ICTGMP 03

Chapter 3

A Death Flag Right from the Start (3)

Eventually, Adel slowly opened his mouth.

“This is difficult, Anastasia.”

Just as I expected. I stepped closer to him.

“You can’t even do this much for me?”

“This is wrong.”

Adel stepped backward as he spoke, refusing me quite firmly without directly blaming me for what I was asking.

He still maintained his refined and courteous demeanor. Goodness and morality practically radiated from his handsome, fairy-tale-prince-like face.

I deliberately looked disappointed.

“Fine. If you can’t do it, then I can’t help it.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Too soon to relax.

I glared at Adel.

“What do you mean, ‘understanding’? From now on, I’ll never trust you again. How am I supposed to rely on someone who doesn’t keep his promises? You only stopped me from going outside because you had some ulterior motive, didn’t you?”

I pretended to sound hurt. Worried that I might cry, Adel softened his voice, making it sweet and harmless.

“I was only worried that you might get hurt or collapse while you were somewhere without anyone to help you. I had no other intention. I can swear to that.”

“Your credibility is already at rock bottom.”

“…How could it be?”

Adel genuinely looked shocked. I lowered my head gloomily.

“I think I should just go back.”

When I turned around, Adel let out a short, troubled groan. I gave a shallow sigh, and at last, Adel surrendered.

“…I’ll do it.”

“Huh?”

I turned back toward Adel, desperately suppressing my smile. He was clutching the candy wrapper so tightly it looked as though he might crush it.

He made a solemn resolution.

“I’ll throw it away.”

Ah, this is bad. Why does he suddenly look so cute?

I wanted to pat him on the head! I bet his hair would feel amazing wrapped around my fingers.

Suddenly, the hand I had been holding with Adel began to tingle.

“Are you sure you can do it?”

“Please trust in my innocence.”

Adel slowly extended his hand. Then, one by one, he unfolded the fingers that had been curled into a tight fist.

I patiently waited, and at last, the candy wrapper slipped from Adel’s hand.

The moment the tiny piece of trash fell onto the ground with a soft thud, Adel flinched. His face was immediately stained with guilt.

“I threw… it away.”

I patted Adel on the shoulder as he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, encouraging him.

“Good job, Adel. I’ll trust you from now on. But…”

To make sure my warning sank in, I rose onto my toes and brought my lips close to Adel’s ear.

Adel tried to maintain his usual proper manners, but with me gripping his shoulders, he couldn’t put any distance between us.

Even now, Adel showed absolutely no reaction to Anastasia’s face.

For some reason, that annoyed me a little, so I left him with a threat that was a bit stronger than I had originally planned.

“If you ever come back here later and pick that trash up, our relationship is over. Do you understand? Answer me.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You can’t even go to a priest and confess your sins.”

“Yes.”

I had successfully made Adel give up.

I had no reason to doubt his answer.

After all, he was a male lead who didn’t know how to lie. Even if he had given in to my threat, he probably couldn’t make a promise he had absolutely no intention of keeping.

All I could hope was that he would quickly realize that resisting me like he had earlier was pointless.

“Good.”

I smiled brightly.

“Let’s continue getting along from now on.”

Adel’s eyes drifted down to the two candy wrappers lying on the ground before settling back on me.

…Ah. He was so adorable I could have gone insane.

I led the suddenly quiet Adel out of the alley.

After walking for a short while, we came upon a fairly well-kept park.

People were leisurely strolling around, and quite a few children were making things out of wildflowers. One little girl spotted me and widened her eyes.

“That lady over there is super pretty. Is she an angel?”

“And there’s a prince with her!”

They seemed to be whispering among themselves, but I could hear them clearly. I happily decided to play along.

“Hello, everyone. Isn’t the weather lovely today?”

The children’s cheeks immediately turned pink.

“Eek! The angel talked to me!”

“Your voice sounds like pearls!”

I could feel a couple walking toward us staring at me. Their expressions went beyond simple admiration; they looked almost awestruck.

What could I do? Anastasia’s beauty was practically cheating.

Even I had nearly suffered a heart attack the first time I looked in the mirror.

I waved at the children with a smile.

“Thanks for the compliments. Have fun.”

“Bye, angel! Bye, handsome prince!”

“See you next time!”

As we left the park with the children’s cheerful chatter fading behind us, Adel spoke.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Adel.”

At my reply, Adel’s voice became noticeably quieter.

“Did you really hate me that much?”

“What are you talking about, Adel? I don’t hate you.”

“Anastasia, your eyes aren’t smiling.”

He was only perceptive when it suited him.

I shot Adel a sidelong glance before suddenly stopping.

Ignoring the puzzled expression on his face, I spoke grumpily.

“My legs hurt.”

“There’s a café about five minutes from here.”

“I can’t walk.”

“Shall we return to the Count’s estate?”

“We’ve only been out for thirty minutes.”

“Then let’s sit on that bench and rest for a while.”

“How am I supposed to sit on a filthy bench like that?”

