Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 183

Chapter 183: Chapter 183

A crease wrinkled Riftan’s forehead as he noticed Maxi’s eyes clouding over with sadness. He cupped her cheek and gently thumbed the corner of one of them. Maxi took his hand and brought it to her lips.

“Th-Then… what should I do for you?”

His face half-buried in the pillow, he suddenly looked filled with longing. His eyes seemed to plead with her about something she could not understand. When he replied, his distant voice seemed to tickle her ears.

“Nothing… I just need you to stay by my side.”

Crestfallen, Maxi’s eyes drooped to the floor. For the first time in her life, she realized just how miserable it could be to have nothing expected of her. Riftan seemed displeased at her morose expression. He frowned and pulled her on top of him again.

They began making love, and this time it was tormentingly gentle and slow. He teased her rosy breast with his mouth for an unbearably long time. He moved against her in long strokes until her eyes grew unfocused and she melted with pleasure. After it was over, Maxi fell asleep slumped on his chiseled chest.

She had no idea how long she slept before she awoke to a suffocating heat. The fireplace had been so well stacked with wood that the flames were still blazing even into the late hours of the night. Maxi found herself sweating from the warmth of the fire and the heat radiating from Riftan’s body.

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Getting out of bed, she threw on a robe and walked over to the window. She cracked it open and was cooling herself off when she saw something twinkling in the dark. Small, white flakes of snow fell from the ink-blue sky.

Maxi stuck her head out to let the snowflakes brush her face. The crisp night air quickly chilled her sweaty body, but she did not feel like returning to bed. She stood by the window enraptured by the snowflakes fluttering in the wind until she felt a sheet fall across her shoulders.

Maxi looked up to see Riftan standing behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her head.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“I-I was feeling a bit warm.”

His hair was a tousled mess, and for once his eyes looked drowsy. Seeing him so at ease made her frustrations melt away like snow. Confounded by her emotions, she put on a resigned smile.

“L-Look… it’s the first snow.”

Riftan sighed and rubbed his warm, moist lips on her nape.

“I remember watching the first snow together last year as well. Do you want to go to the lake again in the morning?”

“R-Really? You’re letting me out of the castle?”

“It’ll be fine if you’re with me. We can go to the village as well if you’d like.”

If the suggestion had been a ploy to take her mind off her father’s schemes, it had succeeded. Maxi shuffled around and returned his embrace.

Although the first snow did not fall for long, the frigid weather preserved the white frost that covered the landscape long after sunrise. Maxi was infinitely glad that winter had come earlier than usual. Her father would have to delay his wicked plans for a while.

She had stopped trying to pry for information. Riftan had a point; it was not as if she could come up with a countermeasure if she knew what her father was plotting. It would undoubtedly only make her feel gloomier.

After forcing the worries from her mind, Maxi decided that she would simply enjoy the time she got to spend with Riftan. Lately, he had been refusing to leave her side. He took her to the winter lake as promised, and when the coldness had somewhat abated, they left the castle grounds to visit the village.

Maxi toured the newly built, four-story merchant guild. After that, they browsed the market, now made up of closely packed stone buildings. The square was full of merchants from the South selling a variety of rare goods, and the streets bustled with people despite the cold weather. Maxi perused everything until she was completely satisfied.

Belts made of Southern silks and snakeskin, animal figures carved from ivory, extravagant furs, an array of spices and rare herbs – Riftan bought everything Maxi showed an interest in. On their way back, he promised to take her to the port as soon as the weather was warmer.

Maxi tried to imagine them strolling the coast and enjoying the spring breeze. It was such a sweet image that she desperately wanted his reassurance to be true and that nothing bad would happen.

Indeed, what could her father possibly do now? Going public with the assault would only disgrace him and the Croyso name. Her proud father would never risk such public shame to exact revenge. He would likely give up once his efforts to isolate Anatol failed. Maxi resolved to be optimistic.

As she had expected, time passed peacefully. Thanks to the knights scouring Anatolium, Anatol suffered no further monster attacks. Neither did the Duke of Croyso end up besieging them in a fit of anger.

Maxi and Riftan whiled away the time like a pair of hibernating bears in a cave. All day long, they would roll around in bed, eat, sleep, and make love with no regard for the time. As the idyllic days continued, Maxi completely forgot her worries.

Unfortunately, the peace did not last long. A messenger arrived at Calypse Castle. Though Riftan promptly led the visitor to the council room, Maxi recognized the envoy right away. It was the same knight who had been sent to them by the Earl of Loverne last spring.

Levia. I think that was his name.

Maxi’s face fell when she recalled that they had agreed to an alliance with the earl last year. To think that he would send someone to them at such a time… Were monsters about again? The earl might have sent his men to seek the Remdragon Knights’ assistance.

Maxi paced around her bedchamber, nibbling her nails. Her heart clenched at the possibility that Riftan would have to lead his knights to battle in the middle of winter. Was her deep-rooted malady acting up again?

Though she wanted to maintain her composure and be brave no matter what happened, she did not know how. Maxi sighed as she fidgeted with her long braid. It was possible that being a knight’s wife meant a life of constant anxiety. Would she have tried to stop herself from falling for Riftan if she had known? Regardless of the answer, she could no longer imagine being indifferent to him now.

Maxi sank onto the bed and hugged her knees. Why was life not like a rainbow? Why could it not be a paradise of verdant fields? She was sick and tired of the constant adversity hanging over their heads.

