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☾ forty - four ☾

"Max, I..."

"Get up."

"But, now..."

"Because I will be the one to apologize!"

I was so moved seeing him keep telling me to get up.

"I have an important matter to talk to with my father now..."

I heard my father's voice above my head, "Okay, first get up and talk to me."

'What's wrong with them?'

I was embarrassed for a moment, but I remembered that I had not achieved my intended purpose yet.

'It's too early to let our guard down, because my father didn't accept his apology.'

My immediate goal is to withdraw the scandal.

Instead of getting up, I answered, shaking my head.

"Father, it's my fault Max is being rude now. So please forgive me..."

Even before my words were over, my father nodded, "Yes, I forgive you. So get up."

'Huh, that easy?'

As I was looking at my father, Max reached out his hand to me.

I took that his hand, and I felt his warmth.

He raised me up, and then wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

'What a strange feeling.'

He used to be someone who was cold towards me when I first met him.

'To think he would reach out like this.'

My father spoke coldly as he stared blankly at the hand around my shoulder, "But that doesn't mean I allowed you two to date."

I sighed at his determined voice.

'Yes, it can't be that easy.'

_

Regis stared at his daughter in sorrow.

'It's my fault.'

He was in a situation where he couldn't give her the love she deserved even if he wanted to.

Nevertheless, Regis wanted to do everything she wanted but there was something untenable in the present situation.

'You can choose whoever you want. Anybody but him.'

A Prince who is distrusted by his father, the Emperor.

Max's situation was like a candle in the wind.

The majority of the aristocrats were distrustful of the Crown Prince based on malicious rumors.

The current Empress, who took control of the Senate, was constantly sending assassins at Max while manipulating the public opinion of the Empire.

The Crown Prince is known as tyrant who sheds no blood or tears, someone who only sees their troops as chess pieces.

But over time, his disciple became exactly as those rumors said.

< I don't mean to stand in the way of the Duke with this child. Please accept the child as your disciple, this will be my last request. >

At first, he thought about the debt he owed to the Previous Empress and tried to educate his disciple again and again.

But what came back was only cynicism.