Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 218 - Side Story Chapter 24
Riftan was mortified by how loudly his gulp resounded in his ears. Wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers, he willed himself to stop staring. However, like steel to a magnet, he felt his gaze being pulled to her.
He noted her elaborately braided bun, her delicate neck, and slender shoulders. Her waist was so tiny he was sure he could wrap one hand around it. Finally, his eyes stopped at the cascading hem of her silk dress.
The little girl in his memory had perpetually unkempt hair. She often used to get it caught in tree branches, which would ruin her braids until they puffed up like clouds. Her penchant for wandering the gardens also meant that her dresses were always covered in dirt. Was this regal woman truly the girl who used to collect pebbles in the raggedy pouch she took everywhere?
He stood in a half-trance until Triton’s genteel voice broke through.
“May I inquire about the lady behind you?”
“I see I have yet to introduce my daughter,” the duke replied, pushing the girl forward. “This is Maximilian, my eldest.”
The woman standing before him was the same yet different from the one in his illusion. Though there were traces of the little girl in her round forehead, cheeks, and small chin, golden freckles now dusted her low nose and cheekbones, and her large gray eyes looked morose.
Riftan knitted his brows, wondering why she wore such a dark expression. He watched as her bewildered face turned to stark fear. He stiffened in shock. Never had he imagined she would be afraid of him. Was this the same girl who had fearlessly charged at a monster as big as herself?
The young woman’s shoulders hunched in fear. Her terrified eyes regarded him as though he were a hideous monster.
“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Maximilian. I am Evan Triton.”
The commander gave her a gentle smile as he extended his hand, making the gesture seem reassuring. Maximilian tentatively placed her hand in his. Triton kissed it before introducing Riftan, who stood frozen beside him.
“And this young man is the Remdragon Knights’ vice commander, Riftan Calypse.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” Riftan intoned.
Maximilian cast her eyes down. In a quivering, barely audible voice, she said, “A-As am I.”
A profound sense of dejection flooded Riftan. The fantasy he had cherished for the past decade crumbled like a sandcastle before him. The memory of rescuing her was what had kept him going, but now the girl he had saved refused to even look at him. He felt like the world’s biggest fool.
I knew it. It would’ve been better never to lay eyes on her again.
The illusion should have been left as an illusion, the memory as a memory. A feeling of desolation closed around him.
“My child,” the duke said abruptly, “you look pale. Are you still feeling unwell?”
The young woman flinched, then nodded. The duke let out a low sigh.
“You have greeted all our guests. Why don’t you rest in your chambers now?”
After glancing at Riftan and Triton, Maximilian nodded again and turned away. The duke watched his daughter leave with a concerned look before directing a tepid smile at Triton.
“Do pardon her ill manners. She is such a timid child that she finds such gatherings overwhelming.”
“Is she not of age to be at court?”
“I cannot bring myself to send her to the capital when she is so vehemently against it.”
The duke clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head, the picture of a benevolent father.
“Though I make sure she socializes when we have visitors, it concerns me greatly that she shies away from meeting people. Sadly, I am to blame for spoiling her after she lost her mother at a young age.”
Stroking his beard, the duke clicked his tongue.
“She is no longer a child. I know I should be firmer, but I cannot seem to stop indulging her.”
“Your concern for your daughter is understandable.”
“I only have two girls, as you know. I am determined that they lead their lives the way they wish.”
Riftan was barely listening to the conversation as he watched Maximilian walk away. Even as he repeated to himself that it had all been an illusion, he felt like he had been robbed of something precious.
Struggling against waves of bitterness, Riftan willed himself to look away. Soon, the duke moved on to converse with the other guests. After several more perfunctory exchanges with the eastern nobles, Riftan retreated to a corner and emptied a goblet of wine. Instead of becoming inebriated, however, his head seemed to clear.
He despised himself for feeling disappointed, for that meant he had held certain expectations. Had he wanted her to remember him and offer a friendly smile? Or for her to blush at his good looks as his commander had prattled on about earlier?
He scoffed at himself. It was high time he got over the childish dream. He might be a knight, but he was still a lowly bastard and half-breed, while she was the daughter of a distinguished noble family.
After guzzling goblet after goblet of wine, he returned to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep. A thumping headache assailed him as soon as he opened his eyes the following morning.
He clutched his head, muttering obscenities. Indulging in drink was something he rarely did. Groaning at the unfamiliar pain, he poured himself a cup of cold water and glugged it down. It did nothing to alleviate the headache. In fact, it only seemed to add a dull throbbing from his eyes all the way to his temples.
