Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 17: Chapter 17

“R-Riftan…!”

“Stay still. You said you needed rest.”

“I c-can walk! L-Let me d-down!”

Ignoring Maxi’s protests, Riftan continued to ascend the stairs. At the top was a vast hall with an intricately patterned reddish-brown carpet, which led to a heavy oaken door. Riftan crossed the hall and upon reaching the door, he propped her up with one arm and twisted the doorknob with the other.

“At least the room’s in a better state,” he said, setting her down on the bed.

Maxi looked curiously around the neat and cozy bedchamber. The floor was covered with a patterned carpet, and an elegantly engraved wooden pillar stood in the center of the room. Next to the bed were a fireplace and a large arched window. The evening glow filtering in through the glass illuminated the long divan and shelf that had been placed by the window.

Maxi brushed her fingers across the veil hanging on the corner of the luxurious cherrywood bed, which was covered by thick fleece bedding. The bedroom, at least, seemed to have received special attention from the servants.

“Everything here must seem so shabby in your eyes,” said Riftan, watching Maxi uneasily.

She gave him a puzzled look. He ran a hand down his face and spat out a curse.

“Damned fools. I clearly told them…”

“N-No. Th-this room is lovely. The c-castle, too… And the b-bed is w-wonderful.”

“Don’t bother. I’ve seen Croyso Castle enough times to know better. Compared to your father’s castle, this place is a wretched barn.”

“N-No! Th-That’s not true.”

But Maxi’s exclamation must have rung hollow, for it failed to wipe away his frown. She cast her eyes down, resenting her foolish tongue. Suddenly, Riftan shot her an irritated look.

“It’s your job to decorate our home! The castle would not have fallen into such disrepair if you had come here sooner. In the lord’s absence, it is the lady’s duty to manage the castle!”

“I… I’m s-sorry.”

“Damn it. What I mean to say is… Why don’t you decorate this place as you like? I’ll give you as much gold as you need to buy what you want. Expensive ornaments, new carpets…”

Maxi blinked at the unexpected suggestion.

Riftan continued animatedly. “Women love to decorate and pick out furniture, don’t they? I can get you more servants to help.”

Seeing the expectation on Riftan’s face, Maxi broke into a cold sweat. She had paid little attention when her nursemaid had lectured her on the duties of a lady, doubting that she would ever have an opportunity to perform them. Never having put her knowledge into practice, she did not have a sliver of confidence in her abilities.

“You don’t want to?”

Riftan narrowed his eyes when he received no answer. Maxi hurriedly shook her head, loath to do anything that might put an end to her husband’s generosity.

Days of travel had taught her one thing: Riftan Calypse did not have the slightest clue what kind of treatment she had suffered at Croyso Castle. In his eyes, Maxi was a cultured noblewoman who had grown up in luxury and as the apple of everyone’s eye. And unpolished though he was, he was making every effort to treat her as such.

Maxi felt her mouth drying. Her father was likely at the root of this misunderstanding. Ashamed of his eldest daughter’s stutter, Duke Croyso had never presented her to high society. Instead, he had confined her to the castle, playing the part of the doting father who sought to protect his sickly daughter. The public knew her as the duke’s cherished but ailing daughter, and Riftan seemed to have taken that rumor at face value.

Riftan had seen with his own eyes how plain and dull-witted she was. Maxi could not understand why he had not realized his mistake, but she decided to draw out the misconception for as long as possible. If he discovered that, far from being a noblewoman, she had been treated no better than a pest, he would feel deceived.

Riftan had already suffered for three long years because of their unwanted marriage. He would be demoralized to find out that his wife had been nothing but a nuisance to her family. It would be enough to curb his generosity.

Maxi anxiously clutched her skirt, unable to bear the thought of Riftan despising or even pitying her. She wanted him to think of her as a highborn lady who had known no want. So, instead of admitting that she had little experience managing a castle of this size or ordering servants around, she simply nodded uneasily.

