Chapter Thirteen #5
“Don’t cry,” Riftan murmured into her hair, wiping her face with his clean sleeve.
His grave expression was a stark contrast to his gentle actions. With his mouth pressed in a tight line, he loosened the straps of her soiled dress and pulled it over her head before taking off his tunic.
Maxi curled herself into a ball against the cold air, but he swiftly pulled her to him again and resumed stroking her back. Seeking warmth, Maxi burrowed herself deeper into his embrace, pressing her breasts against his muscled chest and entwining her legs with his.
“Damn it…” A burning flush colored Riftan’s cheeks, and Maxi saw droplets of sweat on his forehead. His body felt like a heated iron against hers, his heart pounding loudly beneath her cheek. Yet the hands that tended to her were steady.
She felt him wipe her face with a towel and begin removing the pins from her tangled hair.
It was all she could do to lie slumped against him and try to clear her thoughts.
When had she returned to the castle? And what of that colossal monster?
Her memories prior to blacking out started to come rushing back, and she trembled uncontrollably.
“You’re as cold as ice.” Riftan continued to stroke her back with his warm palm, but he was clearly restless. Finally, he scooped her up, carried her to the tub in front of the fireplace, and lowered her into the warm water.
Hugging her knees, Maxi waited for the heat to seep into her body, but the chill clung to her. “Wh-Why…i-is my body…”
“Mana depletion induces the same reaction as blood loss. It causes dizziness and makes your blood pressure drop.” He scooped water over her shoulders. “I can’t believe that damned runt didn’t warn you about this. But then again, I suppose he also didn’t think you would do something so reckless.”
A sharp reproach edged his voice, and when she lifted her gaze to study his expression, she saw thinly veiled anger burning in his dark eyes. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, clearly trying to suppress his emotions. Removing his trousers, he stepped in behind her.
“Sharing body heat will help.” Not waiting for a response, he hoisted her onto his solid thighs and wound his arms around her waist.
Although she felt his manhood press against her buttocks like an iron rod, his warm skin offered a temptation she simply could not refuse.
She clung to him like a chick nestling against a hen, and she heard him draw a sharp intake of breath.
With faintly shaking hands, he began to massage her stiff limbs.
Maxi numbly allowed him to care for her. Just as he had said, she felt dizzy, and chills racked her whole body. She felt as though she had aged a hundred years.
“Try to bear it, even if you’re uncomfortable.
” He continued his ministrations until a rosy pink hue returned to her skin.
When the water grew tepid, he carried her out of the tub.
She staggered as he lowered her to her feet.
Once she was leaning steadily against him, he wrapped her in a towel, quickly dried her off, and clumsily helped her into a nightdress.
“You should drink some water even if you feel sick.” Riftan brought a cup to her lips, and Maxi barely managed a sip. As soon as the lukewarm water entered her constricted stomach, she heaved again. She would’ve made another mess of herself had Riftan not swiftly caught the bile in his hands.
Panting, Maxi stared vacantly at his cupped palms. He showed no sign of revulsion as he wiped her mess on a towel before meticulously cleaning her mouth as well. Tears of mortification streamed down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sick,” Riftan whispered, peppering her forehead with kisses, misunderstanding the reason for her tears.
Her body shook with every hiccup and gasp as she cried her heart out. When she finally calmed down, it occurred to her that Riftan must be thoroughly exhausted himself. He had fought off such terrifying monsters. He needed as much rest as she did, likely even more so.
She pulled away, barely managing to get words out. “I-I apologize for troubling you. I-I am…all right now. You should…r-rest now….”
Anger flashed in Riftan’s eyes. “You might be all right, but I’m not.
” His voice trembled slightly as if he were choking back emotions.
“You can never begin to imagine how I felt when I saw you unconscious on the ground.” His face contorted with pain, and he roughly rubbed it in an attempt to rein in his emotions.
After a moment, he covered her eyes with his palm.
“Stop worrying about needless things and go to sleep. You look terrible.”
As soon as darkness filled her vision, drowsiness flooded over her, and she grew as limp as a rag doll. Slowly drifting off to sleep, she was vaguely aware of Riftan laboriously massaging her icy feet and stiff calves.
