Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 69: Chapter 69

“W-Why were you in D-Dristan?”

“Because of the dispute between the Duchy of Croyso and Southern Dristan.”

Located in the southeasternmost part of Wedon, the Duchy of Croyso stretched into Dristan’s territory. As such, the duchy’s eastern region was frequently engaged in armed conflict with Dristan. The King of Wedon and the central church in Osiriya had repeatedly sent knights to mediate, wishing to prevent the conflict from escalating in a way that might undermine the armistice between the Seven Kingdoms. Riftan had been among the mediators.

“So th-that’s why you visited C-Croyso Castle often.”

Maxi tried to piece together the scraps of conversations she had overheard as a child. Feeling Riftan’s cryptic gaze on her, she looked back at him quizzically.

“W-What is it?”

“I was just trying to remember if I’d visited that often.”

“You v-visited at least once or t-twice a month.”

Riftan shifted his piercing gaze. It seemed that he did not remember. Maxi glanced furtively at his face, worried that she may have offended him.

Whenever he was lost in thought, Riftan looked distant, as if he were standing alone in some far-off place. Why wouldn’t he share his thoughts with her? Did he find spending time with her tedious? The simple act of him turning his head away had made her tense with worry. Suddenly, she felt something cold drip onto the bridge of her nose.

Startled, she rubbed her nose. It was a drop of water. Just moments ago, the sun had been shining bright. Frowning, she looked up for signs for rain. When she saw white flakes drifting down from the silvery sky, her eyes grew wide.

“I suggested coming out here because the weather was good, but it looks like it’s going to snow.”

Riftan clicked his tongue. Maxi turned to him with a bewildered look on her face.

“Th-This is snow?”

“Have you never seen snow?”

“I’ve seen s-sleet, but I’ve n-never seen snow so white b-before.”

In a daze, she stared as the snowflakes floated down like petals in a breeze. Then, she stretched her hand out. Riftan frowned.

“Sit up straight. You’ll fall off your horse.”

“I know, d-don’t worry.”

Maxi closed her fingers over the snowflakes that had fallen on her palm. The cold snow melted in the blink of an eye, turning into small droplets as soon as it touched her skin. She marveled at how a substance that resembled dandelion puffs could transform into drops of water. She looked down at her hand in wonder, then lightly tapped Rem into an exhilarating gallop.

Rem dashed forward at a breathtaking pace, releasing pent-up energy from weeks of remaining inside the stable. Maxi grew giddier and giddier as her thighs moved in rhythm with the horse. She laughed into the wind like a child.

The light, feathery snow soon grew heavy and obscured her sight. She fell into a trance; she had never beheld such a beautiful sight before.

She tilted her head back, enjoying the sensation of the cold snow brushing against her face. Sunlight broke through the wispy clouds, causing the snow to glisten silver. The lake, having regained its natural color, rippled peacefully. A couple of birds dove toward its dark surface before taking off into the forest like arrows.

Maxi took in the scene intently, trying to sear the image into her mind. She then turned to look at Riftan. She wanted to thank him for showing her such an exquisite place, but the words failed to leave her lips when she saw the sharp look on his face. A shudder coursed through her.

Riftan’s body was visibly tense. There was a deep crease in his forehead, and his dark eyes flickered violently like an ocean in a storm. Maxi tightened her grip on the reins. She had no inkling as to why he was regarding her that way. Growing anxious, she began to back away. Only then did Riftan open his mouth as if to say something before swiftly closing it shut again.

For a brief moment, Maxi thought she saw a hint of loneliness on his face. But before she could observe him more closely, he returned to being his usual purposeful self.

“We should return to the castle before the snow gets heavier.” He turned his horse around, his face impassive. “The clouds are gathering. Let us hurry. Remaining out in the snow will chill your body quickly.”

He began to slowly make his way up the path they had taken earlier, and Maxi hurriedly followed after him. An uneasy silence fell between them. Maxi wondered what she had just seen on his face. Unnerved, she shifted her gaze from his broad back to the calm surface of the lake.

