‘Nothing seems to have gone wrong,’ Max noted once he arrived at the Floyen mansion. He entered the estate and was greeted by Derrick. The butler hastily bowed and approached him, but Max simply strode up the staircase to where Jubelian would be. There, he crashed into another person—Merilyn.
“Oh! It’s nice to see you here once again. Lady Jubelian is busy at this moment—”
The crown prince ignored the maid as well—the only thing on his mind was his lover. He was sure that nothing would have happened. In fact, since the worrisome thoughts were slowly eating him away, he was checking for his own sanity. Anxious, Max unknowingly banged on the door. He swallowed nervously as he waited for the answer, and once the door creaked open…
“Master?” Having expected to be finally rewarded with her lovely appearance, Max felt his mood grow foul. What was the duke doing in her room? Ignoring him, Max looked into the room through the crack and saw the lady in the back. Realizing she was safe, he let out a sigh of relief. The only problem now was the obstacle standing between them. Max glared at his master with a murderous gaze. However, Regis did not flinch, and instead, he gave a death glare in return.
“I think I’ve already told you to be more responsible before.”
Hearing his cold voice, Max realized his master had no intention of letting him in. He wanted to force his master to leave but couldn’t dare to show violence in front of Jubelian. And so, he played the pitiful victim. “I am aware of this. There is a reason why I am here…!” Unfortunately, however, Regis had already read Max’s thoughts.
‘That b*stard. How dare he play the victim after sleeping with my daughter in the same bed?!’ Regis seethed. He trusted his daughter’s words. Even so, he couldn’t help but think Max was a good-for-nothing who needed to be kicked out of the mansion immediately. “Whatever the circumstances are, you must take responsibility for your position if you want to spend time with my—”
“Wait a minute!” Jubelian cried.
The duke flinched then sighed. ‘Is she going to take his side?’ In any case, Regis had no intention of letting this issue slide.
Determined, he was about to scold Jubelian when she demanded, “You two. I want to know what happened behind my back!” Regis was left bewildered by the unexpected words. He couldn’t understand how his usually slow-witted daughter had found out.
‘I thought she would never find out. What happened?!’ Max was equally perplexed.
Seeing the two men frozen in place, Jubelian frowned. “Tell me what happened already. What did you two talk about and when was it?” Neither Max nor Regis could tell the truth, however. Max didn’t want his lover to know that he had been beaten up by his master. Regis wanted to hide the fact that he had secretly followed his daughter around, as it was an indecent thing for a father to do. Having barely restored his relationship with his daughter, Regis did not want to go back to square one. The same was for Max regarding his romantic relationship. Silence filled the room, and Jubelian pouted. “Why? Is it because I am not good enough to know?!” she cried in irritation. The two men felt shivers down their spines.
“Jubelian, it’s not what you think… What happened was…” Max took the risk. However, Regis soon interrupted.
“I will tell her what happened.” Judging by the other’s sharp eyes, Max decided his master had a plan. Swallowing dryly, he nodded. “Remember when Max and I dueled?” the duke began.
“Yes,” Jubelian nodded. “At the training hall.”
“At that time, I had told him that swordsmanship was crucial if he wanted to be a suitable partner for you, but that that wasn’t all. I had also told him that he must be diligent in his duties as the crown prince.”
‘This man. He’s making it sound like I’m not doing my job!’ Max frowned slightly but remained silent because his master’s words about his lack of diligence were true to some extent. Also, if Max decided to reveal everything that had happened, he would be placed at a disadvantage.
Jubelian turned to Max. “Is that true?” she asked with innocent eyes.
Max did not want to lie to her, but he nodded. “Yes, it is.”
At his affirmation, Jubelian sighed. “Dad and Max, can’t you two just get along?” Disgusted and resentful of the suggestion, the two men’s faces crumpled.
‘Nonsense. He’s a cheeky b*stard who is always looking for a way to take you away from me.’
‘I would rather tell Beatrice that she is pretty than get along with that condescending man.’
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