“When I was alone, I would imagine sitting at a table with you, just the two of us,” he murmured. “I wanted to hold banquets as grand as your father’s…no, even grander, and make sure you had your fill of the finest cuisines every day. You have no idea how many times I imagined your eyes shining in the candlelight, your contented smile…. How I wished you’d raise your head to look at me just—”
Riftan cut himself off, evidently thinking that he had said too much. As if to hide his faint blush, he ran a hand through his hair and muttered in a self-deprecating tone, “A childish delusion.”
“E-Even my father…d-does not do that every day. H-He only puts on…such lavish banquets…to flaunt his wealth to guests.” Unable to bear her fluttering heart, Maxi fixed her eyes on her lap. Even her fingers were flushed with a rosy tinge. She wriggled her toes under the blanket as she continued. “Th-The food in Anatol…is s-so much better. I-I’ve never been able to…enjoy s-such diverse dishes regularly before.”
A coldness glinted in Riftan’s eyes. “Did that man ever starve you?”
Maxi flinched. “N-No! That never happened. More specifically…my father n-never cared…whether I ate o-or not.”
Riftan stared into her eyes as if to ascertain whether shewas telling the truth.
“I want to know everything about you,” he said, emphasizing each word. “Nothing matters to me more than your well-being and happiness. So don’t look so disheartened—it makes me want to kill that man whenever I see you like that.”
“I-I…” Maxi gulped and barely managed to continue. “I don’t…understand…wh-why you would care for me so much….”
Riftan’s face grew cold.
“I can’t explain it,” he replied after a while.
He stared down at his fist before abruptly pulling her toward him. Maxi hunched her shoulders when she felt his warm lips against the pulsing vein in her neck. After pressing his cheek to her hair, he rose with a sigh.
“You should take a nap. I’ll be back later with supper.”
Maxi watched him leave the room. Her heart stirred at the revelation that someone had thought of her during a time when she firmly believed no one did. She felt both the exhilaration of floating on clouds and the anxiousness of being adrift in a vast ocean.
Maxi clasped her trembling hands. Riftan had wanted her without knowing anything about her. Was he simply pouring his affection into a fantasy he had created while stubbornly denying the truth?
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Though the color had returned to her cheeks and she had gained some weight, she was still unsightly. Her red hair was like tangled vines, and brown freckles spattered her nose and cheekbones. Her nose was too small while her eyes were unnaturally big.
Maxi frowned as she scrutinized her unbalanced features.She was in no way a beauty who could make such a striking man fall in love with her at first sight. What was more, Rosetta had also been at Croyso Castle. How could Maxi have caught Riftan’s eye over her angelic sister? Tucking her overgrown, curly bangs behind her ears, Maxi heaved an uneasy sigh.
The black cat, Roy, sauntered over from his spot near the fireplace and climbed onto her lap. Maxi stroked his soft fur and turned her gaze to the window. Bare branches and clear blue sky filled her vision. Feeling stifled, she walked over and swung it open. Servants bustled about in the garden below.
Maxi sat idly watching them when she spotted about fifteen men cut through the garden accompanied by the Remdragon Knights. The newcomers carried longswords and wore somewhat peculiar clothing; they appeared to be from the Southern Continent. Maxi narrowed her eyes. They were clearly not merchants.
A knock came at her door. “Your tonic, my lady.”
“C-Come in.”
Ludis entered the room with a tray. She stopped when she saw Maxi standing by the window.
“The weather is quite chilly today, my lady,” she fretted. “You might catch a cold in that icy wind….”
“A-A little…shouldn’t hurt,” Maxi said. “More importantly…do you know who those men are?”
Ludis put down the tray and walked over. Her face grew uncertain when she saw the southern men climbing the stairs to the great hall.
Seeing the maidservant hesitate, Maxi frowned and said with a slight reprimand in her voice, “D-Do you think it would do for the lady of the castle…t-to be the only personwho doesn’t know who our guests are?”
“T-To my knowledge…” said Ludis tentatively, “they are mercenaries, my lady. I heard his lordship intends to hire a large number of the men who served as guards for the big merchant guilds up from the south….”
Maxi’s face fell. “F-For what reason?”
“That I do not know, my lady. The little I do know is from what I’ve overheard from the knights….”
Ludis studied Maxi’s face, looking worried that she might have said too much. Maxi turned back to the window. The men must have entered the castle, as they were nowhere to be seen.
Was it truly necessary to hire that many mercenaries from the south just to protect Anatol? Or was Riftan set on waging war? The hairs on her forearm stood on end. Seeing Maxi hug herself, Ludis hurriedly shut the window.
