“Wh-Why?”
After a moment of hesitation, Riftan sighed and brusquely ran a hand through his hair. “This is the coin I received as compensation after I successfully finished my first commission as a mercenary. I was told that keeping it with me would bring me luck. You could call it a superstition among the mercenaries. I thought it was stupid, but I’ve kept it with me just in case….” He trailed off as though embarrassed at having clung to such superstition. “I rarely got injured when I carried this, so I made sure to have it on me at all times.”
Maxi jumped as though she had been burned and quickly pushed the coin back toward him. “I-If that is so…y-you must be the one to carry it!”
Riftan shook his head. “I no longer need luck. I know that I can survive without relying on such a thing.”
His long fingers wrapped around her hand, and his eyes grew somber. “You do not know how hard it is for me to leave you behind. It is a meaningless superstition…but I still wish for you to have it.”
Maxi bit her lip. “I-I do not consider it…a meaningless superstition, but…if this t-truly does bring luck…I would like for you to carry it, Riftan. Y-You are the one going into danger.”
“It would reassure me more to know that you have it.” He lowered his head to kiss her fist wrapped around the coin. His tousled hair softly tickled the back of her hand. “I might be able to worry a bit less about your well-being if you did.”
“But…I-I will be worried sick,” Maxi murmured, her voice shaking.
Lifting his head, Riftan stared into her gray eyes. Seeing them filled with tears, an unspeakably intense emotion flashed across his face. He cupped her cheek and gently stroked her temple with his thumb.
“Will you?”
Unable to speak, Maxi nodded. Riftan drew in a sharp breath and kissed her.
Maxi’s eyelids quivered when she felt his soft breath on her lips. Although his eyes blazed, the kiss was surprisingly short and gentle.
“I will be fine,” Riftan assured her.
“C-Can you promise me…that you will return unharmed?”
There was a short silence. “Yes, I promise,” he finally answered.
His throat bobbed as if he were trying to swallow something rising there. He bent his head to kiss the back of her hand once more.
“I pray that no harm will befall you…and that only good things will come to you,” he murmured before straightening.
Maxi looked up at him with misty eyes.
Riftan caressed her cheek. “I really must go now.”
Maxi pressed her lips together to stop herself from sobbing and nodded. For a moment, Riftan stood rooted asthough his legs had turned to steel; then he slowly made his way back to the square.
He did not look back again. He climbed down the steps and mounted his horse once more. The knights, who had been quietly waiting for their commander, promptly reorganized into their ranks.
Riftan spurred his steed forward, and the army behind him began their march. Standing beside the clerics at the top of the steps, Maxi looked on as their figures grew distant.
She wished to see her husband off with dignity, but her eyes kept welling up. Clutching Riftan’s coin, she tried to hold back her tears.
When Riftan and the knights disappeared into the horizon, the high priest, who had been discreetly standing back, gently called to her.
“We should head back inside now, my lady. Please allow us to show you to your room.”
Maxi hastily wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress and turned to him with a tight nod. Just then, a dry wind eerily brushed her spine, sending a chill through her entire body. She turned to look behind her one more time before following the high priest and the clerics into the basilica.
They had to pass through the garden, the main hall, a small vegetable patch, a chapel, and then climb up a long flight of stairs to reach the monastery where Maxi would be staying. Standing outside, she dubiously looked up at the elegant, four-story stone building. It was a magnificent structure befitting a monastery in such a big city, but it had a gloomy air.
A cleric led her inside and briefly explained the facilities within the building.
“This is where our sisters training to be female clerics have their lodgings. Currently, the wives or sisters of men who have left to fight are also staying here to pray for their victory. They mostly spend time in their rooms but gather in the prayer hall every morning and evening to join the worship. You should be able to meet the other noble ladies then.”
Maxi tried her best to hide her troubled expression. She had no desire to socialize with the noblewomen of Livadon. Not only did she lack confidence in her social skills, but she was afraid that she would be mocked for her speech impediment.
