CHAPTER SIX
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Cursing inwardly about his still numb hands, Max massaged them as he gritted his teeth. Then, he realized a certain someone’s gaze was upon him.
"Max, what's wrong?” Jubelian asked.
Shaking his head, he plastered a smile onto his face and huffed out a chuckle. "Nothing! I suddenly remembered something that had happened on a battlefield once…”
Her eyes widened. "It must have been terrible if it suddenly disrupted your thoughts like that!”
"Yes, it was,” Max nodded, sighing softly.
She was usually slow to notice these things... so why was she so sharp today?
"Anyway, what was the thing that you needed to tell me so bad that you even left behind your duties as the crown prince?"
Max frowned. Should he tell her the truth? He agonized over it for a moment before coming to a decision: yes. She needed to prepare for the worst that could happen.
He gazed at her and began his explanation. "Last night, the emperor asked me what I thought of you. Then, he tried to convince me that he could let me have what I wanted."
Jubelian widened her eyes, and…
"Say that again, Maximilian," his master snarled.
There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Although he often revealed his true nature when it came to his daughter, the duke usually managed to maintain a generally calm demeanor nevertheless. Yet...
"What did the emperor say?” the duke pressed. His ferocious gaze made even Max’s knees wobble.
Max swallowed nervously. "At first, he asked me what I thought of Jubelian. Then, he told me that he would help me have her if I wished. I kept denying his speculations... but it looks like he might be plotting something."
Gaze sharp, Regis asked, "When do you think he found out?"
"The day... I asked Jubelian for a dance,” Max answered after a moment of hesitation.
Regis' eyes grew cold.
"I am glad you are aware of what you have done—exposing my daughter to the emperor.”
Max couldn't deny the criticism. He slowly lowered his head, wishing he had been a little more patient during the banquet. Only then did he realize why his master had only mentioned Jubelian to a few people. It must have been to keep her from attracting the emperor’s attention. Feeling pathetic, he clenched his fists.
Just then, Jubelian grabbed her father's hand and smiled. "Don't worry, Dad. The emperor will stop paying attention to me as long as Max proves his claims true."
Regis sighed at her optimism. "Jubel, this isn’t something that should be taken lightly. The emperor is—”
"An ignoble man, quick with his wits," she supplied, cutting him off. "He spots others' weaknesses well and is excellent at planning schemes around their deficiencies."
She said exactly what Regis was going to say. His eyes widened, incapable of believing that his daughter had already realized the emperor's true nature. Although incompetent as a ruler, the emperor was skilled at defending his position on the throne. For this reason, he always played the dignified monarch at official events. Only high-ranked nobles and close aides who met with the emperor often knew of his true nature. Therefore, it was strange that Jubelian had seen through the man.
Regis was sure that she had only seen him a few times at banquets... Suspicions littered his mind.
"I understand that I may be ignorant at times, but I do know what kind of person the emperor is. He’s our common enemy, isn't he?" she asked.
Regis flinched.
"I understand that you’re concerned about my safety, but I should be prepared to face the emperor as well."
Regis sighed at his daughter's words, but a faint smile soon graced his lips. "You’re right.”
Watching the father-daughter duo converse, Max was overcome with a peculiar feeling. Once again, he had been protected by the woman he initially thought he had to protect.
At first, he had proudly assumed that no one would be more suited to stand by her side than him, but the more he got to know her, the more he felt he was lacking in comparison to her. Did he deserve to be by her side? He felt dazed at the thought.
"Don't blame yourself for anything," Jubelian said.
Her voice lifted him from his thoughts. She had approached him in seconds, and the moment he met her periwinkle eyes, he realized his worries had been futile. He burst into laughter.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he scoffed, purposefully dramatic.
Jubelian grinned. "I won't worry about it, then."
Watching her lovely face, Max made another pledge.
I will protect you no matter what.
Pretending to be the crown prince in his room, Victor cleared his voice once he heard a knock on the door.
He had to make his voice as low as possible and sound as irritated as possible.
"What is it?” he growled coldly.
A servant promptly answered. "It’s Princess Beatrice, Your Highness."
It wouldn't have mattered if it was anyone else. However, Victor didn't feel comfortable meeting Beatrice. She spent a lot of time at the crown prince's side during the last banquet, so there was a chance she might notice something was off.
"Tell her to come by later,” he said. However, the door creaked open anyway. From outside, Victor could hear the troubled servant cry out.
"Y-Your Highness, you can’t—!"
Despite the servant’s attempts at stopping her, Beatrice elegantly strode into the office. "My dear brother, I have come here to discuss something pertaining to this 'friend' of mine. Could you please send away the servant?"
Victor’s face crumpled. Why the hell was this woman trying to approach His Highness? Usually, the knight treated Beatrice with neither hostility nor kindness, but he still served the crown prince. There was no way he could view the princess favorably.
Thinking that the crown prince would have asked her to leave, Victor announced coldly, "Your friend is none of my business, so get out."
Beatrice’s face hardened. She glared at Victor.
"You,” she intoned. "Who are you?"
Victor felt his blood curdle. Nonetheless, he tried to continue his act. "What nonsense are you babbling about? Get out. Now!”
Instead of leaving, however, Beatrice turned to the servant.
"You may leave," she commanded.
Frightened by her frigid tone, the servant immediately scurried out of the room.
"Beatrice, did you jus—”
She cut him off, demanding, "Unless you want to be imprisoned for impersonating a member of the royal family, take that helmet off right now."
Quite a bit of time had passed since teatime finished. Max checked the time and frowned slightly. The evening meeting was about to start. Usually, he wouldn’t have cared, but strangely enough, his subordinates were all he could think about at the moment.
"I think I should head back now,” he said reluctantly.
His master nodded.
"Don’t forget. From now on, you can only visit her once a week,” he said. It sounded like he wanted some confirmation Max understood this, but instead of answering, he just got up with a scowl.
At that moment, Jubelian took Max by the hand. "Dad, I’ll see him off."
Regis shot Max a look of displeasure, but he permitted it.
"Go ahead,” he said, still maintaining his death glare. His expression promised that he wouldn’t leave Max alone if he decided to do something stupid. Max glowered back.
"Max," Jubelian urged, lightly tugging on his hand. He decided to forfeit the staring contest so he could follow after her.
Once they exited the front gate and reached a remote place in the garden, Jubelian let go of him.
Turning to him, she bid him farewell. "Be careful on your way back."
Max had expected something more, but it was just a simple goodbye.
Suppressing his disappointment, he nodded. "Okay."
As he was about to leave, however, he felt a soft, tickling sensation on his back. "I'm terrible at embroidery actually, but I’ll do my best since I'm making it for you,” she said.
He was awestruck by her loveliness, charmed by the way she told him she would try her best. Removing her tiny hands from his waist, he turned around and embraced her. Her unique scent, a fragrant yet sweet one, stimulated the tip of his nose. He wanted to do more than just hug her, but he had duties he must attend to. Suppressing his desires, he pulled away.
"I will do my best as well,” he told her. She regarded him with a look that seemed to ask what he was referring to, but he just smiled instead of elaborating. "Stay safe."
Before she could say anything else, Max quickly disappeared from view, leaving her alone.
"We won't be able to see each other again for a week...” she mumbled. "How could he just leave like that? How heartless of him."
Watching the lady's figure from far away, Max sighed. She was someone he deeply cherished, and if he could, he would keep her in his pocket. He had wanted to kiss her, but…