Riftan’s jaw tightened. “Don’t you despise that man?”
Maxi’s face fell. Fear was the first emotion that came to her when she thought of her father. It was a bone-deep terror that ate away at her before giving way to crushing helplessness and shame. Perhaps resentment and hate lay buried somewhere under all those emotions. Nevertheless, the fear was so intense that hatred did not even have a chance to come through.
Fidgeting, Maxi replied hollowly, “I-I don’t…want to think about that man.”
Silence settled over them. For a long moment, the only sounds came from the crackling fire and pouring rain. Riftan spoke first.
“You never looked happy,” he said, gazing down at her with somber eyes. “I even considered entering the castle by stealth and kidnapping you.” His lips twisted into a self-deprecating smile. “But right after I had that thought, I noticed all the opulence. I asked myself how I could possibly make you happy when even living in such a beautiful world could not.”
Maxi nervously avoided his eyes, and Riftan’s smile grew rueful.
“I should’ve carried you away sooner, and not let those thoughts stop me,” he murmured.
“That…w-would have been wonderful.”
Riftan’s smile faded at her ready agreement. His eyes had a faraway look as he gazed down at her.
He turned back to the window. “You would have fainted from shock. You detested me back then.”
Maxi shook her head. “I-I never detested you. I was…afraid of you. Haven’t I already t-told you this?”
“In my eyes, it seemed like you hated me.”
Growing angry, Maxi glowered at him. “W-Well, in my eyes—”
She pressed her lips together. Riftan wound a lock of her hair around his finger and waited for her to finish.
After a moment’s hesitation, Maxi blurted out, “I-In my eyes…you seemed to hate me, too.”
Riftan’s fingers froze. Still lying on his lap, Maxi stared up at him as he watched the raindrops spatter the window. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze.
“I was nervous,” he said bluntly. “Croyso Castle was not the most comfortable place for me.”
Maxi blinked. Even as a low-ranking knight, Riftan had appeared more imposing and confident than any nobleman. Although his manner had lacked refinement, the air of aloofness that always shrouded him suggested he did not care for the opinions of others.
Maxi pursed her lips. “Y-You lie. How could a nervous person…be so haughty?”
“Was I haughty?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
Tilting her chin high, Maxi summoned the most arrogant expression she could. “You used to look at people like this…wh-whenever someone spoke to you.”
“I had no idea I looked so adorable,” Riftan chuckled.
He lowered his head to plant a kiss on her pursed lips. Maxi frowned as she brushed away his hair that pricked her eyes.
“And…you used to…scowl and glare at me…whenever our eyes met,” she added. “It was quite terrifying….”
“I suppose my grim appearance is to blame,” he said flatly. “I was simply looking at you.”
He then squashed her swollen cheeks, making her look like a flattened pufferfish. Her face flushing, Maxi irritably pushed his hands away. His evasive manner seemed to trigger something dark in her heart, and her skin seemed to bristle with thorns.
She glared at him, her eyes full of distrust. “N-No. You always seemed to be angry at something. Th-That’s why…it sometimes…made me wonder if you d-disliked me.”
His smile vanished, and his black eyes clouded over like he was trying to conceal his true feelings. Maxi anxiously studied his face.
He drew his lips into a bitter smile. “I thought you hated me. You tensed up whenever I approached, and you looked terrified whenever I tried to talk to you. I felt like a horrifying monster.” He clutched a lock of her hair that was strewn over her shoulder and brought it to his lips. “It began to vex me after a while, so I decided to hate you as well. I wanted to get you out of my head so I could be at peace again.”
Maxi was momentarily speechless. Just how long had she been in his thoughts?
