Chapter 7 #4
Garrow sighed. “Calm down, Uly. You’re making her ladyship uncomfortable.”
“I’ve just never been so frustrated about being a squire before. If I were a knight, I could’ve…” Ulyseon’s crestfallen face reminded Maxi of a dog with its ears tucked back.
“Th-Thank you for your c-concern,” she said, stifling a giggle. “But I-I’m fine, really. S-Some of the guards w-were injured, but Sir R-Riftan arrived j-just in time.”
“Yes, and I heard those cowards surrendered immediately when they saw him. Not that I blame them! The gutless scoundrels didn’t stand a chance against Sir Riftan.”
Maxi rolled her eyes, and Garrow was already shaking his head. Once Ulyseon began singing Riftan’s praises, he wouldn’t stop.
Maxi gently cut him off. “W-What brings you to the k-kitchen?”
Ulyseon glanced at the squires standing behind him, as if he had just remembered where he was. “The smell of meat was too tempting, so we snuck out of training.”
No wonder they looked so nervous. Maxi smiled to reassure them that their secret was safe. “W-We were j-just cooking up some s-sausages,” she said, and turned to the cook. “W-Would you s-serve the squires some?”
The cook looked up from stuffing clean entrails with ground meat and grinned. “I’ll have a few ready in a jiffy, my lady. You there!” he shouted to one of the servants. “Bring me a plate of sausages.”
The squires eagerly gathered around, and Maxi slipped out of the kitchen to let them enjoy their snack in peace.
As the days shortened, darkness fell abruptly over the castle, and servants were already lighting candles in the corridor.
The central hall and stairs in particular needed to be lit in midafternoon to chase out the lengthening shadows.
With the new sconces mounted on the walls, the castle was twice as bright as before, though lighting the extra candles required twice the labor.
“I’ll hire m-more servants first th-thing tomorrow m-morning,” Maxi said to Ludis as they walked past the servants.
“I don’t think that’s necessary, my lady.”
“W-We need at least th-thirty more servants for a c-castle of this s-size. D-Do we have enough room to h-house them?”
“Yes, my lady. There’s plenty of spare sleeping quarters on the first floor.”
“Th-Then I’ll d-discuss the matter with his l-lordship tonight.”
After making her rounds at the stables, Maxi returned to her room to record a log of the day’s affairs. To manage an estate as large as Calypse Castle, it was essential to keep track of every last detail.
“My lady,” Ludis said from the door. “The lord has sent word that he’ll be late. He says you should dine without him. Would you like to have your meal in the dining hall?”
Maxi looked up from her writing. She had not noticed Ludis entering the room. How long had she been at her desk? Outside the window, darkness had already fallen, and Maxi couldn’t help but worry that Riftan was not getting adequate rest.
“My lady?”
“I’ll e-eat in my r-room,” Maxi said, rising from her seat.
As Ludis left to fetch her meal, Maxi absentmindedly poked at the logs in the fireplace and stared into the flames.
A day in Calypse Castle felt both infinitely long and incredibly short.
Managing the place was exhausting, but she was happier and more confident than she had ever been at her father’s castle.
Is Riftan happy with me too?
Maxi’s face fell as she recalled Ruth’s words that morning.
The Remdragon Knights believed Riftan had suffered a great injustice at the hands of her father.
That much was clear from the way they treated Maxi.
If Riftan resented her, too, she would not have blamed him, but instead he had been unfailingly kind to her.
His kindness confounded Maxi. She did not find herself appealing in the slightest. Striking beauty, exceptional talent, a sharp wit—she possessed none of these things.
The one thing she did have was her noble lineage.
But her ranking as a duke’s daughter was nothing compared to Agnes, a royal princess.
What did Riftan see in her? Whatever it was, Maxi’s father had been right. She was far more fortunate than she deserved. Duke Croyso’s selfish cruelty had unexpectedly turned into a blessing, and Maxi swore to do everything in her power to hold on to her good fortune.
—
“Mmm…” Maxi groaned softly, awakened by the faint light of dawn filtering in through the windows.
She had fallen asleep reading in bed after supper and was still fully dressed.
A firm hand rested lightly over her breast and, as she drew the blankets over her shoulders to ward off the morning chill, the hand slid down and wrapped a powerful arm around her waist. Maxi looked over her shoulder; Riftan was still fast asleep behind her, his bare chest rising and falling gently.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Was he pretending to be asleep again? After watching him closely for several minutes, Maxi decided he was not faking, and nudged his arm away. He released her, which meant he was definitely asleep.
