“He is a noble from Livadon.”
Maxi's head spun.
Had she made a mistake?
The situation might not have escalated so dangerously if she had just allowed the man to enter.
As if reading her thoughts, Riftan brushed a strand of hair from her face and kissed her cheek.
"But he lied about his claim to Kaysa.
He was not the lord, but one of the lord's sons.
When his half-brother was chosen as heir, he stole the family artifact and fled to Wedon.
I assume he was wandering with his knights when he heard about the vast collection of treasures I had gathered from the dragon's lair."
“D-He came here t-to hurt you?”
Riftan looked at Maxi with a neutral expression before bursting into laughter.
"He's not that crazy.
He just never thought I could get from Drachium to Anatol in eight days.
He made a serious calculation."
Maxi remembered Ruth saying that it would take at least ten days for Riftan to reach Anatol.
Riftan had arrived two days before the sorcerer predicted.
"Or rather...
I arrived at the right time.
If I had arrived a day or two later, things would have been much worse.
He had three high-ranking knights and a magical device with him.
It wouldn't have taken him long to get past our defenses."
“D-Magic device?”
“His family artifact.” Riftan's face suddenly became cold.
"The device contains powerful fire magic, and that's what he used to destroy the gate.
He probably thought he had a chance since our knights were away.
If he had been successful and managed to flee back to Livadon, it wouldn't have been easy to track him."
Hearing the anger in Riftan's voice, Maxi put a hand on his arm.
Rob Midahas may have been foolish, but harming a noble could easily lead to conflict.
Riftan looked down into her fearful eyes and smiled bitterly.
"I should have decapitated you and hung your head outside the castle walls to make an example.
But as you said, I would hate to leave you to war again."
“S-So…”
"I will send a message to your father as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.
I will demand compensation and tell him to control his son."
Maxi breathed a sigh of relief.
Smiling, Riftan left a trail of kisses from your shoulders to your cheeks.
Her damp hair gave off a sweet fragrance.
Remembering Ruth's comment about the knights' strong distaste for floral scents, Maxi stifled a laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Riftan looked at her questioningly.
“Y-Your hair s-smells like roses.”
Riftan blushed.
“I thought you would like me to smell good…”
As Riftan began to play with his damp hair, Maxi's chest tightened.
In the early days, his coarse language and imposing figure suggested to her that he might turn out to be as violent as her father.
She didn't expect in her wildest dreams to find her fearsome husband so captivating one day.
“I suppose it’s not very suitable for a man.” Riftan sniffed shyly.
Maxi looked at him in silence for a moment, then lifted his tired body to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
Riftan's entire body stiffened.
Blushing, Maxi planted another kiss on his jaw.
"H-It s-smells good.
I-It's i-not unsuitable for a h-man."
“I’ll have to use this soap for the rest of my days, then.”
Riftan pulled her by the waist and kissed her, then gently squeezed her sensitive breast with his hand.
Surprised, Maxi pushed him away.
“W-We’ve already…”
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“I-I wasn’t trying“”
She had only kissed him out of an overwhelming excess of affection.
I had no intention of seducing him so soon after an intense round of love.
But Riftan ignored her and started taking off her clothes, kissing her with more passion.
“You lit the fire yourself, Maxi.” Riftan lowered himself onto her.
His body went weak at the sound of her whisper.
He entered her gently, and this time, she felt more pleasure than pain.
When it was over, she looped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
It was past noon when Maxi woke up the next day.
With Ludis' assistance, she showered and dressed.
Riftan had left at dawn to deal with the intruders, and Maxi was worried that he hadn't gotten enough rest after his long journey.Noticing her face darken, Ludis stopped combing her hair.
“Is something wrong, my lady?”
Maxi shook his head.
“N-No, it’s n-nothing.”
"The sorcerer says he will tend to your wounds.
Should I call him now?"
“That’s barely a f-injury.”
Maxi rolled his eyes as he traced the scratch that ran from his knee to his shin.
She had just scraped her leg when she fell.
