SOTBW - 185

The mention of the annulment made Najane uneasy.

Maximón, seeing her reaction, gave a bitter smile.

“You’re not surprised.”

“I already knew you had an fiancée.”

Maximón sighed at Najane’s calm response.

“I should have told you that too... I’ve deceived you again. I’m sorry.”

Maximón’s genuine apology made Najane’s confusion deepen.

“Maximón, wait a minute. We’re still living under the same roof. There’s no need to make things official...”

“If I sever my ties with the Marquis family, I want to quit being the commander and live with you.”

Najane, who had been gently caressing Maximón’s cheek, gasped in surprise. Her eyes wandered aimlessly in confusion. Maximón held her small, precious hand tightly and, with a soft smile, quietly proposed.

“I’m asking you to marry me, Najane.”

Maximón embraced Najane. The scent of winter sunlight filled his thick, long hair. He buried his face in the hair, now tinged with sunlight, and closed his eyes.

“I know that people treat you as a shameful woman because of living in the manor.”

Najane, held in Maximón’s arms, trembled.

“Their standards are lenient toward me but harsh on you. So, if you allow me, I want to give up the Elgort family and the commandership, and just be yours. I know I’ve wronged you greatly. I’ll reflect on it and regret it for the rest of my life. I...”

Maximón stopped mid-sentence. Najane was crying. Surprised by her unexpected reaction, Maximón halted and gently cupped her face. He was distressed seeing Najane’s tear-streaked face, flushed from emotion.

Najane tried to stop crying, taking shaky breaths between her sobs, but as she saw Maximón’s tender expression, she couldn’t stop her tears.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry. If my proposal upset you, I apologize.”

Maximón, unsure of what to do, tried to comfort Najane. Wiping her tears, Najane looked up at the foolish Maximón.

“If you quit being the commander, what happens to Noctis Fortress?”

“I’m fine. I’m rich enough. You’ll never have to do anything difficult. We’ll live comfortably.”

Maximón answered without hesitation, as though he had already calculated everything about how they would live together. Seeing this, Najane, who had been crying, couldn’t help but laugh like a child. Her smile made Maximón’s expression lighten.

Najane, finally drying her tears, continued to ask, now with a kind smile.

“What if people won’t let you go? What if they beg you to protect Noctis?”

“The only one who can hold me back is you. Who else could?”

“What if the Rochelle family refuses the annulment? What if they say you can’t leave, no matter what?”

“We’ll just run away together.”

Maximón said it as if it were no big deal. His response, without a hint of hesitation, made Najane feel even sadder.

“Are you saying you would elope for me?”

“Hmm, yeah. That’s what they call love’s escape, right? Not bad. If we do it, people will see just how much I love you.”

Maximón smiled vaguely as if considering the idea of running away together. His perfect face, with no shadows or doubts, radiated sincerity. He continued to speak from his heart. Najane, gazing into Maximón’s eyes, lowered her gaze.

Tears were threatening to fall again. Asking someone who might die at any moment to marry her seemed like a foolish thing to do. The fact that Maximón, of all people, was trying to make such a foolish gesture made Najane feel even sadder.

“...What if I die tomorrow? What would you do then?”

“Then I’d hold you and go into the grave with you. It would be colder beneath the tombstone, so I couldn’t bear to leave you alone.”

It was a vow of remorse, a confession that he would have no regrets even in death, and a promise that their love would last forever, even if Najane were to disappear.

People might not understand how Najane could forgive and still love Maximón. The reason she could do this was because it was Maximón. It was because it was Maximón, not anyone else, that she forgave him. The same Maximón who, without hesitation, would lie beside her in the grave if his lover died...

Najane, who had kept the secret about the curse, would soon die, but it was Maximón who would suffer from her death. His life, losing Najane, would be filled with tragedy. That was why Najane forgave him. She had to.

Struggling to suppress her tears, Najane finally let go of Maximón’s hand.

“...I don’t want to.”

Najane turned away from Maximón and deliberately spoke coldly.

“...I know what you’re feeling, but I will never, ever marry you.”

“Najane.”

“It’s cold. Let’s go inside. If we stay out here any longer, we’ll catch a cold...”

Najane, rubbing her throat which had tightened from crying, stood up from the bench. Maximón quietly watched as she turned her back and entered through the side door without looking back.

Maximón let out a long sigh, thinking that he had spoken too hastily. Perhaps it was just his mood, but it seemed like he was always making Najane cry lately.

He wiped his face and stood up, feeling a bit uneasy.

“Stop hiding and come out.”

At Maximón’s words, which he had expected her to enter the manor, Belshua flinched. Belshua briefly considered running away but reluctantly took a step forward. Turning his back, Maximón cast a cold glance at Belshua.

“You’re no rat.”

Maximón scolded, and Belshua shrugged.

“Where else would you find such a big rat?”

“Why are you here?”

“You’ve been away from the field for too long.”

Belshua got straight to the point, showing no interest in Maximón’s personal affairs. Maximón looked down at the spot where Najane had been sitting and scoffed.

“The world won’t fall apart just because I’m away for a few days. Serith isn’t invading, after all.”

“You’ve missed five days of training. The soldiers are growing restless. The mercenary group’s morale is low too. I won’t interfere with the training since I know your abilities, but please join us in the field. Jacob is also worried.”

There was no vice commander in the Romsoa Order. Maximón had purposely avoided appointing one. There were too many people who were capable of filling the position.

People thought Maximón ruled the Romsoa Order like a king, but he was not interested in wielding power. He had taken control of the order to train the knights and soldiers efficiently.

At that time, Maximón’s goal had been to earn his father Edwin’s approval and become a great son. The Romsoa Order had once fallen into great corruption due to the former commander, so a strict leader was needed. But the current Romsoa Order was no longer the corrupt one it had been back then.

If the order could function well without him, that would mean he had succeeded in training the knights.

Maximón gazed at the patch of melted snow, thinking about leaving this place with Najane, and smiled faintly.

“It seems like the order is running fine even without me.”

“The soldiers’ morale isn’t what it used to be.”

Though no soldier had yet strayed far enough to break the rules, the discipline among the mercenaries had loosened considerably.

Jacob, in effect, was managing the knights and soldiers as the deputy commander of Romsoa. The more the mercenaries misbehaved, the more pressure fell on Jacob. If Maximón refused to go to the field, Belshua was planning to bring the soldiers from the knight’s dormitory instead.

Maximón stared at Belshua for a moment without replying. His deep green eyes seemed to pierce through Belshua and then drift to the snow-covered ground.

As Belshua followed Maximón’s gaze, he looked down at his own legs. A long, dark shadow stretched beside him.

Maximón slowly withdrew his gaze from the shadow. Belshua couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling in the air.