Chapter Seventeen #2
Maxi scowled. It was true, but she did not wish to appear meek. On the other hand, she was afraid that disobedience would make her seem just like the obstinate princess.
After much deliberation, Maxi left the tower with a pouch of herbs. If the knights looked troubled by her presence, she would tell them that she had simply dropped by to restock the remedies.
Hiding behind the gate that led to the training grounds, Maxi scanned the yard to make sure Riftan was not around before darting toward the knights’ quarters.
When she entered the infirmary through the side door, she saw a knight bandaging his wrist. He looked surprised to see her, jumping to his feet and bowing his head respectfully.
“Good day, my lady. I did not think you would be coming today.”
“The infirmary was…running low on herbs f-for aches…so I brought some more,” she said, even though he had not asked anything. She glanced at his wrist. “Have you h-hurt your wrist? Would you…like me to heal it for you?”
“That won’t be necessary, my lady. It took a hit from a practice sword, and the bandage is to help alleviate the shock on the joints, that’s all.”
He smiled and flexed his injured hand to assure her that he was telling the truth. Maxi sighed in relief. She had been secretly worried that Riftan had ordered the knights not to allow her anywhere near the infirmary. Judging by the knight’s response, that did not appear to be the case.
Relaxing, she sat at the desk by the window and began to sort through the herbs she had brought.
The knight finished binding his wrist and left the room with another nod.
The sounds of swords clanging rang out as she placed the herbs inside a wooden chest. She was busy organizing them when she heard a deep voice near the door.
“What’s this? Have you already patched things up with the commander, my lady?”
Maxi gave a neutral smile. “G-Good day to you, Sir Hebaron.”
“Good day to you as well, my lady,” replied Hebaron, striding into the infirmary and bowing deeply. “Are you feeling better today?”
“I w-would say so.”
In fact, she felt terrible. She closed the lid of the chest with a loud thud.
Hebaron gave a knowing smirk when he saw her expression. “Ah, I see that the battle is still on.”
“I am not in battle w-with my husband.”
Displeased at his blatant amusement, Maxi glared at him, but he remained unfazed, enjoying the teasing too much. With a sigh, she changed the subject. “Are you…h-here because you’ve hurt yourself?”
“As you can see, my lady, I am perfectly fine. I’ve come to pack some emergency herbs for the scouts.”
“Th-They are on the shelf. I’ve placed some coagulants, detoxicants, and restorative herbs…inside the sack.”
Hebaron walked over to the shelf and picked up the sack before cheerfully strutting out of the infirmary, leaving Maxi alone so she could skim through a book on southern medicine. When the sun began to set, she returned to her chambers.
It was still early, but there was a chance that Riftan could return at any moment. This time, she would truly be asleep when he did.
Hellbent on avoiding him, Maxi settled into a schedule of going to sleep early and waking up terribly late. By day three, Riftan’s patience finally ran dry.
Maxi had been back at the infirmary tending to the cuts and bruises of the knights when her husband burst into the room.
Not wanting to miss the spectacle, Hebaron and a few of the knights crept in behind him.
She shot them a glare before looking down and pretending to be busy scribbling on some parchment.
Riftan stalked to her desk and looked down at her with a gloomy expression. “Maxi, we need to talk.”
Maxi continued writing even as she felt his furious gaze boring into the top of her head.
“Maximilian Calypse, do you not hear me?” Riftan said, gritting out each word.
“Sir Hebaron,” said Maxi, turning her gaze to him where he leaned against the wall.
The knight looked confused at hearing his name being called out so unexpectedly.
Completely ignoring Riftan glowering next to her, she continued, “Could you please inform the person standing next to me…th-that I have nothing to say to him?”
Icy silence fell over the room. Hebaron blinked at her slowly, then glanced at Riftan.
“Commander, her ladyship says she has nothing to say to you.”
“I heard her.” Clenching his jaw, Riftan slammed a hand on the desk with a thud. “I have something to say.”
“Sir Hebaron,” said Maxi again. The knight gave her a withering look that Maxi pretended not to notice. “Could you please tell the person s-standing next to me…that I do not wish to hear anything he has to say?”
“Commander, her ladyship says—”
“I can hear just fine!” Riftan bellowed. He leaned over and brought his face close to hers, and Maxi stubbornly turned her head away from him. “Stop acting as if I’m not here. Look at me when I’m talking to you!”
