Sir Uslin Rikaido’s attitude towards her felt a little different, but Max was too exhausted to think about it. She collapsed helplessly in the corner of the barracks and stared blankly into space. She was so out of her mind that she didn’t even hear the urgent sound of footsteps running toward the tent.
Ruth jumped into Riftan’s barracks and his eyes found her immediately. “Are you alright?”
He ran up to her and asked anxiously when he saw her looking so weary. Max quickly wiped her face, conscious of any tears that remained on her face.
“I-I’m fine.”
Ruth exhaled deeply as he looked at her figure. “In the end you got caught. I thought you would last a few weeks at most… who would’ve thought that your disguise would be discovered in less than ten days.”
“I also didn’t expect it… But because we ran into each other at the s-spring at the wrong time…”
Max trailed off, shaking her head sadly. Ruth just sighed in resignation and his shoulders slumped. “Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. This was bound to happen sooner or later. Where is Lord Calypse now?”
“He got extremely fu-furious… and left. He said he needed to cool his head…”
Ruth grimly looked at the entrance at her somber murmurs. “It would be better for him to calm down and cool off.”
“… You seem to have known from the beginning that the Lady was in this place.”
Uslin, who had been listening to their exchange in silence, suddenly intervened in an accusing tone. Ruth frowned and avoided his questioning gaze. Uslin’s shoulder shook as if he was about to scold him endlessly, but he then shook his head and spat out coldly.
“The Commander will be lashing out at you, so I’ll save my breath.”
“I begged Ru-ruth… to pretend he didn’t know, he had n-no choice.”
“Even if that’s the case, he should have put the Lady’s safety above all else and informed the Commander immediately.”
“If there had been a problem, of course I would have reported it sooner. But the Lady was handling everything well on her own, so I decided it wasn’t worth causing a commotion and getting things out of proportion.”
“What gave you the right to make that call…”
Just as Uslin was about to rebuke Ruth for his failure of good judgment, Elliot Caron and Yulysion ran into the tent. Their astonished gazes immediately landed on Max and she blushed, suddenly being conscious of her messy hair and dirty clothes. The young boy gaped at her, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, then quickly ran towards her with a bright smile on his face.
“When I heard the Lady was here, I didn’t believe it! But you are really here! How have you been?”
The tension on Max’s shoulders relaxed upon feeling reassured that someone was glad to see her. “I… I’ve been fine. How about you, Yulysion, are you unharmed?”
“Not a single scratch. They won’t even allow me to fight in the frontlines! If there’s anything they let me do on the battlefield it is to bring spears, tend to the horses, or polish armor.” Yulysion exclaimed resentfully, then focused back on her again with a twinkle in his eyes. “But I was really surprised when I heard you were here! How did you get here?”
“I came with the s-support unit.”
“Now that I think about it… you’re wearing a priestess’ robe.”
Elliot, who stood blinking blankly, murmured his remarks with a bewildered expression. Max blushed and ran her fingers along her tattered robe.
“I’m working with the p-priestesses… I’m he-helping them with the chores and taking care of the wounded.”
“Are you saying you’ve been with priestesses all this time?”
Yulysion looked at her like he was seeing a ghost and repeated her words like a parrot. Elliot turned pale at the realization of how severe the situation is.
“You traveled all the way here in the heart of the war, without a single guard or attendant?”
“We were escorted… by the Archduke’s Knights and the Holy Knights…”
Even with her effort to reassure him, Elliot’s face remained completely horrified. “You are so reckless! What if you were attacked or had an accident!”
Completely stunned by her antics, he groaned and grabbed his head. “If you’re with the support unit, you were there when I visited Servyn Castle. Did the wizard know about this back then?”
Ruth kept his mouth shut and avoided his gaze, but that only gave him away. Elliot stared at him and made a huge fuss about it.
“Are you crazy?! Why didn’t you tell me about this right away?”
“… I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary commotion.”
Ruth’s vague and nonchalant response left the knight so speechless that he could only look at him in disbelief with his face red in anger, then he lashed out again fiercely.
“So, you’re saying that the Lady was left unattended all this time because you find it troublesome? The day Lord Calypse discovers this truth, you will be digging your own grave!”
“Sir Caron! P-Please don’t tell Riftan. I forced Ruth to keep my secret… I b-begged him. Ruth didn’t do a-anything wrong.”
Seeing her pale, exhausted face, Elliot’s demeanor immediately softened. “Forgive me for raising my voice. However, I can’t let this go…”
“I apologize for causing worry to everyone. But… I really am fine and didn’t encounter any problem. I don’t want any more a-arguments… because of me.”
Unable to deny her earnest gaze and desperate pleas, Elliot relented and nodded. Ruth, who was staring at her absent-mindedly, scratched the back of his head.
“What are you going to do now? Now that Sir Calypse knows about you, you won’t be able to live among the priestesses.”
Max bit her lip anxiously. It was like he said, there was no way in hell Riftan would allow her to stay at the priestess’s barracks. However, she did not want to let Idcilla, who depended on her a lot, fend for herself. She rubbed her forehead, not knowing what to do.
Just when Max was fighting her dilemma, her stomach rumbled loudly. Her entire face turned red, and she raised her head, wondering if the men had heard it too. Each of them, with senses as keen as animals, gazed at her with wide eyes. Muttering under her breath, she tried to defend herself,
“I-I haven’t had dinner yet…”
“I’ll go prepare and bring food right away!” Yulysion exclaimed and rushed out of the barracks.
