Riftan entered.
It had become somewhat of a routine for him to burst into the library, looking for Maxi.
Ruth let out an exasperated sigh.
“Is the training over yet?”
"Training the sentries in this cold will only bring down their morale.
I'll let them rest for a day or two."
Riftan approached Maxi from behind and leaned over.
Feeling his cold lips on her forehead, she blushed.
He began to stroke her hair affectionately.
“Have you been cooped up here since morning?” he whispered.
“Y-Yes, I stopped at the stables and then came here…”
A glimpse of displeasure passed across Riftan's face.
He frowned.
“You’ve been spending more time here than in our room.”
"T-That's not t-true.
I-I've been spending b-a lot of time there..."
She started spending a lot more time in their room after Riftan returned.
She blushed, thinking about how she had spent every night in his arms.
Riftan sighed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“I would disagree.”
“Please save your displays of affection for when you are alone,” Ruth said in disgust.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
“Then look away.”
"Why don't you go back to your room?
I'm just asking you to recognize the difference between a library and a bedroom, if that's not too much to ask."
Maxi buried her burning face in her hands, too embarrassed to lift her head.
Riftan clicked his tongue and grabbed his arm.
"Very well.
We'll go back to our room.
Get up, Maxi."
1
“R-Riftan…”
Maxi held tight to the table to resist.
She liked spending time with him, but spending the rest of the day together in bed seemed indecent.
What would the servants think?
As he frantically searched for an excuse, his eyes fell on the stack of books in front of him.
“I d-didn’t finish l-reading…”
“You can read it another time.”
“I-I had intended to finish these h-today.”
A deep wrinkle formed on Riftan's forehead.
"What is it?
What's so captivating about these books?"
Riftan flipped through the book she was reading.
He stopped at a page filled with intricate diagrams and words in the ancient language.
He glanced over the contents and frowned.
"What is this?
Are you trying to learn magic?"
"Didn't you know?
The noble lady has been under my tutelage for several weeks now," Ruth said, looking at Maxi questioningly before turning back to Riftan.
“The lady seems to have the potential to learn magic, so I have been instructing her“”
“With whose permission?!”
2
Riftan slammed the book on the table.
Maxi shuddered.
She didn't tell Riftan because she wasn't confident she could perform magic at all.
Still, she had thought the news would make him happy.
Wizards were valuable assets; in recent years, there had not been enough to meet demand.
Maxi heard that even low-ranking mages were being treated like royalty.
However, Riftan didn't look pleased at all.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Riftan sounded like he was accusing Ruth of a crime.
“Well, you were out on the goblin raid when the lessons started…” Ruth trailed off.
Maxi had never seen him at a loss for words, but he also seemed flustered.
"She won't be learning anything difficult.
Wouldn't it be helpful to Anatol if the lady here was able to do basic defensive and healing spells?"
"Useful?
I don't need help!"
Riftan glared at Ruth.
Maxi clenched her skirt with her fists.
Seeing her face turn pale, he swore softly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
He began to speak in a softer, more comforting voice.
"I didn't bring you here because I needed your help.
I just...
wanted you to live comfortably.
Doing magic is tiring, more than you know..."
"I-I'm not t-trying to d-do n-anything p-dangerous.
I just w-want to be useful“"
"Didn't you hear me?
I don't need your help!"
3
Maxi looked up, shocked.
Riftan, unsure of what to do, eagerly stroked her face.
"Don't look at me like that.
I'm not turning down your offer.
I just…"
He stopped and bit his lip.
A heavy silence fell over the library.
Riftan looked back and forth between Maxi's haggard face and Ruth's grim face before running a hand through his hair.
A cold and bitter look passed over his face.
“Do as you wish.”With that, he turned and left the library.
All Maxi could do was watch as his figure walked away.
Darkness fell, but Riftan did not return.
Maxi paced back and forth in his room, repeatedly looking out the window.
Rodrigo had reported that Riftan had left the castle's boundaries without even arming himself.
Maxi was desperate.
As if they had sensed his distress, the kittens woke up from their peaceful sleep by the fireplace and began to cry beside his bed.
Maxi placed them on his lap and cuddled them for a while before slowly laying down on the bed and closing his eyes.
She couldn't understand what had made Riftan so angry.
Did he find her behavior impudent?
Or was he disappointed that she had kept her training a secret?
Maybe I should have discussed it with him first…
Maxi was lost in thought when she heard the door open.
She closed her eyes quickly.
She could tell it was him just by the sound of his footsteps.
She turned her back to him and pretended to be asleep.
She didn't have the courage to face him.
Riftan silently approached the bed, and after looking at it for a moment, he carefully picked up the kittens and placed them in his basket one by one.
Maxi strained his ears to follow his movements.
After placing the basket next to the fireplace, Riftan took off his cloak and hung it on a stand before sitting on the edge of the bed to take off his boots.
She waited in silence for him to lie down next to her.
But Riftan remained where he was.
Maxi buried his face in the pillow, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
Did he despise her so much that he didn't even want to sleep with her anymore?
She just wanted to help, and he was the one who said he hated incompetent fools.
Maxi bit his lip.
She was convinced he needed her, so hearing him say he didn't want her was even more painful.
She curled into a ball to hide the look of pain on her face.
At that moment, she felt a calloused finger brush her skin.
She held her breath.
With unsteady hands, Riftan caressed the edges of her cheeks and brushed away the strands of hair that tickled her face.
Even without opening her eyes, she knew he was looking at her with eyes that glowed with the same intensity as the flames in the fireplace.
He brushed the fine hairs on her cheeks with the back of his hand and then placed the tip of his finger on her lips.
She reflexively stepped back.
He must have thought she was rejecting him because he felt her finger tremble before slowly withdrawing.
Maxi took his hand.
“R-Riftan…”
Unsure of her next words, Maxi searched her face.
Seeing his lack of surprise, she realized he must have known she was just pretending to sleep.
He looked at her without saying a word, his inky black eyes shining softly beneath his messy hair.
His heart sank under his impassive gaze.
Perhaps she had angered him so much that he had come to hate her.
The thought terrified her.
"I-I'm s-sorry.
P-Please forgive me…"
The words were out of her mouth before she could determine what she was apologizing for.
Riftan took a deep breath and wrapped her in his arms.
"Don't be sorry.
You didn't do anything wrong.
I just…"
His cold hand slid through her hair before stopping at the back of her head.
Burying her nose in his chest, Maxi breathed hard, her shoulders shaking.
Riftan caressed her back with trembling hands and whispered in her ear.
“You can learn magic or anything else you want, so don’t be afraid.”
“I-I’m not f-scared.”
"That's a lie.
I can feel you shaking.
Damn!
I finally managed to make you smile, but it feels like we're back where we started."
4
“I-I’m really n-not f-scared…”
Maxi bit her trembling lip.
His gentle embrace had calmed her fears, but the anguish she had been suppressing now threatened to overwhelm her.
She grabbed his tunic and pressed her forehead against his chest.
“B-But you t-said you d-don’t need m-me…”
She felt his arms tremble and tighten around her.
Riftan shook his head vigorously.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Is m-my desire t-to help u-a nuisance?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“I-I just wanted to d-do something, anything w-within my capabilities…”
“You don’t have to do n-anything“”Riftan stopped mid-outbreak.
Instead, he sighed in frustration and abruptly pressed his lips to hers.
5
When Maxi placed her hands on his face, his jaw trembled gently as if it might melt under his touch.
She felt him swallow hard before he pressed his tongue into her mouth to taste her with slow intensity.
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
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🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
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🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
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whose fault 🙄🙄🙄
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what a pain bro
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