That was when she pushed him away by the chest. Retreating, she whispered, "Max, we should stop here…" The lady's lips and eyes were red and slightly swollen. Her appearance was so provocative—Max would tear apart anyone who saw her like this.

'I'm going crazy.' In fact, it wasn't just her neck he wanted to taste. He wanted to savor her whole body from head to toe. 'But if I did that, she might run away from me.' He had finally met her halfway after much meandering. He couldn't blow his chance now. Gathering the leftover patience he had, Max slowly drew away. Still, he didn't want to quit like this. Turning his head, he kissed her cheek gently.

His eyes burning with desire, he decided that he needed to do something so that the lady wouldn't run away from him. Of course, the means he came up with included a marriage, which she hated. Regardless, Max began contemplating if he should propose to her once she came of age.

Oblivious to his evil desires, Jubelian stroked his head proudly and whispered, "Good job."

Max tilted his head slightly so that she could not see his smile.

* * *

At first, I was bewildered because he had acted like a wild beast out of control. But as soon as I stopped him, he halted his rough and clumsy kiss. Well, clumsy… but it was more lustful than I had expected. Well, he was old enough to know what he needed to know.

Currently, I was two months away from coming of age. Mentally, I was an adult, but going beyond this would be going against my morals. Glad that he had listened to me, I patted his head.

As the heat subsided, and my heart gradually stabilized, I asked what I had been curious about. "Um, Max?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you wearing the mask today? It isn't because you were afraid an ill-rumored girl like me would say hello to you, is it?" I asked playfully, but he responded in a grave tone.

"It's far from that. I just do not want to show my face to my enemies."

My heart sank. Now that I thought about it, Max must have led a perilous life walking between the power-hungry emperor and the empress. T!hi%s% ve+r!sio*n was s!ource^d* f#r@o#m+ M$|V|L^EM@PYR.^

'I won't let you suffer anymore,' I came to such a decision as I observed his precious face. In an attempt to lift the heavy atmosphere, I asked lightheartedly, "Then why did you hide your identity from me? Am I your enemy as well?"

He furrowed his brow slightly in response to my question and answered, "You told me… that you were afraid of the crown prince."

I was speechless. It was true I had spoken negatively about the crown prince, but… Just then, everything I had said about the crown prince and the things I'd done to avoid him passed my mind.

"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."

"Even if he poses as a good person on the outside, it is unknown what his true intentions are."

"Do you know how I felt when I realized the similarity between the two letters? I was scared out of my mind—so frightened that I had goosebumps throughout my body."

Now that I thought about it, I had spoken out of turn many times in front of the crown prince himself. 'It seems he had no choice but to do everything to hide his identity from me.' I sighed.

Turning to me, he opened his mouth. "Would you believe me if I told you that all the rumors you've heard about me were made up by the empress?"