Unable to think of a retort, Riftan merely licked his lips. Hebaron, who had been watching everything from the back with his arms folded, blew a low whistle.
“The commander’s losing.”
Riftan shot him a glare and turned to stare at Maxi again.
“The princess is a grand sorceress with a lifetime of experience! How could you compare yourself to her?”
A collective gasp sounded through the room. Hebaron’s smirk melted away and he covered his forehead with his hand.
Maxi’s face blanched as she limply hung her head. To her shame, her eyes burned with tears. Even if that were the truth, did he have to say it in front of everyone? Anguish welled up inside her.
“Damn it. What I meant was—”
Maxi shook his hand from her shoulder, and the rest of his sentence died on his tongue. She glowered at him before storming out the door.
“I don’t…w-want to talk to you for a while!”
—
Although her husband wasthe last person she wanted to see right now, they still shared a bedchamber. It would be impossible for her to avoid him altogether. This was why she resorted to the admittedly childish tactic of feigning sleep.
“Maxi, we need to talk.”
Riftan had returned earlier than usual and now anxiously hovered by the bed. Maxi lay still with the blanket pulled over her head like a caterpillar. He tugged on the blanket impatiently, but Maxi clutched it until her fingers shook from the effort. In a desperate attempt to appear asleep, she even began snoring.
“Goddammit, I know you’re awake. Stop pretending.”
Each yank of the covers grew rougher as he became more irritated. Maxi used all her strength to hold on to the blanket and obstinately kept her eyes shut. She could hear him gritting his teeth above her.
“Are you going to keep this up? A while ago, I…” Riftan trailed off, suddenly sounding deflated. He withdrew his hand and the bed dipped as he slumped down next to her. After a moment of heavy silence, he said coldly, “Fine. Do whatever you want.”
She heard his shoes fall to the ground as he took them off, before he moved to his side of the bed and lay down. Feeling resentful, Maxi positioned herself as far from him as possible and curled into a ball.
It was true that she did not wish to speak to him, but it also made her angry that he had so easily given up on trying to talk to her. What was it that she wanted him to do? Pull her into his arms and grovel? Apologize for his harsh words and tell her that he had not meant it? She felt betrayed by his indifference.
Their frostiness continued until the next day. Maxi refused to budge until Riftan left the room. It was only after he reluctantly set off for the day that she slowly got out of bed and ensconced herself in Ruth’s tower.
There, she spent her time reading and mixing herbs asshe usually did. Every so often, Riftan’s words would suddenly spring to mind, making it difficult for her to concentrate. When that happened, she would collapse over the top of the desk and gnaw her lip. No matter how hard she tried, it did not seem like Riftan would ever acknowledge her. But why would he when she could not hold a candle to the beautiful grand sorceress who could have been his wife?
Maxi was unable to stop herself from spiraling. She was certain now that he did not wish to share any other aspect of his life with her except for the five hours he spent sleeping in their bedchambers every night. He wanted to treat her like a domesticated cat one kept in their room to pet from time to time.
She had thought that she had grown used to rejection, but her heart still ached. Unable to focus on her studies at all, Maxi wallowed in her self-deprecation until she realized that it was the time she usually dropped by the infirmary. She hesitated, knowing that she was not so thick-skinned that she could appear unperturbed to the knights after being humiliated in front of them yesterday. Still, it also hurt her pride to stop her visits for that reason.
Everyone must think I was cowed by his words.
Maxi scowled. It was true, but she did not wish to appear meek. On the other hand, she was afraid that disobedience would make her seem just like the obstinate princess.
After much deliberation, Maxi left the tower with a pouch of herbs. If the knights looked troubled by her presence, she would tell them that she had simply dropped by to restock the remedies.
Hiding behind the gate that led to the training grounds,Maxi scanned the yard to make sure Riftan was not around before darting toward the knights’ quarters. When she entered the infirmary through the side door, she saw a knight bandaging his wrist. He looked surprised to see her, jumping to his feet and bowing his head respectfully.
“Good day, my lady. I did not think you would be coming today.”
“The infirmary was…running low on herbs f-for aches…so I brought some more,” she said, even though he had not asked anything. She glanced at his wrist. “Have you h-hurt your wrist? Would you…like me to heal it for you?”
“That won’t be necessary, my lady. It took a hit from a practice sword, and the bandage is to help alleviate the shock on the joints, that’s all.”
He smiled and flexed his injured hand to assure her that he was telling the truth. Maxi sighed in relief. She had been secretly worried that Riftan had ordered the knights not to allow her anywhere near the infirmary. Judging by the knight’s response, that did not appear to be the case.