“N-No.”
Riftan drew in a deep breath at her terse reply, and the hostile edge in his voice dulled into defeat when he said, “Maxi, what I said to you last time came out wrong. I swear to you, I never intended to belittle or criticize you.”
When she still refused to meet his eyes, he began to plead with her.
“I was merely worried for you. I didn’t want you to be burdened with such a task!
Once you start taking on the role of healer, people will come to you whenever a problem occurs.
When that happens, a day might come when you’ll have to push yourself to your limit again.
I don’t want you to go through such a thing! ”
“You must think that…I am incapable of handling s-such a burden, do you not?” Maxi said in a choked voice, her eyes fixed on the desk. “You don’t believe…that I could ever be like P-Princess Agnes. Isn’t that why…y-you are always worried about me?”
“Why does that name keep popping up? Goddammit, I don’t care about the princess!” Riftan pulled at his hair. “Look at me, Maxi. Please, look at me so we can talk.”
Unable to ignore his earnest pleas, Maxi reluctantly met his gaze. He let out a low groan when he saw tears welling in her eyes.
“I swear to you, I did not mean to upset you,” he said, cupping her face in alarm. “I only want you to live in comfort.”
“E-Even when…I tell you that is not what I want?” she asked, her voice choked with emotion.
He looked dumbstruck as she continued shakily, “Riftan…I do not wish to live in c-comfort. I…want to live doing what I can. Learning new things…is rewarding and being able to use magic is w-wonderful and fun. It h-hurts me…every time you tell me not to do anything.”
He stared as if he had just been struck. His lips parted several times, but no words escaped.
“I understand,” he finally responded, hanging his head. “If you truly wish to be a healer, then you may do so. So please don’t make that face, and please don’t ignore me.”
Seeing him so dismayed, Maxi suddenly felt like a child throwing a tantrum. She had been extremely hurt by his harsh words, so why did he look as if he were the one who had been in anguish for days?
She was regarding him with an inscrutable expression when she realized that he was waiting for her response. When she gave a slow nod, Riftan’s tense shoulders relaxed. He pulled her head to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
At that precise moment, the knights, who had been quietly watching their quarrel, began clapping. Maxi’s face flushed as the shame of having a petty argument with her husband in such a public manner finally sank in.
“If you are done watching, get the hell out,” Riftan growled.
“Oh, but I think the fun part is just about to start,” said Hebaron.
The knight next to him elbowed him sharply in the side as Riftan turned toward them, his expression so frigid that the grins on everyone’s faces instantly vanished.
“Actually, I think it’s about time for our shift at the construction site…” said one man.
“Haha. Is that so?” another chimed in stiffly. “We should get going, Sir Hebaron.”
Hebaron refused to leave, but the knights practically hurled him out the door as they fled. Worried that she might have shamed her husband in front of his subordinates, Maxi furtively scanned his face.
Riftan watched the receding figures with an impassive expression before turning back to cup her face and lower his head. Warm lips brushed hers in a feathery kiss that made Maxi’s nose turn red.
“D-Do not kiss me. I am…still angry with you.”
“You sure know how to drive a man crazy.” With a bitter smile, he coiled a lock of her hair around his hand, heaving a sigh. “No more of this. You’ve tormented me enough these past three days.”
Maxi looked up at him. It was rather absurd that he acted as if he had been subjected to cruel torture, but she was secretly flattered at the same time.
“I was not trying to t-torment you. I was…angry,” she said.
“You are absolutely terrifying,” he teased. His eyes suddenly grew serious. “Maxi, you can come here to heal people if you wish, but…I am still going to hire another healer as soon as possible.”
Disappointment clouded her face. “Is it…because you don’t f-find me reliable?”
“I know that you are talented,” Riftan replied, furrowing his brow.
“Everyone has been singing your praises, and even I can see that you are good. But it has only been a few months since you’ve started learning magic.
As a fledgling mage, you won’t be able to handle hundreds of soldiers by yourself. You’ll need someone to help you.”
“H-How would you know that when I haven’t even tried?” she retorted.
His face hardened. “Don’t be stubborn. It’s not like you can heal people all day.”
Despite her irritation, she knew Riftan was right. It would be impossible for her to tend to everyone by herself if another big accident were to occur. There was no reason for her to oppose the hiring of another healer.