Chapter 9 #3
Still staring ahead, he grumbled, “I told you that I would give you a life as lavish—no, even more lavish than the life you had at Croyso Castle. Thinking that you lack anything here enrages me.”
Maxi laughed awkwardly and her throat felt crowded with thorns. It seemed Riftan’s animosity toward her father was greater than she had thought.
“I t-truly am c-content,” she said. “If I w-want anything, I-I’ll be sure to t-tell you.”
Riftan eyed her, one eyebrow raised incredulously, then sighed and continued walking down the path. Maxi followed him quietly, gently stroking the kittens, which had begun to knead her with their tiny claws.
When they arrived back in their room, Ludis gasped when she saw the delicate creatures snuggled in Maxi’s arms. She set about creating a simple nest for them fashioned out of an old reed basket lined with cloth.
Maxi set the basket by the fire and placed the kittens inside, then watched as Riftan held a spoonful of warm goat milk to their mouths.
The kittens frantically lapped up the milk and, once their stomachs were full, they purred and rubbed their heads against Riftan’s hand.
He scratched along one of the kittens’ soft backs, and Maxi watched with envy as it stretched in contentment.
“Have you thought of names for them?” Riftan asked.
Maxi’s eyes left the stretching kitten and looked to Riftan. “Y-You think I sh-should name them?”
“You’ll be spending the most time with them, so you should be the one to name them.”
Maxi mulled it over, considering each of the kittens carefully before speaking. “I’ll call th-the tabby Ron, th-the white one L-Laura, a-and the black one R-Roy.”
“Ron, Laura, and Roy?”
“Th-Those are the names of the three fairy siblings f-from a tale I read as a child. I was s-suddenly reminded of th-the story….”
Riftan picked up Roy by the scruff, smiling faintly. “Aren’t they too mangy to be named after fairies?”
The kitten exposed his claws and struggled in Riftan’s grip, as if in protest.
Riftan laughed. “This one is feisty.”
“Y-You shouldn’t t-torment such h-helpless creatures.”
“You call this torment?” Riftan grumbled, but set Roy back in the basket with his siblings.
Worried that the hearth would be too warm for the kittens, Maxi moved the basket away from its heat and to a more temperate position. Then she gave the kittens a small ball of yarn to play with and they tottered, chewing and batting at it before falling asleep.
Maxi watched their soft bellies as they slept and gingerly stroked one on the chin. The kitten purred and shook its long whiskers. Eventually, Riftan tugged at her arm, and she turned to look at him.
“Come sit,” he said, patting his lap as he reclined against a cushion.
Maxi hesitated, blushing. She recognized the low, sultry tone of his voice. Though she enjoyed being intimate with him, she wondered whether they had been too indulgent.
“Don’t worry.” Riftan smirked. “I just want to hold you.”
Still hesitating, Maxi slowly walked over to him, and he pulled her onto his lap. With a gentle hand, he guided her head to rest against his shoulder. Her toes curled at the pleasant feeling of her body against his.
Riftan wrapped one arm around her knees and stroked her back with the other, fully cradling her. Maxi smiled and breathed a soft laugh against his neck. She felt like a chick nestled under the wings of a hen.
“Your laugh tickles.” Riftan sounded content and continued to stroke her back as he had done with the kitten. After a few quiet moments, he brought his hand up and began to rub the back of her neck.
Maxi swallowed a moan as a shiver ran through her body. Riftan caressed her cheek with light fingers, then kissed her forehead. An unusual sense of peace and comfort enveloped her as they sat in the pleasant warmth of the fire, and Maxi relaxed in his arms.
She listened to the steady beating of his heart, the rattling of wind at the windows, and the crackling of the fire.
“Are you happy in Anatol?” Riftan asked suddenly, staring into the fire.
He spoke uneasily, and the question shook Maxi out of her reverie. She looked up at him and, though his expression remained impassive, she could tell that he was anxious.
“Are you really comfortable here? Is there anything else I can—”
Maxi shook her head vigorously. “There’s n-nothing. I w-want for nothing, t-truly.”
Her life in Anatol was perfect. She had found a place where she could belong, and not only be needed, but also be surrounded by kind people who listened to her with patience and understanding.
Above all, she had a husband who treated her with care and affection at every opportunity.
There was nothing more she could have wished for.
Maxi curled up in Riftan’s arms like the kittens in their basket. “I-I’m h-happy here.”