Maxi rolled toward him as quietly as she could. Though Riftan usually woke at the slightest noise, he remained sound asleep and the sight warmed her heart.
He must be exhausted.
Riftan’s face was bathed in the bluish glow of dawn, and Maxi gently traced its outline with her hand.
His hair had grown longer. It now settled over his fine forehead in a tousled mess, and the ends brushed at his eyelids.
The corners of his lips tilted downward, and when Maxi brushed his hair back from his face, the frown disappeared. She smiled at him.
He was at least a kevette taller than she was, imposing at more than twice her size.
But when he slept this soundly, Maxi could almost forget how intimidating he could be.
Indulging an impulse, she crawled into his arms and rested her head against his chest. When he remained sound asleep, she was overcome with the urge to do something more daring.
Maxi buried her face in his neck and inhaled his warm, masculine scent. He smelled of sunlight and soap, an inexplicably sensual combination. As she breathed him in, a heat bloomed in her belly.
Maxi followed the outline of Riftan’s jaw with her finger. He was truly stunning. Even in the half-darkness of daybreak, his smooth skin gleamed like gold, and with his long lashes lowered, he looked as innocent as a lamb.
Something must be wrong with me.
Just a few months ago, she never would have described this rough, prickly knight as innocent. She was overcome by a desire to embrace him tightly and rub her face under his chin, but she suppressed the urge. She did not want to disturb his much-needed rest, and did not dare be so bold in any case.
Maxi slid out of bed, slipped on her robe, and quietly left the room. The crisp morning air chilled the corridor, but the kitchen was pleasantly warm when she arrived.
The cook stopped kneading dough and rushed to greet Maxi. “My lady! What brings you to the kitchen so early in the morning?”
Maxi smiled awkwardly as she stepped over to the fireplace. “I-I woke up early, and d-did not w-want to disturb the l-lord. Is it all right if I s-stay here?”
Her request seemed to fluster him, and he nodded so vigorously that Maxi worried his head might come loose.
“Of course, my lady. As you wish. There’s fresh bread and rabbit stew. Would you like to have your breakfast now?”
“Y-Yes, please. I’d also l-like to w-wash my face. C-Could I have a b-basin of water and a t-towel?”
“Right away, my lady.”
The cook promptly poured warm water into a basin and brought it to her, along with a clean linen cloth. Sitting next to the fire, Maxi washed her face. When she finished, she dipped her fingers in the water and ran them through her tangled hair.
A maidservant placed a loaf of freshly baked white bread and a bowl of thick stew in front of Maxi. As she sliced the bread, steam rose from its soft, fluffy center. Maxi buttered a piece, blew on it a few times and took a bite. The sweet bread melted in her mouth, and she soon started on the stew.
When she had finished the delectable meal, Maxi washed everything down with a glass of honeyed goat milk and sat by the fire, her stomach full. Drowsiness began to overtake her, and she considered returning to bed until Ruth shuffled into the kitchen.
“Why, you’re up early today, my lady,” he said when he saw her.
Dismay chased away Maxi’s drowsiness.
“I see you’ve enjoyed an early breakfast.” Ruth joined her by the fire, eyeing the breadcrumbs and the empty bowl. “That must be nice. I, on the other hand, haven’t had a single thing to eat since dinner last night, thanks to the special task Sir Riftan assigned me.”
Maxi smiled stiffly. “I-I was b-busy yesterday…”
“Yes, yes. I heard about the mountain of gifts Sir Riftan brought you. Is that what you were busy with all day, my lady? Opening them?”
“Th-There are m-more matters in the c-castle that require my a-attention than you th-think!”
Maxi had, in fact, spent much of the previous day opening gifts, but she would rather die than admit it.
The sorcerer stared down at her with cheerless eyes.
His domineering attitude had a way of making her feel like an inept student being scolded by her tutor, but she hoped the servants would not notice.
“I’m sure you have many responsibilities,” Ruth continued in a gentler tone. “But strengthening our defenses must be a priority. This magical device will stop further attacks. And you, my lady, are the only person with the arithmetic skills to help me craft it.”
Maxi narrowed her eyes. There was no way Ruth actually thought highly of her arithmetic skills. “I-I understand, b-but making winter p-preparations is also im-important. I’ll h-help you as s-soon as I’m finished.”
“To Sir Riftan, the safety of Anatol takes precedence over all else. If I can complete the device with your help, his worries will be greatly eased.”