Chapter 53

After finishing preparations for the tasting with the help of Max, it was already dinner.

“The time is already like this.” At my words, Max stared at me. I smiled brightly as I looked at him.

“It’s time to eat dinner soon.” Then he quietly replied to see if he thought of my words as congratulatory spirit.

“Okay, I’ll get going.” I didn’t mean it, but he’ve been working on it all this whole time. If I have shame, you can’t tell him to go home without food. I clasped his arm in a hurry. Then he stared at me with his eyes wide open.

“Why?”

“Go for dinner.” Then he looked a little wobbly. He was such a rare man that I told him, arm in arm. “Way to go. Marilyn go to the dining room and asked for a share of the guest.”

“Yes, Miss.” When Marilyn disappeared, a problem arose.

‘Oh, come to think of it, I have my father at home, will he be okay?’

I’m used to dining with my father. However, he may feel uncomfortable. I’m in a contract relationship to show my father. But today, I had some help, so it would be better to put his opinion first.

“Hey, by the way, I have my father at home. Are you okay? If you don’t want to, you’ll have to go out and eat.” At that time, he cut off my words and said firmly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The naive remark raised more anxiety than reassurance.

‘I hope nothing happens.’

***

Honestly, I didn’t want to eat with my teacher, but I couldn’t refuse it.

‘You can’t help asking me to do that. It’s annoying, but it’s heart-wrenching.’

Max stared at the Juvelian with rationalization. Now that the dizzying situation just came to mind, Max sighed.

‘By the way, does she have a sense of danger?’

Not trying to cut a rose with bare hands without gloves, nor did she throw it in danger with scissors. Being defenseless and clumsy in every job, Max could not just leave her alone. It was so just now.

“Max, the dining rom is not that way, but this side, ah!” Juvelian was stuttering as if she had lost his footing.

‘Why is he so careless?’

Max rushed to hold on to the Juvelian.

“Oh, thank you.” I don’t know why, but I could feel the sense of the slender waist arm vividly. And red lips that stand out well today. As if possessed, I couldn’t take my eyes off. From the inside, this strange impulse made my heart sink. The unconscious bird, Max, was tilting his head gradually. The face grew closer and closer. When it becomes a breath-taking distance. Something came into my eye.

“Max?” The moment he saw blue eyes mixed with violet light looking at him with wonder, Max was stunned.

‘What did I just do?!’

Max fell from Jubelian in a hurry.

“What’s wrong, Max?” I heard her voice, but I couldn’t answer it straight. The more I thought about my unfamiliar feelings, the more embarrassing and shameful I didn’t want to be. Will my heated face look like a lump in my face? With such a childish mind, Max turned his head away.

“Walk straight ahead.” In fact, I wanted to tell you to be careful, but there was an opposite blunt remark. But now I couldn’t possibly reverse it. I was afraid she’d catch me in this strange state. At that time, I felt a soft touch on my arm. Before I knew it, Juvelian, with her arms folded, was pouting her lips.

“Because you walked too fast in the first place, I was trying to follow you.” If it were others, he would have cut off their necks, saying that they were arrogant. But strangely enough, for Juvelian, he didn’t hate it.

“Okay. I’ll walk slowly.” Jubelian nodded at Max’s words.

“Yes, are you sure?” If it were the original, it was unimaginable to fit others. Slow and backward people were a burden to throw away. But when I walked slowly, I thought of this. Sometimes I think it’s okay to walk slowly.

***

As usual, the elegant figure of father sitting at the table took my breath in.

‘You’ve been there, too.’

It’s true that the development is different from what I first thought, so I’m worried a lot. But I had no intention of backing down because I had already come this far.

‘Yes, how do you stop your engagement to the Crown Prince?’

I opened my mouth, facing my father’s cool blue eyes.

“Father, the butler must have delivered it, but today Max is going to eat with us.”

One second, one minute, I don’t know how much time has passed. In the silence that is long if it is long and short if it is short, my father glared at us both with sharp eyes.

‘I’m in a hated situation, but will you just sit down when you notice?’

By the time that impulse came up, my father’s lips opened.

“Sit down.” With my father’s permission, I spoke to Max, sweeping my heart down.

