“D-Did you sleep well?” said Maximilian.
Riftan had been enjoying his wife’s adorable show of affection, which reminded him of a small bird nudging him with its beak, before his brow crinkled slightly. He was still upset with her for leaving before the sun had even risen.
“You should have asked me that in bed,” he grumbled.
“I-I didn’t want to wake you,” she said, shrinking back. “You said you hadn’t been sleeping well, and you always… wake before me. I didn’t want to disturb your rest.”
Riftan narrowed his eyes, studying her worried face. Being treated like a child by a woman who barely reached half his height still felt strange to him.
“Then you should have waited until I was awake,” he snapped, purposefully adopting a brusque tone.
“I-I told you I had something important to attend to,” she replied, breathing a small sigh. “I left a note this time. Did you not see it?”
A slight blush crept onto Riftan’s face as he recalled the numerous pieces of parchment he had found scattered across the room. Maximilian tugged at his neck with a smile, pulling him closer, and playfully planted kisses on his cheek as though pacifying a sullen child.
“I did not wish to leave our bed either, but today happened to be
She hesitated, a blush coloring her cheeks. Riftan frowned. Though her shyness was utterly adorable, he disliked that she was keeping something from him.
Lifting her chin, he gazed into her beautiful, clear gray eyes. “What is it?”
“W-Well…”
Clearly flustered, Maximilian hastily lowered her gaze. The pink flush now extended to her delicate ears and the nape of her neck. The sight was tantalizingly dizzying.
A strong urge welled up within him, tempting him to whisk her back to their room to explore where else the flush had spread. Yet, his curiosity about what had excited her so prevailed.
He smoothed his face into a carefully blank expression. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“The thing is… I received my compensation today from the Mage Tower for my efforts during the war.”
Riftan narrowed his eyes at her unexpected words. For reasons he could not understand, she seemed nervous.
Excitement crept into her voice as she added, “Initially… I was supposed to receive eight denar in total… b-but they recognized my leadership in the rear support unit… so they raised my compensation to one soldem and six denar.”
Not knowing how to respond, Riftan furrowed his brow. A soldem was a substantial wage for a novice mage, but considering her background and his wealth, it was insignificant. After all, had he not amassed a fortune in gold and jewels so that she would never want for anything? Could it be that she was unaware of her own wealth? He found himself frowning ever so slightly when Maximilian suddenly tugged at his arm.
“Let us go… somewhere more private.”
Spotting a group of clerics entering the garden, he allowed her to lead him away. They crossed the cloister and walked toward the rear of the assembly building. An expanse of dry grass covered the spacious courtyard, and clusters of budding bushes stood around a small frozen spring.
Utterly bewildered, Riftan blurted stiffly, “What on earth is the matter?”
After looking around to ensure they were alone, Maximilian nervously met his gaze.
“I… wanted to give you this,” she said, taking his hand and placing something in his palm.
Riftan narrowed his eyes, observing the shiny gold coin resting on his black leather glove. Perplexed, he lifted it by the gold chain attached to it.
Maximilian blushed. “You told me once that keeping your first- earned coin… b-brings good fortune.”
Riftan jerked his head up as she reached into her coat. She pulled out the copper coin he had once given her.
“Since all of your fortune… is with me, I-I want you to have all of mine.”
Stunned, he could only stare at his wife’s face. When he failed to show any inkling of a reaction, Maximilian looked nervous, adding awkwardly, “I went straight to the smithy after receiving my compensation… to have it made. I didn’t want to accidentally spend it.”
As he remained silent, a hint of anxiety flickered in her eyes. 10 “You will treasure it, won’t you?”
Riftan felt a surge of emotion welling in his chest as he clutched the coin. His throat burned as though he had swallowed a ball of fire.
“Until the day I die,” he finally managed to choke out.
A smile curled her lips. She looked so endearingly beautiful, radiating pure joy, that he momentarily forgot to breathe. How had he ever resisted her charms? Suppressing the surge of passion, he held out the necklace.
“Help me put it on.”
