I Was Just an Ugly Girl, But in Another World They Call Me an Angel - 20 - The Saintess's Hand Saves Me―And the Turbulent Beginning

Asphalt stood quietly beside Kanako’s sleeping bed.

She had fought with her life on the line in that miasma-filled forest.

…And yet, here I am.

As the captain of the knights, what did I accomplish in that battle?

In the end, I was protected by her, the saint.

That fact weighed heavily on my heart.

“To have sworn to protect you with my life…”

He clenched his fist tightly, filled with frustration and self-reproach.

“…I am useless.”

Perhaps hearing his voice, Kanako smiled gently.

“Not at all!”

Her voice resonated, seeping into his aching chest.

Startled, he looked up, and without rising from the bed, Kanako reached out her hand softly.

And then—

“Asphalt-san has always been protecting me!”

She wrapped her arms around his bowed head tightly.

The movement was so natural that for a moment, she herself didn’t realize what she had done.

But she quickly came back to her senses.

“W-wait, I… th-that was…!”

Her face flushed bright red as she pulled her hands away and averted her gaze.

Asphalt remained frozen for a while.

His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes trembled as if holding back something.

Eventually, as if something had unraveled, he relaxed his expression and turned his face toward Kanako.

“Saint…”

When his hand gently brushed against her cheek—

“—Knock, knock!”

Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed.

Startled, they both stepped back and hurriedly composed themselves.

When Asphalt opened the door, there stood a girl with translucent blue hair and eyes, exuding an air of elegance.

“Good day, Saint Kanako. …I’m relieved to see you safe.”

The one who appeared was Lydia Ernest.

The daughter of the kingdom’s prime minister and the fiancée of the first prince— and the very person who had once coldly told Kanako to “stay away from the prince.”

The atmosphere in the room grew even tenser.

Asphalt’s trembling heart and Kanako’s unwavering feelings.

Just as the distance between the two was about to close, an unexpected “storm warning” swept in.