind

“Whaaaat? Right now? You mean it? You’re joking, right?”

“Just explain things nicely to Mom and Dad for me. I’m off!”

“No, but you have to at least tell me where you’re going……!”

Pretending not to hear Hannah, I grabbed the luggage I had prepared in advance and left the mansion just like that.

Of course, if he was the Crown Prince, Ivan would be able to find out where I was sooner or later. That was simply how power worked.

But I had a method of my own!

‘I can secretly move into one of the mansions registered under Leon’s name.’

Leon owned more than just this house, so it would take him quite some time to find me. He would have to search every single one of those properties.

Thanks to my blood-relative privilege, I easily moved into my new home and was finally able to reclaim my peaceful life.

It was a little small, but I had set up a decent laboratory in one corner, and I had already stocked up on all the basic necessities, so there was no problem living there.

There was only one thing that bothered me….

“…Ahem.”

Thanks to someone, my face had been plastered all over the capital within just a few days. As a result, even when I went out to buy simple groceries, I had to pull my hat low over my face or walk around with my head bowed.

‘I feel like some kind of criminal.’

Still, important documents such as marriage proposals were automatically returned under Imperial law if the recipient was not staying at the address. So I had no choice but to avoid him this way.

‘It makes no sense that he suddenly started sending me marriage proposals after trying to kill me in the first place. He definitely has some other motive.’

There was no way for me to know what the mastermind was thinking. Whatever it was, it certainly wouldn’t be good for me, so for now, I intended to keep my distance.

So if I could just quietly hold out here until I finished my research……!

Ding-dong—.

While I was reading a book in the study, the doorbell rang. What was this? There was no one who was supposed to come.

“Ah, right. I ordered some flowers to put by the window.”

They had said they would deliver them during the day, so apparently they had already arrived.

“Yes, I’m coming.”

Click—.

I casually flung the door open and—

“…!”

Bang!

I immediately slammed it shut.

‘Am I hallucinating?’

But had I ever seen a hallucination this beautiful? With my pitiful imagination, I could hardly have come up with a face like that.

Then that must mean—

‘N-No way…?’

I felt a cold sweat trickle down the back of my neck.

Since I had closed the door the moment I recognized him, I couldn’t run away anymore. I had practically admitted with my entire body that I was avoiding him, so I had to somehow fix the situation.

‘I was supposed to pretend I knew nothing and say, “Oh my, Your Highness, what brings you here…?” But I was so flustered that I just….’

Had he come here personally because this was exactly what he was aiming for? True to his identity as the mastermind, the level of scheming he was capable of was quite extraordinary.

“Oh-ho, your physical stamina isn’t much to speak of, but you have pretty good reflexes.”

When I heard the voice, strangely clear through the door, I looked again and saw that he had wedged his foot into the gap. Thanks to that, the door couldn’t close properly, and Ivan’s voice came through vividly.

“Ugh, Your Highness! What are you doing!”

“I’m here to deliver flowers.”

“How did you even get here? And why?”

What on earth was wrong with this man? How did he know about this house when even my own parents didn’t know about it…!

“I told you, I’m here to deliver flowers. Really.”

Ivan shook the bouquet in his arms with an aggrieved expression.

“Don’t say ridiculous things.”

“So, are you not going to open the door? I’m cold.”

Despite the blazing midday sun, Ivan looked at me with a pitiful expression and claimed that he was cold. It wasn’t funny at all when it was obvious that he had dressed warmly before coming here.

‘Ugh. I’m starting to feel people looking over here.’

Unfortunately, the house was located right on the street, so if I caused any more of a commotion, I would attract everyone’s attention. With no other choice, I relaxed the hand I had been using to block the door.

Ivan immediately smiled brightly, as if he had been waiting for that moment, and held out the flowers he was carrying.

“Here. They’re yours.”

“I never ordered such a huge bouquet. You have the wrong address.”

The ‘marriage proposal’ tucked conspicuously into the center of the bouquet he held out was extremely irritating.

[mark]

I never dreamed he would actually deliver it himself… Yet here he was, determined to put it directly into my hands. This was driving me insane.

“Hmm, I see.”

Whether he had actually listened to me or not, Ivan handed me the bouquet with a fresh smile, then walked straight into the house and naturally took a seat on the living-room sofa.

Then, as if he had only just remembered that he was supposed to say something, he belatedly opened his mouth.

“Oh, pardon me.”

“Can you really be any more shameless?”

“We have something to talk about, you and I.”

The corners of Ivan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me. His unreadable gaze followed my every movement in a strangely attentive manner.

‘Being alone with him in the same room is dangerous… but I suppose I have no choice for now.’

Fortunately, despite being the person who had said he would kill me, I couldn’t sense the same murderous intent from him as last time.

“Please, go ahead.”

I forced myself to sit across from him, swallowed a sigh, and nodded.

“You ran away without telling me your name before. So I couldn’t exactly call you by name.”

He gave me a sly smile, as though amused by the thought that surely my name wasn’t actually ‘Hiccup.’ He looked just like a snake. A polite-looking murderer, that’s what he was.

