She stepped closer to him until their knees were almost touching. Riftan visibly tensed, his large frame frozen on the edge of the bed where he sat. He clutched his goblet so tightly that Maxi was worried he might crushit.
“You should sleep alone tonight,” he mumbled. “I still have things I must attend to.”
Maxi glanced around the room, but there was not a parchment in sight. She fidgeted with her skirt and asked in a deliberately sarcastic tone, “A-And by things you must attend to…do you mean drinking?”
“I’m asking you to leave me alone.”
Riftan slammed his goblet down on the bedside table, making Maxi flinch. Wine sloshed over the rim. After staring at the stain spreading across the carpet, Riftan rubbed his forehead and swore.
“I don’t want to demean myself further in your eyes. Please, just leave me be.”
Maxi stood frozen for a moment before slowly leaning over. Riftan opened his mouth as if to snap at her but did not say anything.
Studying his steely face, Maxi asked cautiously, “D-Demean yourself? How? I…don’t understand…why you’re so angry….”
“I—” Riftan clenched his jaw. His shoulders shook, and his eyes flashed like two dark flames.
The intensity of his anger was petrifying. He heaved as though he had something stuck in his throat before letting out a ragged exhale.
“I wanted to make that bastard suffer as much as—no, a hundred times more than the pain he caused you. I just can’t get the image of him lashing you out of my head. And you…crying in that godforsaken room…”
A wave of shock rippled through her as she noticed blood dripping from his clenched fist. She quickly clasped his hand.
Riftan gritted his teeth and snarled, “Ripping that bastard to shreds wouldn’t be enough. And yet, pointless concerns like the stability of the kingdom prevent me from doing anything. No matter how much I struggle to climb up, I’m still powerless. I can’t even protect you.”
“R-Riftan…don’t be l-like this,” Maxi pleaded, shaking her head. Using all her strength, she tried to unfurl his fist.
“And they call me the reincarnation of Rosem Wigrew!” he bellowed with a sandpaper raspiness. “If I were anything like the legendary hero, I wouldn’t be so powerless.”
“Th-That is not true.” Cupping his face in her hands, she forced him to look at her. “You…s-saved me.”
“I was too late! I was always late! I—”
Maxi dipped her head and gave him a soft kiss. His breath hitched, cutting off his beastly snarling. His hot breath tickled her lips.
Caressing his cheek, Maxi whispered in a quivering voice, “Wh-When I was young…I prayed every day…for the most g-gallant knight in the world t-to appear…and takeme away from my father’s castle. I prayed f-for someone to come…a-and stop him from punishing me….”
When she forced a smile on her lips, Riftan’s eyes grew visibly pained. She stroked his tousled hair and kissed his forehead.
“Y-You…were the answer to my prayers. You are…my hero.”
Riftan’s face was contorted in agony as if he were being tortured. As Maxi pulled him into a comforting embrace, his whole body felt as tense as a taut string about to snap. His large, muscular frame curled in her arms like a helpless child.
Maxi’s heart ached. If only she had been a little tougher, he could have avoided such anguish. At least for his sake, she wanted to change. She would become the strongest and most resilient person she knew.
She lowered her head and kissed his burning nape. Through his chest pressed against hers, she felt the wild pounding of his heart.
“I’m no hero. I’m not—”
Riftan’s voice came out in a strangled rasp. He stopped when Maxi touched his chest and looked up at her in a daze. She kissed his cheek while her hands sank into his hair that gleamed almost dark blue. As she wound the shaggy lock above his nape around her finger, a tremor coursed through his chiseled torso.
“Maxi…stop…”
She kissed his earlobe, pretending not to hear him. A growl rumbled in his throat. He grabbed her shoulders with trembling hands and pried her off.
“You’ve done enough.”
Maxi’s face flushed with embarrassment, and sheanxiously looked up at him. “D-Do you not…want me anymore?”