I had to admit it.

Teasing Adel was fun.

Even though I was very obviously being difficult on purpose, Adel continued offering me solutions.

“I’ll spread my handkerchief over it for you.”

“Mmm.”

“I’ll even take off my coat and cover your shoulders with it. Please bear with it for a little while.”

Pretending I had no choice, I followed Adel to the bench.

Adel spread a handkerchief embroidered with the ducal family’s crest over the wooden bench, then took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders.

I wasn’t particularly cold, but I liked the faint citrus scent lingering around the tip of my nose, so I obediently stayed put.

Adel repeatedly checked my complexion.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of ulterior motive in his behavior.

Was this guy some kind of saint?

He’d probably blush properly in front of the female lead, yet here he was completely unaffected by me!

I turned my gaze away from Adel and stared into the distance.

“I’m thirsty…”

To my surprise, Adel immediately handed me some water.

“Here you are.”

I took the bottle almost automatically, and the coolness seeped into my palm.

I blinked in surprise.

“It’s so cold.”

“I also brought your favorite ganache chocolates. I packed some anti-nausea medicine, flat shoes, and a fan as well. I consulted Ilina about your shoe size and the fan design.”

What was with this insane level of preparation?

Trying not to look flustered, I took a sip of water. It tasted much better than I expected and left me feeling refreshed.

Getting ready for today’s outing since morning must have taken quite a bit out of me.

While I drank some more water, Adel sat down beside me, leaving a proper amount of space between us.

It annoyed me how Adel could casually walk into my bedroom whenever he pleased, yet in situations like this, he was incredibly strict about maintaining boundaries.

Did no one look beautiful to Adel except the female lead who would appear in the future?

Secretly hoping for some youthful, innocent reaction, I grumbled to myself.

Adel had never once blushed around me.

If I directly asked him whether he thought I was beautiful, of course he would say yes.

And somehow, that only made me more frustrated.

When someone built a wall this high, it was bound to get on my nerves.

Honestly, there were more than a few things about him that drove me crazy.

Anastasia had been Adel’s longtime friend, but they had never been close enough to completely let their guard down around each other.

According to the original novel, Adel thought of Anastasia from time to time. He remembered her fondly, but that was all.

Which meant he hadn’t been this conscious of Anastasia before.

“I don’t understand why you’re trying so hard to look after me.”

“We’re friends.”

I tapped my fingernail against the water bottle as I pointed out the problem.

“Adel, you spend far too much time taking care of me. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time reading another book or practicing swordsmanship?”

“I can do those things anytime. I want to stay by your side until you recover. If you’ll allow me.”

I cautiously eyed Adel.

“That’s suspicious. You’re being way too devoted.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

His matter-of-fact answer left me with nothing to say.

Adel had started visiting the Count’s estate as though it were his own home about a month ago.

That happened to be exactly when I became Anastasia.

Hmm.

I couldn’t remember doing anything particularly kind for Adel.

I thought carefully about what he had told me.

Not long before I possessed Anastasia’s body, the original Anastasia had lashed out at Adel.

She had apparently screamed that she wished he would just become mute so he would stop saying anything to her.

But I hadn’t known about that when I greeted Adel warmly.

Could that be why?

But wouldn’t a normal person find such a sudden change in attitude strange?

Well… Adel wasn’t exactly a normal person.

Aaargh, forget it. How was I supposed to know what was going on inside this guy’s head?!

I settled on a convenient conclusion.

It was probably guilt.

I had repeatedly told him that I was definitely going to die and that he should just leave me alone, so perhaps he had finally softened.

Maybe he was treating me well now because he didn’t want to feel guilty about it later.

“…When I die, you’ll go straight to Olga anyway.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Tch.

I puffed out my cheeks sulkily.

After resting long enough to replenish my strength, Adel escorted me back to the Count’s estate.

Being with Adel made me feel like a princess.

Honestly, there was no way my heart wouldn’t flutter.

Any girl would feel her heart race when a man more handsome than a prince politely escorted her around.

Adel was only sixteen, but he was clearly over 180 centimeters tall at a glance and carried himself with an impressive air.

The lingering citrus scent around him made my nose tingle pleasantly.

Adel said goodbye, promising to come back tomorrow, and left.

As soon as I entered the dressing room to change clothes, Ilina followed me inside.

“Did you enjoy your outing, my lady?”

“Yes! All my stress is completely gone!”

I deliberately answered with even more energy than usual.

Honestly, I didn’t fully understand my own feelings either.

Even though I had decided to stop dwelling on things and enjoy the two years I had left, my thoughts occasionally became tangled and restless.

The current Adel hadn’t met the female lead, Olga, yet.

So there was nothing strange about him treating me kindly.

But I was worried that I might start developing unnecessary feelings because of that kindness.

Wasn’t this wrong?

After all, Adel wasn’t mine, so why did I feel as though something had been taken away from me?

I was just a woman.

A person.

A friend.

I couldn’t forget that.