Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 41: Chapter 41

“He is a Livadonian noble.”

Maxi’s head spun. Had she made a mistake? The situation might not have escalated so dangerously had she just allowed the man entry. As if he had read her thoughts, Riftan brushed a lock of hair from her face and kissed her cheek.

“But he lied about his claim to Kaysa. He wasn’t the lord, but one of the lord’s sons. When his half-brother was chosen as heir, he stole his family heirloom and fled to Wedon. I assume he was roaming around with his knights when he heard about the vast collection of treasures I’d gathered from the dragon’s lair.”

“D-Did he c-come here to h-harm you?”

Riftan looked at Maxi with a blank expression before bursting into laughter.

“He’s not that crazy. He just never thought I’d make it from Drachium to Anatol in eight days. He made a grave miscalculation.”

Maxi remembered Ruth telling her that it would take at least ten days for Riftan to arrive in Anatol. Riftan had arrived two days earlier than the sorcerer’s prediction.

“Or rather… I arrived at just the right moment. If I had come a day or two later, things would’ve been much worse. He had three high-ranking knights and a magical device with him. It wouldn’t have taken them long to get past our defenses.”

“M-Magical device?”

“His family heirloom.” Riftan’s face suddenly turned cold. “The device contains powerful fire magic, and that’s what he used to destroy the gate. He probably thought he had a chance since our knights were away. If he had succeeded and managed to flee back to Livadon, it wouldn’t have been easy to track him down.”

Hearing the wrath in Riftan’s voice, Maxi put a hand on his arm. Rob Midahas may have been foolish, but harming a nobleman could easily lead to conflict. Riftan gazed down at her fearful eyes and smiled bitterly.

“I should’ve beheaded him and hung his head outside the castle walls to set an example. But as you said, I’d hate to leave you again for war.”

“Th-Then…”

“I shall send a message to his father as soon as the sun rises tomorrow. I’ll demand compensation and tell him to rein in his son.”

Maxi breathed a sigh of relief. Smiling, Riftan left a trail of kisses from her shoulders to her cheeks. His damp hair emitted a sweet fragrance. Recalling Ruth’s comment about the knights’ strong dislike for floral scents, Maxi stifled a laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Riftan looked at her questioningly.

“Y-Your hair s-smells like roses.”

Riftan blushed. “I figured you’d like me to smell nice…”

As Riftan began fidgeting with his damp hair, Maxi’s chest tightened. In the early days, his crude language and imposing figure had suggested to her that he might turn out to be as violent as her father. She had not in her wildest dreams expected to find her fearsome husband so endearing one day.

“I suppose it’s not becoming of a man.” Riftan sniffed himself sheepishly.

Maxi gazed at him silently for a moment, then raised her tired body to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. Riftan’s entire body stiffened. Blushing, Maxi planted another kiss on his jaw.

“I-It does smell nice. It’s n-not unbecoming of a m-man.”

“I’ll have to use this soap for the rest of my days, then.”

Riftan pulled her toward him by the waist and kissed her, then gently squeezed her tender breast with his hand. Startled, Maxi pushed him away.

“W-We’ve already…”

“Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“I-I wasn’t trying to-”

She had kissed him only out of an overwhelming rush of affection. She had had no intention of seducing him so soon after a round of intense lovemaking. But Riftan ignored her and began to strip off his clothes, kissing her more passionately.

“You fanned the flames yourself, Maxi.” Riftan lowered himself onto her.

Her body went weak at the sound of his whisper. He entered her gently, and this time, she felt more pleasure than pain. When it was over, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

It was well past noon by the time Maxi awoke the next day. With Ludis’s assistance, she bathed and got dressed. Riftan had left at the break of dawn to deal with the intruders, and Maxi worried that he had not had sufficient rest after his long journey.

Noticing her face grow dark, Ludis stopped brushing her hair. “Is something wrong, my lady?”

Maxi shook her head. “N-No, it’s n-nothing.”

“The sorcerer says he will tend to your wounds. Should I call for him now?”

“Th-This is hardly a w-wound.”

