Chap 3: Knife

"Invite her"

Maxi held out a small, oval-shaped transparent glass to Anthea, which was filled with a beautiful, ocean-blue liquid.

"Thanks. I invite you"

Anthea took the glass from Maxi's hand. I don't know where in the cellar with hundreds of oak barrels, he can find a glass that fits like that. It is possible that while, with her eyes closed in contemplation, Maxi prepared these two glasses.

"Edge"

At Anthea's surprised gaze, Maxi showed a cheerful smile.

“It's just a ritual in this Empire. When two people drink together. If one of us is not focused, we will touch our wine glass with the other's, to get their attention."

Anthea thought to herself: perhaps standing in front of such an alluring wine, her mind has gradually become hazy. Better yet, let Maxi find out she wasn't paying attention. Anthea shook her head slightly, staring at the wine glass in front of her eyes.

'To see how the 'Goute d'Or' which is known as the gold drop of the empire tastes like, which makes me so seduced, let my guard down like that.'

“How does it taste?”

Maxi didn't drink right away, he shook the wine glass in his hand gently. Examine Anthea's eyes. The pungent taste melted on the tip of her tongue, causing Anthea to involuntarily frown.

“Very spicy, it tastes like Tannin but stronger, when it flows down the throat, it will leave a bitter taste on the tip of the tongue. When the spiciness is over, the cool sour taste of green grapes comes later, soothing the heat in the mouth. They blend, raising the nose of the bottle to a new level. Spicy is full of flavors that cause strong sensations for the taste buds. But it doesn't make people feel disgusted, but after enjoying it, it makes the drinker nostalgic."

Anthea spoke with a long breath, the stinging in her mouth now turning into excitement rising from the bottom of her heart. Truly 'Goute d'Or', undeniably the last bottle of wine in the village of Montmartre. Anthea freely expressed her enjoyment, in front of the Empire's 'Golden Drop', she felt that she did not have to reluctantly hide her feelings.

Maxi studied the expression on Anthea's face intently, the smile on the corner of his lips unconsciously taking on a hint of truth.

“This is exactly the typical taste of Montmartre, very delicious.”

Anthea gave a small squeal of approval, her deep eyes reflecting the image of an empty wine glass.

“Do you want another drink?”

Maxi saw Anthea's slightly regretful expression and generously asked.

“That's not it”

Anthea shook her head slightly, waving her hand. Someone once told her:

'Such wonderful things, just experiencing it once is enough. If I add a second, a third… I will lose my initial interest in them and gradually I will become more and more greedy, wanting to monopolize those wonderful things as my own. As such, I will gradually become dependent on them. Think that when you own it, you will feel satisfied. But only I understand that I am being controlled by it. I don't want this at all. There are so many rare and excellent things out there waiting for me to experience. I don't want anything to be my own and I don't want anything to be my own.'

At that time, Anthea just thought it was too abstract a statement, the content was vague and difficult to understand. But now, in this situation, she understood the depth of that person.

When Maxi saw Anthea's refusal, her face flushed with surprise. However, making things difficult for others was not his hobby.

“The taste doesn't suit you? I heard that Orientals love spicy food."

Maxi probed inquiringly, his fingers constantly shaking the glass of wine. The glazed liquid rippled with his movements, rising and falling as steadily as the ocean at the tide. Under the glimmering lights, Maxi became even more magical. He is like a fallen angel, hiding in the corner of the garden of Eden. Between the gentle oak scent and the smell of the earth before the rain.

“Eastern people love to eat spicy food.”

Anthea softly mumbled repeating Maxi's words. There was an awkward expression on his face.

“Are you missing your country?”

Maxi took a small sip of wine while asking. The pungent taste of 'Goute d'Or' melted on the tip of his tongue, making Maxi's mind even sharper. Although the light wasn't enough for him to see Anthea's face clearly, Maxi could still feel her cold gaze on him.

"Cup Cup…"

There was a steady knock on the door, breaking the cold atmosphere in the cellar.

“Master, Mr. Japhis is waiting outside. He wants to see the boss right now.”