Elliot went and pulled a chair from the table and gestured for her to come and sit. “You must be exhausted caring for the injured all day. Sit down, take a break. Is there anything else you need?”
“I would like water to w-wash…”
Immediately understanding her hesitant words, Elliot instructed the soldiers standing outside to bring a tub full of water. After a short while, clean towels, soap, and a large basin of cold water were brought in. It felt like years since she received such services, and she fidgeted awkwardly at the suddenness of it all. However, the sparkling clean water was just too tempting. As the knights stood guard at the entrance, Max went behind the partition and quickly stripped off her clothes. She hadn’t washed herself for almost a week and she couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
Looking towards the entrance from behind the partition to make sure she was really alone, Max dipped a clean towel with the water and immediately began to cleanse her body. She tried to conserve as much water as she could, but after cleaning her body three times, the water level in the basin only had half left. With the remaining water, Max washed her hair, but due to her thick curls, there was not enough water to wash off all the soap. She felt a bit uncomfortable, but the fresh, clean scent of the soap made her feel alive again. Max folded her tattered clothes and set them aside. She found one of Riftan’s clean robes and put it on. His tunic reached his thighs, but when she wore it, it reached down to her calves. She tied a belt around her waist and poked her head out from the doorway.
“I’m a-all… done.”
“I’ve prepared you a meal. If perhaps it is not enough, please let me know.”
Elliot, who was waiting patiently by the entrance, handed her a large tray filled with a variety of meats, stew, bread, and wine. Max’s eyes widened at the feast in front of her and she stared at him dumbfounded.
“T-This is more than enough. By the way… Riftan…”
“The Commander went up the castle fortress. Don’t worry, he will be back soon.”
Max accepted the tray with a sullen expression. She was starving, but when she remembered the anger on Riftan’s face, her mouth dried up and she felt like she was chewing sand. Setting the tray on the table, Max slowly stuffed bread into her mouth. She managed to empty about half of the tray before drowsiness began to settle. She drank the rest of the wine and went to Riftan’s bed, staring at the tent’s entrance. It was already late at night, but Riftan still showed no signs of returning.
They finally reunited after months of being apart, but he had to be so angry that he didn’t even want to be by her side. Max’s heart pounded when she recalled the pained look on his eyes. She knew he would be furious, but she never dreamed that he would be so distraught over it. She hugged her knees and buried her face in the middle. Perhaps she should have really waited for him at the monastery, but she really couldn’t. No matter the risks, she wanted to be with him. She could endure any amount of hardship and suffering if it could bring them together.
She told herself that when he came back, she would tell him. For her, being by his side was more important than anything else, as it was because of him that she had become Maximillian Calypse. And living as Maximillian Calypse made her feel more alive than ever. She sat on the bed, waiting for him, but she couldn’t fight the built-up fatigue and eventually fell asleep sometime during the night.
She woke up in a drowsy state. Feeling a sturdy forearm wrapped around her, she opened her eyes. In the soft light of dawn, she saw Riftan’s large, strong body at her side. She looked at his sleeping face in astonishment. Max could see that he had lost weight. His cheeks had hollowed a bit, and faint dark circles shaded his under-eye area. Max’s heart clenched at the sight. Even though he was furious with her, he still carefully crawled into bed next to her, worried she would wake up.
Max pushed his bangs that had grown longer with a careful touch, exposing his forehead. With his forehead not wrinkled together in his sleep, he looked three to four years younger.
Unable to contain the temptation, Max leaned in and placed a soft, light kiss on his lips. When he didn’t open his eyes, she grew bolder. She traced her finger along the strong line of his jaw and leaned in for a longer kiss. His lips were incredibly warm and velvety. It was hard to believe that something so soft and velvety could be found in a man whose entire body was as hard as iron. Max continued to touch his lips gently when suddenly, Riftan grabbed her wrist.
“That tickles.”
Max’s shoulders huddled in embarrassment, her face flushing red. “I-I’m sorry. Did I…wake you up?”
“I couldn’t sleep for a moment.” He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her with a clear gaze. “I still can’t believe you’re really here.”
Max felt her heart drop at his blunt tone, and she sank deep into his arms as if she was burying herself into him. “I-I’m s-sorry for following you here. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Riftan’s body stiffened, and he embraced her tightly. The feeling of his strong arms hugging her washed over her like a tidal wave of comforting warmth. Max buried her face against his collarbone and took a deep breath. As his unique masculine scent filled her lungs, she felt warm, like a lost person who had finally come home after wandering the world for years.
“I really… missed you. That’s why I came, I wanted to see you. It w-wasn’t difficult at all coming here.”
“damn it, don’t even think about overlooking this whole situation just like that.”
He took the back of her head with his big hand and pulled her even closer. Max could feel her heart beating like a drum, sending pulses throughout her body. She could also feel the rhythm of Riftan’s pulse on the back of her neck. He ran his fingers through her hair, then wrapped his arms around the back of her neck, looking down at her anxiously.
“I have no idea what I’m going to do with you. damn it, if I could, I would have put off this war and take you back to Anatol right now. I really want to.”
His words sounded so tempting that Max swallowed dry. However, she knew she couldn’t place such expectations and burdens on him.
“I-I don’t want to stand in your way. I have no such thoughts. I-I just… wanted to be close to you. And if possible… I also wanted to contribute.”
Note – LF: I really like this chapter. The knights are realizing further that Max is really a selfless woman. And it was so funny how Ruth was ganged up on hahaha. Lastly, it’s so sweet how Riftan still hugged her to sleep even if he was angry, he must miss her a lot too.