Maxi rolled her eyes as she traced the graze running from her knee down to her shin. She had merely scraped her leg when she had fallen. The guards were certain to have much more severe wounds; many had been crushed by the castle gate or slashed by enemy swords. It would not do for her to raise a fuss over something so minor.

“I d-don’t think th-that will be n-necessary.”

“But, my lady, it might leave a scar-”

Ludis stopped mid-protest and pressed her lips together, worried that she had spoken out of turn.

“As you wish, my lady. I’ll ask the sorcerer for some ointment.”

“Thank you, Ludis,” said Maxi, startled at the mention of scarring.

The maidservant promptly left and returned with fresh bandages and a vial of ointment. Maxi applied the ointment and dressed the wound to keep it clean, though she did not think her scratch warranted bandages.

“Th-Thank you.”

“I’ll bring your meal to your room, my lady.”

“Th-That’s all right. I’ll h-have it in th-the dining hall. I should f-finish my work from y-yesterday.”

“The lord has instructed that you stay in bed today.”

Maxi gave Ludis an embarrassed look. It was true that Riftan holding her countless times the night before had exhausted her, but not so much that she needed bed rest, particularly when she had slept until midday while Riftan had gone to work without proper rest. It would not do for her to laze in bed.

“I’m f-fine. I was j-just a little sh-shaken by yesterday’s e-events.”

“But the lord…”

“I-I’ll talk t-to him.”

Ludis nodded silently at Maxi’s stubborn insistence.

Maxi left the room with a warm shawl draped over her shoulders. Crisp air flowed in through the open windows. As she made her way down the corridor, her eyes roved over the clean windowsills and new carpets stretching across the floor.

“D-Did the l-lord say anything about th-the castle?” Maxi asked Ludis, who was walking just behind her.

Ludis looked uncomfortable. “I’m sure he hasn’t had the time to look over the castle properly because of all the commotion yesterday.”

“I-I see.”

Seeing the look of disappointment on Maxi’s face, Ludis flashed one of her rare smiles and quickly added, “But the knights were astonished. When they came into the great hall for dinner last night, they said that the place had grown magnificent beyond measure.”

“R-Really?”

Ludis nodded vigorously, and Maxi made her way downstairs with a spring in her step. The servants stopped polishing the windows to greet her. Maxi nodded at them and headed toward the dining hall.

Ruth and three Remdragon Knights looked up from their lunch when she entered. Maxi froze. Unless there happened to be a special occasion, the knights usually had their breakfast and lunch in their quarters. As such, she had never encountered them in Riftan’s absence, and she found herself standing in place, blinking.

“Are your injuries all right, my lady?” Ruth broke the awkward silence. “Seeing the way Sir Riftan reacted, I thought you’d broken a bone, but you seem all right.”

The sorcerer looked Maxi up and down with bleary eyes, yawning while running his fingers through his perpetually messy hair.

“It w-was just a s-scratch.”

“I figured as much,” Ruth answered flatly, pulling out the chair next to him. “Please have a seat, my lady.”

And before Maxi could protest, Ruth instructed a servant to bring her food. Having lost her chance to leave, she glanced over at the knights’ faces before taking her seat. Silence filled the hall. Maxi anxiously waited for her meal to be served.

When the silence became too much to bear, she asked, “Wh-Where is R-Riftan?”

“He is at the gates, checking on the progress of the repairs,” Ruth grumbled, tearing off a piece of bread with his teeth. “He has summoned blacksmiths and craftsmen to build a steel gate. And not only that, he also wants a defensive magical device installed. He’s always been fixated on the defense of the castle, but that dimwitted noble has made it worse.”

“Th-The safer the b-better,” Maxi said brightly, relieved to have a topic to discuss.

Ruth scowled. “It has fallen on me to create the said device. I’ll be worked to death at this rate.”

Maxi was saved from having to think of a reply when a servant placed a bowl of chicken soup and freshly baked bread in front of her. She put the spoon to her mouth, rolling her eyes as Ruth groaned and tore at his hair. Though she knew nothing about how magical devices were made, she could surmise from his griping that it was an onerous task.

Suddenly, Ruth raised his head with a jerk. “My lady, can you do basic arithmetic?”