Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 25: Chapter 25

After telling Maxi to take her time mulling things over, Aderon left the banquet hall to inspect the bleak corridors and empty rooms. When he returned, he listed all the items that he thought were necessary. Some of his suggestions were too extravagant, but she agreed to have the stair railings and rattling window frames replaced at once for safety.

When the merchant left, Maxi returned to her room to examine the ledger. It contained records of the number of coins that Riftan had allocated for the castle’s refurbishment, but she could not gauge how much the currencies were worth. Though her father had treated her little better than vermin, she had still been a duke’s daughter, and as often happens with the daughters of nobility, she had never held a coin in her hand.

I should ask for help…

But whose help could she seek? Riftan’s? He would stop being kind to her if he discovered her incompetence. The servants’? They would talk behind her back, mocking their stuttering mistress who lacked the most basic knowledge. As paranoid thoughts began to surface, she gravitated toward the most convenient solution.

Perhaps I should go along with the merchant’s suggestions.

Aderon had traveled to many castles to sell his wares, so he was certain to have a discerning eye. He might overcharge her, but she was sure that the castle would undergo a splendid transformation with his help.

Riftan said cost wasn’t a problem.

Having reached a decision, Maxi felt calmer. She closed the ledger and walked out of the room with lighter steps. Having been stuck in the castle for days on end, she longed to breathe fresh air.

Outside, the heavy rain had diminished to a drizzle. She stepped out to the terrace that connected to the garden, where she observed the gray sky and water-logged grass. The thin branches on the trees beside the pavilion were drenched black, giving them a ghastly look. The flowerbed, thick with weeds, gave off a pungent whiff of wet grass. Maxi extended a hand past the eaves and felt cold raindrops land on her skin. Though the rain looked light, her sleeve was soaked within moments.

“Why are you out here?”

She lowered her eyes to see Riftan walking across the bleak garden. With a few long-legged strides, he climbed the twenty steps that separated them.

“And with such a thin dress on.”

“I-I w-wanted s-some fresh a-air…”

His eyes narrowed under his low-hanging hood. With a cold, wet hand, he brushed away the strand of hair pricking her eyes. Maxi wondered if she should comb back his dark fringe in return. Though it seemed natural for him to touch her, something about doing the reverse seemed improper.

“Put on a cloak if you want to take a walk. What if you catch a cold?”

“I’m s-sorry…”

He raised an arm to embrace her shoulders before realizing that he was drenched. He lowered it again.

“We should go back in.”

Maxi followed him into the castle. With each step, Riftan left thick, muddy footprints on the flagstones. As she was silently making a note to have a mat placed at the entrance, she spotted a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. Riftan noticed her puzzled stare and hurriedly hid the flowers under his cloak.

“It’s nothing.”

“O-Oh…”

She averted her gaze. An awkward silence fell. The only audible sound was the plodding of their quiet footsteps until Riftan muttered a curse and held up the flowers.

“I saw these in the fields and brought some back.”

Maxi’s eyes widened. Blue petals no larger than her pinky nail sat atop a handful of thin stalks. The raindrops on the petals sparkled in the light. Maxi’s eyes darted back and forth between Riftan and the flowers. Had he picked them himself?

Riftan scowled. “They looked so pretty in the fields… But now that I take a closer look, they seem ragged.”

He hesitated before handing her the bouquet.

“Just throw them away if you don’t like them.”

“I-I’d n-never.”

She quickly took the flowers from him. She touched the wet petals, which gave off a faint scent of rain and grass.

“They’re s-so p-pretty…” she whispered.

Riftan’s face changed subtly. Perhaps he thought she was only being polite. She opened her mouth and closed it again, not knowing how to express the emotions welling up inside her. Instead, she buried her face in the wet flowers and pretended to sniff them. In that moment, nothing was lovelier than the sight of those flowers drooping from the weight of rainwater. Knowing that Riftan had braved the heavy rain to pick flowers for her, a lump formed in her throat.

“Th-Thank you.”

A faint blush tinted Riftan’s cheeks. He turned away and trudged down the corridor.

“Let’s go back to our room. I need a bath.”

She trailed after him, cradling the flowers as if she were afraid of damaging them.

