Riftan said.

  Max struggled to breathe as if her head was underwater. She bent towards the floor, her stomach pressing over her knees tightly. Someone began to rub her back gently.

  Her shoulders still shook. Slowly, Max opened her eyes and saw a familiar scene. She was back in her bedroom, a familiar red hue from the candlelight subtly lit the room. It was easy to tell it was night now. After staring around a bit longer with a confused expression, she moved and moaned softly and someone brought a cold, brass bowl to her mouth.

  , Riftan said.

  Max looked at him, her eyes still wet. Over the strands of his tussled hair, she saw that blood was still splattered over his face.

  Max pressed her shaking hands against her chest and began to cough what little was in her insides.

  Max closed her mouth and shook her head. Her stomach was upset and she was starting to cry again. She didn’t want Riftan to see her like this.

  Max said. Please call for her.

  Max tried to wrest herself out of his arms, but he only moved the bowl to the side and pulled her body against his chest. She continued to resist, but Riftan’s arm was too strong.

  He cupped her chin and pushed two fingers into her mouth, lightly squeezing the back of her tongue. Eventually, Max vomited a sticky residue onto Riftan’s chest. Her body convulsed, and tears began to run down her face more freely.

  Riftan said.

  He rocked her body back and forth, as if she were a small child, and patted Max on the back. Her face stung from her shameful appearance, as she spewed everything that came to the surface. Her face, hands, and dress were covered with sticky vomit.

  , Riftan muttered, and wiped her face with a clean sleeve. Yet unlike his soft gestures, his expression was grim and tense, his mouth straightened into a thin line as he unfastened the straps on Max’s back and undressed her, then he removed his shirt as well. When the cold air touched her naked skin, she instinctively leaned against his body.

  Riftan swiftly pulled her closer and rubbed her cold back. Max fell deeper into his arms, seeking to get warmer. She pressed against his hard abs and twisted her legs against his.

  Riftan’s cheeks became red and a sheen of sweat began to perspire on his forehead. His body became hotter to Max’s touch, as if he were made of burning iron.

  She could feel his heart thumping to a quicker rhythm against her chest, yet his arms still held her gently.

  Max struggled to stay awake as he wiped her face with a towel and undid the pins out of messy hair. She moved to rest her chin naturally over his shoulder.

  When had Riftan returned to the castle? What about destroying the huge monster? Her body trembled as she began to feel sleepy.

  , said Riftan touching her with his hot hands. When he saw that she felt faint, he lifted her and rested her body near the bathtub in front of the fireplace.

  Max entered the bath and waited for the hot water to warm her body, but she still felt colder than ever.

  she said.

  , Riftan said, bluntly.

  He scooped water into one of his palms and poured it over her shoulders.

  His tone was full of disapproval.

  Max delicately lifted her eyes and saw his expression. Riftan’s eyes shone dangerously from anger. He retrieved a thick towel, dried his hands, took off his pants and rested Max’s back against his chest.

  , he said hugging her.

  He deftly moved her into a bridal position, placing her between his thighs and hanging one arm loosely over her waist. Max could feel Riftan’s prick harden against her but could do nothing to comfort him, his hot skin distracted her. She pressed against his body like a young chicken poking for her right to lean against her mother hen’s breast. He drew a sharp breath as he continued to hold her and his hands began to shake.

  She ignored his struggles, she was so cold and dizzy that it felt as if her body was a hundred years old.

  , Riftan said.

  He began to rub every inch of her body for a long time in the bath, holding her tightly until the water began to cool. Max staggered as she tried to stand and leaned against Riftan. He wrapped her in a towel and made sure she was properly dried, before clumsily dressing her in her nightgown.

  , he said. He moved a cup towards her.

  Max opened her mouth and barely took a sip, yet when the tap water entered her taunt stomach, she felt inclined to throw up again.

  It would have been pointless to bathe if Riftan hadn’t anticipated her gagging. Max looked at his messy hands in shock, but he wiped his hands on a towel casually and wiped the residue on her face. Tears of shame began roll down her cheeks.

  , Riftan whispered gently, as if he thought he was hurting her, and began kissing her forehead while Max continued to tremble and cry.

  When she felt a little better, she became aware that he had to be tired too; he had left on his last venture to fight so many dangerous monsters. Max moved away slightly to face him and said.

  Riftan’s eyes flashed.

  His voice shook slightly, as if he were withholding his emotions.

  His face contorted with pain. He rubbed his face roughly with one hand, trying to calm down, then he talked in a subdued voice.

  He covered her eyes with his hand. As Max’s vision blurred, her exhaustion took over her again and she began to fall back like a broken doll. Before she lost consciousness, she felt Riftan rubbing her cold feet with his hands, her stiff calves, and her neck, trying to give her more warmth.

  Max wanted this night to never end, but could not fight her exhaustion any longer. She soon fell asleep as if put under a spell.

  ***

  Max opened her eyes when she felt bright light shining over her eyelids. She looked around in confusion, still half-asleep, and soon realized that Riftan was still asleep beside her. This was different than her usual routine to wake up alone.

  Max paused.

  While he was asleep, he seemed so defenseless with his smooth, dark bed hair and his chest raising up and down slowly as he breathed. She looked at his long black eyelashes that left shadows over his cheekbones; his eyelashes looked like the tips of a black butterfly’s wings. When she reached out to touch them, Riftan’s eyes flashed open. Shocked, Max pulled her hand away.

  Riftan blinked as if he were not fully awake before sitting up and stared at her.

  He rubbed her forehead and the back of her neck. Max’s body was warmer compared to last night.

  When Max nodded, Riftan held Max by her shoulders and lifted a cup against her mouth. She wet her dry lips with the tap water and sighed gratefully.

  He looked down at her naked breasts showing through the gap of her nightgown and paused for a moment.

  , he finished.

  Max blushed and quickly covered herself with the bedsheet. Riftan had seen her body many times, but when he stared at her that way, she felt embarrassed. He stared at her shy figure for another moment before getting out of bed and pulling on some pants. He rang the bell and instructed a maid to bring clothes and food for the Lady.

  Max sat with her back against the pillow, trying to untangle her messy hair. Her head throbbed and her limbs still shook a bit, but it was nowhere near as terrible as yesterday. Her shoulders relaxed in relief, it had been a terrible experience.

  , Riftan said.

  She held the bedsheet tightly over her body as Riftan came closer and touched her arm.

  Max quailed from Riftan’s sudden outburst and her shoulders drooped. He pushed her firmly by the shoulder to make her lay down and rest.

  Riftan muttered softly. He gripped Max’s shoulder firmly.

  He clenched his teeth and stopped speaking.

  Note – LN: ……Let’s just enjoy this chapter.