“You must kn-know more than just that…you knew what to do… with me…”
“What about you?” He arched an eyebrow interrogatively.
Max bit her lips, hesitating to utter the words that wouldn’t normally come out of her mouth.
“B-before I got m-married to you, Riftan… I didn’t know… w-what couples do with th-their bodies. But Riftan… k-knew how. You knew h-how to do that… to m-me… everything I know, I l-learned from you…”
Max was so embarrassed that she stuttered so bad, almost biting her tongue. It sounded like she was accusing him of using techniques that he must have learned from other women on her, but at the same time she didn’t know where else in the world he had learned that from. She couldn’t figure out why she was being so bothered and asked him about this topic. Riftan seemed more confused than she was as he did not understand the intent of her question. Then, he opened his lips to speak, embarrassed of his slow-wittedness.
“Well, 90% of what the mercenaries say is lewd. When those men open their mouths, they brag about their techniques on how to pleasure women. I’ve been hearing those kinds of things since I was fourteen. All I know are the basics, not to mention they’ve probably exaggerated more than half the facts.” He explained with an uncomfortable expression and looked at her nervously. He quickly cleared his throat, trying to get away from the embarrassing conversation. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re not injured. Does anything hurt?”
“My stomach hurts a little… and I feel lethargic… but it is tolerable.”
“You look pale and tired.” He caressed her cheek and sighed, before turning back to the tubn“I’ll bathe on my own, so lay on the bed and rest.”
Max silently obeyed and crawled under the covers. She curled up on the bed and fought the throbbing pain as he bathed. For a long moment, all she heard were the gentle splashes of the water from behind her. When he was finally warmed up, he pulled on some cotton pants and slid in beside her. He dug under the covers and pulled her close, holding her tight as he rubbed soothing circles on her aching belly with his warm palms.
Max let out a long groan at the pleasant relief. His heated body behind her gently melted her tense muscles. Riftan pushed an arm under her head and rubbed his lips over her shoulders and cheeks.
“I hate that you have to go through this. How often does this happen?”
“Um… it’s irregular.” Max answered vaguely.
His ignorance was in some way welcomed, as she didn’t want him to know that she was spotty compared to average women. She felt both relief and guilt when she buried herself in his arms. She inhaled his unique scent and trembled sweetly. Riftan buried his face in her hair and took in her scent as well, as if he wanted to possess her completely, then let out a sigh.
“I hope it ends soon.”
She could feel that he really hated when she was in pain, and not because she was not available to satisfy him carnally. Riftan continued to draw soothing circles on her tight abdomen and caressed her pale cheeks, as if she was a delicate flower bud that could wither at the slightest pressure. Max rested her head on his forearm and slowly fell into a deep sleep next to him.
***
The soft, light rain continued for several days in a row, sprinkling the green leaves like dew. Sometimes the golden sun peeked from behind the thin rain clouds and softly smiled over the garden. The serene beauty of nature warmed Max’s heart as she sat by the window, studying the magical formulations Ruth left her.
As soon as the pain in her abdomen subsided, she planned to collect some herbs, stop by Ruth’s tower and study how to formulate herbs for medicinal use. She was desperately trying to learn all that Ruth left for her in case of emergencies. Everything had been peaceful and quiet in Anatol, but there was no guarantee that it would last. However, it was not an easy feat to learn many new things on her own without guidance.
Anatol was a land full of monsters, therefore subjecting her and her people to turbulent changes. New problems, big and small, crop up everywhere amid their busy lives. In just her nearly half a year of her stay at Anatol, Max had encountered more changes than in her twenty-two years. From these experiences, she learned how valuable it was to always be prepared. She couldn’t afford to waste time strolling leisurely.
Max woke up as early as she could in the morning, studying magical or medicinal herbs. In her spare time, she would go to the infirmary and treat the wounded just as Ruth would have. When she started, the soldiers were uncomfortable and tired of the presence of The Lady of the Castle in the infirmary, but now they accepted her as if it was her natural place.
Max always made time to visit the infirmary and apply healing magic to at least five to ten wounded men. Subsequently, she would treat common ailments like colds, headaches, and insomnia with various herbal remedies. With her devoting so much of her time and strength to this job, there was no way she could keep this a secret from Riftan any longer.
That day Max stopped as usual by the infirmary to treat the minor injuries of the guards and soldiers when suddenly she felt an ominous chill behind her. She slowly turned around and saw Riftan, his tall and commanding body completely blocking the narrow entrance to the infirmary, staring at her.
