He let out a satisfied moan and buried his face against her shoulder. A red tint spread across Max’s cheeks, glad she applied a few drops of rose-scented oil on it earlier. Savoring the scent, Riftan rubbed the bridge of his nose against her voluminous hair, then slipped an arm under her hips and lifted her so he could embrace her better. Max closed the shutters and leaned closer to his arms as she felt his rough palms caress her nape.

  She was floating in complete ecstasy from being so intimately embraced by his large stature. His smooth hair gently tickled her forehead and nose, and his sturdy steel-like arms tightly captured her with a force that didn’t inflict her any unease. He brushed his slender fingers against the back of her ear, tucking a stray lock of hair. Max reciprocated, caressing his head, a slender moan escaped from Riftan’s lips and their bodies felt like melting at the burning sensual contact.

  Max was deeply intoxicated with the scorching heat when they heard a careful, gentle knock on the door, pulling them out of the moment.

  Riftan let out a long sigh, caressing her breasts with one hand, then planted a kiss on her exposed pale shoulder.

  He grumbled and carefully placed her back on the floor.

  The door opened at his command, and the servants went inside carrying a bathtub. Riftan approached the bath and pulled his tunic over his head, looking at Max and smiling seductively.

  Max murmured in a whisper as she glanced at the servants pouring cold water into the tub to adjust the water’s temperature.

  He dipped his fingers into the bathtub to check the temperature himself then roughly beckoned the servants to leave. Max approached reluctantly, pretending to be hesitant as the servants rushed out of the room. Riftan gave her a satisfied laugh as Max began to loosen the ties on her dress.

  ***

  The preparations for the expedition began early at dawn. Max woke up to the commotion outside and leaned out the bedroom window. Servants and knights moved busily to and from the spacious manor soaked in the bluish light of dawn. In the distance, the sound of horseshoes pounding against the stables and horses neighing could be heard.

  Max rubbed her dazed eyes at the scene, then turned to find the side of Riftan’s bed empty. Needless to say, his armor was also gone. She sighed and called Rudis to help her get ready for the day.

  Riftan said she didn’t need to worry about the preparations, but Max’s conscience could not allow her to send men into battle without doing something for them. She wore a blue blouse, braided her hair on the sides and twisted it up. As soon as she was done, she headed straight out of the great hall, going towards the sables where she saw dozens of horses lined up, and knights examining the horses’ physiques and horseshoes one by one.

  Max found a familiar face amongst them and immediately approached the said knight. Sir Caron, who was in the middle of a conversation with Rodrigo, turned and smiled courteously.

  He explained and pointed to the leather bags full of supplies and food stacked against the castle wall. She narrowed her eyes and tried to count how much there was, but either way, she estimated that it wouldn’t be enough food to last sixty-four men to Livadon. Seeing her puzzled expression, Sir Karon kindly added an explanation.

  Princess Agnes said the same exact thing said before leaving for a journey. Max looked around at the bustling atmosphere and looked at Sir Karon sheepishly.

  He asked, surprised as a troubled smiled spread across his lips.

  Max was not disappointed; she was half expecting for him to decline her offer anyway. She composed her expressions and asked another question.

  She hurriedly waved her hands to signal no.

  Sir Caron looked over his shoulder to look at the knight who called him. Max, realizing that she was getting in his way, shyly backed away.

  He bowed apologetically and went to the where the knights had gathered. Max turned around and headed back to the gall. Although it was not necessary, the least she could do was prepare clothes and food for the knights.

  She went straight to the kitchen and handed the keys to the spice cabinet to the chef and instructed him to be generous on the ingredients and prepare a ton of luxurious meals. Afterward, she ordered the maids to provide the knights with clothes and sleeping bags.

  She made sure to have them checked carefully and repair the damaged ones. She also asked them to pack the newly purchased pots and bowls for use on the trip. As she busily ran through the castle, a familiar voice called out to her. Max turned to see Ruth running down the hall toward her with his long, slender legs.

  He gestured for her to follow and turned to walk away without further explanation. Max followed him at a whim, no knowing what was going on. Ruth strode down the stairs and went out of the castle at once.

  Max looked at him with surprise and quickly looked around. Max remembered that Riftan warned her not to dare approach that place. According to him, Ruth had created all sorts of strange magic spells around the tower. She stood as close to Ruth as possible, wary of any mana disruptions from the surroundings.

  He answered halfheartedly, as he was too tired to explain things one by one, and quickly walked along the winding path. After a while, they reached the entrance to the tower, hidden behind giant green elm trees.

  Max looked around curiously at the gray tower embraced by vines of red ivy. Perhaps due to the lack of human interference, the walls were covered in weeds and moss. Ruth roughly scraped the moss off then took keys from his pocket and unlocked the tower doors.

  She stood by the doorway, poking her head to see what was inside: it was a fortress shrouded in darkness. Water dripped from a hole in the ceiling, dampening the floor below. There was a stone staircase that spiraled up like a conch shell. Ruth entered without hesitation.

  She gave up waiting for a proper explanation from him and followed him in resignation. They climbed almost three-quarters of the tower before Ruth finally spoke again.

  He said, pulling the old doorknob against the wall. Max looked warily inside and frowned. A strong burnt smell, the smell of bitter medicines, and musty old parchments pricked her nose.

  Ruth grumbled and walked over to open a window to let the sunlight pour into the dim interior. Max blinked at the sudden change of lighting. It was just how she imagined what a wizard’s lab would look like. Strange tools and models cluttered the floor, and old books were tucked into the book shelves against the wall. Cabinets were stacked with jars and jars of medicine.

  Ruth beckoned to her and pushed the mess on the floor aside.

  Max walked carefully towards him, doing her best to avoid stepping on anything. Ruth took a pile of parchment and handed them over.

  Ruth nodded.

  Max squinted at the white dust gathering on the sprawling pile of books. For something so valuable, it sure was treated like garbage.

  He answered sarcastically and picked up a few books, placing them on his desk.

  Once he was done frantically arranging the books, he went on to explain each and every bottle lined up in the cabinets.

  Max quickly interrupted and searched for a feather pen and parchment from Ruth’s desk to jot down his explanations.

  Note –

  : Don’t lose the books, they’re so precious! What, I’m treating them like crap? Well, as long as they’re readable…… lmaoooo Ruth I’ll miss you so muchh come back soon!