Hearing the words "Mr. Japhis" Maxi's brows furrowed. With a smile on his lips, he said sternly:

"I know"

"I guess I'll have to go home."

"YES"

Maxi didn't keep Anthea. Although he still had a lot of questions to probe, stories to ask this strange foreign girl. But let's leave it for another time. Maxi is not one to waste his time, nor is he one to show any interest in anything. But Anthea was different. She was the exception. All information about Anthea's origin and identity is unclear. Even if Maxi investigated it, there was no satisfactory result. Anthea hid herself too well, or someone behind the scenes had a hand in this.

Everything Maxi knows about Anthea, is based on her own judgment. The more mysterious and ambiguous something is, the easier it is to arouse curiosity and interest in him. Maxi does not believe that a person who is protected by the god Bentalize - the god of luck and blessings, will lose this battle of wits.

There is still a lot of time, the "cat and mouse" game has only just begun.

"Before going back, you seem to have forgotten one thing?"

I don't know if it's because of the pungentness of the wine or not? Maxi's voice became more and more ghostly. It is like water, gently pouring into the opponent's mind.

At this moment, Anthea suddenly remembered. Reaching behind his back, he threw Maxi a dagger wrapped in velvet.

"Catch"

Anthea acted too suddenly. The dagger rose into the air, the velvet cloth falling with the movement of the knife, revealing the sharp, shiny blade that was aiming in the direction of Maxi.

Before this sudden action, he did not show a single moment of superfluous embarrassment. Maxi nimbly leaned to the side, blaming the knife's trajectory. Wait until the blade has slid over you. He immediately reached out and grabbed the knife hilt. Success captures it in the palm of your hand.

"Beautiful"

Anthea spoke up in praise of Maxi's skillful dodging skill just now. He manipulated his body gracefully and skillfully looked like a real dancer. But the way he raised his hand decisively to catch the knife, made Maxi look like a knight with real combat experience. And the way he cleverly calculates how long the knife will take to slide past him, to act. Everything is practiced with precision and meticulous attention to detail. From the bottom of her heart, Anthea felt great admiration for him.

"It's worth as much as a Madios horse."

Maxi talked to Anthea as she studied the dagger in her hand. Shiny blade sharpened to every ridge. In the dim light of the cellar, he saw his smile reflected on the blade of the knife. The knife handle is made of gold and has a compact design. The cup-shaped arc is encrusted with alternating black diamonds and blue rubies. The combination is extremely harmonious and delicate. Making Maxi very satisfied, the smile at the corner of his mouth curled up even more.

Maxi's fingers glided over the blade. They are very thin, but also very sharp. The damage will be terrible here. It was indeed a dagger sharpened according to the ancient methods of the Eastern people. It didn't disappoint him.

"Not bad. You surprised me.”

Without taking his eyes off the knife, Maxi muttered appreciatively. When he set the conditions, he did not expect Anthea to be able to make such a quality dagger. Maxi thought at best she would buy a knife from Thamber harbor and bring it. What could a slim woman like Anthea do? Yet, when holding a dagger perfect to every detail, and each part on it is harmoniously designed, Maxi couldn't stop exclaiming.

A glint of caution flashed through Maxi's blue eyes. That girl was so special, so strange, and so scary. Does she still hide many secrets about her identity, about the purpose of her appearance here? The more he thought about those things, the more crazy curiosity and interest in Maxi's prey rose in his heart.

“Cluck…cluck.”

The steady knock on the door once again broke the silence and the two's deep private contemplation.

"Tell Japhis I'll be out now."

Anthea walked towards the door of the cellar. As she passed Maxi, he bowed slightly, making a gentlemanly farewell gesture. Anthea nodded in response. Thought this special conversation between the two would end just like that. But when Anthea's whole hand was still on the doorknob, she suddenly turned around and asked abruptly:

"How do you know, what have I forgotten?"

Anthea was sure she had stashed the dagger behind her back very carefully. Even carefully wrapped it in velvet fabric of the same shade of brown as the hooded cloak. Yet he was still seen.

“Because everything is arranged and prepared in advance, I never believe in random and chance meetings.”