Chapter 71

“No, not at all.”

Daisy shook her head firmly. Since she had no idea what angle he’d take next, outright denial felt like the safest option.

“Then tell me. What were you thinking just now?”

Now he’s forcing me to take a loyalty test. Unbelievable.

Maxim’s piercing gray-blue eyes glinted with a sharp, dangerous light, even in the dim room.

‘Scary.’

Looking into those eyes immediately reminded Daisy of Medusa from the myth, where one look from her could turn you to stone.

She tried to avoid his gaze, but doing so only left her staring at his entirely naked body, which now took up her entire field of vision.

She couldn’t look into his eyes, and now there was nowhere else to look. This was driving her insane.

Daisy’s eyes darted around helpless before they reluctantly returned to Maxim’s face.

Unlike his ability to read her so easily, his expressionless gaze revealed nothing of what he was thinking.

‘This is unbearable! Who interrogates someone while standing completely naked?!’

The clean scent of soap was laced with something faintly sweeter—whipped cream—and his natural musk pulled at her senses, leaving her feeling light-headed.

Deciding to make something up on the spot, Daisy blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“It’s… nothing, really. The floor’s a mess. I was thinking what excuse I’d give the staff tomorrow, that’s all…”

“Why would you be worrying about that? Don’t bother. I’ll handle it.”

“What? But still—”

“So soft. You need to start with learning how to lead, Izzy.”

Maxim’s tone was firm, almost scolding.

“You don’t reason with lowly subjects. You command and control them. If you, as the master, show weakness, people will climb on top of you and dance on your head. That’s just human nature of these beasts.”

He was clearly criticizing her for being too submissive toward Mary Gold.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not used to that sort of thing yet.”

“Then you’d better get used to it. Didn’t you see how Mary Gold behaved toward me just now?”

“Mel only acted that way because she was worried about me. I can’t blame her for—”

“That’s another thing I’ve been wondering about. Do you normally hand out nicknames so freely to just anyone?”

“What?”

“Why is it ‘His Highness’ for me, but just ‘Mel’ for her?”

Maxim’s voice dropped to an even lower, menacing tone.

“Max, that’s because you’re a high-ranking noble. It wouldn’t be appropriate to use nicknames like that in front of the staff—”

“But using a mere maid’s nickname in front of me is perfectly acceptable?”

He was never going to stop twisting her words. Daisy felt her brain short-circuiting. And now he was jumping to wild conclusions without thinking first.

“Or is it that you prefer women, Izzy?”

“What are you even talking about? Try saying that in a way that actually makes sense.”

“Are you sexually attracted to women rather than men, in other words?”

How had using a simple nickname spiraled into him jumping to these wild conclusions?

It was ridiculous.

‘But now that I think about it… that’s actually not a bad excuse.’

Admitting she liked women would definitely make avoiding sex with Maxim easier, and maybe even make the road to divorce much smoother.

But before she could so much as use that perfect excuse, Maxim drew his own impulsive conclusion.

“Bringing Mary in was clearly a mistake. I’ll need to fix that immediately.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her actions earlier. The only reason I tolerated her disloyalty was because she’s biologically a woman. How dare she try to steal my woman right in front of me…”

Maxim clenched his jaw.

“If Mary were a man, I would’ve executed her on the spot. But it seems your preferences were an unexpected twist.”

“…”

“Even so, making a move on the wife of one’s superior is no trivial offense. Now that I know the truth, I’ll have to carry out immediate punishment.”

As Maxim turned to retrieve the gun lying on the floor, Daisy grabbed his arm to stop him.

“No, stop! I– I like men!”

“You don’t have to force a lie.”

“I’m telling the truth! I’m attracted to men! Please, just stop this.”

Her desperate plea made Maxim pause. He stared down at her in silence.

“Can you prove it?”

“What?”

“Prove to me that you like men. Convince me in a way that I’ll believe.”

Damn it, how the hell am I supposed to prove something that stupid?

The demand was beyond ridiculous, but Mary Gold’s life was on the line.

“E-earlier, when you kissed me, I got w-wet. Don’t you remember?”