These useless thoughts swirled in her mind until she heard a knock at the door. She leaped out of bed. It could be Riftan sending someone to summon her. Without asking who it was, she swung open the door and found herself staring into a brawny chest that nearly blocked the whole doorway.

Maxi flinched and backed away. She jerked her heap up and met Hebaron’s grim face.

“W-What brings you here?”

“If you could spare the time, my lady, there is something I wish to discuss with you,” the knight muttered awkwardly as he scratched behind his ear.

Without hesitation, Maxi grabbed her robe and stepped out. Hebaron immediately started down the corridor. What did the knight want to discuss with her? It did not seem like it was Riftan who had sent him. She glanced over Hebaron’s tense back. He must have felt her gaze, as he gave her a reassuring smile over his shoulder.

“I apologize for surprising you, but it was an urgent matter… I was actually waiting for you to come to the infirmary, but you haven’t been gracing us with your presence of late.”

Maxi blushed and mumbled an excuse. “W-With Ruth… and Melric in the castle… I didn’t think the infirmary needed my help…”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it as a reproach. We are well aware that the commander’s ailment is growing worse.”

Maxi was taken aback. “A-Ailment?”

“His overprotectiveness where you are concerned, my lady.” He chuckled, then added, “It seems that it’s closer to obsession now. The others and I were beginning to fear that he was confining you to your chambers.”

“P-Please don’t exaggerate. Riftan is simply… w-worried for me.”

“Hmm. That’s too mild a word for it. I’m not sure if I should be telling you this, but the commander hasn’t been himself lately. He gets agitated when he’s away from you for too long, and it’s been a while since he stepped foot in the training grounds.”

Maxi stiffened when she saw the concern in the knight’s eyes. Though she had been aware of the amount of time Riftan had been spending with her, she had never once thought it a serious problem.

Hebaron’s brow furrowed slightly. “The commander would likely demand my head if he found out I came to see you, but I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing…”

“What on earth is it…? P-Please, tell me everything.”

“We should head out first. I’ll explain everything once we find a quiet place to talk.”

With that, he strode briskly down the stairs. Maxi silently followed. Hebaron made his way toward the path that led from the kitchen’s back door. When they reached a secluded spot, he finally began to speak.

“Have you heard the news from the spies we sent to the duchy?”

After a moment of vacant blinking, Maxi shook her head with a bitter expression. “R-Riftan… did not tell me anything.”

“I thought that would be the case.”

Hebaron sighed as he kicked a jagged stone on the winding dirt path with his boot. Silence fell over them once more. What was making this audacious knight hesitate like this? Maxi was gazing at him with an anxious expression when he began to speak once more.

“The duke is preparing for a trial. He has apparently wheedled all the nobles in the east as well as the king’s retainers in the royal palace into taking his side. We took immediate action as well, but at this rate, we won’t be able to stop a formal trial.”

It felt as though she had been doused with ice water. Maxi looked up at Hebaron, her face draining of color. The royal tribunal only ever oversaw trials of the nobility. It was an institution dating back to the age of the feudal lords, with its power exceeding even that of the king’s laws.

With the feudal lords and monarch currently locked in a subtle power struggle, a noble requesting the king to proceed over his case was no different from the noble undermining his own authority.

Unable to believe her ears, Maxi sought confirmation.

“Y-You mean… my father has petitioned for a case against Riftan?”

“Yes. I think he intends to pursue this all the way without caring about appearances.” Hebaron clicked his tongue. “It might just end with a fine if we’re lucky, but he’s been putting so much effort into this trial that I doubt he’ll let it conclude so easily. He will most likely demand that the commander be stripped of his knighthood. If he has the backing of the other nobles, even King Reuben won’t be able to ignore his demands.”

“Th-Then what…?”

Maxi was half out of her mind with worry as she clung to his sleeve.

Hebaron looked down at her with somber eyes. “We must prove that the commander’s actions were warranted. Would you be willing… to testify against the duke?”

Maxi’s face flushed crimson. The mere thought of standing in court and stammering her father’s wretched treatment of her in front of the king and the nobility of Wedon was enough to make her break out in cold sweat. Even so, she was willing to stand naked in the city square if it meant she could save Riftan from this plight.

Biting her lip, Maxi nodded. “O-Of course. I would… gladly do so.”

Relief briefly flashed across Hebaron’s face. “I know what a difficult request this is, my lady. The commander even threatened to fight to the death anyone who dared to inform you of this matter.”

The knight ran a hand over his face and heaved a sigh.

“He wouldn’t listen to reason. I’ve been waiting for a chance to talk to you, but it’s been incredibly difficult to come by. He certainly kept a close watch on you.”

Dumbfounded, Maxi furrowed her brows. “What was he… going to do w-without telling me about this?”

“He isn’t being bullheaded with no plan. He’s been trying to buy the Southern nobles to our side, but we all know the outcome is inevitable.”

Hebaron scratched his head as if to show just how fed up he was. Maxi bit her lip. As the knight pointed out, the Duke of Croyso’s influence was formidable. It would be impossible for Riftan to beat her father politically.

“That is why the Earl of Loverne sent a messenger. The royal family is trying to do whatever it takes to settle this before it formally goes to court. There is to be a mediation in Loverne, who is Anatol’s ally, and it will hopefully be to the commander’s advantage.”