Under the Oak Tree

174  Chapter 174

Since they were unable to procure an adequate carriage in Zeno, Maxi had to ride double on Talon with Riftan. She sat in front with her back against his chest and watched the passing scenery.

Wheat stalks bent like bows, rustling in the breeze, and pale streaks of clouds drifted against the brilliant blue sky. Entrusting herself completely to Riftan's encircled arms, Maxi vacantly watched the landscape change.

On the third day, the Remdragon Knights rode through a vast grain field and traversed the Eudychal Forest. The absence of a carriage meant that they reached the Anatolium Plain in half the time it had taken the previous year.

As they prepared the camp in the middle of an open field, Gabel looked back at the road and muttered, "The journey was smoother than expected. I thought the duke would pursue us."

Maxi stiffened as Riftan helped her dismount from Talon. He coldly glared at Gabel.

"I hope you're not telling me you're afraid of the duke's knights."

Gabel's face flushed as though the comment wounded his pride. He flicked a glance at Maxi, then shrugged.

"It's best to avoid unnecessary conflict. Especially since her ladyship could get hurt again…"

"Go light a fire if you have the time to talk, Lachzion," Ursuline barked irritably as he unsaddled his luggage.

Grumbling under his breath, Gabel started gathering the dry branches around them. Maxi watched from the enclosure of Riftan's arms as the knights let the horses out to graze and began setting up the tents.

Not long after, a campfire blazed in the middle of the camp. Riftan placed a thick bedroll nearby and lowered Maxi onto it. He had kept her close throughout the journey, not allowing Ruth or the knights to approach her. Tired of his testy mood, the knights sensibly steered clear of their commander.

Maxi wondered whether all of them knew the full extent of her wretched circumstances now. Had Ruth, Ursuline, or Elliot disclosed to the others what they had witnessed at Croyso Castle? Unable to bear the thought of the knights' pity, she was too ashamed to ask.

"Come here."

Riftan pulled Maxi closer to his side. She nestled against him like a chick burrowing under a hen and hugged her knees to her chest. When everything was ready, Riftan took her into their tent. He laid her on a blanket and proceeded to massage her stiff waist.

He set out her meal for her, and after obediently stuffing herself with bread and stew, Maxi slipped into the bedroll. The distant sounds of swirling winds, neighing horses, and crackling fire filled the night. After a stretch of silence, Riftan spoke into the dark.

"You don't have to worry about anything. I'll protect you."

Maxi knew he was referring to the Duke of Croyso. There were a thousand questions she wanted to ask. What would happen now? Did he truly have a plan? Regardless of his renown as a knight, he would be made to answer for his crime of assaulting a duke.

She held her breath as she recalled the gruesome sight of her father's battered body. If the knights had not restrained him, Riftan would have beaten her father to death. She was sure of it.

When his half-crazed state flashed in her mind, her thoughts immediately drifted to the things he had said to her that night. Had he been telling the truth, or had it been out of pity? Thinking back to his initial aloofness, it was difficult for her to believe that he had kept her in his thoughts for such a long time.

Even so, she did not dare voice her doubts. It would shatter the fragile peace between them. When she squeezed her eyes shut and turned on the bedroll to dispel her thoughts, Riftan drew her close.

"Stop worrying. Sleep. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

He spoke it like an oath. To her surprise, she felt the tension drain from her shoulders. She wound her arm around his sturdy waist.

Whenever she was entwined with him like this, as if locked in a comfortable fortress, all the anxiety within her washed away. Maxi's eyes fluttered closed as she breathed him in.

The next day, they crossed the mountain and reached Anatol by late afternoon. They galloped down the hill as if riding the wind. The sentries spotted them from afar and began turning the pulleys so that the gates stood wide open by the time they reached the entrance.

Days of traveling on horseback had Maxi feeling utterly spent. When the returning party entered the city, it took a second to notice the astonishing change. Anatol was beyond recognition.

Massive structures she had never seen before stood all over the city, and stalls full of exotic wares from the Southern Continent lined either side of the expanded road. The people browsing erupted into cheers when they saw the knights, and the streets began to fill as more and more citizens flocked to them.

Maxi was stunned by the crowd's exuberant cheers for their lord. The Anatolians waved branches full of dangling red figs at the knights. Riftan was the paragon of dignity as he led the returning party through the crowd.

As they entered the city square, one of the knights rode up to the front.

"Commander, we've instructed the gatekeeper to heighten security."

Maxi anxiously looked up at Riftan. He nodded to the knight and spurred his horse on.

Breaking through the crowd, they cut across the birch forest and up the steep hill toward the castle. Sentries promptly lowered the drawbridge, and Maxi let out a sigh of relief as they crossed. She was finally home.

"Commander!"

Knights doing drills in the training grounds rushed to greet them as they entered the castle. Except for Riftan and the thirty or so men that had traveled to her father's duchy, the rest of the Remdragon Knights had returned to Anatol first.

