The moment I finished speaking, I saw my father's disciple's eyes widen.
'I'm trying to save you, so keep your mouth shut. Okay?'
I sent a strong eye sign to my father's disciple.
But the backlash came from an unexpected place.
"What? Miss, what do you mean? He's not one of our men." The voice startled me.
'Oh, I forgot the knights that were standing behind me!'
The problem was that they had been discreet whenever I would go shopping.
Now that I'm used to ignoring them, I've forgotten about them.
I turned around and said calmly, "He's an escort my father secretly attached to me. He's a very skilled mercenary."
Geraldine responded stubbornly to my words. "But I didn't get any word."
I sighed.
'This is really bad timing.'
I lied to explain the situation later.
"I was the one who told Father to keep it a secret."
"Even so-"
"I'll tell you the details later. There's someone we're talking to right now."
Geraldine sighed and bowed his head. "Okay."
When Geraldine stepped back, I glared at Baron Gordon.
"So, you don't think you're going to get away with accusing my escort? Baron Gordon."
The man flinched at my words, but protested due to his pride.
"What do you mean? He made me fall, a nobleman, and gave me a hard time! What does the princess have in mind to compensate me for the damage?"
Some aristocrats hold their masters accountable for their servants' mistakes, so it wasn't a strange declaration.
'You're not close to me, yet you're saying you want a compensation?'
Given his rapid change of attitude, it seemed like he was not simple minded.
'Ha, I really hate it.'
At first glance at the situation, it seemed that the Baron unilaterally argued and urged for an apology.
'It can't be helped.'
In that case...
I responded silently, staring at the Baron, "My escort is from a mountain village, so he still doesn't know very well. It's my fault that I didn't teach him manners, and I'll take responsibility as his master."
I could see the Baron looking at me in a bright light.
'You're looking forward to how much you're going to charge us now? But eyes for eyes, teeth for teeth.'
Usually, one would punish their servants for their wrongdoings or pay the other party with money.
But I had no intention of beating up my father's disciple, nor had the slightest intention of wasting my precious fortune.
"Like my escort, the Baron is also giving me a hard time."
In a flash, I could see the laughter disappear from the Baron's face.
_
'Do you want me to lower myself to you?'
Baron Gordon, who was listening to the princess, trembled.
'I made a bad call.'
Apparently, the nobles who were close to the Floyen family talked about Princess Floyen as an arrogant and inexperienced little girl.
The overbearing gaze, arrogant speech, and the figure of the woman staring at him were not spoiled.
Rather, at that moment, he couldn't tell whether she was a girl or a beast that would threaten his life.
'You damn girl, knowing that I can't compensate you, you're going to be gutsy like this.'
He became an aristocrat only by his hard work.
If he talked informally to the princess to restore his self-esteem, it would cost him to lose this hard-earned position.
The Baron bowed his head in haste.
"I've been rude to the Princess. Please forgive me with a generous heart."
Even though he apologized, Juvellian shook her head and said coldly.
"I think it's not to me who the Baron should ask for forgiveness, but to my escort."
The Baron gritted his teeth.
He resented the Princess, making him bow his head towards such a lowly commoner was shameful.
However, if he didn't apologize, it would mean he's rebelling against the princess, as such he immediately bowed his head and opened his mouth.
"I'm sorry. I guess I misunderstood you."
At the Baron's words, who had been forced out of his mouth, Max looked down on him instead of answering.
'Hold on, you bastard! It doesn't matter if the princess is backing you, you're looking down on me too much-'
The Baron flinched as he stared at Max.
It was because he caught sight of bright red eyes that were filled with hatred.
'I didn't notice until now because I wasn't looking properly, but what kind of gaze is like that...'
His mind was flustered.
Murder request, threat, assault...
Baron Gordon has done everything he could possibly think of to get up to where he was now.
But even he had never seen such bright eyes.
'That's dangerous.'
The Baron, terrified by the petty commoner rather than the princess, gulped without realizing it.
He wanted to get out of this current predicament.
"I've apologized, so I'll leave you alone."
When the Baron disappeared, running away, Max glared at the back of the escaping man.
'Baron Gordon...I'll have to kill him sooner or later.'
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
As the face he wanted to see came into his sight, his eyes, which had a harsh light just a short moment ago, quickly became gentle.
'Did she expect me to get hurt by that kind of guy?'