“…I’m Rine Astell. As you know, I’m the second daughter of Count Astell.”

“Yes, Lady Astell. I imagine you have a lot of questions for me. Don’t you?”

Was that really something he needed to say?

‘Want me to show you what a “question-mark murderer” is?’

But there was a reason people said ignorance was bliss, so I held myself back…….

When I slowly shook my head, Ivan’s expression became even more relaxed. Apparently, he was quite pleased with my cautious attitude.

“Let me correct what I said before. I’m not going to kill you.”

“…How am I supposed to believe that?”

“Is coming all the way here not enough proof?”

The corners of Ivan’s lips curved into an arc. It was that uniquely gentle smile of his that could make the other person’s tension disappear in an instant.

‘The first time I saw that smile, I actually wondered whether I should just forget about returning to Korea and live here instead….’

Even in the midst of my fear, a favorite character was still a favorite character, apparently. Thanks to him, the part of my rationality that had nearly flown away gradually returned.

Certainly, if he had truly intended to kill me, he would have dealt with me the moment he discovered that I was here.

“If you aren’t going to kill me, then why did you propose to me?”

“That’s the reason I’m letting you live. I’d like to discuss the details at the Imperial Palace.”

“Why?”

Why suggest moving the conversation to the Imperial Palace all of a sudden after coming all the way here? When I asked with a puzzled look, he pointed toward my hand with his eyes.

“You’re trembling.”

I am?

Following his gaze, I looked down and saw my hand gripping the cushion tightly, trembling uncontrollably. Apparently, I had revealed my nervousness through my actions without even realizing it.

After all, I had watched him kill someone right in front of my eyes. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t afraid of him.

‘That delicate side of him really is genuine, I suppose. I thought it was an image he had created to hide the fact that he was a mass murderer. Still, he’s terrifying.’

I gave a small cough and hid my hand behind the cushion. Ivan pretended not to notice and looked away.

“In any case, I think you’d be more comfortable at the Imperial Palace than being alone with me here. It would also be easier to have the agreement notarized there.”

“By notarized… do you mean you’re proposing some kind of negotiation with me?”

“Something like that. It won’t be a bad offer. I’ve also come to have one thing I want from you, Lady Astell.”

The Crown Prince, who already had everything, wanted something from me, a mere count’s daughter? I had no way of knowing whether he was telling the truth, but Ivan’s serious demeanor made it clear that he was offering me some sort of compromise.

“…Give me some time to think.”

“I’ll send a carriage in three days.”

Just when I thought he was going to leave after finishing what he had come to say, Ivan suddenly stopped, then turned back toward me.

“I’ll be waiting, so make sure you come. I’m serious when I say that I need you.”

If I didn’t know that he was the mastermind, those words might have made my heart flutter. I silently stared at him before carefully asking a question.

“What are you going to do if I run away? Why give me time at all?”

“Lady Astell, do you think I’m keeping you under surveillance?”

Unable to answer, I gently nodded. Ivan let out a low laugh as though he found it amusing.

“Of course not. Surveillance personnel are quite valuable.”

…Did that mean, ‘Finding you is so easy that I don’t even need to waste surveillance resources on you, so don’t bother trying anything pointless’?

I wanted to tell him how arrogant he was, but he really was that impressive, so I couldn’t say it. Damn this class-based society.

“By the way, are you planning to keep living here? It must be difficult, and rather dangerous, to live alone without even a servant.”

“I’ll be fine. At the moment, the only dangerous person to me is Your Highness.”

“I see. Then I’ll see you again soon.”

Despite my sharp response, Ivan merely smiled as though it were nothing and left the house. The fact that he was willing to overlook such disrespect suggested that he really did want something from me.

Thud. The moment I heard the door close, the tension that had been weighing down my body finally disappeared.

“I was thinking of running away again even now….”

After hearing him say that, though, running away was clearly out of the question. As he had said, I would obviously be caught in no time.

‘Should I just go and at least hear him out?’

Since I had already left my original home, I planned to continue living here for the time being.

The reporters were still constantly visiting the Count Astell estate, and I had no intention of dealing with hundreds of letters from nobles whose faces I didn’t even know.

‘At least no one besides Ivan knows about this place, so I shouldn’t have to deal with any annoying trouble.’

Ironically, the one person I had most wanted to remain unaware of my whereabouts was the only person who had discovered my house.

“Come to think of it….”

At this point, I had no choice but to acknowledge the truth I had been avoiding.

“Ivan is a mage.”

And not just a mage—he was a mage of a higher rank than me. Otherwise, there was no way he could have seen through my magic.

Normally, mages inevitably fell into corruption if they became blinded by power and harmed living beings. The magical energy forcibly extracted by killing people became a poison.

“That’s strange. He didn’t seem particularly corrupted on the outside.”

According to the original story, he had already killed dozens of people. And yet, both his mind and body remained perfectly intact. There had to be a reason for it.

“I’ll find out when I go.”

……Still, just in case, I should bring along some holy water. If anything happens, I can splash it on him and run.”