At Riftan’s fiery shout, she hurriedly straightened her body. The man, who had been wearing a flustered face due to his overbearing attitude, suddenly scowled and yelled back.
“Who would have thought you’d be doing that in the parlor! Normally, you’d sense my presence right away, Commander, so I just didn’t feel the need to knock.”
“Get out right now!”
At her husband’s shout, she paled. What would happen if that man left? While watching her husband’s back, Maxi soon sent a pleading glance to the blonde man. But the man muttered something harsh as if grinding his teeth, then turned away abruptly.
“I’ve had the carriage waiting outside. You said you didn’t want to dawdle at Croixo Castle!”
“Tell them to wait.”
The man scowled as if incredulous, then let out a long sigh as if there was no helping it.
“Don’t take too long.”
Then, he shot Maxi a displeased glance before slamming the door shut and leaving. Maxi gauged Riftan’s mood. He roughly scratched the back of his head and shot her a sharp look. Under the intense gaze, Maxi hunched her body. Seeing that, Riftan snorted.
“I have no intention of pouncing on you again, so stop shaking. Damn… I didn’t have even the tiniest thought of jumping you here from the start.”
She couldn’t bring herself to lift her head and look at him, instead staring intently at their clasped hands. He stood up, straightening his disheveled clothes.
“You heard that just now? The carriage is waiting outside. We’re leaving right away.”
At those words, all the blood drained from her body. After suddenly pouncing on her, now he was saying they were leaving immediately. She hadn’t even persuaded him, let alone spoken a proper word.
“B-but…”
In a panic, Maxi couldn’t even think to fix her clothes and desperately clutched at his garment.
“J-just a moment, l-let’s talk…”
“We have to leave as soon as possible. First, have the maid prepare your luggage. I’ll hear the story in the carriage.”
Maxi, trembling in fear, paused and asked back with a bewildered face.
“M-my luggage?”
“Yeah. Your things. You must have something to take.”
She blinked, not understanding what he meant. Then, he let out a grand sigh, quickly tidied her skirt with nimble hand movements, and lifted her up. He then called a maid standing outside the door and ordered her to pack her things. Even after hearing that, Maxi couldn’t believe the fact that he intended to take her with him.
“Pack only the essentials. I can’t wait long.”
“Th-there aren’t m-many things to p-pack separately. Just a f-few…”
“Good. Then let’s just go. I’ll get whatever you need in my territory.”
The man called the maid back and led her out of the parlor with long strides. Maxi almost had to run to keep up with him. She was only confused about how the situation was unfolding.
“Y-your t-territory…?”
“Why? Is it strange for a poor low-rank knight like me to have a territory?”
He glared at her over his shoulder and sneered.
“I received my knighthood and was granted land by King Reuben. The castle you should have been living in after marriage was part of it, naturally.”
She looked up at him with a bewildered face. The house I should have been living in? But he seemed to have no intention of explaining further as he strode down the stairs and out into the wide garden. Next to the massive fountain stood a luxurious carriage drawn by four horses and about a dozen or so knights.
As he approached them with long strides, the men who had been chattering noisily fell silent all at once. Some of the knights glanced curiously at Maxi, who was standing awkwardly behind Riftan. Her face flushed under their curious gazes.
“What are you standing around for? Get in the carriage quickly.”
“B-but… F-Father is w-waiting. I n-need his p-permission first…”
Suddenly, Riftan’s face hardened coldly. He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the carriage.
“You’re my wife. Who else’s permission do I need to take my wife? Even your father has no right to interfere.”
Then, with both hands, he lifted her up and sat her on the carriage seat. Maxi stared at him with a stunned expression. My wife… Wasn’t he trying to divorce me? Her mind couldn’t sort itself out easily.
“Depart!”
He sat on the opposite seat and shouted toward the outside of the carriage. Shortly after, the carriage began to move with a rattling sound. She gazed at the increasingly distant Croixo Castle with a frantic look. She had imagined reuniting with her husband dozens of times, but this development was completely unexpected.
‘Why… is he taking me with him?’
She stared at her husband with bewildered eyes. He had one arm draped over the window, looking at the scenery outside. It was as if he had never spat out icy insults, suddenly showered her with kisses, and dragged her out like lightning, he wore a calm face.
“King Reuben has urged him to get engaged to the princess. There’s no way that guy would pass up this opportunity!”
Duke Croixo repeated those words as if they were etched into his ears. He wasn’t the only one who thought that way. Agnes, the princess with whom marriage talks had been exchanged, was a renowned mage and one of the heroes who had shone in the Red Dragon subjugation battle.
The romantic tale of the two who had fought together on the battlefield becoming lovers had spread through the troubadours, resounding throughout the city’s fortifications. Everyone who heard the news of their return anticipated that a grand wedding between the hero Riftan and Princess Agnes would soon take place.
Deep down, Maxi had also thought she couldn’t avoid divorce. Even the priest who had officiated their wedding probably thought the same. No one was unaware that their marriage had come about due to Duke Croixo’s outrageous actions. He had just cause and reason to demand a divorce.
‘But why…?’
Maxi secretly stole a glance at Riftan’s chiseled face. The gentle breeze coming through the window rustled his hair. His already cold and harsh face had become even sharper from the grueling expedition life, creating an atmosphere that was even harder to approach.
But his breathtakingly beautiful features hadn’t lost their luster in the slightest. His unkempt hair was disheveled like a bird’s nest over his smooth forehead, giving off a decadent vibe, and his glossy, tanned golden skin made his handsome appearance stand out even more exotically.
She had never seen Princess Agnes in person, but she had heard the rumors of her being an extraordinary beauty with radiant blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Standing side by side with this man, they would look like a picture-perfect match.
This time, she carefully examined her own reflection in the carriage window. There was a wide, round forehead, a small and low nose bridge, and eyes that were overly large, making her face feel somehow unnatural. Brown freckles stood out on the bridge of her nose, and her curly hair, braided into one, stuck out here and there, looking like dry straw haphazardly woven together.
Only bad thoughts came to mind. There was no way he truly wanted her as his wife. There must be some other scheme. What on earth does he plan to do with me?
Perhaps sensing her suspicious gaze, he suddenly turned to look at her. Shrinking under his piercing, intense eyes, Maxi quickly lowered her gaze. Displeased by her action, the man muttered a small curse.
“Even if being with me is unbearably horrific, at least make an effort to hide it. I have no intention whatsoever of jumping out of the carriage for the sake of my cowardly wife.”
“I-it’s n-not h-horrific. I-I never s-said that…”
“Then, do something about that expression that looks so hard to endure.”
Maxi hurriedly raised her hand to cover her face. It was true that he scared and unnerved her. Thinking that her emotions were plainly showing on her face and displeasing him made her even more unsure of what expression to make.
“You know well that our situation isn’t ordinary.”
To her, who was only breaking out in cold sweat, the man said with a deep sigh.
“I don’t know much about you. That’s the same for you, I suppose. But you are my wife, and I have to live with you for the rest of my life. If you’re trembling just from being by my side, how can I regard you as my wife?”
“F-for l-life… Y-you’re going to l-live with m-me?”
At her surprised expression, his face twisted fiercely.
“We got married three years ago. Isn’t it natural for a husband and wife to live together for life?”
She looked at him as if another head had sprouted from his neck. She couldn’t believe it. Did this man seriously have no intention of divorcing? Or was he lying for some reason? Perhaps he was mocking her, thinking she hadn’t heard the news of his engagement to the princess. Her mind spun only in negative directions.
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