'He's been staring at me for a while now.' Honestly, he was lucky that it was me he was staring at. Had it been someone else, they would have misunderstood him. 'Is there really nothing else he likes besides swords?' If this was true, I was beginning to feel sorry for him.

"If you carefully think about it, then you should be able to come up with something else you like. You can tell me even if it's something trivial, so don't feel pressured."

At my words, he slowly reached out his hand towards me. I stared as his long fingers gradually approached my face. 'What is he trying to do?' When I looked into Max's eyes, I could see them shaking weakly. 'He looks confused.' Instead of stopping him, I decided to wait and see what would happen.

"I'm not sure yet," he spoke in a strange tone as he removed some hair from my face.

I watched his fingers slowly move away from me. "Why didn't you tell me that I had hair there?" I asked.

"Can't I be the one to remove it?" He frowned slightly.

"Ah, well… sure." It was true that we were in a contractual relationship. He was probably practicing so he would be ready in front of others, so I understood why he did it. "You know… you don't have to act when we're alone," I said, just in case he was bothered by having to do it, but he didn't reply.

'Seriously, he doesn't even realize when I'm being considerate towards him.' I grumbled quietly, then remembered something I had forgotten about.

"Oh, come to think of it, did you make up with my father?"

Max shook his head at my question.

'Wait, they still haven't made up?' The two of them seemed so motivated earlier to have a conversation, but they must have just ended up drinking tea in silence. I sighed in frustration. 'Will I have to continue doing this despite my father's objections after all?' As expected, nothing was easy.

"Why are you making that face?" Max asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just frustrated."

"About what?"

I debated over whether or not I should answer him honestly. 'It's up to him to decide whether he makes up with my father or not. He might get offended if I tell him my honest thoughts.'

I tried to read his face before vaguely speaking. "I think my father still hasn't given up on marrying me off to the crown prince."

Max narrowed his eyes slightly at my words. "Do you hate the crown prince that much?"

"Huh?" I was taken aback by his sudden question. He was watching me with a serious expression on his face.

'Do I have to tell him what's truly on my mind?' I sighed, then soon came to the decision that I didn't have to tell him about these things.

"You know… all you have to do is help me avoid getting engaged to the crown prince. So…"

He suddenly glared at me with a fierce look. Normally, I would have continued without hesitation, but seeing the sudden change in his expression made me pause mid-sentence.

"Why are you trying to avoid your engagement to the crown prince?" he questioned in a low voice.

I clenched my fists. His question had made me forget what I was originally going to say. 'Because he's a psychopath who's supposed to kill me in the future!' Others may be afraid of him, but that was the extent of their worries. On the other hand, he was going to be the cause of my death. I was sure that my life was going to be over the moment we met.

"Be honest. I'm just asking what you dislike about him."

His words held a valid point since he may have been an extra character at the beginning of the novel but was now involved with me, the villainess. 'Even so, I can't tell him the truth. He probably wouldn't believe me if I did.' Therefore, I ended up only telling him part of the truth.

"He's scary. I heard he even kills his own people if he doesn't like them."

Max gazed at me with trembling eyes as if he were shocked by my words. I began to worry as the color drained from his face and he became as pale as wax.

'Is he okay?' I thought about shaking his shoulders to snap him back to normal when he knitted his eyebrows together. 'I haven't done anything yet.'

As if to put my thoughts to shame, he glared at me resentfully. "Scary? But… you've never seen him before."

His sudden change in expression caught me off guard, but I quickly shook my head. "Dangerous animals like bears or leopards are still scary even if one has never seen them. It's similar to that. If I meet him, then my life will be put in danger," I said. Even though I had provided an adequate comparison, he only gave me a confused look in return.

"Your life will be put in danger? What makes you say that?" he asked.

I realized I had been speaking in an exaggerated manner about the crown prince. "Oh, well… it's because of all of those vulgar rumors…"

Max's expression hardened at my words and he let out a sigh. "If he promises not to kill you, will you marry the crown prince?"