Chapter 249 - Let's Be... Happy

His eyes trembling, Max wondered, 'How did… she find out?' He knew this day was going to arrive eventually but had not been ready. His thoughts tangled into knots, and he remained silent.

He was contemplating whether he should feign ignorance again when Jubelian called, "Max?" She was frowning.

'If I tell her the truth…' he gazed into her periwinkle eyes. Immediately feeling uncomfortable, he realized he couldn't be candid. He was afraid that she might leave him. Despite the terrible feeling that poked at his conscience, Max decided to lie once more. Hastily grabbing her hands, he began, "It wasn't on purpose! It's because…" He couldn't continue, however, knowing that he had already done enough wrong by choosing to ignore the misunderstandings between the lady and her father.

Max had been dense enough to not realize the father-daughter relationship was a grave problem until Jubelian had bawled her eyes out a few days ago. Ever since then, his heart grew heavy at the sight of the lady, and such was the reason why he had avoided her. Despite his indifferent nature—he had never felt guilt for engaging in countless malicious acts—he now felt eternally indebted to Jubelian.

Desperate to resolve the discomfort, he decided not to fool her anymore. Tightly holding her slender fingers, he confessed, "It's because… I was afraid that you would leave me once you found out how much Master cherishes you as a daughter."

Jubelian widened her eyes, and then she sighed. Her voice stern, she asked, "So, you knew all along that Dad cared about me but chose not to tell me?"

Instead of answering her question, Max apologized, his voice growing smaller. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hiding it from you…" As he waited for her to speak, he felt his insides being charred black. Silence followed, and he lowered his head helplessly. It seemed this was the end.

Max soon felt her grab his feeble hands. "Thank you for telling me this, Max." Her words were unexpected. "Actually, I wouldn't have known even if you kept it a secret…"

Dumbstruck, Max's eyes widened. 'That's not… what she was talking about?'

He remained frozen as the lady continued, "Of course, you don't have to tell me every little thing, but what you told me just now—you've done it for the wrong reasons."

Criticized, Max lowered his head again and admitted, "I understand…"

With a sigh, Jubelian noted, "Still, it seems you at least have a moral sense seeing how you were apologizing in your sleep…"

'Moral sense?' Max knitted his brow at the unfamiliar term. He had slaughtered countless men and planned innumerable schemes against the empress' conspiracies. Nevertheless, he had never felt remorse until now.

"Guilt is not something you feel at once, you know. It starts as a menial worry at first, and before you know it, it has grown into a huge thorn you can't ignore."

'A thorn?' He recalled the discomfort he had felt the past few days. 'That must be it.' Max had done wrong by her, and it was only after this fault that he kept being reminded of the evil deeds he had committed throughout his life. They kept bothering him, and soon, they had grown intolerable.

Gently pulling him by the hand, the lady asked, "Well, do you feel better now after letting it out?" Max raised his head to see her rosy cheeks and unwavering gaze. "You must feel relieved… and like you've grown closer to me." He certainly did feel those ways. Until now, he had been worried that she would leave him. Now that he had confessed the truth, he was unencumbered.

Truly, she was amazing.

When Max first realized that he had grown fond of Jubelian, he thought she would become his weakness and tried to protect her. Little did he know, she was the one who had been protecting him—preventing him from falling into the depths of darkness.

'She's not my weakness. She's someone who brings me strength.'

He was suddenly reminded of his master's words: "Swordsmanship exists to protect precious things, not to kill. It seems you have forgotten this basic principle."

Max met her eyes. Although she was slow-witted at times, she had accepted him unconditionally, and he had learned a lot from her.

'I want to get stronger… for you,' he decided.

"By the way, does that mean you weren't going to date me if not for the contractual relationship?" she pouted suddenly. Max couldn't help but smile.

"I would have chased after you no matter what." Having reassured her, he brought her into his arms. "Thank you for everything."

She patted him on the back, then she reminded him about the very reason for their conversation. "So, are you going to tell me about what my dad said about me?"

Max flinched, then he sighed. "Ask away."

****

Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Jan.27.2024