“I may be a man of humble origins, but I consider marriage vows sacred,” Riftan fumed to a perplexed Maxi.
“It is surprising that the daughter of a duke would show such contempt for our vows.”
“D-Contempt?”
"If it's not contempt, then what is it?
You married me, but you've been ignoring my existence all this time.
Don't expect me to tolerate this anymore!"
Discouraged, Maxi could only stare at him.
How could he accuse her of such a thing?
He had left the morning after the wedding without saying a word!
“I-I never i-ignore…”
"Enough!
Like Lady Calypse, you should have come to my estate after your wedding night.
But for three years, you chose to remain in your father's opulent castle!"
Riftan snorted loudly.
“But how can a duke’s daughter be expected to abandon her position for the life of a half-widow, awaiting the return of her husband’s corpse?”
Surprised, Maxi could not find an answer to her accusations.
The words he was uttering were incomprehensible to her.
"H-How could I c-have gone t-to your p-property?
I-I didn't s-know w-where it was.
Y-You d-didn't t-tell me n-anything…!"
"No more lies!
I made all the arrangements for you to come and live on my lands before I left for the campaign.
In the event of my death, you would have inherited the estate!
A duke's daughter may not care for an insignificant piece of land, but it is a place I hold dear.
And it was your duty to be there, but you neglected it."
His eyes sparkled with anger.
He didn't seem to be lying“there was no point in making up stories.
Maxi swallowed.
“I-I d-didn’t k-know… Y-You d-didn’t say a w-word…”
“My men told me you refused to leave,” he said, his voice bitter.
"Spare me the excuses.
For three years, I've known exactly what you think of me.
And why are you shaking, dammit?
Are you afraid I'm going to spank you?"
"I-I'm s-s-sorry.
T-truly, I-I d-didn't s-know that.
I-I woke up t-that morning and f-found you at the b-part...
N-No one ever t-told me anything."
He narrowed his eyes as if assessing whether she was telling the truth.
Like a prisoner awaiting trial, she waited for his next words.
A few moments later, he spoke in a softer tone.
"Even if that's true, you should have gone to my lands.
A wife's duty is to take care of her husband's home.
If that hasn't crossed your mind, I can only understand that this marriage is worthless to you."
Again, she couldn't think of an answer.
Her marriage was not as insignificant to her as Riftan imagined.
Still, it was true that she hadn't completely accepted the arrangement.
She simply thought they were her father's victims, and their marriage an inevitable sacrifice.
Was Riftan always sincere about their marriage?
“What would you do if you were pregnant?”
“G-G-Pregnant?”
Hearing the unexpected word, Maxi looked up with a start.
The corners of Riftan's mouth twitched.
"It was possible that you were.
I fulfilled my duties fully that night, didn't I?"
His sarcastic tone drained his face of blood.
The events of that night remained a harrowing and shameful memory in his mind.
She now knew that every marriage required consummation, but still, her entire body trembled as she remembered the acts of that night.
Yet Riftan spoke of their wedding night as if it had been a trivial matter.
Maxi trembled with renewed fear.
Upon seeing this, Riftan's face contorted into a frown, and he punched the carriage wall hard.
"D-Don't make that face!
As if the thought of having my child makes you sick!"
But his ferocious roar was cut short as he leapt out of the carriage, one hand on the hilt of his sword.
Maxi shouted.
"Commander!
Ogres!"
"I know!
Create a shield around the carriage!"
After giving orders, Riftan turned to Maxi.
“Whatever happens, don’t leave!”
He closed the door without waiting for a response.
A deafening roar shook the ground.
Maxi covered his ears with his hands.
Thum, thump.
With every tremor of the earth, the carriage swayed.She curled up on the floor, not having the courage to look out the window.
She had heard rumors that monstrous creatures had been sighted near the duchy lately, but she hadn't expected to encounter one within an hour of leaving Croyso Castle.
His entire body was shaking.
“Stop the ogre immediately!”
Hearing urgent screams coming from outside, she swallowed her sobs.
The carriage shook violently.
The screams of the knights mixed with the blood-curdling screams of something non-human, creating terrifying echoes.
Maxi buried his face in her skirt.
Thum, thump.
The dull sound of something hitting the carriage.
Maxi looked up, afraid the ceiling would collapse.
Then she was startled“a huge, green, bloodshot eye stared at her through the window.
She screamed and jumped to the other side of the carriage, pushing her back against the wall.
The world turned upside down, and his body fell backwards.
She reached for the wall to steady herself, but her fingers found the doorknob instead.
The door opened.
She rolled out of the carriage and fell to the ground.
Pale with terror, Maxi hurried back to the safety of the carriage.
But his legs were paralyzed with fear.
She desperately looked for help, but the others were busy fighting the gray-skinned giants.
She would have to find her own way to safety.
She started to crawl towards the carriage when she saw an ogre charging towards her, stomping with its huge feet.
She screamed with all her might.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and the ogre fell onto its back.
"My lady!
You must enter immediately!
There is a shield protecting the carriage.
It is safer inside!"
A hand pulling on his shoulder snapped Maxi out of his daze.
Startled, she turned around and found a thin man staring at her.
"Mountain ogres, my lady.
Luck is not on our side, but with Sir Riftan here, we have nothing to worry about.
Please go back inside!"
"I-I didn't w-want to s-leave.
I-I was j-played..."
Stammering, Maxi tried to explain.
Riftan's stern order forbidding her to leave echoed in her ears.
She didn't mean to get in the way.
“T-the c-c-carriage w-was tr-tr-shaking, and…!”
"My lady!
Come in!"
The man interrupted her impatiently.
She stopped talking, scrunching her face with her irritation.
He was right – this was no time to make excuses.
After recovering, she began to climb back into the carriage with unsteady steps when she heard another thud.
She turned to see blood gushing like a fountain from an ogre's split torso.
Maxi covered his mouth with his hand.
His stomach had been tense with anxiety for the past few days, and now it hurt terribly.
Something sour rose in his throat.
She tried to push the liquid down, but to no avail.
Watery bile splashed onto the floor, and his throat burned.
“My lady!”
Alarmed, the man wrapped an arm around her rising and falling shoulders.
Maxi was panting and clutching her stomach, hot tears stinging her eyes.
It felt like something was tearing his insides apart.
“Heavens… are you okay, my lady?”
Maxi gasped for air.
She thought the pats on her back might calm her, but her nausea didn't subside.
"What happened?!"
Hearing Riftan's worried voice, she managed to look up.
He was standing before the ogre's split body.
Without realizing what she was doing, she began to back away from him.
He took a step towards her.
With each step, he left a dark red footprint on the ground.
The long, sharp blade of his sword glowed blue, with blood dripping from its edge.
His armor, silver and stained with dark blood, gave him a ghostly appearance.
In his retreat, Maxi lost his balance and tripped.
She placed a hand on the carriage to steady herself.
Riftan's face blurred, distorting like smoke before her.
The world spun.
Her vision darkened, and sounds became indistinct as she sank into the dark depths of unconsciousness.