She recalled him entering the castle with the other knights dispatched by the royal family to settle a dispute between the duchy and Drachium. Even in the midst of hundreds of knights, he had been the center of attention. Maidservants had vied for the chance to attend to him, and even the noblewomen invited to the banquets had been unable to pry their eyes away. Maxi, on the other hand, had found it difficult to understand all the fuss over someone who seemed so cold.
Riftan was right—her first impression of him was what had caused her to freeze whenever he looked at her. She would never have thought that anyone would be attracted to her, and Riftan was a man extremely adept at hiding his emotions.
After a hesitant pause, she reached out to caress his bronze cheek. “Is that why…you came to d-dislike me?”
“Yes.”
Her fingers twitched at his curt answer. She pulled back, but Riftan caught her hand and pressed it against his cheek.
“I hated how you captivated me so completely.”
His eyes grew somber. Maxi sat up and climbed onto his lap.
“I-I never…disliked you,” she whispered. “It’s true, I was scared…but I always thought y-you were dashing. That was why…I was more nervous when you were around.”
His gaze bore into her as if to determine whether she was telling the truth. Then, draping the blanket over her pale shoulders, he pulled her into a crushing embrace. Being encircled in his warm, muscular arms made her feel unbearably euphoric. She leaned her head in the hollow of his shoulder and exhaled a shaky breath. Was this how a baby bird tuckedin a warm nest felt? It was as if all the heartache, sorrow, and fear melted away in the comfortable air enveloping them.
Watching the shifting shadows, Maxi abruptly asked, “W-Were you…ever disappointed in me?”
His sturdy arms tightened around her.
“I…stutter…a-and I miscarried our child,” Maxi said weakly. “I-I am sure I’m not…the lofty noblewoman you think I—”
“You are everything I dreamed you would be,” Riftan said gruffly. “No, that’s not right. You are beyond what I ever imagined. You are impossibly brave, suffocatingly lovable. As for the child…” He swallowed hard, as though his throat was parched. “To be honest, I don’t even want one anymore. You have no idea how much blood you lost that day. I don’t want to risk something like that happening ever again.”
Maxi felt a faint tremor go through him, and she blinked her misty eyes. She hated herself for feeling relieved.
It was undeniable that he needed an heir, not to mention that producing one was her most fundamental duty as his wife. Her own mother had gone through several pregnancies and miscarriages to fulfill this obligation at the expense of her own life. Considering her father’s obsession with securing a male heir, Riftan’s remark was baffling.
Maxi narrowed her eyes, trying to ascertain his sincerity. Riftan lowered his head to kiss her wet eyelid.
“You are all I need.”
His words reverberated in her heart. As she burrowed herself against his chest, their merged shadows looked like a strangely formed animal. How wonderful it would be if they could become a single entity, never to be separated again. She wished that they were the only two people in the world.
Inebriated by the pleasant sensation of his hand stroking her hair, Maxi closed her heavy eyelids. A calm lull settled over them as the rain eased.
—
After Riftan rescinded Anatol’s declarationof war, the tension that had engulfed Calypse Castle immediately evaporated. Though it was obvious that the security at the ramparts was still heightened, the coming and going of mercenaries and weapon-laden carts noticeably decreased.
Maxi waited for the right time to inform Riftan about her father’s secret scheme. To her surprise, Riftan took the news calmly.
“We were expecting this,” he said stoically. “He appears to be putting pressure on the merchants to stop them coming to Anatol.”
Maxi’s face fell. Anatol was a small territory surrounded by mountains, and it had little arable land. It thus relied on trade for most of its food supply. If the big merchant guilds were to cease trading here, they would not be able to last the year.
“Th-Then…what should we do?” she asked, distressed. “If the merchants stop doing b-business with us…we won’t be able to last the win—”
“There is no real threat,” Riftan replied apathetically while he oiled his sword. “Merchants from the Southern Continent still come in through the port. In the future, large quantities of spices and silk will pass through Anatol annually. If any merchant stops coming, it would be their loss.”
Though his calm explanation was somewhat reassuring, Maxi knew how tenacious her father could be. She could not help but worry.
“H-He might be…plotting other things. My father w-would never be content with that sort of retaliation….”
With a sigh, Riftan lowered his sword and strode over. He picked Maxi up and perched himself on the edge of the bed as he cradled her in his lap.
“There are still merchants who want to continue business in Anatol,” he said as though reassuring a child, “and I have commissioned them to keep track of the duke’s movements. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
