When Maxi tried to argue, Riftan whirled around as if to say he would not hear of it.
“If I don’t pull out his fangs now, he will do the same to me. I will never allow myself to be so helpless again.”
He was talking about the mediation at the Earl of Loverne’s estate. Maxi pressed her lips shut. Indeed, even if Riftan were to give up on his revenge, her father would never leave them in peace. She was certain the Duke of Croyso had continued plotting against her husband during her time away.
Maxi gnawed her lip, guilt washing over her. She found she could not look up at Riftan, so ashamed was she of the countless trials he had gone through because of her. Her father had made most of her life a nightmare, but it meant little to her now. If, however, he dared to taint Riftan’s life with anguish as well, she would never be able to forgive him or herself.
After silently staring at Riftan’s broad back, Maxi blurted, “Did you ever think… y-you have suffered because you married me?”
Riftan paused in draping his leather vest over a chair and slowly turned his head toward her. Unable to meet his gaze, Maxi cast her eyes down.
She did not know why she had asked such a question. After all the affection he had showered her with, it confounded her that she still harbored such doubts and insecurities.
Blushing, she blabbered on, “If you think about it… it is customary for nobles to forge a powerful alliance… or to strengthen their influence by marriage. But by marrying me, you not only had to face countless ordeals… but also gained a lifelong adversary.”
A lump in her throat made her pause. She gulped and continued feebly, “I-It would make sense for you to wonder about what could have been… h-had you married someone more suitable.”
“What do you mean by ‘suitable”?”
Maxi flinched at the frostiness in his voice. She tilted her head up and caught the displeasure on his face.
Riftan slipped off his woolen tunic, revealing a thin shirt, and tossed it onto the table.
“I would really like to know,” he said, slowly walking toward her, “what you consider a suitable bride.”
Though his harsh tone made her shrink back, Maxi forced herself to answer calmly, “S-Since you are often called to war… a woman from a family that could support you in warfare would have been a suitable match. A-And it would have been better if the family’s seat was near Anatol. And… given you are investing heavily in trade… it would be perfect if they could assist you in that regard, too. Also…”
“Also what?” he asked scathingly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Maxi knew it would be wise to stop there, but an incomprehensible impulse kept her going. “S-Since you are exceptionally tall… someone taller would have been suitable. Someone taller and more beautiful… More confident, and…”
The more she spoke, the more it felt like she was hurting herself. After nervously shifting her eyes, she concluded awkwardly, “Someone without scars… would have been better.”
Dreadful silence filled the room. Maxi fixed her eyes on the floor and held her breath. Her face burned as though she had revealed something shameful. She had shown him the depths of her insecurity. As the silence stretched on, she anxiously gnawed her lip, then raised her head to take back her words.
Riftan gingerly cupped her chin as if handling fragile glass. “You are someone who strives to protect others despite all your scars… and you have no idea how endearing I find that.” ”
Maxi glanced up in surprise and met his pained, dark gaze. He lowered his long lashes as if to shut his emotions away. His touch gentle, he swiped a stray hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear.
“That part of you fills me with dread, yet it’s precisely what has drawn me to you for so long. From the moment I realized you were seeking someone to hold and protect, I yearned to be that person.”
“What do you mean by long-?”
Maxi shrieked as Riftan hoisted her off the ground. Cradling her in his arms, he carried her behind a partition.
Amid the warmth of the steam-filled air, Maxi’s eyes widened as they fell upon the tub of hot water. The barmaid must have filled it while they were eating downstairs. Gently setting her on a rack, Riftan deftly removed her coat, letting it fall to the ground.
“What else did you say? A more confident woman, was it?” His lips curved into a crooked smile. “One would have to dig up the graves of the ancient warrior queens to find a woman more commanding and dignified than my wife tonight. But I’m hardly interested in a pile of bones.”
Maxi blushed. Riftan pulled her tunic over her head, leaving her clad in a flimsy chemise.
He briefly regarded her in silence before saying in a husky voice, “And no other woman in this world surpasses your beauty.”
“I-I fear there must be something wrong with your eyes,” Maxi murmured, trying to quell the overwhelming joy singing in her chest. How could he utter such a statement when he personally knew Rosetta and Princess Agnes, two women hailed as the epitome of beauty in Wedon?
Noticing her disbelief, Riftan furrowed his brow and adopted a more serious tone. “You truly are adorable.”
With that, he slowly tugged off the tight hose encasing her legs. Maxi shivered as a cold draft brushed her calves. Undoing her braid, Riftan gently ran his fingers through her locks, his gaze hot with desire. Every time he looked at her this way, she felt like the most exquisite woman in existence.
Holding a lock of her hair, he held it up to the flickering firelight before bringing it to his lips. When Maxi reached both arms out to him, he placed them around his neck and began to kiss her tenderly.
Maxi moaned as his soft, wet tongue caressed the walls of her mouth. Her fingers felt the gold chain of the medal around his neck. Coiling the chain around her finger, she gently pulled on it before stroking his hair and ears. Soon, a feverish moan gushed from Riftan as well.
As if to quell his mounting desire, he broke the kiss and rested his cheek against her temple. “Forget everything that man has told you. You are the bravest, noblest, most beautiful person I know. You believe me, don’t you?”
Maxi nodded, and he tilted his head to kiss her eyelid.
“Whenever you start doubting yourself again, ask me to tell you what kind of person you are,” he whispered. “I will say it as many times as necessary.”
Maxi peered up at him through her wet lashes. Once again, she realized she trusted his every word and action to her very core.
After regarding him with feverish eyes, she urgently pulled up his shirt. Riftan complied immediately, throwing off his garment. The gold coin dangling from his neck swung like a pendulum before settling on his bronze chest.
Maxi watched her husband with a pleased expression. He was truly beautiful in the dim firelight.
“Now you,” he urged, tugging her hand.
Sliding off the rack, Maxi removed her chemise. She stood stark naked under his fierce gaze.
When she entered the lukewarm bath, Riftan stepped out of his trousers and slipped into the water behind her. Muscular legs placed themselves on either side of her own, and his chiseled abdomen and sturdy chest formed a solid wall at her back. A contented sigh seeped out of her.
Riftan gently cupped and squeezed her breast with a large, sinewed hand before slipping it between her legs. He let out a ragged breath as he felt her wetness.
With a low moan, he lifted her buttocks and slowly slid inside her.
Maxi’s head tilted back as he began to move at a languid pace, her body shuddering. Her mind was wiped clean of all thought as the sweet, tingling sensations took over. Both the anger at her father and the anxiety about the war were forgotten as she immersed herself in the pleasure.
The following day, the coalition army promptly departed, resuming its eastward march. Fortunately, they did not encounter the same hostile reception at every stop within the duchy. Most locals welcomed the knights who had come to rescue them from the monsters, and innkeepers were glad to have their rooms filled with guests.
On the other hand, the duchy’s knights mirrored Hedna Borman’s behavior. Though it was unbearably frustrating, the army found itself constrained. They could not oppose the Council’s decision and turn back, nor could they penalize the duke’s vassals for their insolence.
Maxi had to contain her simmering rage as she rode on. Her hatred of her father deepened with every step through the duchy toward the Lexos Mountains.
