CHAPTER TWO
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He definitely wasn’t ordinary.
Knitting his brows, the emperor recalled what Mikhail had said: "Your Majesty, I would like to request a private meeting with Her Royal Ladyship, as she may feel repulsed if she is forced into a marriage.”
The emperor had no problem with setting up a meeting, but Mikhail’s manipulative nature made him feel uneasy. And there was that thing with Regis…
At first, the emperor thought Mikhail feared the duke because the latter was the head of the royal knights. However, certain events made the emperor doubt his suspicions. Regis wasn’t someone who would threaten another person without reason…
That wasn’t all, either. The man's expressions and reactions throughout the conversation were rather unfamiliar to the emperor. The oddity of the situation became even more apparent when Mikhail had been reassured about his worries regarding the duke.
Oh, how nice.
The emperor expected Mikhail to be relieved once he found out that he would be able to conquer a being he feared. However, what burned in his amethyst eyes was an intense hatred instead. The sovereign smirked, realizing his soon-to-be son-in-law shared his hatred for Regis.
In the emperor’s eyes, Mikhail's loathing was justified because it had been none other than Regis' daughter persistently chasing the renowned knight around. The poor young man hadn’t been able to reject his superior's daughter, so he held a grudge. The rumors had even reached the ears of the royal family.
The emperor knit his brows once more. That Maximillian... He wasn’t good at finding a decent woman. Didn’t he know that her appearance wasn’t the only thing that should matter?
In the grand scheme of things, however, it was fortunate for the emperor that Maximillian was head over heels for the lady. She had only waltzed with him once, which meant she had no interest in him. If Maximillian had truly fallen in love with her, he would be willing to do anything for her.
Filled with fantasies about a world of his dreams, the emperor smiled. First, he would hold Regis' daughter captive. Then, he would dupe Maximillian into obeying his schemes by using the girl as bait. He was confident that his plan would reduce Maximillian to a meek figurehead and aid in his plans to get rid of Regis in the future. The only problem was coming up with a reason to invite the girl to the palace.
For a moment, the emperor tapped impatiently on his desk, thinking. Then, a sinister smile soon composed his face. What was he worried about? He could come up with a reason—something neither Regis nor the nobles would dare to refute.
Feeling well-rested, Max slowly opened his eyes. He looked out the window and realized it was dusk. Had he slept that long? Naturally, he tried to get up. Then, he noticed something squirming in his arms.
He flinched.
Jubelian?
His face reddened like a tomato the moment he realized she was defenselessly sleeping in his arms. Her soft breath tickled his chest. He felt like he was going crazy. He took deep breaths, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to control himself.
However, he didn't want to snatch his arm away from her when it was under her head because it would startle her awake. So, he began to whisper to her.
"Jubelian, wake up,” he urged.
Carefully taking hold of her shoulder, he shook her gently. In response, she just frowned in irritation, still far from waking—just another testament to her dense nature. Max wondered what to do for a moment before the corners of his lips began to lift into a smile.
He didn’t know she could make faces like that. She rarely displayed her annoyance, so this expression piqued his interest. Intrigued, he poked her soft, pink cheek. Once again, she wrinkled her brow slightly.
He grinned. How cute.
He was about to poke her forehead when she moved away slightly. Surprised by the sudden movement, he held his breath and resumed his original position. Then, he took a glimpse of her and realized that she was just shifting positions. He let out a sigh of relief. He would have been in trouble if she found out what he had been doing.
"My lady, it's time for dinner!" a maid called from outside. Smiling, Max turned to his sleeping beauty. There was no way she could have heard that.
Contrary to his expectations, however, she opened her eyes right away. Parting her coral lips, she echoed the maid. "Time for dinner?" she muttered, rubbing both of her eyes in an attempt to awaken.
Max couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't believe that she would awaken at the sound of someone calling her for dinner. She was utterly adorable.
Soon, their gazes met. Jubelian’s eyes widened at first, but she quickly broke into a smile, making his heart skip a beat at the sudden sight. It was thumping hard enough to jump out of his chest. He took another deep breath in a desperate attempt to calm himself down.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
Max nodded slowly. "Yes, I did," he said carefully.
He was consumed by the impulse to wrap his arms around her and kiss her.
Oblivious, she simply slithered out of his arms. Disappointment overcame him and emptiness flooded him in place of her lost warmth.
She extended a hand to him.
"Let's go eat,” she said.
Max nodded as he took her hand. Relishing in her warmth once more, he felt relieved.
I stared blankly at Dad's empty seat, wondering if he would be late again tonight.
Max brought me back to reality.
"Aren’t you hungry?" he asked.
I looked at my plate and realized that the steak had been cut into neat pieces.
"Oh... Thank you, Max,” I said.
He smiled slightly at my compliment. Normally, I would eat right away to show him that I was grateful for the gesture, but given Dad’s absence, I couldn't. He had never been this late before. Recently, at least.
"Is something the matter?" Max asked. He sounded a bit upset that I wasn't eating.
His worries were forming creases on his forehead, so I decided to confess. "Oh, I'm just worried that Dad isn't home yet..."
Suddenly, he leisurely rested his head on his chin and smiled.
"You're worried about Master?" I nodded, and he continued in a reassuring voice. "Don’t worry. Nothing would bother him even if a dragon appeared out of the blue.”
He was exaggerating, but I appreciated his efforts to console me and I knew he was right. I must have been worrying for no reason.
Using his fork, he picked up a piece of steak and brought it to my mouth. "Here."
At first, I was wondering what he was doing, but then I blushed when I realized what he intended. I wasn’t a baby... What was he doing? Embarrassed, I shook my head. "I-I'll eat it myself..."
He pushed the fork closer to me. "Say ‘ah’..."
Where did he even learn to do something like this? Sighing, I gave in and ate the piece he offered. His face promptly brightened. Then, he brought me a forkful of salad as well.
"Eat this, too," he pressed.
I felt like my face was going to burst from embarrassment. Nevertheless, I accepted his offer because I didn’t want to disappoint him. The smile never left his face as he said, "It's nice to see you eat well.”
I stared at him blankly as I chewed. Once again, a sense of shame overcame me. I wasn't a helpless baby bird—I had hands I could very well use to feed myself. Still, I decided that embarrassment was only a temporary thing, stopping him as he began cutting another piece of food for me.
"Max!” I called.
Placing his utensils down on the table, he looked puzzled as he turned to me. "Yes?”
I mimicked what he did and took a piece of meat, holding the fork out to him. "H-Here.”
His eyes widened before curving into a smile. "For me?” he asked. I nodded and he ate the piece of steak I gave him. "It's delicious."
It was cringey, but I felt appreciated because he was responding to every little action I made.
I think... I might ask Dad about marrying Max, I suddenly thought, arriving at a rather rash conclusion.
Then I remembered what I had seen back in my room. I couldn't help but wonder why he had been apologizing to me in his sleep.