She could see a faint reflection of Riftan’s face on the deep blue water. The bleak sight chilled her heart.

It can’t be…

He was the strongest and most daring of knights. It was absurd for her to pity him. As she hastily tried to get such thoughts out of her mind, an eastward gust of wind swept his dark hair back, stinging her eyes.

Maxi squinted and turned toward the direction in which the wind had blown. In the distance, snow enveloped the mountains in a white haze. And so Paxias (the season of repose, equivalent to winter) wore on.

***

The snow that had begun falling late in the afternoon lasted until night, covering everything in a thick layer of white. Ludis exclaimed that it had been nearly ten years since Anatol had seen such heavy snowfall. Though the sight filled Maxi wonder, Riftan was not overly pleased. Early the following morning, he left the castle with his knights to inspect the land for damage.

The servants worked hard to clear away the snow. They meticulously swept the steps, covered the firewood and horse fodder to keep them dry, and removed the snow from the gardens to prevent the ground from freezing. The sentries, too, busied themselves sweeping their patrol routes all morning.

Maxi went for a stroll in the garden to admire the snow. Noticing that the servants’ faces were red from the cold, she asked Rodrigo to provide them with extra firewood before returning to her room. She considered going to the library, but after her discouraging attempts the previous day, she could not muster the motivation to read.

Instead, she put down a rug in front of the fireplace and played with the kittens. With the devoted care they had received from the servants, the creatures had gained weight and tumbled about energetically.

Maxi picked up the rambunctious kittens one by one and placed them on her lap to tickle their bellies. Laura and Ron whined and quickly escaped, but Roy, the black kitten, purred and wriggled on her lap. Maxi laughed at the delightful sight.

“Shall I warm up some milk, my lady?” asked Ludis, who had been stoking the fire.

Maxi smiled and nodded. Ludis placed a kettle of milk in the fireplace. As the pleasant scent of milk wafted through the room, the kittens slowly approached Maxi and crawled up her skirt. Even Laura, who usually ignored anyone who called to her, stealthily crept toward her. Maxi burst into laughter.

“D-Didn’t they eat just a l-little while ago?”

“They had a bowl of fish porridge, but their appetite knows no limits.”

Ludis shook her head before cooling the goat milk until it was lukewarm and pouring it into the kittens’ bowl. The tiny creatures plunged their noses into the bowl, soaking their whiskers, and began to lap the milk.

Soon, their bowl was empty. Maxi poured them some of her share of milk after making sure it had cooled sufficiently. She looked on fondly as the kittens devoured the milk once more, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere in the room.

A knock came at the door, followed by the voice of a maidservant.

“Forgive me for interrupting, my lady.”

“W-What is it?”

“The mage is here to see you. Shall I let him in?”

Maxi’s face fell. Had Ruth come because she had not gone to the library? Or had there been some sort of accident?

She grew tense as she stood up. When she opened the door, she was met with the sight of Ruth yawning, looking as disheveled as ever. Her shoulders sagged in relief when she saw how relaxed he appeared. A misfortune had not occurred, it seemed.

“W-What is it, R-Ruth?”

“Oh, good morning, my lady.”

It was well past noon, but Maxi did not correct him. Ruth yawned again and performed a good stretch before speaking again.

“I just thought of a good training method. Would you care to come outside with me?”

“A g-good t-training method…?”

Maxi’s eyes grew wide. Ruth nodded vigorously with an innocent, child-like expression on his face. In spite of her disappointment the day before, Maxi felt a glimmer of hope rise in her chest. She hastily threw on a robe.

“T-Tell me about th-this method.”

“I shall accumulate mana for you. You aren’t able to collect it on your own, but you have an impressive ability to absorb it, so I’m nearly certain that this method will work.”

Maxi grew anxious. She could not fathom how he could possibly infuse her with mana. She recalled Riftan’s warning about Ruth dragging others into dangerous experiments. She gave him a dubious look.

“A-And is th-this safe?”

“Of course! It’s completely safe, I assure you.”