Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 78: Chapter 78

Riftan’s hesitation was uncharacteristic. He let out a sigh.

“Guests will be arriving in a few weeks. There will be twenty to thirty people. I’d like to have the best rooms ready for them, as well as a small welcome feast.”

Maxi’s eyes widened. She had been expecting guests in spring. The news of them arriving so soon caught her off guard.

“May I ask… who… we are expecting?”

“Most likely an inspectorate sent by the king. He also sends the royal knights…” Riftan trailed off, throwing Maxi a furtive glance. His sensual lips briefly twisted as though he was troubled by what he was about to say, but all emotion faded as he added casually, “and Princess Agnes.”

Maxi’s breath hitched. She stared dumbly at Riftan. The princess he had once been connected to in marriage talks was coming to Calypse Castle. Maxi did not know how she was supposed to react to such news.

When she did not answer, Riftan continued with a hint of agitation. “Of course, she is only coming to inspect the land at the king’s behest. I’m sure he appointed her the task because she is the only member of the royal family I am acquainted with, and who is already on friendly terms with the Remdragon Knights.”

“I-I see.”

Maxi swallowed hard. He had used the word ‘acquainted,’ yet it still struck a nerve. They were comrades who had fought alongside each other during the Dragon Campaign; a passing acquaintanceship was improbable. And if Ruth was to be believed, Riftan and the princess’s relationship had seemed close enough for everyone to think they would marry once the campaign was over.

Not wanting to be seen as a woman consumed by jealousy, Maxi swallowed hard despite the knot in her stomach and willed herself to look calm. She smiled.

“I-I will… h-have the servants prepare… the best rooms. I-Is there anything else… I should do?”

Riftan’s gaze bored into her. “You need only to instruct the maidservants to make thorough preparations for the welcome. Don’t trouble yourself any more than that.”

His answer was brusque, and his attention returned to his desk.

Maxi was too caught up in her own emotions to worry about his strangely chilly attitude. She hastily rose from her seat before he could notice her distress.

“Then… I-I shall go inform them r-right now.”

“I’ll leave it to you,” Riftan said without looking up.

Maxi immediately left the room and hurried down the stairs. Her mind was still in a muddle when she sought out Rodrigo to inform him of the news. It was in this state of inner turmoil that Maxi tried to process the princess’s impending visit.

Was it normal for a woman of royal birth to call on the estate of a man who had refused to marry her? What reason would the princess have for visiting him? It was possible that King Reuben had not yet given up on making Riftan his son-in-law. The inspection could merely be an excuse for the princess to come and win Riftan’s heart.

The thought filled Maxi with dread. Riftan may not wish to divorce her right now, but there was no guarantee that that would not change. What was she to do if the princess employed all her charms to beguile him?

“You look quite pale, my lady. Are you feeling unwell?” Rodrigo asked worriedly when he saw the color drain from Maxi’s face.

Maxi shook her head. “I-I am… just… a little tired.”

This was not the time for her mind to be elsewhere. Maxi did her best to push the negative thoughts to the back of her head so she could concentrate on the task at hand. She had to make sure the royal guests did not think the castle was neglected. There would be no time to leisurely go over every aspect with Ruth as she had wanted.

“I think… we will have to ask A-Aderon…. to come to the castle again. Could you tell him… that I wish to start… working on the garden… without delay? A-Ask him to start… with the grounds in front of the great hall i-if… decorating the whole garden proves difficult. I would also like… new trees planted.”

“I shall send word immediately, my lady.”

“A-Also… I want the guest rooms to be decorated with… colorful tapestries and the f-finest linens… p-prepared for the beds. Please tell the servants… that they are to a-attend to the guests… with utmost care… and make sure every part… of the castle is clean.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Maxi could not think of any more instructions. Her lips parted and closed several times before she finally muttered, “Please inform me if any… p-problems arise.”

After dismissing the steward, Maxi returned to her chambers where she mechanically started reading a book on magic. Her mind did not register any of the words. She thumbed through the pages, chewing her lip.

With no sign of an heir, Maxi and Riftan’s marriage was presently as fragile as a piece of parchment. It could be ripped apart at any moment if Riftan so wished.

Her anxiety doubly swelled when she recalled how distant Riftan had been acting lately. He had assured Maxi that he had no intention of breaking his marriage vows, but how strong was his resolve? Wouldn’t it weaken in the face of a breathtaking beauty trying to seduce him?

She truly could be coming just to inspect the lands, as Riftan said.

Maxi desperately tried to stamp out the gray clouds of anxiety gathering within her. As obstinate as he was, Riftan was a man of integrity. He would not bend like a reed being tossed around by the wind.