Riftan drew a sharp breath, then wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.
Though her ribs were being flattened and she could barely breathe, Maxi did not complain.
She would gladly let him crush her in his arms if it comforted him.
She adored everything about him, from the pounding of his racing heart to the masculine scent filling her lungs whenever he was near her.
Maxi timidly wound an arm around Riftan’s waist, joy mingling with guilt in her heart.
He persistently compared his castle to her father’s out of fear that she was unhappy with her changed circumstances.
She could have told him the truth about her father and her life at Croyso Castle, but pride kept her lips sealed around the secret.
Instead, she burrowed her face in his chest to reassure him.
“C-Calypse Castle is w-wonderful,” she said, her voice muffled against him.
Riftan laughed, a short, strained sound. He did not believe her.
“I-It’s true. With th-the castle walls looking so g-grand and u-unassailable, I f-feel safe. A-And since the c-castle is on a mountainside, I-I can see the wh-whole of Anatol out th-the window. Th-The landscape is beautiful e-everywhere I l-look. Th-The servants are c-courteous and kind, and—”
Maxi abruptly stopped her rambling, worried that Riftan might think her father’s servants had treated her poorly.
“M-More than anything,” she said to change the subject, “th-the cook here is f-far better than the one at C-Croyso Castle. E-Everything he makes i-is so d-delicious that—”
That she had gained weight since her arrival in Anatol. Feeling self-conscious, Maxi stopped herself again.
“S-So delicious th-that…” Maxi trailed off, searching for a way to end her half-formed sentence. “Th-That I’m a-always looking forward t-to my next meal! His d-desserts are excellent, and h-he makes delicacies that I’ve n-never even seen before.”
“I’m glad the food is to your liking.” Riftan smiled and caressed her neck.
Now that he was at ease, Maxi burrowed her face into his chest once again.
Riftan slid a fingertip along her ear and let out a low groan. The subtle motion sent pleasant shivers down her spine, but a gentle knock at the door dispelled the intimate tension growing between them.
Riftan grumbled to himself before calling out gruffly, “What is it?”
“It’s me, Gabel Lachzion. Everyone is waiting for you in the council room, Commander.”
Riftan sighed loudly. “I’ll be right there.”
“Then I shall go wait with the others,” Gabel said through the door.
Riftan waited until the sound of Gabel’s footsteps grew distant before releasing Maxi from his lap.
She sat on a cushion and gazed up at him as he wistfully looked back at her, illuminated red by the glow of the fire.
Awakened by sudden activity, the kittens poked their heads out of the basket and mewled in displeasure.
“I’ll see you at supper,” Riftan said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I’ll have the cook prepare a feast tonight.” He stood up and threw on a cloak, then left the room.
Maxi lifted the mewling kittens into her lap and fed them more goat milk before tossing them the ball of yarn. When they tired of playing and returned to napping, she sat at her desk and opened the book she had been reading that morning.
Time passed quickly as Maxi became engrossed in her studies, and when she next gazed out the window, darkness had descended.
She took out the magic stone from her pocket and clasped it in both hands.
Ever since Ruth had told her it would help her cultivate mana affinity, she had begun to carry it with her, taking it out to practice from time to time.
Despite her efforts, she did not feel any discernible change. The stone felt no different from an ordinary gemstone. She closed her eyes and clasped the stone more tightly, wondering if she should try a chant or incantation, when a knock interrupted her focus.
“I’m here to help you get dressed for the dinner banquet, my lady,” Ludis called through the door. “Is now a good time?”
“Y-Yes. C-Come in.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Ludis entered, followed by Linda Selous, the dressmaker’s wife, and two of the recently hired maidservants. They each carried a pile of dresses, and Maxi’s eyes grew wide as she glimpsed the rich fabrics.
Ludis set a small box of jewelry on Maxi’s dressing table, then adjusted the angle of the mirror.
When she saw the kittens tumbling about on the floor, she scooped them up and placed them in their basket.
While Linda and the maidservants laid out the brilliant dresses on the bed, Ludis moved the kittens to the opposite side of the room.
Once all the dresses were displayed on the bed, Maxi gaped, bewildered by the knowledge that they were hers.
“These are the dresses you ordered, my lady,” Linda said brightly. “And what better occasion to wear them than a banquet?” She lifted a beautiful navy-blue dress off the bed, and its fabric seemed to glow in the firelight.