Her expression back then was definitely the same expression she had when she stepped forward and said that she was going to protect him. 'I'll have to distance them from each other somehow. But the main problem is…' Aside from what Beatrice was up to, the two had promised to meet in two weeks before saying goodbye. What if his stepsister were to reveal her identity at the banquet in two weeks and tell Jubelian things that would ruin the crown prince's image? In the worst case scenario, the trust he had accumulated with her until now may disappear.

Feeling anxious, Max unconsciously slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket. 'I need to let her know that I'm harmless before that. How can I…' At that moment, he felt something thin inside his pocket. Without much thought, he took the mysterious object out and immediately realized what it was. It was the letter that he had failed to send to Jubelian a few months ago. A satisfied smile soon appeared on Max's face. 'At least I have a clear excuse to write to her now.' It didn't matter if it was a letter sent by a carrier pigeon or an official letter. Still, Max thought it would be better to send one without alerting the emperor or empress.

'Beatrice… I don't know what that woman is going to do, so it would be best to use a carrier pigeon.' Max thought for a moment about using a smarter pigeon this time, then lifted the corners of his mouth. 'After she reads the letter, she'll know for sure that I'm not a scary person, right?'

* * *

"See you in two weeks, Lady Jubelian!"

Although I hadn't danced even once throughout the night, the banquet I had worried so much about had ended without much trouble. I recalled back to how I used to receive a lot of requests for a dance, then wondered if it was my bland dress that was at fault. I then noticed my father reaching out his hand towards me.

"Let's go," he said.

I felt strange when I realized that my father was back to his original self. Today, my father was acting differently from usual, or should I be calling this his usual self? The sight of my father surrounded by others wasn't what was unfamiliar. It was the fact that he had suddenly been friendly to me these past few days and that I had gotten used to it, which made me feel like he was not being himself.

'He used to always be like this before… It's weird, no matter how much I think about it.' I suddenly had an uncanny thought that maybe he was normally nice to me and that there might be a reason why he avoided me.

"Jubelian?"

My thoughts scattered when I heard his voice call out to me. I shifted my eyes towards my father, the very person I was just thinking about. Now that I thought about it, my father's gaze towards me had always been the same. My ridiculous suppositions were concrete proof that my heart had become weak. I decided once again to remain indifferent towards my father's actions from now on, but the ripples had already begun spreading.

* * *

The emperor who was watching the guests gradually leave the banquet hall frowned slightly. 'No matter how much I think about it, Regis seemed different from usual today.' The duke had pretended to be calm as he greeted him, but the emperor could tell that he was definitely deviating from his normal self. 'It wasn't just because that apathetic guy was responding to me without hesitation, but he also seemed to be strangely showing a lot of concern for that wench.' Although the emperor had no exceptional ability, he made-up for it by being quick-witted. This was why he was able to infer a lot from the things that occurred at today's banquet.

'I heard he gave up on his one and only daughter since she was a yahoo… But to call such a shameless little girl a yahoo? That's nonsense that even a dog would laugh at.' The emperor recalled how Jubelian had bowed to him, and smirked. 'Could it be that he was trying to fool me?' He knew that Jubelian was just an ordinary girl who wasn't trained in swordsmanship, let alone have any of her father's talent. Until now, the emperor considered her to be worthless garbage and didn't pay any attention to her. However, starting today, the emperor decided to correct his judgement. She was still a piece of garbage, but she was the garbage that the vermin was interested in.

'I was worried that his leash might have loosened, so that's good.' The Regis that the emperor knew was a monster. Although the Eye of Kirke controlled him, it was unclear when the duke would break free and charge at the throne. 'Maximillian has also been more obedient than I thought he would be, but I'll have to wait and see since he's a dangerous guy by nature…' The corners of the emperor's mouth raised as he smiled sinisterly. 'I should keep a watchful eye on her first.'

<Continued in Volume 3>