Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 65: Chapter 65

Riftan entered. It had become something of a routine for him to come bursting into the library, looking for Maxi. Ruth let out an exasperated sigh.

“Is the training over already?”

“Training the sentries in this cold will only bring down their morale. I’ll let them take a breather for a day or two.”

Riftan approached Maxi from behind and bent down. Feeling his cold lips on her forehead, she blushed. He began stroking her hair affectionately.

“Have you been cooped up here since morning?” he whispered.

“Y-Yes, I stopped b-by the s-stables then came here…”

A hint of displeasure flashed across Riftan’s face. He frowned.

“You’re spending more time in here than in our bedchamber.”

“Th-That’s not t-true. I’ve spent p-plenty of time there…”

She had started to spend far more time in their room after Riftan’s return. She blushed, thinking about how she had spent every night in his arms. Riftan sighed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“I’d have to disagree.”

“Please save your displays of affection for when you’re alone,” Ruth said in disgust. “I cannot stomach it any longer.”

“Then look away.”

“Why don’t you return to your room? I’m just asking you to recognize the difference between a library and a bedchamber, if that isn’t too much to ask.”

Maxi buried her burning face in her hands, too ashamed to lift her head. Riftan clicked his tongue and grabbed her arm.

“Very well. We’ll return to our room. Get up, Maxi.”

“R-Riftan…”

Maxi held onto the desk to resist. She was not so shameless that she would follow him to their room so early in the day.

“H-Have you f-finished attending t-to all your d-duties?”

“I’ve asked another knight to take over the rounds. Come, now.”

As Riftan pulled at her arm, she tightened her grip on the desk. She enjoyed spending time with him, but spending the rest of the day together in bed seemed indecent. What would the servants think? As she frantically searched for an excuse, her eyes landed on the pile of books before her.

“I-I haven’t f-finished r-reading…”

“You can read some other time.”

“I-I’d been meaning to f-finish these t-today.”

A deep crease lined Riftan’s forehead.

“Just what is it? What’s so compelling about these books?”

Riftan flipped through the book she had been reading. He stopped at a page that was filled with intricate diagrams and words in the ancient tongue. He ran his eye over its contents and frowned.

“What’s this? Are you trying to learn magic?”

“Didn’t you know? Her ladyship has been under my tutelage for several weeks now.”

Riftan’s head snapped up. “What?”

“Did you not inform him?” Ruth looked at Maxi questioningly before turning back to Riftan. “Her ladyship seems to have the potential for learning magic, so I’ve been instructing her-”

“With whose permission?!”

Riftan slammed the book onto the desk. Maxi flinched. She had not told Riftan because she was not confident that she would be able to perform magic at all. Even so, she had thought the news would make him happy.

Mages were valuable assets; in recent years, there had not been enough of them to meet demand. Maxi had heard that even low-ranking mages were being treated like royalty. Yet Riftan did not seem pleased in the slightest.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Riftan sounded as though he were accusing Ruth of a crime.

“Well, you were away on the goblin raid when the lessons began…”

Ruth trailed off. Maxi had never seen him at a loss for words, but he too looked flustered.

“She won’t be learning anything difficult. Would it not be helpful for Anatol if her ladyship were to become capable of basic defensive and healing spells?”

“Helpful? I don’t need help!”

Riftan glowered at Ruth. Maxi bunched her skirt in her fists. Seeing her face go pale, he swore under his breath and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He began to speak in a softer, more soothing voice.

“I didn’t bring you here because I needed your help. I just… wanted you to live in comfort. Performing magic is draining, more so than you might think…”

“I-I’m not t-trying to do a-anything d-dangerous. I j-just want t-to be helpful-”

“Did you not hear me? I don’t need your help!”

Maxi looked up in shock. Riftan, unsure of what he should do, anxiously caressed her face.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not turning down your offer. I just…”

He trailed off and bit his lips. A heavy silence fell over the library. Riftan glanced back and forth between Maxi’s crestfallen face and Ruth’s sullen one before running a hand through his hair. A cold, bitter look flashed across his face.