***

Aderon returned the next day with two servants and bags of samples in tow. Maxi sat in the drawing room listening to his lengthy explanations. Glass with an emerald hue and irregular surface, glass that was smooth and transparent, and rough glass that glowed a beautiful silver… After describing the merits and demerits of each type, he spread out brilliant fabrics of all colors before her.

“Banquet halls require thick curtains, my lady. What do you think of this mahogany-colored one? The roses in gold embroidery make it exquisite, and it would certainly befit a lord’s banquet hall. Ah, and here is another of our very best. Gold silk! Its elegance and splendor are a match even for the lofty banquet halls of the royal capital.”

Maxi busily inspected dozens of fabric samples. Ludis cautiously set down a cup of tea and browsed with her. After hesitating for a long while, Maxi decided to ask Ludis’s opinion.

“L-Ludis, which d-do you think looks b-best?”

“I beg your pardon, my lady, but I lack the eye for such things.”

Ludis looked so bewildered that Maxi could not inquire further. She returned her gaze to the table. After a lengthy deliberation, she settled on a costly rose-colored curtain with gold tassels and elaborate embroidery along the hem.

With the color for the curtains set, the next decisions were easier to make. For the banquet hall, Maxi opted for a red carpet and a tapestry depicting the legendary knight Wigrew riding a white dragon.

“And for the floor, my lady? Marble, perhaps?”

“Th-That would involve c-complex c-construction work… I’ll th-think about it.”

“Very well, my lady. It will take time to have the goods sent over from the capital, but in the meantime, please think it over.”

Maxi nodded. Next, the merchant presented her with a miniature of a chandelier. Seeing her exclaim in delight at the palm-sized replica, the merchant lost no time in showing her more models, this time made of marble. A rearing unicorn, a dragon with its wings spread wide, the head of a roaring lion, a fully armored knight…

Maxi was marveling at the intricate detail of the statuettes when she heard a series of knocks. She gave permission to enter.

“My lady, the tailor is here,” said Rodrigo from the doorway.

“The t-tailor…?”

She tilted her head, remembering with a flash that Riftan had promised her new clothes. She turned toward the merchant at a loss. Aderon, ever tactful, was already putting away the samples.

“I can come back another day, my lady. And I will leave these figurines for you to examine at your leisure. You can decide which one suits your fancy before our next meeting.”

“Y-You c-came all the w-way here… I’m s-sorry.”

“It’s no trouble at all, my lady. I shall visit whenever you need me.”

After Aderon’s departure, Maxi went to the dressing room with the maidservants. The spacious room was filled with rich fabrics, a loom, and colorful skeins. A gaunt, well-dressed man in his forties and a woman in her thirties rose from their seats and bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, my lady. My name is Roanne Selous, and this is my wife, Linda Selous. It will be an honor to make your gowns for you.”

“A p-pleasure…”

“Lord Calypse instructed us to make you dresses of the finest quality without regard to cost. Is there a style you have in mind, my lady?”

“I have n-nothing specific in m-mind.”

“Then allow me to show you what is fashionable right now.”

The tailor pulled out a scroll of yellow parchment and spread it before her. As she studied the sketches, she felt as if she were dreaming. Though she was not entirely sure what the pictures represented, she grew excited all the same. She had seen Rosetta surrounded by tailors before, but she had never received the same attention.

Maxi browsed fabrics and had her measurements taken as she listened to the tailor’s explanations. Next, she put on a headdress, veil, and belt before examining her reflection in the mirror. A woman adorned like a peacock stared back at her, her eyes bright with excitement. The cone-shaped headdress was tall enough to graze the ceiling. Combined with the mass of jewelry piled on her, it made her look absurd.

“I th-think a smaller h-headdress m-might be b-better…”

The tailor nodded and began scribbling notes. After putting in an order for three new dresses, Maxi left the dressing room.

When she looked out of the window, the sky was already dark. Time had flown by. She promptly returned to her room. Unaccustomed to managing so many tasks in one day, she was exhausted. She sat on a chair and massaged her shoulders, which ached from constant tension.

She was twisting her neck left and right just as she had seen Riftan do when the small vase by the window caught her attention. The wildflowers had bloomed overnight. She was reminded of the awkward expression Riftan had worn the previous night.

What a strange man…

The first time she had seen him, she had had no inkling that a kind soul lay beneath his ruthless veneer. He had stood coldly in the middle of the great hall at Croyso Castle, looking less like a guest than a conqueror about to lay siege to the place. