Maxim laughed heartily when he witnessed that. He was relieved to see Emmelyn could quickly pull herself together. She could even joke with him to lighten the mood.

Ahh... this was why he liked her so much. She was tough as a nail, yet compassionate and kind, and she was also resilient. Emmelyn was truly someone he would like to be on his side, forever, if possible.

"I am guilty, sorry," he said with a chuckle. "Now, since we have got over this... tell me, what do you want me to do? As your friend, I will do my best to help you."

Emmelyn went to sit on the windowsill and squeezed her hands. She was glad Maxim explained that the reason why he was willing to help her was because of their friendship.

Yet, she also knew she had to ask about his feelings for her. They shouldn't pretend that it didn't exist. It would become an elephant in the room that would affect their friendship if she didn't clarify it immediately.

"Thank you so much for being my friend and for getting my back. I really appreciate it." Emmelyn touched Maxim's shoulder and looked him in the eye sincerely. "I will cherish your friendship until the day I die."

"I have never met anyone like you, Emmelyn, man or woman. I think the times we spent together were easily some of the best times of my life," Maxim admitted. "We are kindred spirits. I feel like I have met my match because we get along so well and we did so many shenanigans together."

"I feel the same," Emmelyn replied. After thinking about it, she added, "However, when I was traveling here, I actually heard rumors that—"

Maxim's heart skipped a beat when he heard her opening line. Uff.. was she going to discuss his feelings for her?

Maxim did say he would answer all her burning questions. So, maybe this was what bothered her?

"Yes?" He braced himself and got ready to face her question.

This was the moment of truth.

"Those people said... you are in love with me," Emmelyn finally uttered what had been bothering her mind. "Is that true?"

Maxim combed his messy hair with his fingers. He could already guess that this was the question that Emmelyn would ask.

The man looked away and then turned to her again. Finally, he let out a sigh. "Dammit, Emmelyn. Do you have to be so direct? You really left me with no choice here."

"What do you mean?" Emmelyn's heart thumped. Did Maxim really fall in love with her?

Shit.

It's not that she disliked the fact if Maxim was truly in love with her. Any woman would feel flattered to receive the attention of a handsome man, especially a king.

However, she was a married woman, even though she hated her husband and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. She was not single anymore. She even had a daughter.

Not only that, but Emmelyn was also deeply hurt not long ago and she was not in a situation to open her heart to anyone. It would be awkward to receive a love confession now.

So, she hoped Maxim wouldn't do it.

Because... if he did and Emmelyn could only reject him, maybe they would lose this friendship.

Emmelyn really didn't want to lose the only person she had right now. She had lost her family, her husband, her friends, and her daughter. She was alone and lonely in this foreign land.

Maxim sighed again. He clenched his jaws when he replied to her question. "Emmelyn, I will never be forced to make a love confession. So, if that's what you want to hear, you won't hear it from me today."

"Huh?"

"If I told you today that I am in love with you, you will think that my help for you is conditional," Maxim explained. "I don't want you to think that I am helping you get Wintermere back because of my romantic feelings for you when, in reality, it's not true."

"I am not doing this because I love you as a woman, but because you are my friend," he added, "So, no. If you want to know if I was looking for you and wanting to help you because I love you, the answer is no."

Emmelyn felt relieved when she heard the wise words uttered by Maxim. She let out a long sigh too. "I understand."

"Someday, after all this is over, the dust has settled, and we are both in a good place, if the time is right, and I want to confess to you about my feelings for you, I wouldn't do it like this," Maxim continued. "Hearing your question today feels like having a sword pointed at my neck and I am forced to tell you that I am in love with you."

Emmelyn agreed with him. Now, she understood why Maxim cussed and said she left him with no choice.

She didn't mean it that way, actually. Emmelyn just wanted to address the elephant in the room. So, they would know how to see their relationship going forward and act accordingly.

She was happy to know that he saw through her and decided to explain his reasoning as best as possible.

"So... it's because we are friends? You are doing all these as my friend?" She asked the man seriously. "I need to know where we stand to avoid any awkwardness when we get to Castilse and I meet your mother."

Maxim nodded. "Yes, that's right."

He was being honest with Emmelyn. He cared about her and would even move heaven and earth to help her. It was not because of his selfish love for her, but because she was his friend.

He always saw Emmelyn as a friend first, and the woman he loved second.

And besides... if he wanted to confess his love, he wouldn't do it today just because he had to. He wouldn't let himself be cornered to admit his romantic feelings for Emmelyn just because he had no choice but to tell the truth.

Emmelyn deserved a perfect confession. Not like this.

"Then, in that case, I am happy that we have cleared that out," Emmelyn said. She patted Maxim on the back and pointed at his tea that was now cold. "Finish your tea so we can have dinner."

"Hmm..." Maxim nodded. He took his cup and down his tea in one go. Then, he put it on the table and reached out his hand to Emmelyn. "Shall we go to dinner now? I think I can smell some delicious dishes from the kitchen."

"Yes, I am hungry," Emmelyn said. She took his hand and they walked together to leave her chamber.

When Maxim closed the door behind them, he said to her teasingly, "We are friends now, but who knows what will happen in the future. Right? You might fall so deeply in love with me and chase me to marry you. What should I do then?"

"In your dreams," Emmelyn scoffed.

"Hey, never say never," Maxim reminded her. "You might swoon after you see how awesome I am as the king of Summeria."

Emmelyn chuckled and hit the man on his back. "Narcissistic."

.

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I like their interaction! They are really good friends. Btw, what do you think about Maxim's words?

PS: I am posting more pictures I created for this book in the comment. I am still working on Maxim's pictures.