Max said with a cheerful smile, "Of course you can. Yet, as you well know, it would be extremely dangerous to engage in a direct fight with monsters. I'm just anxious to find out if you'll back it up."
Camilla raised her eyebrows in response to Max's remarks. She gave him a shocked expression, then giggled after a while. She used her fingers to push her lips together to hold back her giggle. Max was staring at her with mesmerizing eyes. His ears became bright red, and a smile appeared on the side of his lips.
"If I make you happy with my performance, I hope you won't worry about me," Camilla stated.
Max sighed and replied, "Let's see, Camilla. But I'll be happy if we're on the same team." They both smiled at one another and then Camilla heard her name out of nowhere.
"Camilla."
Max and Camilla both moved their heads straight when they saw Francis standing there. Francis approached them and greeted Max.
"Hey, Max."
"Hello, Lord Francis."
"How's your health, Camilla?" Francis inquired, flashing a faint smile their way.
"Francis, I'm OK," Camilla replied.
"The competition will begin in two days. Do you prepare yourself well?" he asked in a formal tone.
Camilla nodded slightly in agreement and continued, "I will do my best."
Francis smiled and took a glance around. Afterward, he asked Camilla, "Where is Adela? She was with you, right?"
"She was with me. But the second prince arrived unexpectedly, so I left them alone.
"What?" Francis's eyelids grew droopy when he heard Camilla. In a flash, his face had altered, and his smile had vanished. He posed a broad question while fiercely crossing his arms.
"What? Did you let her spend time with the second prince alone?"
Camilla slightly arched her brows and nodded. "Well, they were chatting about their stuff, so I thought—."
Francis cut her off mid-sentence, asking, "So you planned to leave her alone with him? Camilla, how on earth could you do that?"
Camilla looked perplexed and said, "What did I do?"
Francis's response perplexed her and did not know how to respond to him or what to say to him. She decided to leave them alone since she felt they needed some alone time to talk. Adela and the second prince had a close connection with one another.
"The Second Prince is not as simple as he makes it seem. Camilla, when are you going to get all of this? Because of the way you treat people so casually, it's not what you think; all of them are awful, and some of them are much worse. Please attempt to act more responsibly and stop taking everyone at their word." Francis spoke furiously.
Max's eyebrows furrowed as he overheard Francis yelling at Camilla. Camilla regarded Francis with a harsh frown on her face.
Max said, "Lord Francis, it is not a big issue that you have to shout at Camilla. Adela is capable of managing herself effectively."
"Senior, please say nothing about this. Each time, Adela always considered Camilla. She was so concerned that she didn't consider putting her life in danger of saving Camilla for the last time. But Camilla, why do you consistently act in such a childish manner that simply irritates people?"
"Enough of this, Lord Francis," Max spoke as soon as he heard Francis. He thought Francis's words to Camilla were a little disrespectful. Because he was aware of Camilla's current feelings for Francis, he could sense how she was feeling. But Francis's behavior had become quite rude to her.
Camilla thought to herself that she was really being dumb while Francis was busy trying to insult her and Max was trying to safeguard her. What did she expect Francis would say? She only ever witnessed him help Adela when she was a teenager. He only knew Adela; if he brought anything intriguing, he showed it first to Adela; if it was about something secret, he shared it only with Adela; and if it was about priority, it was always Adela, then where she was. She was nowhere; she did not exist anywhere in his heart.
Camilla's expression abruptly turned serious, and she lowered her gaze. In their conversation, she interrupted, saying, "Senior, I have to go see my father. If you have done so, you are welcome to accompany me; otherwise, I shall go alone."
Max and Francis both gave Camilla a shocked expression. They noticed Camilla giving them a chilly glare while maintaining a serene, carefree expression. Francis's eyelids grew droopy when he heard Camilla. He could not comprehend why she did not respond to him. She was behaving so composedly while ignoring him in such a formal manner. Max glanced at Francis before turning to gaze at Camilla. It also shocked him to see why Camilla did not even react.
When Max noticed Francis talking rudely with Camilla, he thought Camilla would cry because of the rudeness and be hurt, but it seemed he was wrong. But how could he possibly be wrong? Camilla was a delicate girl who didn't understand the complexities of the world and needed to be protected from unpleasant things. However, things abruptly altered because she learned how to hide her emotions from others and how to repress her sadness.
Max parted his lips to say something, but Francis interrupted him, saying, "Camilla, are you not sorry at all?" When Francis asked Camilla how she felt, Camilla lowered her gaze, took a small step to the side, and said calmly, "I don't need to say how I feel; if I feel sorry, I will tell her that. Senior, I am taking my leave."
Camilla moved toward the administrative building as she spoke. Max gave a stern look at Francis and spoke, "Lord Francis, Camilla has feelings as well, so don't put anything on her every time. She is also your friend, so try to understand her as well."
Max said that and went in the same direction as Camilla. Francis lowered his eyebrows and considered what Max had said. Did he ever treat his friends unfairly? Francis wondered to himself. As long as he knew, he had never done so, because Adela was his love and Camilla was merely his buddy. He had always liked Adela more than his friend. He had a special place in his heart for Adela. He had, however, never ignored Camilla. While thinking, Francis raised his head and looked straight ahead.
When Max walked next to Camilla, he observed she had a serious expression. Her expression left him unsure of whether she was truly sad or furious. Max strolled while wearing a sad expression on his face, wondering if Francis truly deserved the girl's affection.
Max gave Camilla a sidelong glance and wanted to comfort her, but somehow he felt he did not have the courage to do so. Besides, he assumed if people always comforted her every time, she could not see the real world, and as she wanted to be in the war, she needed to be strong mentally. Then Max spoke up to deflect Camilla's attention, saying, "Camilla, I don't think the meeting is over, so your father won't join you."
Camilla came to a standstill when she heard Max and took a cautious glance at him. She said nothing, but she kept her stare fixed on him. "But if you don't mind, we can drink two cups of tea together," Max said with a forceful smile.
After turning away from Max, Camilla remained silent for a while. Max got perplexed when Camilla remained silent. He worried Camilla might reject him. That was the first time he had asked a girl to join him for tea. If it's a named date, it may be. Then Max asked for a date. What if Camilla turned him down, though? Max had only just heard what Wilson had commanded him to do. Yet it suddenly appeared that it would not work. He lowered his eyes and pondered the fact that he shouldn't have paid attention to Mr. Wilson.
It startled Max to hear Camilla's voice. "Senior, that will be fantastic. Let's have tea together." Finally, she cracked a smile. Max smiled back as well. They continued to stroll side by side.
***
Adela glared at James sternly, and James grinned in response. Adela replied with narrowed brows. "Honestly, your royal highness, I don't enjoy playing cat and mouse. If you have questions, please ask it straight."
After a brief pause, James chuckled as he heard Adela and said, "Did I make you angry?"
Adela raised her eyebrows slightly, unable to control her rage any longer. If it had not been the prince, she should have beaten him a long time ago, but she restrained her rage as she considered his position. She clenched her teeth and turned her eyes in another direction. But suddenly, James started coming closer to her, and she arched her brows as she noticed it.
To be continued...