“This is nothing. I once cracked the ice of a frozen lake in the middle of winter so I could ba—”
“S-Stop speaking nonsense. What if you were to f-fall ill?”
Riftan looked taken aback by her stern tone. Afraid thatshe had overstepped her bounds, Maxi was about to lower her eyes when he bent over and picked up his blood-soaked tunic. He wrung it out several times before tossing it to one of the maidservants.
“Try soaking it in lye before you wash it. Just burn it if that doesn’t get rid of the stench.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
When the maidservants rushed off to the laundry room, Riftan nodded to Maxi. “Come, let us head back.”
As they made their way to the castle, Maxi noticed dark puddles pooling with every step he took. How long had he been drenching himself? Frowning at the wet trail, Maxi said reprovingly, “Next time…don’t w-wash yourself outside. Come s-straight to our bedchamber.”
“So that I can make you faint again at the sight of me covered in blood?”
Maxi blushed when she realized that he was referring to the time they had been attacked by ogres on their way to Anatol.
“Th-That was only because…I had never seen a monster before.”
“I doubt that…” he muttered skeptically, as though convinced she had been terrified by him.
“I am no longer frightened by blood,” she said clearly and slowly, trying to stress the truth of her words. “S-So you need not worry so much.”
For some reason, Riftan’s face only grew darker.
“I have no intention of making you get used to such a sight.”
Unable to respond, Maxi pressed her lips together. A strange tension flowed between them. Riftan regarded herfor a moment as if he had something to say, but then turned and walked into the castle instead. All Maxi could do was trail behind him.
“You there,” he called to a servant in the hall. “Prepare a bath in my chambers immediately, as well as a change of clothes.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I would like to eat, too. Prepare a meal to serve right after.”
After barking his orders, Riftan marched up the stairs. His strides were wide, and he made it up the two floors to their chambers in record time. Maxi had to clutch her skirt as she hurried after him.
The bedchamber was warm from the fire Ludis had lit earlier. Riftan gingerly stepped into the room to avoid the rug, muttering all the while, “Goddamned wolves…Ruined my good boots.”
Maxi closed the door behind them and watched as he continued to swear. A faint, rotten smell was indeed wafting from his dripping leather boots. Riftan wrinkled his nose and tossed them into the corner.
Maxi handed him a few towels from the shelf. “Y-You should dry yourself first.”
“There’s no need. I’ll be getting in the bath soon anyway.”
“We can’t have you wet wh-while you wait.”
He glanced down at the water pooling on the floor beneath him and accepted the towels with a sigh. Maxi began stoking the fire, and had just begun stepping on the bellows while carefully feeding more wood into the fireplace when she heard a splatter behind her.
Her breath hitched as she looked over her shoulder.Riftan was getting undressed. His carved buttocks tightened as he bent over to peel off his trousers, revealing long and muscled legs.
Maxi remained frozen. The thought that she should look away flashed briefly through her mind, but all she could do was stare at him, entranced. The husband who had been so difficult to catch a glimpse of these past few weeks now stood naked before her. When was the last time she had been pinned beneath that muscular body? Her heart pounded at the thought, and a burning flush crept over her cheeks.
As if sensing her lascivious gaze, Riftan turned his head.
Maxi hastily whirled around and pretended that the fireplace required urgent attention. She poked at the burning wood, mortified she had been caught so blatantly ogling him. Even her ears were turning red.
For heaven’s sake, stop acting like a lovesick fool. You are a daughter of a noble house. Behave like one! You must act the part of a graceful and virtuous lady.
