If it’s the closet, I just rummaged through it.

There was clearly nothing there.

And Mellory?

I remembered seeing that name in the diary, didn’t it say she was an herbal merchant?

I picked up the diary again and flicked through the other pages, but there was no way to tell because everything was always written on the first page.

With a creepy feeling, I cautiously examined the wardrobe.

And I sat down in disbelief, covering my mouth, stunned for a while.

This can’t be true.

I thought back to the situation before I arrived here.

The crosswalk, the sound of honking cars, and the novel on the phone screen.

Did I hit my head? If not, there was no way that this item in front of me could be here.

It was a pouch that didn’t look like it belonged here at all, and one that I usually used at home.

No wonder I couldn’t keep my sh*t together.

What is this?

What on earth is this?

But unfortunately, as always, I didn’t have time to take in the situation.

If I wanted to arrive at the place the protagonist mentioned by 6 p.m., I had to finish all preparations in at least 10 minutes.

I clenched my teeth.

I started to smear the questionable stuff on my face as fast as I could.

My heart was pounding so fast that I felt like I might vomit any moment.

My legs were shaking.

I decided to think about all this later on.

Just in case, I casually tucked an herbal leaf under my glove and hastily put on a dark robe before leaving my room.

The kitchen area would probably be bustling with maids preparing dinner by now.

I could go through the kitchen again.

But I stood out too much in this state.

While I was worrying about it, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

I opened my eyes wide, and my body spun around. Soon, a quite familiar face came into view.

“Where are you going?”

“Aaron?”

It was the orange-haired guy.

I frowned and glanced at him, and Aaron, with a huge grin on his face, leaned down and whispered.

“You’ll definitely get caught if you go out like this.”

As Aaron slowly moved away from me, he smirked.

Then he scanned my appearance up and down. With a disappointed expression, he made a joke.

“What’s this? I came to see how you managed to put on my clothes.”

“Um, I’m a bit busy right now, you know?”

“I know.”

What is this guy up to?

Why is he interrupting me when I’m already confused and frustrated?

As anger welled up inside me, about to unleash a barrage of curses, he suddenly grabbed my hand.

His warm touch enveloped my cold hand.

“Let me help you!”

“What?”

“I’ll help you. Isn’t this because of the crown prince?”

The corner of his handsome mouth lifted.

“Don’t worry. I have a heavy mouth. And this much help won’t kill me!”

He grabbed my hand and led me somewhere, and I could do nothing but follow him as if I were enchanted.

Help.

I didn’t realize how charming those words could be.

He was right, I needed help.

In this goddamned world, with no one on my side, help was like sweet rain in a drought.

I bit my lip hard.

* * *

Aaron brought me near the meeting place.

Without getting lost, we arrived safely and ended up being 15 minutes early for the appointment.

I looked at him quietly.

He didn’t look like your average kitchen assistant.

Aaron seemed to know why I was staring at him and casually scratched his head, revealing his handsome white teeth as he smiled.

Then he whispered quietly.

“Let’s just say it was a hasty decision. I go now, okay?”

“Hey, where are you going!”

“I have to prepare dinner. If I get caught again, it’ll be really risky.”

Aaron waved his hand at me, his eye-catching orange hair fluttering, and swiftly disappeared behind an alley.

I stared at my hand that had just been held by him, with a bewildered expression on my face.

Then I started walking towards the meeting place.

To be honest, it was true that Aaron was handsome, but compared to the male lead, he looked fraudulent.

So, it’s normal for my mind to be a little disturbed.

I pinched both of my cheeks to shake off my thoughts.

Well, gratitude is gratitude, and suspicion is suspicion.

From the very first meeting, something seemed off.

It wasn’t just a baseless thought that he was a strange guy.

Honestly, I was worried that Aaron’s help might backfire later, but in that situation, there was nothing I could do.

Besides, it had already happened.

I had to keep Aaron’s mouth shut, even if I had to threaten him.

I didn’t want to think about that scenario that Aaron might have planned to approach me because he was a spy for the Third Prince.

After a few minutes of walking forward, the outline of the temple came into view.

The stones, glowing with a faint light, seemed to encircle the temple.

I stood in pure awe.

There must be a god here, right? I made a promise to myself to visit the temple someday.

I waited for a few minutes.

