Crumpling his face, the emperor smashed the arm of his chair. He was enraged by what his indecent son had done. Still, Max's actions were justified. "How incompetent of you," the emperor muttered under his breath.

Gale lowered his head. "I apologize about the mishap, Your Majesty. It was my fault for misguiding my subordinates."

Gritting his teeth, the emperor recalled what his daughter had done. 'I suppose even the savages from the south now have reasons to reject her given what that wench had done to Hessen's eldest son…'

The emperor was able to control Duke Floyen with Circe's Eye, but the same was not true for the rest of the influential nobles in the empire as a lot had changed after the war against Tezeria. One of the most powerful nobles was indeed Marquis Hessen, who was the second-ranked imperial swordsman and the eldest of the nobles.

'It's all because of that stupid girl.' Although she was the Assiette Empire's only princess, the emperor never had great expectations for her. It was true she possessed a captivating aura, but marrying her off to a dominant nobleman's family would not be enough to convince them to side with him.

'The better position would be the emperor's daughter-in-law rather than the emperor's son-in-law.' Such was why he had tried to send Beatrice away to another country. Nonetheless, the girl had not only ruined this plan but had rejected Mikhail in a public place.

'I will need to fix that head of hers…' the emperor decided.

Just then, the grand chamberlain called from outside the study. "Your Majesty, Mikhail Albert Hessen, the eldest son of Marquis Hessen, is asking for an audience."

The emperor sighed deeply. 'Did that sly man already send his son for a shell game?' Calming his mind, he opened his mouth. "Let him in."

"I greet the Great Sun of our empire," Mikhail acknowledged once he entered.

Smirking, the emperor thought, 'He is definitely handsome—of course, not as much as when I was younger.' Then clearing his throat, he asked coldly, "Is anything the matter?"

The gentleman slowly opened his mouth. "I have something to ask of you, Your Majesty."

Realizing what was coming, the emperor narrowed his eyes. "Speak what it is that you wish for, heir of the great Hessen household."

The knight kneeled in response to the grave tone. The emperor was slightly taken aback by this action.

'What is he up to?'

"I would like to apologize directly to Her Highness as I understand I have made her upset."

The emperor slowly raised the corners of his lips in response to the unbelievable words. '…I did need more servants. I cannot believe Beatrice would become of use like this!' Only now realizing his daughter's potential, the emperor chuckled. "Of course, I will set up an appointment for you two."

* * *

Throughout the banquet, Regis had been hiding—watching everything his daughter was going through.

"There are times when you must trust your partner and wait for them."

He sighed as he recalled what he had told Max previously. It was truly difficult to put his own words to practice. He had decided to trust his disciple but had almost made a mistake due to his impatience. When the leader of the Dragon Knights had grabbed his daughter by the wrist with his filthy hand, Regis was overcome with an incredible urge to leave behind everything and attack the man. If Max had shown up a minute later, Regis would have killed all the knights in front of his daughter and the princess.

'I almost went against my plan.' A murderous smile characterized his face for a moment. Regis turned his eyes to his beloved daughter. Just a moment ago, she had gladly embraced another person even under a threat.

'You have always been that way.'

"Daddy, you trust me, don't you?"

Regis could feel a lump in his throat as he recalled the precious memories of his daughter when she was only a child. Holding the pendant hanging from his neck, Regis spoke quietly with a soft smile. "I always believed you, Jubell. You were always my light, and there was no day when I was not proud of you." Then, clenching the pendant tightly, Regis pledged, "For that reason, I will protect you until the end."