“Do as you please.”

With that, he turned around and strode out of the library. All Maxi could do was watch as his figure receded.

***

Darkness fell, but Riftan did not return. Maxi paced around her room, repeatedly looking out the window. Rodrigo had informed her that Riftan had ridden out of the castle grounds without even arming himself.

Maxi was at wits’ end. As if they had sensed her distress, the kittens awoke from their peaceful slumber by the fireplace and began to cry by her bed. Maxi placed them on her lap and stroked them for a while before lowering herself onto the bed and slowly closing her eyes.

She could not comprehend what it was that had made Riftan so angry. Had he thought her behavior to be impudent? Or was he disappointed that she had kept her training a secret? Perhaps she ought to have discussed it with him first…

Maxi was lost in thought when she heard the door open. She quickly closed her eyes. She could tell it was him just by the sound of his footsteps.

She turned her back toward him and pretended to be asleep. She did not have the courage to face him. Riftan silently approached the bed, and after gazing down at her for a moment, he gingerly picked up the kittens and placed them inside their basket one by one.

Maxi strained her ears to follow his movements. After setting the basket down by the fireplace, Riftan removed his cloak and hung it on a rack before perching on the edge of the bed to remove his boots. She waited silently for him to lie down next to her.

But Riftan remained where he was. Maxi buried her face into the pillow, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. Did he despise her so much that he no longer wished to even lie with her? She had only wanted to help, and he had been the one who had said that he detested incompetent fools.

Maxi bit her lips. She had been convinced that he needed her, so to hear him say he didn’t felt all the more painful. She curled up into a ball to hide the look of hurt on her face.

Just then, she felt a calloused finger graze her skin. She held her breath. With faltering hands, Riftan caressed the edges of her cheeks and brushed aside the strands of hair tickling her face. Even without opening her eyes, she knew that he was gazing at her with eyes that blazed with the same intensity as the flames in the fireplace. He grazed the fine hairs on her cheeks with the back of his hand, then placed the tip of his finger on her lips. She reflexively shrank back. He must have thought she was spurning him, for she felt his finger twitch before slowly withdrawing. Maxi grabbed his hand.

“R-Riftan…”

Unsure of her next words, Maxi searched his face. Seeing his lack of surprise, she realized that he must have known that she had only been pretending to be asleep. He gazed down at her without a word, his ink-black eyes gleaming softly beneath his disheveled hair. Her heart withered under his impassive gaze. Perhaps she had angered him so much that he had come to hate her. The thought terrified her.

“I-I am s-sorry. P-Please forgive me…”

The words left her mouth before she could determine what she was apologizing for. Riftan inhaled sharply and took her into his arms.

“Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. I just…”

His cold hand slid through her hair before coming to a stop at the back of her head. Burying her nose in his chest, Maxi breathed shakily, and her shoulders trembled. Riftan stroked her back with quivering hands and murmured into her ear.

“You can learn magic or anything else you want, so don’t be afraid.”

“I-I am not a-afraid.”

“That’s a lie. I can feel you shaking. Damn it! I’d finally gotten you to smile, but it seems like we’ve gone back to the way things were.”

“I-I’m really not s-scared…”

Maxi bit her trembling lips. His gentle embrace had put her fears to rest, but the anguish she had been suppressing now threatened to sweep over her. She clutched his tunic and pressed her forehead against his chest.

“But you s-said you d-didn’t need me…”

She felt his arms twitch and stiffen around her. Riftan shook his head vigorously.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I-Is my w-wanting to help an i-inconvenience?”

“That isn’t what I said.”

“I-I just wanted t-to do s-something, anything w-within my abilities…”

“You don’t have to do anyth-”

Riftan stopped mid-outburst. Instead, he sighed in frustration and abruptly pressed his lips to hers. When Maxi put her hands around his face, his jaw quivered softly as though it might melt beneath her touch. She felt him swallow hard before he pushed his tongue into her mouth to taste her with a slow intensity.