'He's probably not used to situations like this… He must be uncomfortable.' My original plan had been to treat him to a meal, but now I felt like I was putting pressure on him. I felt pity for him and was sorry for putting him in such a predicament when one of the servants who was serving the food approached us.

"Dear guest, the main dish for today is steak. How would you like it cooked?"

Steak, which was prepared by grilling the whole meat, was considered a fairly high-end dish here as well. Commoners usually put meat in a stew or cooked it into steamed dishes, which was why I thought there was no way he would know how he wanted his steak cooked.

"Medium rare for both of us, please."

As I informed the servant of the proper amount of grilling, I could see Max glaring at me. I had no doubt that he was appreciating my help in this burdensome situation. I smiled at him and thought, 'Now that we've made it this far, I'll help him so that he doesn't face any more hardships. And…' I glanced at my father and recalled the purpose of starting this contractual relationship.

'If I show that we're affectionate towards each other, my father… will give up on the prospective marriage partners, right?'

* * *

'I hate undercooked meat.'

Since Max was young, he didn't like bloody meat. Which was why he was taken aback when Jubelian decided on her own how his steak was going to be cooked.

"Beef isn't good when it's cooked too long. Medium rare is the perfect amount of grilling," she said with a smile.

Seeing her beaming face, Max couldn't bear to criticize her. 'It can't be helped.' With a sigh, he took some salad from the bowl and put it onto his plate.

"You can eat the salad with that fork," Jubelian said and pointed at the salad fork. Max already knew everything she told him, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything in retaliation.

"You have some sauce here," she noted. It was certainly pleasant to see her smiling as she wiped his mouth with a napkin.

'She's so devoted. I'll have to be kind towards her.'

At that moment, the main dish came out. Matthew, the chef of the Floyen household, bowed in silence, then introduced the dish he prepared. "Today's meal is calf steak with truffles. They're cooked medium rare for a smooth texture."

Max wasn't impressed with Chef Matthew's explanations. 'I've had enough steak to grow sick and tired of it.'

After the main dishes were placed in front of everyone, Jubelian picked up her knife. 'Will she be okay?' Max worried. He felt uneasy for some reason as he watched Jubelian pick up the sharp utensils with her pale hands and began to cut into the steak. 'If she ends up cutting herself…' If he could've, he would've taken the knife from her and cut it for her instead.

Jubelian looked over at Max with curious eyes. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Oh, it's just…" He couldn't tell her the truth, which was that he couldn't eat because he was worried about her. "I was just about to eat…" Max was about to make up an excuse, but his eyes widened in surprise at what happened next.

'Why is she taking my plate all of a sudden?'

As if to answer his thoughts, Jubelian spoke in a pompous tone with the knife in hand. "Since it's difficult to, I'll cut it for you."

Max was stunned at her ridiculous words. 'She's going to go this far as to do this for me? I'm not even a little kid!' Max had finished learning table manners and how to use silverware when he was six years old. Since then, neither his mother nor his nanny had offered to cut his meat for him. Furthermore, he didn't want her to use a knife with those hands.

"No. I can do it myself—" Max straightened his expression and tried to take his plate back. However, Jubelian interrupted him with a firm voice.

"Don't worry. I'm good at cutting."

It was impossible to believe her when he had already witnessed her unskillfully cut her steak. 'She's driving me crazy.' Max narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard a cold voice.

"Jubelian."

"Yes?" Jubelian stopped cutting the steak and looked at her father.

To Regis' eyes, Max was being completely indifferent towards Jubelian, even though she was cutting his steak with such dainty hands. His disciple's reaction reminded Regis of Mikhail, causing his eyes to grow cold.

'I see that your true intention is to use my daughter to win me over, Maximilian.' He had already fully repaid the debt he owed to the late empress by protecting Max until adulthood. Regis stared at Max with fierce eyes. 'It wouldn't hurt to show that kid the power of authority.' He slowly clenched his fists, but stopped when he heard his daughter's voice.

"Father?"

Regis turned his eyes toward Jubelian. She was the apple of his eye, and he felt sorry for her seeing her trying so hard because she was blinded by love. 'I'll have to put up with him for a while… since she likes him so much.'

Regis greatly pushed his patience to the limit and spit out, "I'll cut the steak for you."