“Sit next to me.” Originally, it would be right to sit across from me, but I’d rather teach you from the side because I’d gather good table manners. Sitting down with Max, the maids and servants carried the food. It was soup and appetizers for mouthwash.

“You can eat it with the spoon on the outermost side.” I don’t think you know, so give me a hint, he sighed at me.

“I know,··· Right, I see.” I was trying to grumble as usual, but I made a sharp turn. He didn’t seem to know.

‘Yes, it must be burdensome because you’re not used to this kind of position.’

I was just trying to feed him a meal, but I felt sorry and sorry for giving him a burden. At that time, a servant who was serving the meal came to us.

“Guest, we’re about to have a steak on the main dish, so how would you like to grill it?” A meat-grilled steak belongs to a fairly high-end dish here as well. The common people usually eat meat in stew or cook steamed dishes. That’s why he couldn’t have known how to grill meat.

“I’d like a medium rare, just like me.” Instead, I told him the proper grilling, and I saw Max staring at me. Yeah, I’m sure you’d appreciate it if I could help you in a difficult situation. I smiled at him and got it raw.

‘Now that it’s like this, I’m gonna help him not feel any trouble. And, ···.’

I looked at my father and recalled the purpose of the contract. ‘Will my father give up on the blind date if I show him kindness?’

* * *

‘I hate undercooked meat.’

I didn’t like meat that was in color since I was young. For that reason, it was honestly absurd that Juvelian just decided to grill it however she wanted.

“The beef tastes bad when it’s overcooked, so it’s just as good to grill.” But I couldn’t get a slap on her smiling face.

‘I can’t do it.’

With a sigh, Max took the salad off his front plate. Then, said the Juvelian, pointing to the salad fork.

“Salad was the knowledge that I had already known because I could eat it with this fork,” but Max could not say no. “Here’s the sauce.” It was so nice to see her smiling face wiping her mouth with a napkin.

‘It’s such an extreme sincerity, but I’m going to patronize it.’

Then, the main dish came out. Matthew, the Duke’s chef, gave a silent salute and introduced today’s dish of remorse.

“Today’s menu is veal steak with truffle. I cooked it in medium rare to make the meat taste tender.” Even with the chef Matthew’s explanation, Max was not impressed.

‘Steak, I’ve had enough.’

Soon after the main dish was placed in front of each other, Jubelian picked up the knife.

‘Is that all right?’

Strangely, I was anxious when the blade was held in that white hand. In fact, the Juvelian was making even the knife difficult.

‘If he gets cut off like that, ····.’

I wanted to take away that steak and cut it for her. Then, Jubelian stared at Max with her eyes wide open.

”Why aren’t you eating?”

“Oh, well.” I couldn’t be able to tell the truth that I had no time to eat because I was worried about you.

‘Why are you taking my plate suddenly?’

As if to answer the question, Jubelian held me up and said curiously.

“It’s hard to cut, so I’ll cut it for you.” Max felt something amazing.

‘No, I’m not a child, and I’ll do this run?’

It was when he was six years old that he mastered the tableware and table manners. Since then, neither the mother nor the nanny has told him that they will cut the meat. Furthermore, I didn’t want to see her cut herself with that hand.

“No, I just take care of it…” Even though he tried to take the plate out of her hand, she said firmly as she cut Max’s words.

“Don’t be burdened. I’m good at cutting.” To believe that, it was after Juvelian who saw her do it with a clumsy knife.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

When Max was frowning slightly, I heard a cold voice.

“Jubelian.” When he said that, Jubelian stopped cutting and stared at his father.

“Yes?” Although he was chopping the steak like that with his fine hand, Max’s reaction was cold. When Mikhail’s figure overlapped it, Regis’ gaze became cool.

‘Yes, it must be your real intention to use my daughter to appease me, Maximilian.’

The debt owed to Empress Sun has already paid off enough for Max to keep her until she became an adult. Regis stared at Max with fierce eyes.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to show that young man the power.’

At the moment when his hands were getting harder, Regis hesitated.

“Father?” Regis’s eyes stared at Juvelian. It was sad to see her trying so hard because she was blinded by love.

‘Yes, she’s still so happy, I’m going to have to put up with it.’

Regis said, chewing and spitting out patience.

“I’ll cut it for you.”