Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Riftan twisted his lips cynically in response to Maxi’s question.

“As I’ve told you many times, you are my wife. We have lain together, albeit three years ago. What are you so ashamed about?”

An intense red flush colored Maxi’s body from head to foot. Sensing her distress, Riftan’s face went dark.

“All I did was change your clothes, yet you look at me as if I violated you! You shouldn’t have fainted if you didn’t want me touching you!”

Maxi flinched as he began a tirade about fragile noblewomen fainting at the drop of a hat. Her eyes glistening with tears, she whispered a faint apology.

“I-I’m s-sorry.”

He clenched his mouth shut and left the room. Maxi hung her head low. It had been less than a day since his return, yet she had already angered him countless times. Was it wise to accompany him to his estate?

She bit her lips anxiously. He thought of her as his wife now, but he could change his mind at any moment – it was only a matter of time. Even now, it was evident that he disliked her, and he would surely only become crueler once he realized how useless she was.

As a distinguished knight whose name was known across the continent, Riftan would be invited to countless festivities and banquets. Maxi knew better than any that she was not someone he could proudly show off at such gatherings. He would see that before long and start abusing her. Would she be better off returning to Croyso Castle sooner rather than later and begging her father for mercy?

She pictured Riftan standing erect with a sword in his hand. It had taken only a single swing to cleave in half a monster three times his size. A whipping at his hands would cause her unthinkable harm.

But so far, he hasn’t struck me even once.

She creased her brows at this sudden thought. He had not raised his hands against her even when he had been consumed with anger. Perhaps he was not as vicious a man as her father. But she flattened her hopes before they could bloom. They had only just reunited – there was no telling how their relationship would unfold.

She was still deep in thought when the door rattled. Riftan walked into the room, a tray of steaming soup and bread in his hands.

“Vegetable soup and barley bread. Eat some before you sleep. Tomorrow, we leave at sunrise.”

He set the tray on the bedside shelf.

Maxi blinked in confusion. He had stormed out only moments ago, but now here he was, bringing her food as if nothing had happened. He was truly unpredictable.

He placed a wooden spoon and the bowl of soup in her hands. “What are you waiting for? Eat it while it’s warm.”

“Th-Thank you…”

She stirred the soup, blowing on it before bringing a spoonful to her lips. It was hot, but not hot enough to scald her tongue. Though she had no appetite, a few mouthfuls of savory soup helped to settle her stomach.

She stole a furtive glance at Riftan while stirring the contents of the bowl. He had dragged a chair next to the bed and was polishing his sword. Without his armor and with his long legs resting languidly, he looked two or three years younger than his age.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Maxi blushed, embarrassed that she had been caught stealing looks.

“I-I just… I-I wanted to a-ask…”

Stammering, she stirred the soup listlessly with the spoon. He turned to look at her.

“I-I have n-no c-clothes to ch-change into…”

“It’s late now, so I’ll buy you some new ones tomorrow.”

“W-What about m-my c-clothes…”

“I asked the inn’s maidservants to wash them.”

Riftan studied his reflection in the blade of his sword. She hesitated for a long time before opening her mouth again.

“M-May I h-have m-my u-undergarments b-back, at least…”

Unexpectedly, a deep blush spread across Riftan’s face. He rubbed his face with a rough movement before reassuming a nonchalant attitude.

“They got torn. I had to throw them away.”

“P-Pardon…?”

“They tore when I was taking them off, so I threw them away.”

She flinched at his brusque tone but continued to press him.

“W-Why would y-you t-take my u-undergarments off…?”

The question seemed to take him off guard. He began to mumble a reply, his eyes avoiding hers.

Suddenly he glared at Maxi, who was still clutching the blanket like a shield. “I had no choice! You couldn’t breathe, and your face was turning blue. Those dreadful undergarments of yours were just about strangling you, so I tried to loosen the straps! All I did was pull at the kn-knot… Hell, how was I supposed to know that the skirt was sewn onto the bodice?”

