“What are you looking at?” Riftan asked as he approached her from behind.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led her away from the window as if he were pulling a distracted child away from the fire.
Maxi looked at him as he closed the curtains, feeling a peculiar sense of déjà vu.
The dark room resembled a small cave.
Their flickering shadows danced across the floor, and the intoxicating aroma of their union mingled with the sweet taste of wine.
Frowning, she breathed in the calming, intimate scent that left her mind hazy.
They have been trapped in a similar cave before.
Just like now, they were lost in their own world.
And Riftan was hiding something from her even then too.
Maxi bit her lip as he guided her back to the bed.
Her suspicion that he was trying to divert her attention from something grew stronger.
He wrapped her in his arms, overcoming her ability to think with sweet caresses and meticulous care.
Despite her burning desire to discover the source of her uneasiness, she resolved to be patient this time.
I would expect him to trust her.
“C-Can you hear that?” she asked, forcing a smile.
“They must be holding another banquet.”
His dark eyes, tinged with caution, narrowed.
Did he think she was asking out?
After examining her in silence, Riftan turned away with apparent disinterest.
"Don't they get tired of it?
It's impossible to sleep with all that noise."
He took the blanket from the messy bed and spread it deftly.
Maxi's eyes widened.
She felt irritation in his voice.
“Y-Haven’t you been sleeping?”
It was only then that Maxi realized that she had never seen him sleep soundly before.
His expression clouded with concern.
"D-Since when?
Don't tell me“"
“I don’t need much anyway, so don’t worry.”
Interrupting her with a touch of irritation, Riftan gestured for her to lie down.
Maxi bit his lip.
Despite her resolve to obey his wishes, tolerating his domineering behavior was no easy task.
"W-We've been in bed all day.
I'm tired of lying around."
"Your legs are shaking.
Stop being stubborn and come lie down."
Maxi blushed under Riftan's disapproving gaze as he stood awkwardly, swaying like a newborn foal.
Did he not know why she was in that state?
Looking at him with a stern look, Maxi walked over.
“Don’t be like that… c-come here for a moment.”
Taking the blanket from him, she threw it on the bed.
When he began to guide him by the hand, Riftan recoiled as if he had been burned.
Ever since he had swept her away like a woman caught in a storm, she had been trapped in his whirlwind.
So Maxi looked at Riftan's slightly confused face with satisfaction as he positioned him in front of the window.
Upon opening the curtains, the soft melody of flutes and mandolins floated into the room along with a cool breeze and the rustling of leaves.
“What do you want us to do?” Riftan asked after a pause.
His brow furrowed as he watched her warily, an expression he used whenever she tried to discern his deepest thoughts.
Hiding the dull pain in her heart, Maxi pretended to be calm.
"I-I like this song.
I don't know what it's called...
but I've always wanted to dance to it."
"What?" Riftan asked, his face expressionless.
Maxi gently tugged on his hand, repeating the steps of a waltz.
After dazedly looking at her, Riftan shyly imitated her movements, allowing her to lead instead of actually dancing.
Maxi looked at him.
"I-I only danced it once, you know.
You're supposed to be leading me."
Without warning, a dangerous gleam passed through Riftan's eyes.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he lowered his face right above hers.
“Was that your first dance?” he growled menacingly.
Tensing, Maxi managed an awkward smile.
She felt his arms tighten around her, and looked up to see his expression“that of a man about to commit murder.
“You chose to share your first dance… with another man… right in front of me.”
At his dark tone, Maxi's eyes furiously scanned around, like a cornered rat looking for a way out.
The fear of rekindling dying embers sent chills down her spine.Desperately, she racked her brain, expelling: “Y-You, too, danced with another woman in front of me in the past.”
Riftan narrowed his eyes.
"Don't make up lies.
I've never done that."
“D-Yes you did!
Y-You“”
Although she had only said it as a distraction, a wave of anger overcame her.
Recalling the old memory, she scolded him with a fierce glare.
“You danced… with Sir Hans’s sister.”
