Max walked towards the palace courtyard, approaching Ruth, who was curled up on the grass near the stable.
The grass under his boot bent as he slowed his stride, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the scent of manure and organic waste.
He stopped a few paces away from her and took out a handkerchief, holding it out to her.
She looked up, startled as her eyes widened, backing away from him slowly.
"Woah.... Relax, My Lady. I'm just giving you a handkerchief since I saw you crying."
Ruth's gaze drifted between his face and the plain white cloth, "Why?"
He looked into her reddened eyes, noting the conflicted emotions— hurt, fear, mild appreciation and guilt.
'"His Majesty isn't worthy to be called a human or a king, and I'm hear to help you because I don't want my friend to carry this burden alone," is what I would've said at the moment.'
"I was sent here by His Majesty. He feels awfully guilty for leaving you in this state. Things have been rather.... overwhelming for him these days."
"C-cain sent a man... to check on me?"
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
"Yes, there is. He has never sent any of his men to check on me directly. He would only send his knights to watch over me, especially when my life is threatened or I angered him."
Max clenched his fist behind his back despite the bright smile on his face, "I see. However, I was truly sent by him to cheer you up."
She wiped away her tears with the back of her hands and squinted her eyes at him for a moment before recognition dawned on her, "Oh! I remember you now. You're the young butler who serves Cain aside from grandpa George."
"Indeed I am," his hand unclenched as he saw her relax and hesitantly take the handkerchief, "I'm Max."
"Thank you... Max," her hands trembled slightly, slowly wiping away her tears, her gaze aversive, "Apologies you had to see me in this state."
"It's quite alright, Lady Ruth. You shouldn't be ashamed for crying. It's normal to cry."
"Thank you..."
His gaze drifted to the compost heap and seedlings behind her and went towards the shovel and gloves by the beans.
She watched him crouch by the plants, poking his finger in the moist soil on the left corner of the flowerbed, then she stood up and approached the plants, staring curiously at the green sprouts.
"I didn't know Cain enjoys gardening."
"The famine made him productive."
"Awww~ I knew he was kind-hearted," Ruth smiled with a dreamy look in her eyes as she stood up and went to the compost.
'Kind-hearted? At which side does the sun rise for you? West?' he shook his head and stood across her, observing the worms in the heap.
She felt the organic waste with her barehand, feeling the moist soft texture then brought it close to her nose.
Max took a step back at the sight, suddenly uncomfortable by the stench of food waste and manure, "Are you supposed to use gloves when touching that?"
"Huh? Yeah, sometimes but this is better to know if it's good for the plants in my opinion."
"Oh, right.... Your father's the palace gardener."
"Mhm. There's a garden at home with some of the flowers my mother loved."
"Do you like gardening as well?" Max crouched next to the beans, adjusting the sticks supporting the vines.
"Yes. In fact, I wanted to own my own farm, but Cain said it doesn't suit me. And when I told Madam Lily about it, and she said that I should listen to him."
"Who's Madam Lily?"
"My mother's friend and my former nanny, unfortunately she passed away last year from an illness."
"Did you know about His Majesty?"
"She did. At first, I was uncomfortable around him, so I told her and she told me that it's normal and that Cain loves me. So I listened to her and I fell hard for him after a while," her smile brightened, wearing the gloves, tied up her blonde hair in a messy bun and took the shovel.
"I see."
They stayed in a comfortable silence as he watched her scooped up the compost with the shovel, carefully spreading it on the soil.
"Max?"
"Yes?"
"Does Cain like you?"
"Huh?"
"What I mean is— are you Cain's other attendant because he finds you appealing?"
"What— No! It's nothing to do with my looks, My Lady. And we only see each other as close friends, nothing more."
"Close friends?"
"Yes. I'm very blunt with him most of the time, but the other servants thought that I was favored because of my physical appearance."
"Do you often get judged based on your appearance?"
"Mhm. A lot of hu— people treated me differently because of my face, especially during my first month working here. Some were genuinely nice, some faked kindness to mock my mistakes behind my back and others were visibly hostile, while the rest made me uncomfortable with their gazes. But after having a few chats with them, they began treating me like an equal, though I avoid the ones who make my skin crawl."
"I see. I thought you were chosen because you look like a noble. Sorry for having such thoughts."
"It's alright. Anyway, will you teach me about plants?"
Ruth paused, eyes sparkling with joy as she nodded and began explaining about her understanding of Agriculture.
Max listened to her passionate explanation while observing her relaxed demeanor.
Days passed and Ruth slowly became comfortable around, but the more they talked, the more Max noticed her gaze becoming more sharper each passing day.
One afternoon, Ruth was accompanying him through the market, helping him buy the food requested by the Head chef.
She waved at the vendors who called out to her while she watched him excitedly move between food stall, the mixed aroma of herbs, fresh meat and bread with a fragrance of various perfumes filled the air.
Behind her, she heard two merchants talk amongst themselves.
"Did you hear about it?"
"About what?"
"Five people went missing these past days."
"Do you know what happened?"
"All I heard was that they vanished at night, with some being taken in their houses."
"My goodness..."
"And there's a crack on the wall, and one of the knights told me that the crack grows everytime someone went missing."
Their voices faded in the crowd as they walked past.
Ruth turned her attention to Max while he bought bread with his coins, stopping him from breaking it in half, letting him eat it alone.
He smiled, barely hiding his relief, eating the warm bread, making her chuckle at his carefree nature.
"Does Cain know about the people going missing as well as the wall beginning to crack?"
"Hmm..... Maybe. He has been busy lately and Lady Eleanor has been assisting him these past few days."
"Lady Eleanor? A-are they close now?"
He shrugged, his gaze focused on the moving carriages, barely noticing the slight tremor in her voice, "I don't know."
"Do you like Lady Eleanor?"
"Yes. She taught me how to read and write. She's more like a teacher to me."
"I see."
As they approached the fountain, her gaze landed on him once more, but this time her stomach churned.
She halted her stride, holding the bag of groceries, "Max?"
He stopped a few steps ahead of her, "Yes?"
"Were you really asked by Cain to cheer me up that day?"
"... No, My Lady."
Her grip tightene, eyes downcast, "Why did you lie to me?"
"His Majesty was disoriented when I found him that day, so I offered to help comfort you on his behalf and he agreed. I only lied to make you feel at ease. I'm sorry."
"Do you promise to tell me the truth?"
"It depends on how you'll handle it."
She exhaled sharply, her eyes meeting him, "Does he find me appealing..... physically?"
He patted his lips, then closed them, then opened them once more, "He does, but from my perceptive, he doesn't see you attractive in a romantic sense."
"..... D-do you think that he.... loves me?"
"....."
"Answer me, Max!"
"No, he never truly loved you. That's the truth everyone in the palace is aware of... I'm sorry."
She bit her quivering lips, facing the cloudy sky, blinking rapidly to stop her tears. She took a deep breath and placed the bag in his outstretched hand, then turned away from him.
Max watched her walk a few steps until she broke into a run, disappearing in the crowd.
He focused on the sound of chirping birds, rushing water from the fountain and the ruffling of leaves in the breeze to calm his racing heart. Feeling the guilt claw at him from the inside.
'She deserved the truth. She deserved to know,' he told himself, slowly walking back to the palace.
[Holder Candidate Quest One: Change the plot
•Duration: 309 days
•Reward: 10,000 points
•Failure: Bad luck at love]