The clearer the sound of the cavalry's footsteps became, the greater the panic that struck Serelith. She even had to turn her head left and right before shouting at the system that appeared before her.
She pulled the floating orb away from the roadside, hiding deeper into the forest. Though of course, Serelith could still see the entire dirt path from there.
"Are you insane?! How could I possibly kill a Prince? Killing bandits, maybe I can do that because they're just ordinary people. But a Prince? I wouldn't even get away easily just by touching his foot. Are you trying to get me killed on purpose?"
Her anger, which she had been holding back from the start, finally burst out. Her heart was still in chaos after learning about Samael's disappearance, and now this damned system had to give her a mission that could cost her own life!
[Don't you want to level up?]
Serelith's patience had reached its limit as she rubbed her own face in frustration. She had never been this expressive before—at least, not since she had been in her new body.
But dealing with a system whose missions were always strange certainly drained both her patience and energy. The girl finally crouched down, covering her face with both hands.
Slowly, she peeked through the gaps between her fingers, glaring lazily at the system that loyally hovered beside her. Ah, Serelith's expression could hardly be called fine anymore.
"Only the strong survive," Serelith clicked her tongue inwardly, then continued, "Ah! If only the rules of this world weren't like this, I really wouldn't risk my life for things like this. This is the first time in my life I've done a mission just to stay alive."
As the sound of the cavalry drew closer, without saying a single word, the girl immediately left her hiding spot. She intentionally walked into a place visible to the coachman.
When only a few steps separated them, that was when Serelith began her act. She let herself fall—pretending to be unconscious.
The system behind her—which had been observing her all along—furrowed its brow slightly. Serelith had neither rejected nor accepted the mission. So like it or not, the system disappeared for a while and waited to see what she would do next.
Still lying there, pretending to be unconscious, Serelith heard the horses stop right beside her ear. Then came the sound of footsteps approaching her.
Serelith almost wanted to smile at her success in deceiving people. Unfortunately, if she failed to control that urge, her carefully crafted plan would instantly crumble.
So the girl remained perfectly still until a hand touched her shoulder and then moved closer to her nose. At least, that was what Serelith felt at that moment.
"Prince! This girl is still breathing!" shouted a man wearing the special helmet of the royal guards after feeling Serelith's breath.
Upon hearing that, a pair of luxurious shoes suddenly stepped onto the ground, sending a wave of energy that scattered the dry leaves nearby.
With his crimson royal cloak, everyone already knew that he was the Crown Prince who had been sitting inside the carriage all along—the very person Serelith had been assigned to assassinate.
At first, the Crown Prince wore a serious expression as he walked toward Serelith. But when he knelt down, pushing his cloak aside, and observed the girl's body more closely, a smile—whose meaning was anyone's guess—appeared on his face.
Without Evander—the Crown Prince—realizing it, Serelith wasn't completely closing her eyes. Instead, she opened them slightly to peek at what was happening outside.
"Pervert!" Serelith screamed in her heart. If the reward hadn't been that great, she would've refused this mission entirely.
After examining Serelith's body from head to toe, Evander finally stood up again, his face returning to a calm expression—perhaps to make himself look dignified—and said to his soldiers, "Put this girl in the carriage. We must help her."
One of the soldiers bowed, then moved closer to Evander. "But, Your Highness, we don't know who she is or where she came from. What if she's one of the envoys sent by an enemy kingdom?"
The soldier froze as Evander glared at him sharply. "And if something were to happen to this girl after we leave her here, will you take responsibility? I am the Crown Prince of this kingdom. Everyone within it is my people, and of course, I must take responsibility for their well-being."
"But—"
"You dare defy me?!"
Before the soldier could finish his sentence, Evander cut him off immediately, unwilling to hear another word of protest.
Once his master had shown anger, the soldier immediately knelt at Evander's feet, pressing his hands together. "Forgive me, Your Highness, I deserve death."
Evander turned his gaze straight ahead as he walked back toward the carriage, saying coldly, "Bring the girl here, or I'll behead every one of you."
Of course, the soldiers who heard that went pale. They quickly lifted Serelith's body and carried her into Evander's carriage.
While the atmosphere around them grew tense, Serelith inwardly smiled in satisfaction. "Typical pervert. Just wait and see what'll happen to you after this. You've just invited your own death."
They laid Serelith on the seat directly across from Evander—right in front of the man himself. As the carriage began to move again, Evander's expression, which had been filled with anger earlier, now turned feral—as if ready to devour Serelith at any moment.