Max hesitated to answer as usual.
< I'm already being ignored in society, how ridiculous would people think I am if you ignore me? >
Max answered, holding her small but warm hand tightly, "Yes, I'm all right."
At that moment, Juvellian's eyes opened wide.
_
'I didn't know he'd run away just like that.'
It was a pity that the Baron, who had just glazed his eyes, had run away, but it was nothing strange to think further about.
'I didn't mean to, but I ended up using my position.'
It was unintentional, but if I hadn't stopped him, he might have done something to father's disciple.
'No matter how good you are, if you defy the nobility, you will not be able to escape a harsh punishment.'
I stared at my father's disciple.
At first glance, it looked like he wasn't hurt.
'Well, seeing him all stiff, did he just get shocked by what happened?'
Worried, I turned to him and said, reaching out my hand, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
He turned his face towards me.
Well, he's not scared, given that his face is no different from usual.
'Good.'
Maybe it's because I've met you twice?
Even though he wasn't a friend or an enemy, I was talking to him comfortably.
'I'm so glad. I was so nervous about this that I was worried that he was trying to distance himself...'
Then, he took my hand.
'Well, he's holding on very tightly.'
He was holding my hand tight, as if he was a lost child who found his parents.
The sense of the big hand was so uptight that somehow a smile came up.
'But I guess I was relieved to see someone I knew.'
He seemed to have opened his heart to me a little bit, so I thought it wasn't in vain to feed and put him to sleep.
"Yes, I'm alright."
I heard the respect I thought I would never hear from this person.
At that moment, instead of questioning my intact ears, I doubted him.
'No, did this person eat something wrong?'
I couldn't understand why a person, who was almost got in trouble because he insisted on speaking informally, had suddenly used honorifics.
"Hey, you're all right, aren't you?"
There was a scuffle before I came, so he might have been hit on the head.
The thought kept me staring at his head. But I couldn't see well because he was tall.
'Isn't one of the key of handsomeness being tall anyway?'
In fact, he was tall, but his face was also really handsome.
Even now, many people stopped walking and looked at him.
"Who is the gentleman over there?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but isn't that Princess Floyen with him?"
"Oh my god. They are holding hands."
No matter how wide the capital was, we were in the middle of a shopping area where many nobles visited.
It was not unreasonable that there were people who recognized me, as I was notorious in the social world.
"Hey, you can let go now...."
It was when I was about to let go of his hand and tell him to move, that he spoke, "I have something to say to you. The contract you mentioned before..."
Apart from the goose bumps at his polite words, I was amazed and forcefully closed his mouth with my hand.
"Yes, it's because of the down payment I'm getting from my father, right?"
Because all he has to say to me now is an answer about the contract relationship.
'I can't do it in a place where people can hear all these important things.'
"Follow me."
I held his hand and dragged him to my carriage. "Come on, get in."
I thought he would get on the carriage at my words, but he glanced at me and opened his mouth.
"You get on first." I felt a weird lingering feeling.
'Are you really nice?'
As soon as the door closed, I opened my mouth.
"Well, why didn't you say anything back then and just left?"
I was worried about his face that seemed angry at the time.
I was wondering if he hated my contract relationship idea so much.
Soon he stared at me with arrogant eyes, then opened his mouth as if he didn't want me to see him.
"You don't need to know."
That's right, after all, people can't change easily.
_
"I'm going to have a conversation, so take guard around the carriage."
Although she was giving a strong command, it wasn't coercive because she had a soft tone.
Thinking that the voice was good to hear, Max stared at Juvellian.
She always seemed thoughtful in front of him, but she still seemed somewhat clumsy.
He was worried that someone might try to use her.
But now that Juvellian was clearly showing the elegance of being the only daughter of the Duke, who was the next highest rank after the Imperial Family...
"And I do believe in you, but if you overhear the conversation, I will reprimand you."
It was unfamiliar to him, but on the other hand, he was relieved.
'Well, it's a good thing.'
Soon after the carriage door closed, Juvellian looked at him.
"Hey, why didn't you answer me back then?"
Even Max, who was rarely embarrassed, was unsettled by the question.
'What should I say?'
He couldn't even be honest.
< Then I'll run away. >
The moment he revealed himself as the Crown Prince, she would run away.
_
[ note : he's so soft for her i can't- ]