She accepted the coin, chuckling softly. “Bend down, then.”
Like a loyal hunting dog, he obediently ducked down. Her slender arms wound around his neck, and as she struggled to fasten the chain, he rubbed his forehead against her delicate shoulders. Her distinctive sweet, warm scent tickled his nose.
“Th-There, all done,” she said, stepping back from him.
Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as they settled on the gold coin dangling on his chest.
Removing his glove, he traced the weathered engravings on the coin with his fingertips. Committing the crown on the front, the thirteen swords on the back, and even the scratches and dents to memory, Riftan finally lifted his gaze.
“Thank you.”
Maximilian’s face lit up as if she were the one receiving the gift. Riftan could no longer contain himself.
Gently grasping her slim waist, he pulled her closer and pressed his lips against her smiling mouth. The soft sound of her laughter danced on his tongue, her breath melting him from within.
Burying his fingers in her auburn curls, he cradled her flushed face and gazed down at her. He peppered her smooth forehead, rosy cheeks, small nose, and delicate eyelids with kisses.
Maximilian laughed, clearly delighted. Her complete vulnerability touched his heart. She trusted him completely. Despite the countless wounds he had inflicted on her, she still surrendered herself to him unconditionally.
It suddenly made him wonder if she knew he existed solely for her.
Maximilian’s eyes twinkled. “Next time… I will give you something even better.” Then, as though determined to shatter his heart completely, she said, “I will give you… everything I have. It may not be much, but what I have is yours.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Riftan closed his eyes. Maximilian playfully nuzzled her nose against his, and he felt as if he were in a beautiful dream. He loosened his embrace with great care, fearful of crushing her delicate frame.
“Then,” he said, willing himself to sound calm, “soon enough, I will be as rich as the emperors of Roem.”
“Aren’t you already?”
Maximilian’s face crumpled into a slight scowl, thinking he was not taking her words seriously. Instead of assuring her that he would choose her gift over all the riches of Darian the Monarch, he showered her sullen face with kisses.
He longed to hold her tightly, to lose himself in her completely. Yet, his desire to prolong this perfect moment prevailed. With a fervent sigh, he licked her swollen lip.
Suddenly, something cold landed on his eyelid. Looking up, he saw snowflakes falling from the clouds overhead. Maximilian appeared startled, following his gaze with wide eyes.
“But it’s Aquarias(The season of water, equivalent to spring.)now.”
After observing the gray sky of this seemingly eternal winter a little longer, Riftan draped his cloak around his wife. He gently brushed away the snow in her hair and turned toward the building’s entrance.
“We should return to our room. It seems the snow won’t be letting up anytime soon.”
Maximilian, who had been staring absentmindedly at the flurries, slowly nodded. Holding her tightly in his arms, he guided them toward their quarters.
***
The snow intensified, swiftly blanketing the world in a pristine white. The unexpectedly heavy snowfall caught many off guard. Whispers of bad omens circulated among the clerics, while the nobles fretted over their crops and livestock. Some dismissed the sudden weather as a peculiar anomaly that occurred every few decades, but most appeared unsettled by it.
Maxi, who had been gazing out the window at the snow-covered grounds of the basilica, turned her attention to the mages gathered by the fireplace.
“Has something like this… ever happened?” she asked.
“A bit of snow, perhaps,” Anton replied grimly, busily scrawling something on a piece of paper, “but I’ve never seen it this heavy around this time. I worry for those who are on their way to the Tower.”
Royald, playing a leisurely game of dice near a brazier, replied half- heartedly, “I’m sure they are sheltering in an inn somewhere. They are traveling with merchants. I doubt they’re camping outdoors.”
With the negotiations entering its final stages, the mages who remained in Osiriya found themselves with an unprecedented amount of leisure time. While Anton and Calto pondered how to manage the Tower’s spoils, the rest of the mages had little to occupy their days except for indulging at the banquets and contemplating how to spend their hard-earned money. Maxi was no exception, and she relished the unparalleled tranquility of each passing day.