Ten hells…
He felt pathetic. Angrily clicking his tongue, he washed his face and got changed. The brilliantly sunny morning seemed to hold no regard for how he was feeling. After glaring at the clear sky, he trudged through the maze-like garden.
Leaving the castle grounds, he cut across the expansive hill. The shack soon came into view when he reached the bottom. It felt as though a thorn had lodged itself in his throat. There was a high chance he would find the shack abandoned. However, standing in front of it now, he saw it was relatively well-kept compared to the derelict building he had been expecting.
He peeked into the dim room through the window before checking the perimeter. Behind the shack, a chicken coop with a few hens occupied the small garden.
Could it be? Was his stepfather still living here? Or, more likely, had someone else moved in?
There was no way to confirm then and there. After peering into the empty shack, he whipped around as something came flying at his head. He reflexively snatched it out of the air.
A scrawny boy glared up at him, clutching the other end of a hoe that Riftan now had a vice grip around.
“What did you come to steal?” fumed the boy.
Riftan stared dumbly back at the young boy who had appeared out of nowhere.
The boy seemed unafraid. His face flushed red as he said, “You were trying to steal Father’s chickens, weren’t you? Admit it!”
“Do you live here?”
The boy groaned from the effort of trying to yank the hoe free. He thrust his small chin upward.
“That’s right! This is my family’s house, so you can’t take anything!”
“I’m not here to rob you,” Riftan mumbled, studying the boy’s grubby face.
There was something in his large, dark brown eyes that felt familiar.
“What’s your father’s name?” Riftan asked.
“Why do you want to know?”
Riftan narrowed his eyes and crouched down. Startled by his sudden proximity, the boy flinched and backed away.
“I owe a debt to the man who used to live here,” Riftan said as calmly as possible. “I’m here to repay it.”
“This is my family’s house. It’s been my family’s since before I was born.”
“What is your father’s name?”
“Novan,” the boy said hesitantly.
It was his stepfather’s name.
“How old are you?” Riftan asked, his voice somber.
As though sensing Riftan’s tumultuous emotions, the boy’s reply came out as a murmur.
“Eight.”
Riftan slowly straightened and gazed at the shack he had abandoned. What state of mind had his stepfather been in when he had started a new family in this place full of bitter memories? He could not fathom it. He himself had fled after not being able to endure even one more night.
“Is he in good health?”
The boy seemed to drop his guard, and he chattered away.
“He complains about his back every day, but other than that, he’s healthy. It’s Mother who’s ill.”
Riftan frowned. “Your mother is ill?”
“She’s been ill ever since my baby sister was born, but she still goes to the fields to work with my sister on her back.”
The boy lowered the hoe and looked Riftan up and down.
“Are you a friend of Father’s?”
Not knowing how to answer, Riftan kept his mouth shut. Though a part of him was relieved that his stepfather’s life was not miserable, he also felt bitter. That, in turn, made him disgusted with himself.
The man had finally managed to start a family of his own after wasting twelve years of his life with him and his mother. It was only right that Riftan be happy for him.
He untied a pouch containing at least forty gold coins from his belt. “As I said, I owe your father a big debt. Give this to him.”
Taking the pouch, the boy peeked inside. “How much did Father lend you when he’s got no money?”
When the boy tried to take out one of the coins, Riftan said sternly, “It’s enough for your mother and perhaps even your sister to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Don’t show it to anyone or they might try to take it from you.”
The boy looked frightened and clutched the heavy pouch to his chest.
“Hide it inside and make sure to tell only your father when he gets home. Can you do that?”
“Y-Yes.”
The boy nodded gravely and darted into the shack. Riftan watched him go before slowly turning away. He was about to walk off when the boy stuck his head out the door.
“What’s your name, mister? What should I tell Father?”
Riftan paused for a moment before saying, “Tell him Riftan came by. He will know.”
“Are you going to leave without seeing him?”
Riftan nodded and strode away. He wanted to return straight to the castle, but his apprehension over leaving such an exorbitant sum of money with a child got the better of him. Concealing himself in the forest, he settled down to keep a lookout over the shack from afar.
Eventually, a man with a hunched back trudged up the hill with an armful of farming tools. Riftan watched his gray-haired stepfather, noting his deeply tanned face. The little boy shot out of the shack like an arrow. No doubt he had been anxiously waiting by the window for his father to come home.
Riftan turned on his heels and hurried back to the castle. For reasons he could not understand, his heart felt empty. Even though he had been the one to forsake his childhood home, perhaps a part of him had thought he would someday return. Had that been why he had avoided this place? Because he had been terrified to find it empty? Incredulous laughter spilled from his lips.
