Now I realized why he insisted on holding me like this.
"Then you hugged me because..." I trailed off, unable to continue.
With a faint smile, he answered, "Of course, there were other reasons. I wanted to show off and tell the others that I’m yours."
I furrowed my brows and he put me down on an empty seat. Relief that the cause of my embarrassment was over ran through me until he suddenly kissed my hand. Flustered, I questioned what he was doing.
"Who is that young man who carried Lady Floyen back to her seat?" the crowd began to whisper.
"Yes, I was wondering the same. Other than Duke Floyen, I had never seen such a handsome man."
Their words reminded me of Dad. Where was he? A lot had happened, and I didn't understand why he hadn't come looking for me. What bothered me more, however, was how he had looked.
He looked different from usual. Suspicions clouded my mind.
"His Majesty will be entering soon! Everyone, please show your respect."
The emperor was the culprit of everything that had happened today. I clenched my fists, but Max whispered, "Don't worry about him. I won’t let him touch a hair on your head."
I looked into his eyes. Although they were the complete opposite color, they reminded me of my dad’s for a moment.
"Okay,” I said, deciding to trust him. Max smiled softly.
Then, his expression hardened when he saw a certain someone. I, too, turned to the person he was looking at and frowned. Dad?
Throughout the crisis, the person I had spent so long searching for had been standing behind the emperor. Had he been escorting the emperor all this time? Maybe it was his duty to do so. After all, no matter how incompetent and greedy the man may be, he was still the emperor, and my father was the head of the royal knights. It was his responsibility to ensure his sovereign's safety.
Regardless, I couldn't help but feel upset. The beast hadn’t even looked at the emperor.
Max placed his hand on my shoulder.
"It's okay, Jubelian,” he assured me. "He must have a plan in mind."
I nodded slowly. He was right. My dad wasn't loyal to the emperor in truth, and above all...
I recalled Dad's hazy eyes. They had been bothering me, and they looked really strange earlier... Maybe it had something to do with the emperor.
With this conviction in mind, I glared at the emperor.
People returned to their normal selves once the crisis was resolved. When they came back to the arena, the nobles gawked at the handsome man sitting next to Jubelian.
"The young man next to Lady Floyen is extremely attractive!"
"Yes, I was thinking the same. From what lord's family is he?"
"Perhaps he’s her commoner lover as the rumors say!"
The man kissed the back of Jubelian’s hand at that moment, and the people marveled.
"His gestures are so elegant. There’s no way he could be a commoner."
"Who is he, then?"
Knowing the answer, Mikhail glowered at the man sitting next to Jubelian, the crown prince. If he could, he would kill the man and take Jubelian for himself. However, he suppressed his violent desires. There was still work to be done.
The emperor was the only one able to manipulate both the crown prince and Duke Floyen. Therefore, he headed to where the emperor was seated. He was now leaving the box seat.
"Your Majesty."
At Mikhail's call, the emperor scanned him from head to toe once.
"Wait here," he ordered.
Mikhail rarely had to wait after winning the emperor's favor because he had become the sovereign's top priority. However, now he was being treated like Count Pyrex—a mere dog who could be disposed of at any time.
Gritting his teeth, Mikhail lowered his head, feigning obedience.
That damned royal. Once I achieve my purpose, I will get rid of you, too, emperor, he swore to himself.
Unaware of his intentions, the emperor simply passed Mikhail by with a smile. He couldn’t get rid of Mikhail just because of a small mistake. It was pathetic to think that the knight had messed up even after everything had been set up for him, but the emperor still had much to gain by having him by his side. He wanted Mikhail to learn from his mistake, so he would make sure the knight would receive an adequate punishment.
The emperor headed down to the field and the grand chamberlain shouted, "His Majesty will enter soon! Everyone, please show respect.”
Spotting his son sitting beside Jubelian, the emperor grinned. His son was totally infatuated with her. He never thought the girl would serve as a leash for him.
Maximillian began approaching the emperor. Looking into his son's crimson eyes, which were slightly a darker shade than his, the emperor whispered to Duke Floyen, "Wait here. If anyone tries to do something to me, you can attack them without hesitation."
Just like that, the emperor had set up a safety measure for himself. He was afraid that the crown prince might try to pull something during the confusion.
"My son,” he began, "I heard that we were able to prevent extensive damage thanks to you."
Only then did the people realize the identity of the man next to Jubelian. They immediately clamored about how beautiful he was because they had been clueless about the face he had hidden underneath the charcoal helmet.
"As your father, I am proud of you."
The emperor thought Max would simply bow as he usually did, but he remained with his back straight, no longer concealing his hostility.
"I only did what I had to do,” he said. "I am part of the royal family, and it is my duty to protect the people."
On the surface, his words simply sounded like an adequate response to what the emperor had said. However, he knew that, in truth, it was a veiled criticism for simply watching from the box seat as the incident unfolded.
The emperor clenched his jaw. Cheeky bastard. He wanted to slap his arrogant son right that second, but the prince was now a hero to the people because he had taken care of the beast. It was clear that slapping him would incite the disapproval of the public.
The emperor’s crimson eyes traveled to Jubelian. Well, his son could be as full of himself as he wanted. Soon, he would make his son kneel before him by using that girl he loved!
Hiding his schemes, the emperor smiled. "Yes, I’m glad the damage was minimized. It was all thanks to you."