Under the Oak Tree



361 Chapter 122

"What are you looking at?" Riftan asked as he walked up behind her.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led her away from the window as though he were pulling a heedless child away from a fire. 

Maxi looked up at him as he drew the curtains, feeling a peculiar sense of déjà vu. The dark room reminded her of a small cavern. Their flickering shadows danced on the floor, and the heady scent of their coupling mingled with the sweet tang of wine. 

She furrowed her brow as she inhaled the soothing, intimate aroma that left her mind hazy. They had once been trapped in a similar cave. Just like now, they had lost themselves in their own world. And Riftan had been hiding something from her even then, too.

Maxi bit her lip as he guided her back to the bed. Her suspicion that he was trying to divert her attention from something grew stronger. He ensnared her in his arms, overwhelming her ability to think with sweet caresses and meticulous care. 

Despite her burning desire to uncover the source of his restlessness, she resolved to be patient this time. She would wait for him to confide in her. 

"C-Can you hear that?" she asked, forcing a smile. "They must be holding another banquet."

His dark eyes, tinged with caution, narrowed. Did he think she was asking to leave? After silently scrutinizing her, Riftan turned around with apparent disinterest. 

"Do they not tire of it? It's impossible to sleep with that racket."

He picked up the blanket from the disheveled bed and deftly spread it out. Maxi's eyes widened. She sensed irritation in his voice.

"Y-You haven't been sleeping?"

Only then did Maxi realize that she had never seen him sound asleep. Her expression clouded with worry.

"S-Since when? Don't tell me-"

"I don't require much anyway, so you needn't concern yourself." 

Interrupting her with a touch of annoyance, Riftan motioned for her to lie down. Maxi bit her lip. Despite her resolve to comply with his wishes, tolerating his domineering behavior was no easy task. 

"W-We've been in bed all day. I'm tired of lying down." 

"Your legs are trembling. Stop being stubborn and come lie down." 

Maxi blushed under Riftan's disapproving gaze as she stood awkwardly, wobbling like a newborn foal. Did he not know the reason she was in that state? 

Shooting him a glare, Maxi strode toward him. "Don't be like that... C-Come here for a moment."

Snatching the blanket from him, she tossed it onto the bed. When she began to lead him by the hand, Riftan flinched as though burned. 

Ever since he had whisked her away like a woman ensnared in a tempest, she had been trapped within his whirlwind. Thus, Maxi gazed at Riftan's slightly flustered face with satisfaction as she positioned him before the window. As she drew the curtains open, the soft melody of flutes and mandolins floated into the room alongside a chilly breeze and the rustling of leaves. 

"What is it you want us to do?" Riftan asked after a pause. 

His brow furrowed as he regarded her warily, an expression he wore whenever she attempted to discern his innermost thoughts. 

Concealing the numbing ache in her heart, Maxi feigned composure. "I-I like this song. I do not know what it's called... but I've always wanted to dance to it." 

"What?" Riftan asked, his face blank.

Maxi gently tugged at his hand, repeating the steps of a waltz. After staring dazedly at her, Riftan tentatively mirrored her movements, allowing her to lead rather than truly dancing. 

Maxi glowered at him. "I-I have only danced this once, you know. You should be leading me."

Without warning, a dangerous glint flashed in Riftan's eyes. Coiling his arms around her waist, he lowered his face right above hers. 

"That was your first dance?" he growled menacingly. 

Growing tense, Maxi managed an awkward smile. She could feel his arms tightening around her, and she looked up to see his expression that of a man about to commit murder. 

"You chose to share your first dance... with another man... right in front of me." 

At his grim tone, Maxi's eyes darted around furiously like a cornered mouse seeking escape. The fear of reigniting dying embers sent shivers down her spine.

Desperately, she wracked her brain, blurting out, "Y-You, too, danced with another woman in front of me i-in the past." 

Riftan narrowed his eyes. "Don't make up lies. I have done no such thing."

"Y-You have! Y-You-"

Though she had only said it as a diversion, a surge of anger overtook her. Dredging up the old memory, she admonished him with a glare.