But before the Prince could make his move, Serelith began coughing and slowly opened her eyes. It had to be admitted—her acting skills were impressive.
"Cough! Cough!" Serelith coughed to her left, blinking slowly to adjust to the light.
With perfect acting, Serelith turned her head around, scanning the rather luxurious space with both eyes.
Seeing that, Evander—who initially had bad intentions—immediately sat back properly, feeling flustered. He cleared his throat before asking, "Miss, are you all right? I found you lying on the road earlier. I thought you were ill, so I decided to take you to see a physician."
To complete her act, the newly awakened Serelith scanned Evander's body from head to toe, then quickly straightened up to sit properly. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"I am Evander, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Solmere. You are currently inside my carriage," he replied with a smile, as if he were the kindest person in the world.
If anyone else had received that smile, they would surely fall in love right then. Fortunately, this is Serelith, who isn't even interested in looking at men.
Hey, don't get any ideas about her sexual orientation. Serelith is normal; she likes men and sometimes fantasizes about getting closer to them.
It's just that if a man is like Evander, even from the first time they met, Serelith would rather live in the forest forever and kill monsters.
Okay, that's cruel. But that's Serelith.
"Prince?" Serelith scrutinized his face more closely, then bowed her head while playing with her fingers, "I feel very honored to be in the same carriage with you. Besides, I feel bad for causing trouble."
Oh, who is this? Who is this gentle, graceful, and so feminine girl? Even though she loved make-up and beauty when she was Serena, the girl still couldn't imagine herself like this.
It's ridiculous!
And that's the only similarity Serena and Serelith share.
Evander only smiled at the girl's behavior, as if the sentence she had just spoken was a compliment to him. "Of course it's no problem. As long as I'm here, you don't have to worry. Nothing bad will happen to you; I will always protect you."
Serelith replied to that with the sweetest smile she had. Yet inwardly, Serelith was thinking about how she could plunge a dagger into Evander's body without being noticed.
Even if she would level up afterwards, it would be pointless if she had to become a fugitive for life.
Especially since what would chase her later would be an entire kingdom, not to mention if they had allies.
"System," Serelith called in her mind, "Is there a time limit to complete this mission?"
[Do you accept this mission?]
"And what do you think? Do you think I could pretend to be unconscious and trick this pervert if I didn't agree? Please, use some common sense." Even though she wanted to shout and scold the system in her head.
But in front of Evander, she had to let herself be a weak, gentle, graceful, and—of course—feminine girl.
[I'm only a system; I can't read the human heart.]
"Alright, forget that—just answer my earlier question."
[Which one?]
"SYSTEM!"
Oh, this time Serelith really wanted to vent her anger, so unconsciously she squeezed her fingers together tightly.
Noticing this, Evander immediately looked worried, "Are you all right? Your expression seems different. Should we see a physician now?"
In this situation, all Serelith had to do was put on a fake smile, of course so she could complete the mission without leaving any problems afterward.
Gently, Serelith finally shook her head slightly, "No, Prince. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."
Evander merely nodded at that. Then a voice sounded in Serelith's ear again. A voice that only she could hear.
[There is no time limit. But the sooner, of course, the better.]
"The problem is I still haven't thought of a way to kill this pervert without causing problems later. I could kill him here, but the soldiers he brought are many. Even if they are all just NPCs, my energy will be drained if I recklessly fight them all," Serelith explained.
Yeah, the girl was carried away by her thoughts again and involuntarily took a long breath while bowing her head.
Hesitant, Evander seemed about to say something, but finally the words came out of his mouth, "Miss, if you don't mind, would you like to come to the palace with me?"
Serelith froze upon hearing the invitation. Her expression clearly showed reluctance, and she shook her head but with a strange smile on her face, "Come on, don't make this difficult for me. If I can't kill you here, how could I do it in your palace?" Serelith muttered internally, of course.
As the carriage continued on, for some reason Serelith suddenly felt the road they were on sway quite badly. The girl had to hold onto the seat she was sitting in, before Evander's body suddenly fell on top of her.
Yes, Evander fell on top of Serelith!
Want to know what's worse? It was when the Crown Prince's lips nearly landed right on Serelith's lips, if her reflexes hadn't been good enough to dodge.
They locked eyes for several seconds, then Serelith screamed, followed by a loud thud. "KYAAA!!!"
Evander's body was thrown to the other side of the carriage, his face popping up at the window when Serelith accidentally kicked his 'midsection'.
"Ow! My most precious asset!"