A man with a bushy beard roared with laughter andhanded her another pole. Although she wanted nothing more than to step down from the podium, Maxi had a feeling that she would become a laughingstock if she fled, so she shut her eyes and hurled the pole again. This time, it flew quite high into the air before sinking into the ground at the second flag.
Her face flushed with pride, Maxi turned to look at Riftan. Her joy evaporated as she spotted two lavishly dressed women hovering flirtatiously around Riftan and Sir Elliot.
One of the women reached out to hold on to Riftan’s arm, and Maxi felt white-hot anger shoot through her. She stepped down from the podium and marched over.
“R-Riftan!”
His head snapped toward Maxi as she called out, and three other pairs of eyes simultaneously swung toward her. Her courage briefly wavered, but she steeled herself, squeezing between the pair.
She gave the woman nearest to Riftan a stern look. “Do you have business with my husband?”
“Oh, my. So, you were here to enjoy the festival with your wife.”
The women giggled, not embarrassed at all, and clapped their hands. The stench of liquor assaulted Maxi’s nose, and she frowned and took a step back. Like cats circling a mouse, the women grinned and continued toying with her.
“What a fine husband you have. I’m so jealous.”
“I agree! Why don’t you let us borrow him for a bit? There aren’t enough good men, you know. We should share!”
The brazen request drained the color from Maxi’s face. Having been taught that decorum was a virtue of a lady, this behavior—making a move on a married man while beingdrunk in public—was incomprehensible to her. It was as if they were temptresses from hell itself.
Maxi felt a chill run down her spine, and she clung to Riftan’s arm.
“N-No, you cannot borrow him!”
“Aww, you mean to keep him all to yourself?”
“We only want him for a short while.”
“Absolutely not!” said Maxi, close to tears. She looked up at Riftan, begging him to say something. He had been standing as stiffly as a rock the entire time. At Maxi’s silent plea, he blinked as if snapping out of a trance and ran a hand over his face. A flush crept up his beautifully tanned neck.
“Uh…So…” Riftan stammered, averting his eyes. “You heard her…. She’s not lending me to you.”
Maxi stared at him. She could not believe what she was hearing. Was this really his best effort?
Just then, she heard a peal of laughter.
“Oh, this is incredible. Who would believe it? To think the Mago himself is lost for words….”
Agnes, who had followed Maxi, was doubled over. Her laughter was so loud that it seemed to startle some sense into the drunk women.
“Hmm, what a shame. Finally find a good man, and he’s taken by not one, but two others….”
The other woman studied the princess with dazed eyes before losing interest. “Can’t be helped, I suppose. Why don’t we go grab a drink somewhere else?” Heaving an overdramatic sigh of disappointment, the woman fluttered her fingers at Riftan and said, “It was nice meeting you. If you ever want to have some fun, come look for us at Rhedyn Inn.”
The women sauntered away like cats swaying their tails. Maxi narrowed her eyes and stared after their retreating figures. How could they so brazenly attempt to seduce a married man? She was scowling when Agnes, who was still shaking with laughter, teetered over.
“You have to give it to them, not many are bold enough to approach this man.” The princess wiped her tears, then stood on her toes to pull the hood of Riftan’s cloak over his head, saying, “You, sir, are the one who needs to hide his face, not us. Though I must say I’m surprised, Riftan. I didn’t think you’d be one to flirt with other women while your wife was watching.”
“Who are you accusing of flirting?” Riftan barked indignantly. In a softer tone, he said to Maxi, “I was trying to get rid of them, but they were more persistent than I thought….”
Maxi scowled at him with suspicion. “It did not…s-seemlike you were trying very hard.”
At her brusque reply, Riftan’s expression became indiscernible. He looked both sheepish and smug at the same time. Maxi glared daggers at him, infuriated to see a teasing smile tug at his lips.
She spun away from him and grabbed Agnes by the arm. “The princess and I have yet to finish enjoying the festivities…so you should go enjoy yourself as well, Riftan.”
With that, she hurried away before he could say anything. Agnes chuckled as she allowed herself to be led away.