"You danced... with Sir Hans's sister."

Riftan looked baffled. "Sir Hans?" 

Maxi could not tell if he genuinely did not remember or was merely pretending. 

"Do you not recall?" she asked, leveling a glare at him. "Sir Hans... i- is one of Father's 1-loyal vassals. I-I saw you dancing... w-with his sister at a banquet at Croyso Castle. She had dark hair in a crown braid... and a flowing red gown. Sh-She was quite beautiful." 

Riftan's eyes widened as the memory resurfaced.

Gnawing her lip at the unpleasant recollection, Maxi pointed out snarkily, "Y-You even... d-disappeared with her... after the dance." 

A strangled noise, either an exclamation or a groan, escaped his lips. 

Haughtily lifting her chin, Maxi held her hostile look. Contrary to her expectations, however, he looked neither embarrassed nor guilty. Instead, he gazed down at her with a pensive expression. 5 "Were you watching me?" he murmured. 

Heat rose in Maxi's cheeks. "E-Everyone at the banquet was watching you."

Riftan held her gaze as if trying to decipher her thoughts. It irked her that he sought to read her mind when he was bent on concealing his. 

"W-Whenever the Remdragon Knights visited the castle... y-you were all the maidservants could t-talk about. A-And not only them. Even the visiting noblewomen w-were abuzz with talk of you. Y-You understand... w-why I would be curious."

"For mere curiosity, you seem to remember it in great detail despite it being so long ago." 

Something in his contemplative tone made Maxi nervous. In truth, she was also astonished at how vividly she remembered that night. Still, it was not all that surprising if she thought about it. 

Not only did he stand out among the brawny knights, but Riftan had always been the center of attention. Even the women who disparaged him for his humble background blushed as they stole glances at him from afar.. Maxi had even witnessed two maidservants yanking at each other's hair for the chance to attend to him.

Her face hardened involuntarily as unpleasant memories flooded her mind one after another.

"H-How could I forget?" she said, pushing his chest away. "Y-You disappeared with a woman wh-who wasn't even your betrothed. N- Not only that, you brazenly returned to the banquet hall l-looking quite disheveled."

A hint of frustration rose in Riftan's eyes.

Maxi glared at him. "You rake." 

"She forced herself on me!" Riftan exclaimed, aggrieved. "I was an unwilling victim." 

Maxi snorted, her eyes flickering to his broad shoulders and steel- like arms. "I-I've had enough. Dancing with you... is no fun at all." 

As she attempted to move away, Riftan seized her by the waist and hoisted her off the floor. Maxi emitted a small shriek. Supporting her buttocks with his arm, he aligned his palm with hers. Fixing her with an intense gaze, he hissed, "Then I shall entertain you." 

With that, he abruptly spun around, forcing Maxi to cling to his neck. He twirled them about the room in time to the faint music, his movements far from the elegant and graceful dance she had envisioned.

Maxi glared at him sullenly. When she caught the impish smile tugging at his lips, however, the boiling anger inside her dissipated. All of a sudden, his steps turned into the precise motions of a skillfully executed ballroom dance. The room spun around her, and she burst into laughter. 

Whirling about like children in the glow of the setting sun felt more intimate than any formal couple's dance. 

"You... silly man," she said, giggling against his nape. "

She felt him freeze. His heart pounded beneath the thin layer of robe between them. Lowering her to the floor, Riftan tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear. 

Maxi peered past his shoulder at the sky, awash with hues of purple. Enveloped in the subtle light, he no longer felt like a stranger. The beautiful man standing before her was the husband who loved to play the occasional trick on her before breaking into a smile. 

Her heart swelled with happiness. She steered her mind away from the secret he was hiding from her and the many problems awaiting them beyond this room. Over the past three years, no experience had been as painful as missing this man. 

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his broad chest. Their dance turned into a slow swaying. Pulling her close, Riftan rested his cheek on the crown of her head. 

"What do you hope to achieve by captivating me further?" he asked, his words turning into a groan by the end. 

His breath tickled her forehead, and Maxi smiled in contentment. It delighted her to know she had such an effect on him. 

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