She held her breath for a moment as she watched him. His tousled black hair formed a silken halo around his head. Thesight of him so defenseless sent an intense shiver running down her spine. His lashes cast shadows against his cheekbones, fluttering ever so softly like butterfly wings. When she unconsciously raised her hand to brush against them, his eyes flew open. Startled, Maxi hastily withdrew her hand.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t m-mean to wake you.”
Riftan blinked, his eyes still heavy with sleep, before quickly sitting up to study her face. “How are you feeling? Do you still feel dizzy?”
“N-No, I am all right now.”
He ran his hand over her forehead and nape, and once he was sure that her body was warmer, he picked up the kettle on the bedside table and filled a cup with water. “Do you think you can drink this?”
When she nodded, Riftan helped her up and placed the cup against her lips. The tepid water soothed her cracked lips and quenched her dry throat.
“Th-Thank you.” She sighed with relief.
“If you think you can stomach some food, I’ll have the maidservants prepare some light soup, and…” He trailed off, glancing down at her white breasts, visible beneath her ill-fitting nightdress. “I’ll have them bring you a change of clothes as well.”
Blushing, Maxi quickly covered herself with the blanket. Though he had seen her naked countless times, she always felt embarrassed whenever he looked at her like that.
He quietly watched her bashful reaction, then got out of bed to put on his trousers. He rang for a maidservant. As he instructed the maid to bring food and clothes, Maxi sat propped against a pillow and tried her best to tidy up her disheveled hair. She still felt listless and had a throbbingheadache, but she did not feel quite as dizzy as the night before. It was enough of a relief that she could feel some of the tension drain from her shoulders. It had truly been a ghastly experience.
“You should lie down,” Riftan said as the maid left the room.
“I-I feel all right now.” Maxi wrapped the blanket around herself and tried to get up. When she teetered, Riftan strode to the bed and stopped her.
“I told you to stay in bed.”
“I-I am all—”
“Stop telling me you’re all right! I’m sick of it!”
Maxi shrank back at his sudden outburst and didn’t resist when he grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her back onto the bed.
“I am trying my best not to lose my temper, so do not test my patience.”
“I-I w-was not aware…that using magic c-could take so much of a toll on me. I n-never meant to burden you.”
“Do you think I’m angry because I felt burdened?” His voice carried a grim undertone despite its softness, and his grip on her shoulders tightened. “Do you even understand what could have happened? If I had arrived a moment later, you could have been gravely injured! It was mere luck that you didn’t—”
Unable to finish the sentence, he cut himself off and clenched his jaw. “I don’t know who to be angrier at—you, or the fools who didn’t stop you from leaving the palace. What in God’s name were you thinking, rushing headlong into danger like that? Do you not recall me saying to stay where it is safe?”
“B-But I couldn’t be…th-the only one in the castle doing no—”
“You should have stayed in the castle!” Riftan’s chest heaved with each labored breath. “Why do you think I work like a dog day and night?! Why do you think I’m fortifying the village and this cas—”
He cut himself off, his jaw clenching when he saw Maxi’s ashen face. His shoulders trembled as he tried to restrain his anger. “Don’t even think about leaving these chambers today,” he spat in a strangled voice. That said, he spun around, picked up a robe off the floor, and marched out of the room.
Maxi stared helplessly as the door swung shut behind him. Riftan had always been quick-tempered and gruff, but she had never seen him like that. Had she really been the cause of such shock? Her expression clouded with anxiety. This was the second time he had been upset with her for fainting. Surely this meant that he was finally sick of her. She tried to calm herself down, but her heart was still pounding when she heard a knock on the door.
“My lady, I have brought a meal and a change of clothes. May I come in?”
“Y-Yes, come in.”
Ludis entered the room carrying a large tray. “A light herb soup, my lady. How are you feeling?”
Maxi forced a smile when she saw the concern in the maidservant’s eyes. “I-I feel all right. I was simply…worn out yesterday…because I used too much magic.”
“You looked terribly unwell yesterday, my lady. Nothing we did could wake you.” Placing the tray on the bedside table, Ludis chose her next words cautiously. “His lordshipwas…very worried. He explicitly instructed that I am to take good care of you today.”
Maxi’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she also felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease. Perhaps he was not completely disillusioned with her just yet.
