For the first time in her life, Maxi played a game of dice, drank old beer while watching street performers, and tried a pie made with a thin crust and a filling she was unfamiliar with.
When her stomach was full of all kinds of new foods, the princess convinced her to participate in a pole-throwing contest.
"Holding the pole at the end will make it fly further.
Hold it here and imagine that you are throwing it in a high arc," Princess Agnes explained.
The princess had already launched her own pole with ease, earning a high score.
Maxi awkwardly climbed onto the podium and swallowed hard.
A few meters away, Riftan watched her with his arms crossed.
If she did well, perhaps her excessive worry would ease a little.
With determination, Maxi threw the long pole with all his strength.
However, not only did the pole not reach any of the flags, it also flew five kevettes before falling to the ground.
Maxi's face burned with embarrassment.
The twelve year old who had performed before her had done better.
"Miss!
You have to throw the pole up!"
A man with a full beard roared with laughter and handed him the pole again.
Although he wanted to get down from the podium, Maxi had the feeling that he would become a laughing stock if he ran away.
She closed her eyes and released the pole again.
This time, he flew quite high into the air and reached the second flag.
With a flushed face, Maxi turned to look at Riftan.
Her euphoria evaporated when she spotted two richly dressed women twisting their bodies around Riftan and Sir Elliot.
One of the women reached out to grab Riftan's arm, and Maxi felt intense anger.
She stepped down from the podium and marched over to them.
“R-Riftan!”
Riftan had his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.
His head turned toward Maxi when she called out.
Four pairs of eyes flew to her simultaneously.
Maxi momentarily lost his nerve, but soon assumed a determined expression and slipped between them.
She gave the women a stern look.
“Do you have… business with my husband?”
"Oh, heavens.
So, you were here to enjoy the festival with your wife."
The women laughed and clapped, showing no signs of embarrassment.
The smell of alcohol assaulted Maxi's nose, and she frowned and took a step back.
Like cats surrounding a fish, the women smiled and continued their flirtation.
"What a wonderful husband you have.
I'm so jealous."
"I agree!
Why don't you lend it to us for a while?
We women are supposed to share good men between us, you know."
The bold request made the color drain from Maxi's face.
Having been taught that decency was a lady's virtue, the behavior of these women“hitting on a married man so publicly under the influence of alcohol“was incomprehensible to her.
He felt as if they had fallen into the trap of a temptation from hell itself.
Maxi felt a chill run down his spine and clung to Riftan's arm.
“N-No, I won’t lend it to you!”
“Aww, do you want to keep him all to yourself?”
“We just want to loan him out for a while.”
"I am not going!"
Close to tears, Maxi looked at Riftan, begging him to say something.
He was as rigid as a rock.
At Maxi's silent request, he blinked as if coming back to reality and rubbed his face sharply.
A blush crept up his beautifully tanned neck.
“Uh… so…” Riftan stuttered, looking away.
“Did you hear her… she’s not lending me to you.”
Maxi looked at him.
She couldn't believe those hesitant words were his best effort.
At that moment, she heard laughter.
"Oh, that can't be true.
Who would believe it?
To imagine that the Wizard himself is speechless..."
Princess Agnes, who had followed Maxi, was doubled over.
His laugh was so loud that it seemed to snap the women out of their drunken state.
"Hmm, what a shame.
When we finally find a good man, he gets caught by two..."
One of the women who was studying the princess with dazed eyes seemed to lose interest and backed away.
"No way, I suppose.
Why don't we go drink more there?"
After sighing in disappointment, the women waved their fingers and walked away.
"It was a pleasure meeting you.
If you're looking for fun, come find us at the Rhedyn Inn."The women backed away like cats wagging their tails.
Maxi narrowed his eyes and watched their retreating figures.
How could they try to seduce a married man so blatantly?
She was frowning when Princess Agnes, still shaking with laughter, approached her.
“You have to give up… not many people have enough courage to approach this man.”
The princess wiped away her tears, then stood on tiptoe to pull the hood of Riftan's robe over her head.
"You, sir, are the one who needs to hide your face, not us.
I must say I'm surprised, Riftan.
I didn't think you would be one to flirt with other women while your wife watches."
“Who are you accusing of flirting?” Riftan barked.
He then turned to Maxi.
“I was trying to get rid of them, but they were more persistent than I thought…”
Maxi looked at him suspiciously.
“It didn’t seem… t-like you were trying to get rid of them.”
Riftan's face took on an indescribable expression at his blunt response.
He looked both embarrassed and happy at the same time.
Maxi glared at him furiously.
Seeing a smile begin to appear on his lips suddenly filled her with anger.
She turned and grabbed the princess's arm.
“H-Your Highness and I haven’t finished enjoying the festival yet… so you should enjoy it too, Riftan.”
With that, she walked away with the princess before Riftan could say anything.
