novelraw 346 Chapter 107
346 Chapter 107
346 Chapter 107
They entered an opulent bedchamber. Taking off her dirt-covered cloak, Maxi's eyes passed over the expansive bed and the rest of the luxurious furnishings throughout the room. Perhaps she had spent too much time hunkered in tattered blankets on the floor of grimy tents, for the comforts around her felt strangely foreign.
"Come, sit," Riftan said, guiding her in.
Maxi pulled a chair close to the fireplace and sank into it, a contented sigh seeping out of her. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to warm herself before a blazing fire.
Removing her gloves, she dumped them on her lap and drew her hands closer to the flames. Riftan watched her wordlessly for a moment before handing her a silver goblet filled with wine.
"Drink this. It'll warm you up."
"Th-Thank you."
Maxi accepted the cup and took a sip. True to his words, the potent liquor soon warmed her body. She drained the goblet and held out the empty vessel.
"M-May I have some more?"
"It won't do to drink so much on an empty stomach. You should wait till the food is served."
Riftan plucked the goblet from her hands and placed it out of reach. Maxi eyed the wine bottle longingly, but the memory of passing out after a night of heavy drinking nipped her craving in the bud. She was determined to remain sober tonight.
She stole a glance at Riftan, intent on breaking the wall between them. He was now deftly removing his armor piece by piece. Her heart sank as she noticed his face, devoid of any emotion. If this night was to be a pleasant one, they still had a mountain to hurdle.
Suppressing a sigh, Maxi began pulling off her boots and socks slowly to buy herself more time. She tossed them into a basket, still mulling over how to initiate a conversation.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the room.
"Sir, we have your bath."
"Come in."
Six servants poured into the room carrying a large tub of hot water, stacks of clean linen, and colorful garments. Maxi stepped aside and nervously smoothed down her hair as they bustled about, adjusting the temperature of the bathwater and neatly laying out the clothes, soap, and towels. Riftan finally broke his silence when they left the room.
"Are you just going to stand there? Get in before it grows cold."
He downed another goblet of wine and added bitterly, "Though it would seem that my wife has no intention of aiding her husband's efforts at chivalry."
Maxi's ears turned crimson. Riftan's eyes lingered on her before he looked away to grab a fresh bottle of wine from the shelf. There was desperation in the way he uncorked it, like a parched man in a desert.
"Also," he said, "it is you who is still angry with me. You didn't say a word to me after our argument."
"N-Neither did you!"
"That is only because—"
He slammed the bottle on the table. His eyes darkened as he turned toward her, rubbing his mouth. Then, in a subdued voice, "I thought it best to keep my distance until the campaign was over. I had to stay vigilant until we were in safer territory, and you had your own responsibilities. Had we been in the same space, we would only have ended up hissing at each other like a pair of angry cats."
Maxi was about to snap back when she recalled all their arguments and the constant battle of wills since their reunion. Riftan was right; they had been circling each other like riled animals. Perhaps he had wearied of the situation.
Seized by crippling anxiousness, she blurted out, "But... that is no longer the case."
Riftan's gaze landed on her, and she could not tell if he was asking her if she really thought that was true or if he was simply mulling something over.
Her heart sank. Had he been building up his walls again while she had been stubbornly protecting her pride? After staring into his ominously calm eyes, Maxi grabbed his hand, which was resting on his thigh. To her relief, he did not wrench free this time.
"Do you still remember... what I told you three years ago?"
He stiffened ever so slightly. She raised her head to look into his clouded eyes. The look he gave her was that of a wary animal, and it broke her heart.
"I told you I would return to you as soon as I could..." she said, stroking his calloused palm, "and that I would never leave your side again."
Riftan made no reply, but Maxi was certain that he remembered her words as clearly as the day she had spoken them. After all, she vividly recalled that moment as though it were only yesterday; the silence in the darkened room, his husky voice beseeching her not to leave, the light fading from his eyes.
She instinctively gripped his hand. "While I was at the Tower... I promised myself over and over that I would never again leave... That I would never again... be parted from you."
She paused to compose her cracking voice and forced a smile on her quivering lips.
"If you would allow it... I want to keep that promise. I wish to be by your side, always. I never want... to be separated from you again."
Maxi heard his sharp intake of breath. The moment she raised her head to study his face, his large hand cupped the back of her head.
A moan escaped her as she tipped her head back. His chapped lips feverishly crushed against hers, and his steel-like arms tightened around her, squeezing out all the space between them.