“If th-that is your w-wish…”

Riftan’s face lit up.

“I’ll tell the steward to get the ledgers ready,” he said. “Don’t worry about the money. The castle is yours to decorate.”

And fingering her tousled hair lightly, he added, “This is your home now.”

Home. The word burrowed into her heart, and she had to stop breathing to calm the flutter in her chest.

He means nothing by it. I shouldn’t read too much into it.

Maxi answered with feigned nonchalance, “I’ll d-do my b-best to m-make this place cozy.”

“Good.”

Riftan’s face broke into a satisfied smile, and he planted a kiss on her cheek. Maxi shrank back, suddenly conscious that she was alone with him. Her body smelled acrid from days of travel without a bath or change of clothes. She took a step back.

“I w-would like to take a b-bath…”

“Ah. Of course.”

Riftan turned to sniff himself and stood up with a mortified expression. “I’ll tell the maids to prepare your bathwater.”

He then left the room to give the maidservant instructions. Maxi rose from the bed and shed her dirty clothes in the corner of the room. Four maidservants soon entered with a room divider and a wooden bathtub. As they poured hot water into the tub, Riftan took off his armor and set it on a nearby table.

“Leave us now,” he said to the servants. “You will be summoned if you are needed. In the meantime, prepare something for us to eat.”

“Yes, my lord. We will leave your clothes here.”

After the maidservants had left, Riftan pulled his sweat- and dirt-stained tunic over his head and undid the straps of his trousers. Flustered, Maxi turned away from him. Riftan approached her to loosen the straps on the back of her dress.

“R-Riftan…!”

“Let’s bathe together.”

Feeling his warm hand running down her bare back, she let out a small scream. He combed her tangled hair with his hands, then swept her tresses over her shoulder to expose her nape. Maxi trembled at the sensation of his soft lips brushing her nape.

“It’s salty.”

“D-Don’t… It’s d-dirty…”

He turned her to face him and pulled her clothes down. She closed her eyes, unable to look squarely at his naked body under the light.

“Would it kill you to stop making that face?” he demanded coldly, suddenly grabbing her chin. “I know I don’t have the pretty looks of a nobleman’s son, but am I that horrid to look at?”

“I never said y-you were h-horrid!”

She opened her eyes in surprise. Looking displeased, Riftan stared at her with his intense black eyes. Was he oblivious to his own beauty?

“I’m just n-not used to th-this. I-I’m ashamed…”

“It’s normal for married couples to bathe together.”

“N-Normal…?”

“At every castle I’ve visited, the lord bathes with his wife,” he commented coolly, tugging at her dress once more.

Maxi wanted to ask how he knew that, but she closed her mouth when she felt a draft on her bare skin. She trained her attention on the light from the fireplace that softly illuminated her body.

“It’s not strange at all,” he reassured her. “In the north, it’s customary for the lady of the castle to wait on visiting nobles and knights as they bathe.”

He gently massaged her shoulders as he spoke. Maxi’s eyes went round.

“I-Is that e-expected of me too?”

“You jest.”

A savage grin spread across Riftan’s face.

“If any fool dares make that request, I’ll give him a bath in the Stemnu River. You need not mind anyone other than me. Come.”

His brawny arms wrapped around her waist, and they entered the bath. Water spilled over the rim. Maxi sat hugging her knees at the edge of the tub. Riftan, on the other hand, shamelessly relaxed his imposing body in the water and leaned his head against the tub.

“Is the water too hot?”

“It’s all r-right.”

Chin-deep in water, she curled into a ball and tried to avoid touching his long legs. Riftan, who had been watching her, pulled her arm toward him and placed her on his lap.

“R-Riftan…!”

“Let me wash you.”

He picked up a bar of soap from a nearby shelf. She tried to free herself from his lap, but he was gripping her waist so tightly that she could not budge. He then began to rub the soap on her shoulders and neck.

“I-I can d-do it m-myself!”

“You can wash me afterward.”