His eyes dim, Max stared at Jubelian. Had she just rejected him? Anger had surged just a moment ago when he had seen her conversing with another man. Unlike the innocent lady, the man beside her was watching her with yearning eyes like a dog waiting for its master's pats. To further ignite Max's fury, the man had mentioned having dinner together with the lady.

Max had wanted to push away the man immediately, but he had suppressed his violent desires, afraid that Jubelian might come to dislike him. Nevertheless, she had calmly ignored him and sided with the man instead.

"As you can see, I am having an important conversation with an acquaintance."

It seemed that she didn't realize how the attention-thirsty man was looking at her. The frustration only exacerbated Max's upset feelings. If he could, he wanted to destroy the workshop and get rid of anyone who dared to lay their eyes on the lady. Only then would he be left alone with Jubelian to receive her full attention.

Nevertheless, he had no choice but to vanquish his lust for destruction once he met the lady's ocean-colored eyes. He didn't want to receive her hatred, for he couldn't imagine a world without her anymore.

"Monster" was his nickname, and befittingly, his world had always been a bleak and achromatic one. Such a thing didn't matter to him though. It was how he had carried himself since birth, and he had been satisfied with doing so. That was until one day when he accidentally came across a light—a brilliant one that colored his gray world.

Wanting to keep the light in his possession, Max had reached out for it. The light nonetheless spoke back.

"He's scary. I heard he even kills his own subordinates."

Fear had engulfed Max for the first time in his life. He was afraid that the light might leave him if he wasn't careful. Such a concern prompted him to play a harmless being in front of her. He was forced to let go of his pride at times, but that didn't matter. She was the only light in his life. He could endure anything to keep her by his side.

But for some reason, it seemed like she was always at the tip of his fingers, running away from him. It was as if he were chasing after an illusion—like the moon in the night sky. He could run as fast as he could or even try to fly for her, but she was always out of reach.

'I just need one chance…'

That was when Max felt the warmth from Jubelian's hand seep into his. Unwilling to let her go, he held on tightly. The lady looked back with surprised eyes. Staring intently, he pledged, '…and I will never let you go.'

* * *

I dragged Max around for a while, looking for a private place to talk. It was only when we ended up at the roof of the workshop that I decided it was quiet enough. It was already dusk, and the darkness was inhibiting me from seeing his face clearly.

"Max," I called. He stared back without a word in response. Unlike before when he was glaring at me in irritation, his eyes were gleaming with a strange light. "I'm sorry," I apologized right away.

"About what?" he asked back coldly. It was different from how he usually spoke to me.

Understanding why he might be upset, I answered, "Just now… I misunderstood you."

"What do you mean?" he queried in oblivion.

I was dumbstruck. I realized I had yet to accept his confession—I couldn't admit that I was disappointed to see him with another woman. Just the thought of doing so was embarrassing. I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Ah, I just thought you had violated our contract."

"Violate the contract?" He widened his eyes.

Feeling shy, I avoided speaking straightforwardly. "Well, you know what I mean… You said the same thing to me."