No more dark thoughts.

Riftan was a knight who had sworn allegiance to King Reuben; it was inevitable that he would have to interact with the royal family. Drowning herself in self-sabotaging thoughts every time it happened would not do. It took Maxi all her strength to get ahold of herself.

***

One good thing about being so preoccupied with preparations was that Maxi had no time to wallow in her thoughts. Putting even her studies on hold, she gathered merchants to the castle to select decorations for the guest rooms and began planning the landscaping of the gardens.

There was not enough time to work on the whole garden, so Maxi had them filled with shrubs and statues. It did not take as long as she had feared, as the frozen grounds had begun to thaw.

The merchant guild sent laborers to dig holes at fixed intervals for the new trees, and the castle servants scattered seeds in the flowerbeds amongst the newly-planted seedlings. It was still early to be sowing seeds, but Maxi hoped that the leaf mold mixed in the soil would allow them to take root as the weather grew warmer. She wanted the stark garden to be presentable by the time the guests arrived.

“The royal kn-knights… shall stay in the annex… while Her Highness, her retinue… and her ladies-in-waiting… shall stay… in the great hall. You must m-make sure… they have… everything they need.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Do not… be light with the spices… and spare no expense for the f-feast preparations… Only use g-gold or silver utensils… and make sure we have enough p-premium wine.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Maxi gave meticulous instructions to the servants and inspected the castle several times a day to make sure the preparations were going smoothly. Maidservants opened the thick shutters and polished the opaque windows until they were sparkling. Servants cleaned out the ash-laden fireplaces until their faces were covered in soot, and even scrubbed the braziers free of scorch marks.

The preparations did not stop there. The servants also spent a whole day drawing water from the well and scrubbing the stains off the dirty carpets, rugs, and curtains. Maxi had her hands full overseeing it all alongside filling out daily order forms. She did it all on her own, for Ruth was too busy working on a magical device.

Maxi knew everyone had more on their plates than she did, so she did not complain. Ruth worked without sleep, while Riftan and the knights were busy from dawn till late into the night planning the road construction that would commence in the spring.

Building a wide road to connect Anatol to the port was an enormous endeavor. Riftan spent his days poring over maps and discussing the fastest and safest routes with the knights, as well as putting considerable effort into securing the manpower and materials needed for the construction.

All this activity meant that the frequency of their coupling dwindled. Riftan only returned to their bedchamber late at night while Maxi, exhausted from her early-morning rounds, fell asleep as soon as it was dusk. Since Riftan returned late and left before dawn, there were even times when Maxi would not catch a glimpse of him for a whole day.

As they spent less and less time together, Maxi grew increasingly frustrated. She wanted Riftan to take her in his arms and kiss her with his warm, soft lips. She wanted to lie on top of him so she could bury her face on his sturdy chest like a kitten, and feel his big hand stroking her hair.

It made Maxi wish the season of repose had never ended. She missed the times when the two of them spent inseparable days within the cold, gloomy castle. It made her wonder if he had finally grown tired of her. Did this distance mean that he no longer felt any passion for her?

Such thoughts simmered in her mind as she lay in bed at night waiting for him, to the point where it felt as if she would go mad. It was easier during the day when she was preoccupied, but lying alone in their vast bed, running her hand over the cold and empty spot next to her, filled her with all sorts of negative notions.

Maxi was overcome with the desire to see her husband’s smiling face, to go riding outside the castle grounds, and to be alone with him.

***

The guests arrived as Maxi’s frustrations reached their peak. On a sunny afternoon that announced the coming of spring, Maxi had been overseeing the landscaping of the garden when she got word that knights carrying the royal seal had entered Anatol. She froze at the news. Fortunately, the garden no longer looked like a wasteland thanks to the trees planted throughout the garden.

She hurried to welcome the guests. Though she was not fully satisfied with it, Maxi was grateful that she had at least managed to make it presentable before the arrival of the royal inspectorate.

Gathering the servants, she made sure they were stationed in an orderly fashion at the entrance of the great hall before returning to her chambers. She inspected herself in the mirror; her dress was lavish, but she could not shake the feeling that something was lacking.

She opened the chest where she kept her barely-worn jewelry and adorned herself with a brooch, a necklace, and a ring. She then asked Ludis to rearrange her hair. It would not do to seem inferior next to her husband’s almost-fiancé.

Ludis seemed to read her mistress’s mind and put extra effort into painstakingly braiding her curls and winding them with silk. She finished it off with a stunning jewel-encrusted coronet.

Not long after, Maxi heard the blast of a kopel boom from afar. The guests had arrived.