At exactly six o’clock, a simple-looking carriage rolled up from the distance and stopped in front of me.

Thud, the carriage door opened, and I saw a familiar face.

He looked quite surprised, and I quickly boarded the carriage, waiting silently for his evaluation.

What’s the point of make-up when I’m going to be masked anyway, but I’m an employee, so I have to do what my employer wants.

There are no labor unions here, nor is there an employment ministry.

“I thought you would get lost.”

The male lead leaned back against the backrest with his legs crossed and looked at me languidly.

It seemed like he was expecting me to say something in response.

“Fortunately, thanks to His Highness’s kind explanation, I was able to find my way here without difficulty.”

“Have you ever worked as a spy before?”

I doubted my ears.

How on earth could such a question arise from my response?

Of course, if I thought about it a little deeper, it wasn’t surprising that the man asked me that question.

It was a perfectly reasonable question.

But in this regard, I was completely innocent.

“Your Highness, the idea of me working as a spy is completely outrageous.”

Upon hearing my answer, his face contorted as if to say, “What nonsense is this?”

Is this not it?

Don’t they use that kind of language here? I should have known better.

The best defense is to remain silent, so I clamped my mouth shut.

“Yeah. That’s what it should be, in theory, if my information isn’t wrong.”

The male lead’s red eyes bore into mine. There was a definite sense of intimidation. He looked at me like I was in trouble if I didn’t prove my innocence right away.

But what could I possibly have to prove?

“Your Highness, you are mistaken.”

“Well then, let’s move on for now. The weather is nice today.”

What the hell?

I almost yelled out loud.

Move on? Move on from what?

I didn’t work as a spy!

And who cares if the weather is nice.

Is this some kind of juvenile behavior?

I cautiously extended my middle finger.

He wouldn’t know it was an insult if he saw it anyway.

Silence filled the carriage.

It seemed that my feeble mind, accustomed to the comforts of the Earth’s luxury sedans, couldn’t handle the rough ride of this damn carriage and was constantly nauseous.

My stomach felt queasy and unsettled.

The windows weren’t open for security purposes, and the protagonist didn’t seem to mind.

That made me even angrier, but there was nothing I could do, so I tried to distract myself with other thoughts to stop the queasiness.

After a few minutes of traveling, the carriage stopped at a specific location. I involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.

As if that were not enough, the male lead had nonchalantly put on his mask.

So, I put on my mask too. When he got off the carriage before me, he extended his hand to me with an unfamiliar attitude that seemed like he could be a gentleman.

I hesitated for a moment.

I didn’t really want to comply, but I had no other choice.

I cautiously took his large hand, and he escorted me down from the high carriage with an unaccustomed manner.

Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“Should I take off the robe?”

Oh, damn it.

He reached out with his long finger and undid the knot of my robe near my neck.

Swish! As the thick fabric slid off, a cool breeze brushed against my shoulders.

His hand dropped onto my shoulder and slowly slid away with a gentle touch.

He then held my hand again and naturally brought his lips to the back of my hand.

Fortunately, I was wearing a mask.

Although it only covered up to my eyes, at least it didn’t fully reveal my terrified expression.

‘What is this man up to again?’

He led me into the party venue, and the interior of the building was extravagantly adorned, despite being called a secret party.

Glowing lights were scattered everywhere, illuminating the place, and everyone was wandering around the party venue wearing masks.

In the center, there was a spacious dance floor. In front of it, a large stage was set up, indicating that there would be a performance later, judging by the presence of a band behind the stage.

“If you were paying attention, you’d be able to tell what role you’re here for, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“If you know, then stick with me, alright?”

He gently wrapped his arm around my waist.

Feeling the overt gesture, I furrowed my brows for a moment.

Ha, it’s business, just business.

I’m here for work. Focus! I mentally shifted my weight slightly towards the man.

Then, in the softest voice possible, I asked.

” Do you want me to call you Cai?”

“…..Just figure it out on your own, using your intuition.

A monotonous melody resonated in my ears.

Being around this uncomfortable person automatically increases my stress level.

I sighed and checked the time. 7 o’clock.

It was time for the party to start.

Soon, one by one, the lights flickered and dimmed.

The staff quickly closed the curtains, and beneath the only remaining light, a person wearing a mask revealed their appearance.