The moment he saw Jubelian, Max could feel his accumulated fatigue and frustration dissipate.

'She's beautiful.' The lady he had not seen for what seemed like centuries was elegant as always. Her silver hair was braided loosely today, and her baggy clothes he had never seen made her look like an angel. 'How can a person be so lovely?' If he could, he wanted to hug her slender body and kiss her right away. Max barely suppressed his feral desires. His eyes fixed on her, he swallowed nervously. 'I'll go into the room first before I…' However, Jubelian hardened her face and slammed the door.

'She closed the door on me? What did I do?!' Max felt as if he had been hit in the head with a brick. However, he realized something and clenched his fists. 'Damn it! Now that I think about it… I probably look hideous in her eyes.' He had not realized his appearance might not be on par with his usual since he had come running after abandoning his training. 'I forgot there were many noblemen anxious to win her heart… I should have paid more attention to how I look.' Max grew impatient once he realized that Jubelian might be disappointed with his appearance. Unable to stand still, he left the mansion to approach her by the window to her room.

* * *

"Come in."

After entering the room, he stood in front of me as if he was waiting for something. I was expecting a hug, but he sighed instead and began, "Jubelian, about today's attire…"

Was he trying to point out what I was wearing? It was true that I was dressed more comfortably than normal. Still, I couldn't help but blame him. How could he criticize me so openly when he was the one who visited without notice? Embarrassed, I hastily changed the topic. "The weather is wonderful today, isn't it?!" I realized I had made a mistake only after yelling out whatever was on my mind. It was a cloudy day—it looked as if it was going to rain at any moment. Desperate to redeem myself, I added, "Oh, I just like these kinds of days. The sun isn't in your face, you know?" I barely managed to stay calm. Max attentively listened to my nonsense then nodded with a smile.

"You're right."

I ended up staring at his face without realizing it—it seemed he had gotten even more handsome. I then hurriedly turned away and asked, "What have you been up to? You haven't visited me for the past few days."

He stiffened at my question and replied sternly, "It's nothing that should concern you."

I sighed. Did he not trust me? Although a lot had changed, I was aware of the many events that took place in the original writing. There was a chance that I could be of help to him. "Is it top-secret? I want to know, Max," I pleaded with his hands in mine.

Blushing, Max nodded, "Fine."

"Thank you."

He showed a faint smile. Then dodging my eyes, he asked, "Before that, I wanted to ask something… About my attire today, do I look awful?"

I froze in place. Was he talking about himself? I was embarrassed that I had misunderstood him. Now that I thought about it, I had judged him many times in front of him. 'At least I don't do that anymore,' I sighed.

"From now on, I will never show up to see you with such a hideous appearance. So, please forgive me."

'What is he saying?! He doesn't know that his handsome appearance will make everything okay. Hell, he can wear clothes made out of straws, and I would say that's fine.'