Somehow, she knew that he would continue to do so all night if she did not stop him, but she felt so drained that she could not even form the words. Soon enough, she fell into a deep slumber.
—
The sunlight was bright the next morning, and Maxi struggled to open her eyes. Gradually, her blurry vision came into focus as she looked around the room. To her surprise, she was not alone as she had predicted. Riftan was asleep next to her.
She held her breath for a moment as she watched him.
His tousled black hair formed a silken halo around his head.
The sight of him so defenseless sent an intense shiver running down her spine.
His lashes cast shadows against his cheekbones, fluttering ever so softly like butterfly wings.
When she unconsciously raised her hand to brush against them, his eyes flew open.
Startled, Maxi hastily withdrew her hand.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t m-mean to wake you.”
Riftan blinked, his eyes still heavy with sleep, before quickly sitting up to study her face. “How are you feeling? Do you still feel dizzy?”
“N-No, I am all right now.”
He ran his hand over her forehead and nape, and once he was sure that her body was warmer, he picked up the kettle on the bedside table and filled a cup with water. “Do you think you can drink this?”
When she nodded, Riftan helped her up and placed the cup against her lips. The tepid water soothed her cracked lips and quenched her dry throat.
“Th-Thank you.” She sighed with relief.
“If you think you can stomach some food, I’ll have the maidservants prepare some light soup, and…” He trailed off, glancing down at her white breasts, visible beneath her ill-fitting nightdress. “I’ll have them bring you a change of clothes as well.”
Blushing, Maxi quickly covered herself with the blanket. Though he had seen her naked countless times, she always felt embarrassed whenever he looked at her like that.
He quietly watched her bashful reaction, then got out of bed to put on his trousers.
He rang for a maidservant. As he instructed the maid to bring food and clothes, Maxi sat propped against a pillow and tried her best to tidy up her disheveled hair.
She still felt listless and had a throbbing headache, but she did not feel quite as dizzy as the night before.
It was enough of a relief that she could feel some of the tension drain from her shoulders. It had truly been a ghastly experience.
“You should lie down,” Riftan said as the maid left the room.
“I-I feel all right now.” Maxi wrapped the blanket around herself and tried to get up. When she teetered, Riftan strode to the bed and stopped her.
“I told you to stay in bed.”
“I-I am all—”
“Stop telling me you’re all right! I’m sick of it!”
Maxi shrank back at his sudden outburst and didn’t resist when he grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her back onto the bed.
“I am trying my best not to lose my temper, so do not test my patience.”
“I-I w-was not aware…that using magic c-could take so much of a toll on me. I n-never meant to burden you.”
“Do you think I’m angry because I felt burdened?
” His voice carried a grim undertone despite its softness, and his grip on her shoulders tightened.
“Do you even understand what could have happened? If I had arrived a moment later, you could have been gravely injured! It was mere luck that you didn’t—”
Unable to finish the sentence, he cut himself off and clenched his jaw.
“I don’t know who to be angrier at—you, or the fools who didn’t stop you from leaving the palace.
What in God’s name were you thinking, rushing headlong into danger like that?
Do you not recall me saying to stay where it is safe? ”
“B-But I couldn’t be…th-the only one in the castle doing no—”
“You should have stayed in the castle!” Riftan’s chest heaved with each labored breath. “Why do you think I work like a dog day and night?! Why do you think I’m fortifying the village and this cas—”
He cut himself off, his jaw clenching when he saw Maxi’s ashen face. His shoulders trembled as he tried to restrain his anger. “Don’t even think about leaving these chambers today,” he spat in a strangled voice. That said, he spun around, picked up a robe off the floor, and marched out of the room.
Maxi stared helplessly as the door swung shut behind him.
Riftan had always been quick-tempered and gruff, but she had never seen him like that.
Had she really been the cause of such shock?
Her expression clouded with anxiety. This was the second time he had been upset with her for fainting.
Surely this meant that he was finally sick of her.
She tried to calm herself down, but her heart was still pounding when she heard a knock on the door.
“My lady, I have brought a meal and a change of clothes. May I come in?”
“Y-Yes, come in.”
Ludis entered the room carrying a large tray. “A light herb soup, my lady. How are you feeling?”