Maxi froze.
Although she had seen him enraged numerous times, he had never looked as cold as he did now. His icy glare pinned Maxi’s shrinking frame in place before he turned to address Aderon. “Get me one of the earl’s mages. I do not care how much it costs.”
“My guild has a branch in the earl’s territory…so I should be able to send someone to infiltrate the household and try to make contact with his mages. However, if we were to get caught doing such a thing, my guild’s reputation wouldbe…”
Riftan placed a bulging leather pouch on the table in front of him. “I shall pay you ten times the brokerage fee if you succeed. Tell the mages I am willing to pay them five times what the earl is giving them.”
After eyeing the pouch to gauge its weight, the merchant nodded with a sigh.
“Well, I shall give it a try, but I suggest that you do not pin your hopes on it. The earl’s mages are no different from the knights who have served their house for generations. It will not be easy to persuade them to leave.”
“Do whatever it takes,” said Riftan.
He rose to his feet. Aderon followed suit, shoving the leather pouch inside his robe.
“I shall bring you the results in two days.”
The merchant bowed his head at both of them before leaving the room.
Maxi stood motionless. As she anxiously studied Riftan’s face, he picked up his cloak and marched out without so much as a glance in her direction. She rushed after him, but he quickened his pace so that she almost had to run to catch up with him.
“Riftan…please…l-listen to what I have to say.” He marched with his eyes fixed ahead as if he had not heard her, and she scampered to keep up with his long strides. “R-Riftan!”
He did not even look over his shoulder, instead flying down the stairs like a man on the run. After glaring at his retreating figure, Maxi sprinted after him and grabbed his cloak. Riftan stiffened and pushed her hand away.
“P-Please, listen…to what I have to—”
She teetered on the step. Her dress had gotten tangled around her legs, and she lurched forward. Riftan lunged, grabbing on to her waist and managing to stop her fall. Maxi’s face was pale as she clung on to his forearms. She heard him curse above her head.
“Damn it…What were you thinking?! You could have been hurt!” Riftan barked, grabbing her shoulders.
Maxi hunched forward for a moment before defiantly meeting his gaze. “It w-would not have happened…if you had not ignored me.”
“Couldn’t you have just let me go? Why the hell are you doing this? I do not want to listen to your nonsense!”
Looking down through her lashes, she tried to conceal how his harsh words hurt her. She could not let him see her cry—not when she was trying to convince him that she was not as delicate as he thought. Riftan would not hesitate to rebuff her more coldly if he believed that would keep her away.
This aggressive reaction was not a surprise to Maxi. Merely venturing outside of Anatol had made him furious. Of course she had known that he would not agree to her coming along.
Collecting herself, Maxi spoke as placidly as she could. “How would you know that it is nonsense…when you have not even h-heard it? I am merely asking you…to listen to what I have to say. Surely, th-that is not too much to ask.”
Riftan pressed his lips into a thin line. He silently gazed down at her with fiery black eyes before folding his arms and spitting out, “Fine. Speak.”
His demeanor suggested that his answer would remain the same no matter what she said.
Maxi gulped. “I have heard…that the journey toLivadon is arduous. One…th-that is dangerous to take without a mage….”
“I am going to find a new mage, so you need not worry about that.”
“B-But you might not be able to find one! Aderon h-has said that it would be…difficult.”
“This is not something you should concern yourself with. It’s my problem.”
There was no sign that he would relent, and Maxi was left speechless. Riftan took her silence as a cue that their conversation was over and turned away, but she desperately grabbed his arm. “I know…that you do not th-think me reliable, but…I have been s-studying diligently, and my mana has increased. If you are unable to find another mage in time…I could take Ruth’s place and—”
“Enough!” Riftan yelled, his already-thin patience vanishing. “Do you think we are going on a leisurely excursion? As you said, the way to Livadon is full of dangers. Yet you want me to take you along? I would rather die than let that happen!”
His voice reverberated around the hall. He ran a hand through his hair before coldly hammering the final nail in the coffin.