The guards would certainly have much more serious injuries; many were crushed by the castle door or cut by enemy swords.
It wouldn't be appropriate for her to make a fuss over something so small.
“I-I don’t think that w-will be necessary.”
“But, my lady, this could leave a scar“”
Ludis stopped mid-protest and pressed her lips together, worried that she had said too much.
"As you wish, my lady.
I will ask the wizard for some ointment."
“Thank you, Ludis,” said Maxi, surprised by the mention of scars.
The maid promptly left and returned with new bandages and a bottle of ointment.
Maxi applied the ointment and covered the wound to keep it clean, although he didn't think his scratch needed bandages.
"Thanks."
“I will take your meal to your room, my lady.”
"O-Alright.
I-I'm g-going to eat in the dining hall.
I need to f-finish my work from yesterday."
“The lord has instructed you to stay in bed today.”
Maxi gave Ludis an embarrassed look.
It was true that Riftan holding her so many times the night before had exhausted her, but not so much that she needed bed rest, especially when she had slept until noon while Riftan had gone to work without adequate rest.
It wouldn't be suitable for her to be lazy in bed.
"I-I'm fine.
I'm just g-a little shaken up by the events of yesterday."
“But the lord…”
“I-I'm going to t-talk t-to him.”
Ludis silently agreed to Maxi's stubborn insistence.
Maxi left the room with a warm shawl draped over her shoulders.
Fresh air came in through the open windows.
As she walked down the hallway, her eyes roamed the clean window sills and the new rugs spread across the floor.
“Did the l-lord say something about the c-castle?” Maxi asked Ludis, who was walking right behind her.
Ludis looked uncomfortable.
“I'm sure he didn't have time to examine the castle properly because of all the commotion yesterday.”
“I-Got it.”
Seeing the look of disappointment on Maxi's face, Ludis gave one of her rare smiles and quickly added, "But the knights were amazed.
When they entered the main hall for dinner last night, they said the place had become magnificent beyond measure."
“R-Really?”
Ludis nodded vigorously, and Maxi walked down the stairs with a spring in her step.
The servants stopped polishing the windows to greet her.
Maxi waved to them and headed towards the dining room.
Ruth and three of the White Dragons looked up from their lunch as she entered.
Maxi froze.
Unless there was a special occasion, knights usually ate breakfast and lunch in their quarters.
Therefore, she had never encountered them in Riftan's absence, and found herself standing there, blinking.
“Are your injuries okay, my lady?” Ruth broke the awkward silence.
“Seeing how Sir Riftan reacted, I thought you had broken a bone, but you seem fine.”
The wizard looked Maxi up and down with sleepy eyes, yawning as he ran his fingers through his perpetually messy hair.
“It was just a s-scratch.”
“I figured,” Ruth replied flatly, pulling out the chair next to him.
“Please sit down, my lady.”
And before Maxi could protest, Ruth instructed a servant to bring her food.
Having missed the chance to leave, she glanced at the knights' faces before sitting down.
Silence filled the hall.
Maxi waited anxiously for his meal to be served.
When the silence became unbearable, she asked, “W-Where is R-Riftan?”
“He's at the gates, checking the progress of the repairs,” Ruth grumbled, tearing a piece of bread between her teeth.
"He has summoned blacksmiths and craftsmen to build a steel gate.
And not only that, he also wants a magical defensive device to be installed.
He has always been obsessed with defending the castle, but this airhead nobleman has made everything worse."
“The safer the better” said Maxi excitedly, relieved to have something to discuss.Ruth grimaced.
"It's up to me to create that device.
I'll work myself to death this way."
Maxi was saved from having to think of a response when a servant placed a bowl of chicken soup and freshly baked bread in front of her.
She brought the spoon to her mouth, rolling her eyes as Ruth groaned and pulled her hair.
Although she knew nothing about how magical devices were made, she could assume from his laments that it was an arduous task.
Suddenly, Ruth jerked her head up.
“Ma’am, do you know how to do basic arithmetic?”