Riftan’s fingers turned stiff. Max, who was laying on his lap, turned her head to look intently at his face. He then bluntly spoke as he stared at the raindrops that hammered heavily against the window.

  Max blinked in puzzlement. Even back when he was newly knighted, his actions were more dignified and intimidating compared to any nobleman. Although his speech and behavior were not very sophisticated, the arrogance in his attitude was present in the way he interacted, like he did not care about what other people would perceive him as. Max’s bottom lip protruded.

  He asked, his eyebrows pulling together.

  Max lifted her chin up and imitated how Riftan looked at people, trying her best to look as conceited as she could manage.

  He laughed at Max’s ridiculous effort to imitate him, then lowered his head and placed his lips on top of her protruding bottom lip. Max grimaced as Riftan’s bangs poked her eyes when he pecked her lips.

  He responded gravely and squeezed her face between his hands, making Max’s cheeks bulge frontwards like a squashed puffer fish. Her face flushed red and because of her protests he eventually removed his hands away from her face. It felt like a thorn pricked her heart at the ignorance and nonchalance he gave towards his treatment towards her back then. She looked at him with disbelief in her eyes.

  Suddenly, the smile on Riftan’s face was wiped off. Max anxiously looked up, searching for an answer in his black eyes that seemed to have clouded to conceal his emotions. Riftan then muttered his words with a bitter smile on his lips.

  He lifted a handful of her hair that fell on her shoulders and brought it to his lips.

  For a moment, Max was speechless. She wondered when she started to mean something to him. She recalled the first time she saw him. She clearly remembered the image of him entering the castle together with the knights sent to settle the dispute with Dristan. Among those hundreds of knights, it was him that stood out most and appeared most prominent. The maids used to argue over who would attend to him while he was at the castle, and even the ladies who were invited to the dinner banquets couldn’t take their eyes off him.

  But Max couldn’t understand why women would fuss over someone who appeared so cold-hearted that they couldn’t even approach him. As he said, she did appeared stiff and frightened around him, but never in her imagination did it cross that she would catch someone’s attention. Riftan was terribly good at hiding his feelings.

  Max hesitated for a moment then reached out to place her palm against his copper-colored cheek.

  Max withdrew her hand at his blunt response, but Riftan grabbed it as she was about to move it away then pressed it firmly against his face.

  Then Riftan’s dark eyes sank and Max sat up and climbed to his lap.

  Riftan looked down at her intently, as if to test whether her words were true, then placed a blanket around her exposed white back and embraced her tightly against him. Max felt beyond ecstatic as she basked in his warm, thick arms, letting out a sigh and placing her head against his shoulder. She wondered if that was how it felt to be a bird lounging in the comfortable, cozy nest. Even the heartbreaks and sadness, all her worries and pain seemed to melt in that calm atmosphere. Max watched the flickering shadows of the fire from the furnace and asked.

  She felt his arm that wrapped around her back stiffen. Max then hurriedly stuttered to add justice to her question.

  He abruptly intercepted her words.

  Riftan swallowed as if there was something stuck in his throat.

  She felt him trembling faintly and Max blinked hazily. She hated herself for being relieved by his words. Of course, he needed a successor. That was the most dutiful role of a wife to her husband, even her mother lost her life after several attempts that led to countless miscarriages just to fulfill that duty. Riftan’s words felt unfamiliar, she was used to her father’s obsessive attitude of having an heir.

  Max stared intently at him as if trying to figure out if he really just said those words. And then, Riftan lowered his face to kiss Max’s damp eyelids.

  Those words echoed in her heart. She buried herself deeper into his wide chest and their shadows casted by the light appeared like a strange shape of an animal. She thought to herself that it would feel so great to be just stuck to each other like this and never be able to part. It would have been nice if it was only the two of them in the world. Max then closed her eyes, growing drowsy from Riftan’s hands that caressed her hair. The sound of the rain then gradually subsided, a soft silence enveloping them.

  ***

  The tension that surrounded Calypse Castle immediately dissipated after the announcement of the withdrawal of the war declaration. Although the security in the fortress seemed to strengthen, the visits from the mercenaries and the wagons loaded with weapons visibly reduced. Max saw this as an opportunity and told Riftan that the Duke of Croix was summoning his vassals and seemed to be plotting something. Surprisingly, Riftan was blunt about this.

  Max’s face hardened. Anatol was a small land surrounded by mountains, most of its food supply was coming from trade as it was not a land suitable for farming. If the merchants were prohibited to pass through the trading routes that lead to Anatol, it would be difficult for them to come in.

  She then asked anxiously.

  Riftan replied while polishing his sword.

  His calm explanation made her feel a little relieved, but she knew how stubborn her father was, so the anxiety didn’t go away.

  Riftan sighed, then lowered his sword and went to embrace her. He sat on the bed and spoke as if to calm a child.

  Max lowered her head weakly.

  He spoke bluntly, patted her head and then ran his hand through her hair. Max looked at his hardened face and sighed. Riftan seemed to want the Duke of Croix to intentionally cause some trouble and if the duke gave him the excuse, he would always try to fight.

  She felt like she was set in front of a dam that she would never know when it would collapse. However, regardless of her anxieties, the times passed by peacefully. Castle Calypse was hectic in their preparations for winter and the temperature dropped day by day as the season of rest approached. The restlessness gradually subsided after a week or two: when the weather turned cold, there was almost no travels in between territories. Even if the Duke of Croix was plotting something, it would probably be executed after the winter season had passed. Worrying about it constantly would only affect her and so Max consciously forced herself to stow her anxieties away.

  In fact, since the declaration of war was withdrawn, there was no time for her to be buried alone in her anxieties as Riftan was constantly with her. While Max was brushing Rem’s mane, she stole a glance at her husband: he was dressed in casual clothes as he leisurely fed Talon an apple, so it didn’t appear like he would head towards the training grounds or patrol the walls after that. Max frowned a bit. Although being together like that was the most enjoyable and blissful moment for her, she worried that he might be dedicating too much of his time to her. Since she had been carefully observing the amount of work he had to do, after having quietly groomed Rem’s mane for a while, she carefully opened her mouth.

  Riftan’s expression appeared a little downcast.

  Max turned her head to the voice that suddenly spoke. Hebaron was standing at the entrance of the stables with a displeased expression on his face.

  Riftan answered bluntly, took an apple from the basket and fed it to Talon.

  Hebaron pursed his lips as if he was about to retaliate harshly, then looked at Max and let out a deep sigh.

  Max’s shoulders stiffened and Riftan shot a cold glare at Hebaron.

  Note –

  : The communication in this chapter is *chef’s kiss* <3