Chapter 1
The area in front of the elegant temple was crowded with people.
A long temporary table piled high with bread and milk stood in the center, and everyone nearby was facing the same direction — or rather, the same person.
Light brown curls. Round eyes of a slightly darker shade.
The small-statured woman exuded a soft, gentle aura overall.
“Please take them in order.”
Wearing a proper dress, she quickly wrapped the loaves in front of her and handed them out to the waiting crowd.
Her movements — stacking, wrapping, and passing the food — were fast and flawless, like a worker in a well-tuned assembly line.
A professional, no doubt.
“Th-thank you, Lady!”
“Yes, may blessings be upon you.”
“Um, thank y—”
“Be happy. Next!”
Perhaps thanks to her efficient rhythm, the line in front of her moved almost fearfully fast.
But amid the repetition of her practiced labor, her eyes didn’t dull into emptiness — not quite.
Today’s the day the original story begins!
Her lips pressed tightly together, a tiny walnut forming on her chin.
That suspiciously well-optimized volunteer worker’s true identity was — a transmigrator.
This world was the setting of the tragic romance fantasy novel The Saint’s Imprisoned Life.
When she’d first opened her eyes to see a lavishly decorated ceiling, she’d been overjoyed.
Freedom from factory shifts! Debt-free! Nobility status! And I’m the protagonist? Jackpot!
However, as the title suggested, this story was about imprisonment.
The problem? She couldn’t remember the details, including the ending.
Ugh, I should’ve read it properly instead of skimming during break time…
All she remembered was that the male lead, Cedric, kidnapped and imprisoned the heroine after their first meeting.
But hey, aside from the kidnapping, he’s a devoted man. A devoted man who ruins your life, but still… devoted.
How did it end again? She vaguely recalled the heroine trying to escape and just suffering more for it.
After countless fruitless attempts to recall the rest, she finally gave up — the story would begin soon anyway.
Then, in a flash of what she called divine inspiration, she came up with a brilliant plan.
If I don’t try to escape, I can enjoy the imperial imprisonment in peace!
She didn’t really have any grand dreams in life, nor had she ever truly rested.
A two-shift factory job, irregular holidays, hospital visits on days off, every paycheck eaten by debt — a life as dry as dust.
Snapping herself out of the memory, Asha blinked once, and her eyes suddenly sparkled with determination.
All right. Let’s enjoy the Emperor’s imprisonment to the fullest.
And so, she now stood here, at the Sol Temple’s charity event — the very place where she would meet Cedric according to the story.
Unknowingly, she clenched her fists to steel her resolve.
“Asha.”
“Yes, thank you!”
Thankfully, she still remembered what the male lead looked like.
“Asha…!”
“Please enjoy.”
Golden hair and a handsome face — he’d stand out, no doubt.
“Asha—!”
“Ah! Mother.”
A sharp voice yanked her out of her thoughts.
“What on earth are you doing, acting so carelessly? You’ll ruin your skin in this sun — come here at once.”
“But I still have to finish handing these out—”
“I said that’s enough! Stop showing such unseemly behavior and come here!”
Her mother, Lady Freedis, pulled her back firmly, whispering as though people might overhear.
Mother really is… something else.
Asha tilted her head but obediently stepped back.
Having a family in this life was nice, but she still wasn’t sure how to act around them.
It was easier to just assume her mother’s nagging came from genuine concern.
She had come to meet Cedric, but seeing the hungry faces made her unconsciously overwork herself.
Ha… classic slave mentality. I’m doing charity like it’s a factory shift.
While waiting in the shade, she secretly slipped some bread and milk to a few shy children lingering nearby.
Before long, her mother approached again with a gentle smile.
“Asha, you look tired. Do you remember the lavender garden we saw earlier? Why don’t you rest there for a while?”
At those words, Asha instinctively swallowed hard.
It’s here. The arranged meeting.
In the original story, things began when her mother secretly arranged a match at the charity event.
And her partner? None other than Marquis Cedric Dalbert — the male lead himself.
Asha removed her gloves and replied obediently, “Yes, Mother.”
Leaving her smiling mother behind, she steadied her breathing and headed toward the lavender garden.
As she moved away from the plaza, the noise faded, replaced by the soft scent of lavender drifting through the air.
At the garden’s entrance stood a tall man.
Is that him?
Glittering blond hair, broad shoulders, refined features — a perfect match to the description of Marquis Cedric Dalbert.
Asha cautiously approached him.
Whoa. Unreal.
Up close, his beauty was enough to steal her breath.
His golden eyes gleamed under the sunlight, and the two beauty marks beneath his right eye only made him more dangerously charming.
He looked every bit the leading man.
And this man’s supposed to fall for me at first sight?
Her heart thumped — pleasantly, nervously.
To the point she could almost believe she might live a good life with this man.
“Lady Asha Herman?”
Ha! Nailed it. He knows my name already.
The moment she realized his voice was just as sweet as his looks, Asha made up her mind.
She would devote herself — completely — to this man’s imprisonment.
She straightened her back, calmed her pounding heart, and opened her mouth carefully.
“You may take me with you today.”
The man’s eyebrows twitched.
***
A few hours earlier, deep within the Sol Temple.
A tall, graceful man with golden hair stepped out from the sacred chamber, quietly mulling over the oracle he’d just received from the World Tree.
[The Saint, Asha Herman, possesses the power to turn back time. That power has already awakened.]
The Saint’s powers were passed down matrilineally, manifesting differently with each generation.
The previous Saint, Freedis Herman, had been able to see a single glimpse of the future — a rather useless ability, since she couldn’t share what she saw with anyone.
One of the weakest and most common Saint abilities, in fact.
But the current Saint, Asha, could turn back time itself.
And her ability has already manifested?
No one but the Saint herself could know whether it had simply awakened — or if she had already used it.
If time had already been rewound, it meant she knew the future.
And unusually, her ability seemed to have no restrictions.
No fixed number of uses, no mention of secrecy…
Meaning she could turn back time whenever she wished.
He paused, considering.
If she’s already used it, she might be wary. Should I wait and observe a bit longer… or secure her now?
The decision didn’t take long.
His trusted aide, Jerold, soon brought him her full profile.
“This is the preliminary report, my lord. I’ll have the complete file ready by morning.”
The man’s finger tapped the final line.
“She’s attending the Sol Temple charity event.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve already assigned Carion to keep watch.”
“And the Saint herself?”
“Still on the premises, it seems.”
Without hesitation, he stood.
And thus, in the present moment — in the lavender garden — he finally met the Saint.
“…?”
What had he just heard?
Did she just… tell him to take her?
He almost thought he’d misheard her — until she continued.
“I promise I won’t run away. Until you trust me… you can keep me locked up.”
Lol, girl you’re too straight forward