Seeing the cold, hardened expression on his face, Max swallowed nervously. Hebaron was standing behind him shaking his head as if he knew what was coming, and Gabel just kept his mouth shut and hunched his shoulders as if weighed down with guilt.
Riftan approached her like a predator tiger.
“Would you mind explaining what’s going on here?”
“… A soldier was i-injured. I’m h-here to heal him…”
Max moved her eyes around nervously and when she found the soldier with the broken leg, she quickly cast a healing spell on him. Riftan’s expression hardened even more as he narrowed his eyes further at her. She quickly straightened up and smiled stiffly at him.
“Now… I think I did e-everything I could here… I have another job to attend to.”
She tried to sneak away but of course Riftan wasn’t going to let her go so easily. He growled as he grabbed her arms, hard.
“I heard it’s been a while since you started pretending to be a healer here. Why am I finding out about it only now?”
“You are always so b-busy. I… I didn’t want to bother you… with something so unimportant…”
Riftan’s rage only intensified at her half-hearted excuse. “Cut the bullsh*t! You deliberately hid it from me!”
“I didn’t h-hide it l…I just didn’t say anything…”
“Is that all you have to say? damn, I just didn’t know what my wife was doing all day. I feel like a fool! How could you do this behind my back knowing how much I care about you?!”
Max, who was sweating profusely and trying to think of something plausible as an excuse, suddenly frowned. Why in the world was she hearing these accusations from him? As the thoughts of her efforts flowed through her head, Max began to get angry.
She looked into his eyes; her expression full of rebellion. “W… what did I do wrong?”
“…What?”
“I only healed the…wounded k-knights. Is that a-a bad thing? Is that something… to be scolded for?”
“damn it, don’t change the subject! You promised me last time that you wouldn’t overdo it again…! “
“I’m n-not overdoing it! For the past two weeks I haven’t d-depleted my mana and I haven’t felt dizzy o-once.” She argued.
She refused to not stand her ground and when Riftan’s face showed a slight tremor, Max continued her assault. “And I’m not doing anything d-dangerous. I was only taking care of the wounded m-men… inside the castle where it is s-safe.”
“damn it! You are the Lord’s wife, my wife! Why are you playing at being a healer?”
“Because I c-can do it!” Max gave a reprimand, startled at her boldness.
She had lived the entirety of her life bogged down with the obsession of being a useless stutterer who couldn’t do anything. The nanny constantly reminded her that the words of a husband are law to a wife. You must unconditionally obey and accept everything you do. But here she was now, disobeying and arguing with her husband. Had she gone mad?
Calming down a bit, Max spoke in a softer tone as she swallowed the lump caught in her throat. “Now… there is no o-one except me who can use healing magic in this castle. I won’t work too hard and… I have more mana now… so you don’t have to worry about me getting sick again.”
At her docile tone, Riftan also calmed down and tried to speak comfortably to Max. “I’ll hire a healer as soon as possible. I hate the idea of you doing this. Why do you insist on trying unnecessarily?”
“Why… why can’t I work hard too? Riftan… Ruth and all the knights… do all kinds of difficult tasks every day… why am I the only one who can’t?”
“damn it! you are different from us, you are the daughter of a duke!”
In his outburst, Max turned red. For the first time in her life, she was overwhelmed by the need to hit someone.
“W-what does that mean? Princess Agnes… can do all kinds of dangerous things. What’s so special about a duke’s daughter?!”
Riftan was speechless. He couldn’t find the words to refute her argument. Hebaron, who was looking to the side with his arms folded, whistled slightly.
“Has the commander been pushed to a corner?”
Riftan glared at him before turning his attention back to her. “The princess is a high-level wizard who has accumulated years of experience since childhood! How do you compare to her?” He spat and breathed heavily.
Even Hebaron, who was watching the couple quarrel with a smirk, covered his forehead with his palm at the sheer stupidity of his commander’s recklessness.
Max looked up at Riftan and lowered her head in defeat as her eyes prickled with tears. She couldn’t argue because she knew it was true, but did he have to shout out her incompetence in front of everyone? She felt her pain increase.
“damn… what I meant was…”
Max swatted the hand that landed on her shoulder. Riftan stiffened in shock at her unseen act of rudeness, but Max just looked at him before walking out and slamming the door.
“For the time being…I d-don’t want to see you!”
Note – Nymeria: YOU GO MAXI! Tell this dork what you can do! She’s not *pretending* to be a healer, she is a healer! Girl I wanted to hit someone too? (Also, as always Hebaron is the most relatable character, love him!!)
