Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Maxi turned beet red and pushed Riftan away. When he reluctantly released her, she strode away from him and wrapped her shawl tightly around herself like a shield. Riftan watched her uneasily and sighed.

“We’ll pick up where we left off when I get back,” he said.

Shaking his head slowly, he made his way to the armor stand. Maxi watched from a safe distance as he put on his breastplate, dragon engraved spaulders, greaves, and cuisses. He then secured the faulds and tassets in place and encased his gloved hands in silver gauntlets.

Maxi admired the dashing man before her. When he strapped on his leather belt, she suddenly remembered the trinket she had bought at the market the day before. She rummaged through the drawers for the colorful tassel.

“R-Riftan…”

Riftan turned to look at her inquiringly as he fastened his sword to his belt. After a moment of hesitation, Maxi held out the tassel.

“I b-bought this at the m-market yesterday on our w-way back to the castle… Sir Hebaron told me that a-attaching this to a sword belt g-grants the wearer the p-protection of the nymphs.”

Riftan stared blankly at her hand.

“S-Sir Hebaron w-was the one who p-paid for it, b-but I p-picked it out… I-If it’s all right w-with you…”

Her voice faltered when he made no move to take the tassel. Perhaps Sir Hebaron had been right – Riftan really must consider such trinkets useless. Masking her disappointment, she slowly lowered her hand.

“Y-You don’t have to take it i-if it doesn’t p-please you.”

She turned to put the tassel back in the chest, but a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Give it here.”

Maxi turned around in surprise. Riftan snatched the tassel from her hand and fumbled with the strings as he tied it to his belt. The brightly colored ornament clashed absurdly with the coarse leather belt. Maxi blushed, lamenting her unrefined taste.

“Thank you. I will treasure it.”

Riftan planted a kiss on her forehead before turning his back to her again. Her disappointment at his aloofness was fleeting; the feeling dissipated when she noticed his lips curving into a smile.

Riftan draped a cloak over his shoulders, rubbing his chin as if to conceal his smile. But the flush that crept up to the tips of his ears did not escape Maxi’s attention. Her heart swelled with pride when she realized that Riftan was genuinely happy.

Then suddenly, she felt angry at herself. She had only bought the paltry gift at Sir Hebaron’s suggestion. Though she did not have the means to buy anything that could compare to the gifts he had given her, she could have bought him something better. Seeing his delight at a gift she had bought on a whim, she was struck by the urge to slap herself.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

When he was ready to leave, Riftan pulled Maxi in for a final embrace. She burrowed her face against his chest, holding back tears and resolving to give to him everything she could.

***

Riftan left for the raid with three knights, six soldiers, and three squires. Maxi worried that they were too few in number, but Ruth assured her that it was routine for small-scale raids to be carried out by groups of eight to fifteen men.

Maxi watched the men’s figures recede from the ramparts. She then made her way to the weaving room to confirm that her order of fabrics had arrived. In the corner of the spacious room, past the spinning wheels and looms, was a tall pile of high-quality woolen fabric.

Next to the fire, maidservants were busy sewing winter garments. Maxi looked on with interest as they traced patterns on thick fabrics spread across an expansive table before cutting out the pieces, stuffing wool between two layers of fabric, and sewing them closed. With most of the shutters now kept closed for insulation, only slivers of light seeped into the castle, but the maidservants’ hands worked nimbly even in the candlelight. Maxi could not help but admire their dexterity.

“W-When will e-everything be ready?”

Ludis knitted her brows as she inspected the newly arrived fabrics. “Everything should be ready in three to four days’ time, my lady. The completed garments have already been distributed. The men have agreed to share them until the rest are finished.”

Reassured, Maxi left the weaving room. After dark, there was something sinister about Calypse Castle. Perhaps its stillness unsettled her because she had become so accustomed to the castle bustling with activity during the renovations and winter preparations. After inspecting the kitchen, stables, and annex with Ludis, Maxi returned to her room to rest.