Her cheeks burned, and her scalp felt as though it might give off steam. Knowing that he had seen her undergarments, she wanted to sink into the ground. It had been her nursemaid who had forced her into them, convinced that it would help her win her husband’s affection.

She had put on the dreadful thing at her nursemaid’s stubborn insistence, but she had never imagined that Riftan would see it. She buried her face in her hands, swallowing the impulse to jump out of the window.

Riftan sighed.

“Don’t make that face. I’ll get you new undergarments tomorrow. Would you like to borrow mine for now?”

“N-No! Th-There’s n-no need…”

She shook her head. She did not have the faintest desire to wear undergarments that belonged to someone else, much less ones that belonged to him. At the same time, she felt uneasy wearing nothing but a loose tunic. She went back to fiddling with her spoon, trying to read his face. But this only made him stare back in frustration.

“Are you just going to stir your soup all night? Eat up. You haven’t even touched the bread.”

She hastily shoved a few spoonfuls of soup into her mouth. But it was her habit to eat like a bird, and there was still a mild discomfort in her belly. Unsure that she could stomach the coarse bread, she took a few sips of the soup before lowering her bowl.

“You didn’t even finish half of it.”

“I-I had n-no a-appetite…”

“Don’t be picky. You won’t be able to get anything extravagant until we reach my estate. Eat, even if the taste doesn’t agree with you. How will you endure the journey otherwise?”

He scolded her as if she were an ill-mannered child, making her blush.

“Do you plan to trouble us all by starving yourself and fainting through the whole journey?”

“I-I’ll eat…”

She pushed a few more spoonfuls down her throat but had to stop when her stomach turned. Seeing her lower her spoon so quickly, Riftan frowned but did not insist further. He took the tray from her with a sigh.

“I can already tell it’s going to be a headache trying to satisfy the noble lady’s palate.”

He turned away, clucking his tongue. She hunched her shoulders to make herself small. His moods changed like the wind – he had kindly brought her supper, only to burst into another bout of anger – and she could never adapt to them fast enough. Abject thoughts came one after another.

Am I that much of a nuisance to him? He must secretly regret bringing me. Why did he make me come with him…?

Maxi had been treading cautiously, but she could no longer suppress her curiosity.

“W-Why are you t-taking me w-with you?”

“What?”

Riftan stopped in his tracks. He had been walking toward the door with the tray in his hands, but he now turned to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“I kn-know you d-didn’t m-marry me b-because you wanted t-to… so I d-don’t know why you’re t-taking m-me with you…”

His face hardened. She held her breath, unsure whether it had been her stutter or her question that had caused him to frown. She continued haltingly.

“W-We’re… I m-mean to s-say, we d-don’t even kn-know each other w-well enough to be m-man and w-wife… A m-man like you d-doesn’t have to t-take me… you c-could h-have any w-woman …”

“Shut your mouth!”

Riftan stomped back to her bed and slammed the tray down, glowering at her.

“If you don’t want to come with me, just say it!”

“N-No, th-that’s not w-what I…!”

“Don’t try to fool me! My castle may not be as large as Croyso Castle, but it’s more than enough to house a slight woman like you! I have gold if gold is what you want, damn it! You’ll continue to live in luxury, so enough of your nonsense!”

She shrank back like a frightened tortoise. Why did he think that luxury was her greatest concern? Frantically gesturing with her hands, she tried to rebut him.

“Th-that’s n-not what I’m w-worried about! I was j-just w-wondering why you’re t-taking me…”

“You’re my wife! Our marriage is recognized by the church! Why should I need a reason to take you home? You’re the one who remained in your father’s castle even after the wedding!”

“If you w-want a d-d-divorce…”

“What?”

He grabbed her shoulders roughly. Hearing his rage-filled voice, Maxi went numb, feeling like a mouse before a hissing serpent. Perhaps he really would strike her this time. She clenched her eyes shut in terror, bracing herself for the blow that never came.

Maxi cracked her eyes open to see a pair of black pupils gleaming with cold wrath. The hands on her shoulders shook as if they could barely contain their anger.

“Divorce? Are you saying you want a divorce?”