Hebaron, who led the party that had gone ahead, patted each of the arriving knights on the shoulder. Maxi released a small sigh of relief when she saw that he was in full health.

A sympathetic smile tugged at the knight's lips when he spotted Maxi shadowing Riftan.

"Welcome back, my lady. I hope the journey was not too hard on you."

Riftan's face hardened when Hebaron approached her. He pulled Maxi closer and ordered, "Tighten security at once."

Hebaron looked at him in surprise, but Rifan turned away as though he could not be bothered to explain.

"Double the men on the wall and restrict entry to the city for the meantime."

With that, Riftan led Maxi toward the great hall as if expecting the other knights to fill in the blanks for Hebaron. Maxi glanced around at the grave faces. Though she had managed to feign ignorance so far, she could not do so any longer. She had to ask.

"W-What… will happen now? W-Will there really be war…?"

"We are only taking precautions," said Riftan. "That man doesn't have it in him to lead an army here."

He quickened his steps. When Maxi staggered, unable to match him, he hoisted her up in his arms.

"I don't want you to worry about anything. You only need to concentrate on getting better. Let me deal with that man."

"W-What do you intend to do?"

Was he truly going to wage war on her father? Ignoring her panicked expression, Riftan cut across the garden and climbed up the steps to the great hall. Inside, Rodrigo and the servants scurried over to greet them.

"Welcome back, my lord, my lady. It is a relief to have you both home safe—"

"Bring me a bath and some food. A change of clothes, too."

Barely acknowledging their greeting, Riftan started up the carpeted stairs. His breathing remained steady despite climbing two floors without stopping.

Before she knew it, they were in their bedchamber. Relief flooded her when she saw that it was exactly the same as she had left it. Riftan nimbly stepped over the cats that were rubbing themselves on his legs and lowered Maxi on the bed.

"Sit here while I light the fire."

With that, he strode over to the hearth without bothering to remove his armor. Maxi watched as he skillfully started a blaze after only a few strikes of the flint. He stoked the flames with the bellows before returning to the bed to help her remove her shoes.

Maxi watched him with a strange sense of nervousness. She could see his anxious black eyes beneath his wind-tousled hair. The moment he opened his mouth to say something, a knock came at the door.

"Your bath, my lord."

It was Ludis's voice. When Riftan gave them permission to enter, the maidservants hauled a large tub of steaming water into the room. Maxi forced a smile at the familiar faces. Ludis smiled back, but her expression faded when she noticed Maxi's pallor.

"My lady, are you hurt—"

"Put the bath next to the fire and get out," Riftan barked before Ludis could finish her question.

The maidservants flinched and hastily dragged the tub over.

"I-I… will leave the towels and new clothes here. Please call us if you need anything."

After Ludis led the maidservants out of the room, Riftan removed his armor and set it on the stand. Though she was certain Riftan had already seen it all, being exposed in such a bright room made her 11:28

worry that he might find her unsightly.

He then gingerly helped Maxi to her feet.

"Come, I'll help you bathe."

"Y-You don't—"

"I won't do anything. I'm just trying to take care of you."

Maxi reluctantly nodded. Riftan removed her robe and pulled the loose tunic over her head.

Now clad only in a thin chemise, socks, and undergarments, Maxi covered her chest with her arms. The action was more out of embarrassment than shyness. She had lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks, and her stomach was more sunken skin rather than flat.

Though she was certain Riftan had already seen it all, being exposed in such a bright room made her worry that he might find her unsightly.

Feeling the goosebumps on her waist, Riftan muttered in a hoarse voice, "Are you cold?"

"N-No."

Riftan knelt and removed her socks one by one, tossing them on the floor. He then pulled the chemise over her head. The light from the fireplace softly outlined her body.

Maxi watched anxiously as Riftan brushed his fingers over her protruding ribs. As they passed down her scrawny back, his face suddenly twisted in anguish.

"I should have ripped that man to pieces," he snarled, pressing his face to her stomach.

Maxi tentatively stroked his hair. His hand crept across her back in search of wounds that were no longer there. She could feel his breathing becoming ragged.

An unexplainable feeling took over her. How was it that she meant so much to him? She wanted to unpack his heart, but at the same time, she was terrified of what she might find. Though a part of her wanted to believe him, another part theorized that what he felt was in fact pity and that he had merely misconstrued his own feelings.

Was it truly possible for a person to receive unconditional love without having done anything? How could a complete stranger feel such love for her when her own family did not? Even this man's passion might one day melt away.

As always, whenever such doubts filled her, she was equally as full with self-reproach. It was possible that she had permanently lost the ability to trust another human. She might never be able to fully give herself over as long as she lived. Overwhelmed with guilt, she curled up and hugged Riftan's head.

"W-We are home now… E-Everything will be all right."

Riftan's hulking frame shook pitifully. After holding Maxi for a long while, he finished undressing her and carried her to the tub. He gently lowered her into the warm water and bathed her like a devoted servant tending to a queen.