Chapter Twelve #9
He sighed. “The princess has a temper, and she has a knack for speaking in a way that makes you reveal your inner thoughts. She is also quite skilled at riling people for the sake of it or manipulating them to do as she bids. I was concerned she might do the same to you.”
Riftan was speaking ill of the princess, and yet Maxi still felt upset. It baffled her. She placed her leg above his rock-hard thigh and wiggled her toes, pretending to be unconcerned. “You must get on with her…very well.”
“What?” Riftan’s eyes widened. Then he burst into laughter. “Have you not seen how I am with her? What in the devil makes you think we get along?”
“You also treat…Ruth, Sir Hebaron…and the other knights s-similarly…but you have a good relationship with them…do you not?”
Riftan studied her with a gaze so intense that a fierce flush broke out over Maxi’s face. She was mortified that her jealousy was so blatant.
Riftan’s lips twisted into a churlish smile. “If you put it like that, then I suppose I can’t say that we are on bad terms. She is a talented, albeit annoying, woman. And she’s not as arrogant as the rest of the royal family.”
Maxi hid her face against his shoulder again to conceal her disheartened expression.
Riftan pecked the top of her head and teased the taut and rosy tips of her breasts. “But that’s it. I may be on amicable terms with her, but I have never wanted her as a woman. I’m sure it is the same for the princess.”
“How…would you know that?”
“Near the end of the Dragon Campaign, she and I moved together as a team for almost a year, but she never once made any advances.”
Maxi wanted to ask him what he meant by advances, but she kept her mouth shut. The answer would only upset her more. She hated the fact that they had spent a year together. She knew she could not resent Riftan for it, but it bothered her greatly.
Sensing that her mood had not improved, Riftan frowned. After a moment, he brusquely blurted out, “You also get on well with Ruth, do you not?”
The unexpected mention of Ruth’s name startled her. Maxi’s head snapped up in shock.
Riftan studied her face as if seeking confirmation. “But that doesn’t mean you wish to lie with him, does it?” he said sharply.
“O-Of course not!”
The fact that he was even bringing up the notion offended her. Was he still bothered by her spending time with Ruth?
Her temper flared. “I-I…swear to you, I…have never entertained…such immoral thoughts! And…Ruth would n-never betray your trust—”
“I know,” he murmured in a low voice. “I’m just trying to explain to you how it is between me and the princess. I do not dislike her…. In fact, I would go so far as to say I regard her in a good light. But I have never once wanted to kiss her.”
Leaning back in, he gently nipped at her lower lip, his stubble brushing against her face. “It’s different from what I feel for you.”
Maxi glanced up at him nervously. As far as she could tell, the portion of his life that she could claim as hers was only as large as the bed they shared. “What…do you feel…for me?”
Riftan stared back at her before pulling her to his chest. His voice rumbled under her ear. “You are the only family I have.”
Her breath caught in her chest. She had not been expecting that.
Against his chest, she silently mouthed the word.
Family. She had never once thought of Riftan as her family, but he was right—they were a family.
He was her husband, and she was his wife.
Her heart ached, and a lump formed in her throat.
Breaking the silence, he brought a hand to her belly. “Though it would be three of us if you ever give me a child,” he said with a mischievous smirk.
When she finally found her voice, it was tight with emotion. “D-Do you…want a child?”
“It would be nice. A little nipper with red hair and big gray eyes crawling around. What’s not to love?”
“I-I…would like our child…to have…black hair,” Maxi murmured into his chest, quiet, like a prayer. Just imagining a baby that resembled Riftan filled her with a joy she had never felt.
Our child.
Ever since arriving in Anatol, she had been far too busy to even consider children. But thinking about it now, Riftan was right. It was time.
Maxi’s drowsy eyes sparkled. She imagined holding a soft baby in her arms and breathing in its milky scent as she ran her fingers through its thick, black hair.
What would it feel like for a baby to suckle on her with its plump, rosy lips?
Or the joy of her child running into her arms, calling her mother? Her heart fluttered with excitement.
Then, a sudden thought broke through her pleasant reverie.
It had been almost half a year since she had come to Anatol.
Should she not be with child already? Her nursemaid had told her that her bleeding would stop once she was pregnant.
If that were so, should it not have stopped already?
While it was true that Riftan had been away a few times, they had not been negligent of their marital duties.
Remembering how her own mother had struggled to conceive, Maxi could feel that fluttering excitement change to anxiety. Not wanting Riftan to see her worry, she muttered, “Let us sleep.”
He put out the lamp and tucked the blanket up to her chin, prompting her to snuggle into his warm embrace.
She tried to let his warmth melt away her terrifying premonition.
It was still too early for such worries.
There were couples who tried for years before finally conceiving.
If she could just be patient…she would be able to give him good news one day.