Princess Agnes laughed as she allowed herself to be carried away.
"Excellent idea, Maximilian.
We should have fun without them," she said, running ahead of Maxi like the wind.
They left the stunned men behind and ran straight into the green fields filled with music.
Young women wearing garlands of flowers on their heads danced on the slopes, their long belts swinging as they moved.
Without hesitation, Agnes pulled Maxi's hand.
“Let’s dance too!”
Before she knew it, Maxi was dragged into the crowd.
Hand in hand with the princess, she began to spin.
Her movements were closer to skipping than dancing, but in the field full of people running in harmony with the music, her frivolous dancing didn't seem out of place.
Soon, Maxi found herself following the women around the field.
The lively music that filled the air was unpretentious, unlike the sophisticated music that played at the balls held at Croyso Castle.
Women's movements began to gain speed.
The rhythmic rhythm of the vielle and the delicate sound of the lute mixed with the wind, creating a lovely melody.
Intertwined with them was the joyful beat of the drum, the flute and the loud resonance of the fifes.
Maxi felt as if he had become a reed swaying in the wind.
As the intense rhythm enveloped her, for the first time in her life, she felt what it was like to dance completely abandoned.
The women laughed as they banged their tambourines, and spectators tapped their feet to the beat.
Soon, the lute player's clear falsetto resounded over the music.
The knight gathers the pieces
Of your shattered body
And rises to the sky
Your beloved oak
Alone on a hill
Waves slender branches in the wind
Oh, but dear beloved,
When the snow melts
I will tear my body
And with my new leaves
I will sing a song for you
How I wish the wind
Carry my voice to you
The song was familiar even to Maxi.
It was about the legendary knight, Wigrew, and the nymph who had loved him.
The maidens wearing flower crowns began to move at a faster pace around the field, while also singing the song's yearning lyrics that somehow seemed to be at odds with its cheerful melody.
Absorbed in a pleasant dizziness, Maxi laughed until her body shook.
She couldn't remember the last time she laughed like that.
His heart beat hard in tune with the rhythm of the drum, and his blood coursed through his veins so quickly that, for a long time, he even felt a pulse beating in his fingertips.
She felt free.
Who would have thought that stretching your perpetually hunched body in the sunlight and moving it as you pleased could be so much fun?
“Maxi.”
Feeling a hand grab her arm, Maxi looked up, her face flushed.
Riftan, who still had his hood over his head, stared at her with burning eyes.She shuddered at the intense desire written across his hardened face.
Pulling her by the arm, Riftan led her out of the crowd.
The princess was too busy enjoying the festivities with the other women and didn't pay attention to them.
Completely out of breath, Maxi tried to catch her breath as she followed him.
The music and excited voices now sounded distant.
With his hand stroking her waist, Riftan looked around to check if they were hidden from view.
Maxi could feel the urgency that had come over him.
Her body felt hot and sensitive, as if she longed for him to touch her.
It was an overwhelming excitement she had never felt before.
Even his anger from a short time ago seemed to fuel his desire.
“R-Riftan…”
“Come.”
He took her to a secluded spot and kissed her roughly, like a man at the limits of his endurance.
When his lips parted, his warm breath felt tempting as it brushed against her swollen lips.
It wasn't enough.
On the contrary, he only managed to intensify his thirst, as if he had just swallowed salt water.
With a choked groan, Riftan pushed her against a large tree.
With his back pressed against the rough bark, Maxi wrapped his arms around Riftan's neck.
Her moist lips fused together, and her warm, soft tongue explored her mouth teasingly.
The intense pleasure made her moan as she caressed the soft, pulsing sides of her neck.
His tongue went deeper into her mouth and explored the sensitive spots.
She didn't want their lips to part, not even to breathe.
“R-Riftan…”
She held her breath for so long that her lungs felt like they were going to explode.
Riftan squeezed her buttocks over the thin dress and pulled her close.
Maxi shivered miserably as his rock-hard body pressed against hers.
She couldn't believe they were doing something like that in broad daylight, not to mention in a public area full of people not far away.
Maybe she wasn't in her right mind.
Instead of stopping him, she found herself tugging frantically at his tunic and stroking the strong muscles of his chest.
Like a frantic dog, Riftan covered her neck with kisses as he lowered the neckline of her dress.
He slipped his hand inside her clothes.
A feverish moan escaped her lips when she felt his warm, calloused fingers playing with the sensitive spot on her breast.
Burning with desire, Maxi buried her face in his shoulder.
Riftan pressed his hardness against her stomach and deftly kneaded her breast.
Lightning raced through her body, and she felt a primal fire ignite within her.
Panting, Maxi twisted his legs.
Her body ached with the need to have him inside her.
When she tugged frantically at his robes, demanding more, he shivered as something passed through his entire body.
He lifted the hem of her skirt.
At that precise moment, a loud boom echoed across the sky.