Chapter 89 - My Preferences or Yours?

Max’s closet was full of neutral colors. His casual clothes, dress suits, and even the armor he wore on the battlefield were all black, which clearly showed his preferences. ‘Alright, it’s too early to jump to conclusions.’ He decided to wait and see the clothing first before making a judgment. ‘What is that hideous thing?’ Seeing the clothes that the seamstress brought out, Max freaked out. She had brought out a red justaucorps that was embroidered with gold. The outfit was noticeable from a distance and far from his taste. 

“I don’t like this…” he tried to refuse but stopped when he saw Jubelian staring at him with glistening eyes.

“Would you like to try it on?” Even though it was only a suggestion, Max couldn’t bring himself to say no. After he put on the clothes, the seamstress started to fawn over him again.

“Wow, it really suits you.”

Max frowned while looking in the mirror. ‘Is this okay?’ After his mother’s death, Max had stopped wearing such colorful clothing. Maybe that was why his appearance seemed strange to him.

“What do you think? Do you like it?” Caught up in the confusion of the moment, he nodded. “That’s a relief. I was worried since it was more of my taste.” She smiled brightly. Max felt strange when he heard her say the word ‘taste.’ He took another glance at himself in the mirror and found that he looked better than he initially thought.

“Max,” Jubelian calmly called him. Without him noticing, she had approached him and was now gazing at him with her jewel-like eyes. Max could feel his heart pounding under her stare. “Let’s go now.” Max gently took her fine hand that she held out and heard a soft whisper. “The clothes are a gift from me.” 

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have accepted such a thing, even if it was a gift. However, he remembered her words, “That’s a relief. I was worried since it was more of my taste.” Because of this, he decided to show generosity and accept her gift.

* * * 

‘I’m worn out.’ As I was visiting the various shops on Arcade Street with Max, I could feel multiple stares on us. I turned to the main source of all the attention. ‘He was handsome in just a dark cape, but now that he’s dressed up, he was something else.’ It is said that ‘fine clothes make the man,’ however, in this case, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the clothes were benefiting from him. ‘How could a face like that not be mentioned in the original novel?’ My expression hardened as I blamed the author for the strange setup of the characters.

“Oh, who’s this? If it isn’t Lady Floyen!” a voice called out.

“Ah, long time no see, Esteemed son of Viscount Droil,” I replied. 

Grinning, he slyly approached and bowed at my words. “The noble lady is beautiful today, as always.”

“Thank you.”

We were exchanging casual greetings when he said, “But the person next to you… is someone I’ve never seen before.” Since he attended many parties, it was obvious that he would know most of the public figures who lived in the capital. It wasn’t unreasonable for him to be curious about someone he didn’t recognize.

‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore if rumors spread.’ My goal was to avoid getting married off to the crown prince. To have met Radian, who was a very talkative person, I guess I was lucky. “This is my boyfriend, Max.” 

At my words, a strange glow appeared in Radian’s eyes. “Oh, if you don’t mind, could you tell me which family he’s from?” 

I tried to give a vague answer, but Max spoke up before I had the chance. “That is none of your business.” 

I sighed at his cold words. ‘Ah, this guy… is going to cause trouble after all.’

* * *

The greedy gaze that was looking Jubelian up and down was not an unfamiliar sight to Max. As someone who grew up in the palace and roamed the battlefield, he recognized the look as greed and the desire to conquer. He became inexplicably angry when he realized this. ‘How dare someone like him…’ He didn’t know why, but he wanted to twist the insolent man’s neck. Nevertheless, he held himself back because of Jubelian’s eyes that seemed to be telling him to be patient. Looking at her periwinkle eyes, the feelings that overwhelmed him strangely subsided. It was similar to the peace he felt when he first fell asleep in her room. Max clenched his fists and suppressed his murderous intent. ‘Why on earth am I holding myself back?’ While he was questioning himself about his unexplainable actions, Jubelian spoke.

“Ah, my boyfriend is from the countryside far away from here, so he’s not well versed on the manners here. I hope you understand.”

Max narrowed his eyes at her calm voice. ‘I finished learning manners when I was nine years old.’ For the royal family, etiquette and manners were only means of seeing if one person was acting improperly to another. By the way Radian was acting, Max could tell that he was being rude. ‘How dare a mere son of a viscount talk this way to the daughter of a duke?’ Max gripped his fists even harder, the blue veins on the back of his hand becoming more prominent. He sent Radian a warning glare, but the man with snake-like eyes didn’t appear even a little intimidated.