Riftan looked perplexed.
“Sir Hans?”
Maxi couldn't tell if he really didn't remember or was just pretending.
“Don’t you remember?” she asked, fixing him with a serious look.
"Sir Hans...
is one of my father's loyal vassals.
I saw you dancing...
with his sister at a banquet at Croyso Castle.
She had dark hair in a crown braid...
and a flowing red dress.
S-She was quite beautiful."
Riftan's eyes widened as the memory resurfaced.
Biting her lip at the unpleasant memory, Maxi pointed out sarcastically: “Y-You even… d-disappeared with her… after the dance.”
A strangled noise, an exclamation or a groan, escaped his lips.
Lifting her chin haughtily, Maxi maintained her hostile gaze.
Contrary to her expectations, however, he seemed neither ashamed nor guilty.
Instead, he stared at her with a thoughtful expression.
“Were you watching me?” he muttered.
Heat rose in Maxi's cheeks.
“T-Everyone at the banquet was watching you.”
Riftan held her gaze as if trying to decipher her thoughts.
It irritated her that he tried to read her mind when he was determined to hide his.
"W-When the White Dragons visited the castle...
the maids only talked about you.
And not just them.
Even the visiting nobles whispered about you.
Y-You understand...
w-why I would be curious."
“For mere curiosity, you seem to remember it in great detail, despite it being so long ago.”
Something about his contemplative tone made Maxi nervous.
In fact, she was also surprised at how vividly she remembered that night.
Still, it wasn't that surprising if she thought about it.
Not only did he stand out among the robust gentlemen, but Riftan had always been the center of attention.
Even the women who criticized him for his humble origins blushed as they watched him from afar.
Maxi had even witnessed two maids pulling each other's hair for the chance to serve him.
His face involuntarily stiffened as unpleasant memories flooded his mind one after another.
“H-How could I forget?” she said, pushing at his chest.
"Y-You disappeared with a woman who wasn't even your fiancée.
N-Not only that, you brazenly returned to the banquet hall looking quite disheveled."
A hint of frustration appeared in Riftan's eyes.
Maxi looked at him.
“You, lecher.”
“She threw herself at me!” Riftan exclaimed, hurt.
“I was an unwitting victim.”
Maxi snorted, eyes raking over his broad shoulders and steely arms.
"I've had enough.
Dancing with you...
it's not fun at all."
When she tried to move away, Riftan grabbed her waist and lifted her off the ground.
Maxi let out a small scream.
Supporting her buttocks with his arm, he aligned his palm with hers.
Fixing an intense gaze on her, he hissed, “Then I will entertain you.”
With that, he turned abruptly, forcing Maxi to cling to his neck.
He twirled them around the room to the faint music, his movements far from the elegant, graceful dance she had imagined.
Maxi looked at him sullenly.
But when she caught the mischievous smile on his lips, the boiling anger inside her dissipated.
Suddenly, his steps transformed into the precise movements of a skillfully executed ballroom dance.
The room spun around her, and she burst into laughter.
Twirling like children in the glow of the setting sun felt more intimate than any formal couple's dance.
“You…silly man,” she said, giggling against the back of his neck.
She felt him freeze.
His heart pounded beneath the thin layer of robe between them.
Lowering her to the floor, Riftan brushed her messy hair behind her ear.
Maxi peered over his shoulder at the sky, tinted purple.
Shrouded in the subtle light, he no longer looked like a stranger.
The handsome man before her was her husband who loved to play occasional pranks on her before breaking into a smile.His heart overflowed with happiness.
She turned her mind away from the secret he was keeping from her and the many problems that awaited them beyond this room.
In the last three years, no experience had been as painful as missing this man.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his broad chest.
Their dance turned into a slow sway.
Pulling her close, Riftan rested his cheek on the top of her head.
“What do you hope to achieve by captivating me further?” he asked, his words turning into a moan at the end.
His breath tickled her forehead, and Maxi smiled contentedly.
It was a delight to know it had such an effect on him.