As she leafed through a book at her desk, she began to feel melancholic. With the winter preparations almost complete, there was little left for her to do. She stared out the window, wondering whether a day had always been so long. Less than a day had passed since Riftan’s departure, but she already felt lonely. The realization surprised her. She had always been alone in the past…

“You look tired, my lady. Would you care for some tea?”

Ludis’s cautious voice snapped Maxi out of her melancholy. She smiled brightly and nodded. For the lady of the castle to mope in her husband’s absence was undignified.

Just then, a strong gust of wind shook the windows. Maxi’s face clouded over with worry again as she watched branches shake violently outside the window. The cries of migrating birds echoed in the distance.

Winter had arrived in Anatol.

***

The first snow came two days later. Maxi peered through her window and down at the garden, which looked as if it had been sprinkled with flour. Her gaze then shifted to the mountains in the distance. With the drastic drop in temperature, she worried for Riftan’s safety.

Ludis, who was sitting on a chair sewing, let out a sigh.

“This year’s winter feels harsher than most other years, my lady. It came earlier than usual, too.”

“I r-remember you telling me that w-winters here never get t-too cold.”

Ludis looked agitated. “Yes, Anatol is in a basin, so winters here are milder than most other places. But this winter seems different. There’s already a thin layer of ice on the surface of the well.”

“I-Is there enough firewood t-to last us the winter?”

“We’ve prepared more than usual.” Ludis beamed reassuringly.

Maxi’s lips curved up into a smile as she sat in front of the fireplace, thawing her icy hands. With the weather growing chillier, a stillness had fallen over Calypse Castle as if everyone had gone into hibernation.

Servants who ordinarily hurried about whiled away their time huddled in front of braziers. With the merchants no longer visiting the castle, the gardens looked like a desolate wasteland. Though Maxi usually preferred peace and quiet, the sudden change in atmosphere had made her melancholic. Noticing her despondence, Ludis addressed her in a bright voice.

“Shall I serve lunch, my lady?”

“W-What’s for lunch?”

“The cook has prepared cream stew with peas, smoked sausages, and pumpkin pie with treacle and cinnamon.”

Maxi’s mouth watered. Seeing the look of anticipation on her face, Ludis carefully folded the garment she was mending and left the room. While she waited, Maxi opened the poetry book she had taken from the library the night before. She had barely read two pages when she heard a loud rapping at the door.

Wondering why Ludis had returned so soon, Maxi called for the person to enter. Rodrigo and Ruth stepped in.

“Please forgive me for interrupting your rest, my lady, but the sorcerer has an urgent matter to discuss with you.”

Maxi rose from her seat. “I-Is something amiss?”

Ruth sighed. “Monsters climbed over the walls in the dead of night. The sentries and knights were able to suppress them, but it seems many were wounded in the process. They have requested assistance. Would you spare a few servants to tend to the wounded?”

The color drained from Maxi’s face. A crisis had arrived just days after Riftan’s departure.

“With winter here, food is harder to come by for the monsters. Their running amok is nothing unusual this time of year, but they’ve never succeeded in infiltrating our walls before. That’s why the sentries were taken by surprise.”

Hearing Ruth’s calm voice, Maxi managed to regain her composure.

“H-How many servants do they n-need?”

“At least a dozen. Please instruct them to bring ample supplies of clean cloths, wooden boards to use as splinters, herbs and a cauldron to brew them in, a pail, brass bowls, thread and needles, and basic provisions. The wounded are at the outskirts of the estate, so it will be difficult for them to procure these items from the market.”

Maxi listened to Ruth’s hurried instructions, then turned to look at Rodrigo. The steward quickly nodded.

“I’ll have everything prepared at once, my lady.”

“And s-send word to the ch-church right away. A-Ask them-”

“There are no clerics in Anatol capable of performing divine magic,” Ruth interjected. “Anatol was isolated for a long time, and it was only when Sir Riftan rose to prominence that clerics were sent here. The central church would never send a hierarch to such a far-flung region.”