Chapter 261 - 6.21 Arranged Marriage
Jillian raised his hand to summon the waiter and asked him to open a private room where they could talk freely. The waiter’s eyes flicked back and forth between him and Maia, and Jillian had the strong urge to gauge his eyes out for the subtle indication of tease within. If not for the steadfast presence of Regius beside him, Jillian would have snapped the first second that audacious woman dared to defy his words and sit in front of him.
He ignored the eyes behind his back and gestured for the woman — what was her name again? — to enter first. Afterall, he had been raised with etiquette and if Bassil could see him now, he would definitely be so proud and burst into tears. She gave him a surprised look, eyed the box in his hand with an intriguing look and complied in the end.
"So, what are—"
But as soon as the door closed behind them, Jillian abruptly yanked the woman’s shoulder back. Ignoring her surprised gasp, he pressed his sheathed sword to her throat, pinning her to the door. "Speak." He all but forced the words through gritted teeth. "Why should I trust you?"
"Oh wow..." She glanced down at the sword before looking back at Jillian. As much as he loathed to admit it, he was impressed to find no fear in her obsidian eyes. On the contrary, she looked mildly offended. Even the soldiers he had trained for years still couldn’t look straight into his eyes sometimes. "Is this a special treatment or are you just plainly rude?"
Jillian didn’t deem that question worthy of an answer. He pushed the sword harder until a choked sound escaped the woman’s throat.
A series of frantic knocks suddenly resounded behind them, followed by a young woman’s quivering voice that sounded on the verge of tears. "Miss— Miss Maia, are you okay?! Please answer me! Oh goodness, the Chief will have my head if something happens to you!"
Maia — Jillian remembered it this time — raised a challenging brow as if saying, "There, the evidence. Do you trust me now?"
Jillian leveled her with a stare but Maia stood her ground with unexpected stubbornness. For a few excruciatingly long seconds, the two simply stared at each other with sparks clashing midair. If Maia’s personal maid were to see them right now, she would be utterly terrified. Why... Why could she see the faint shadow of a snarling tiger and a hissing snake behind the General and her lady respectively?!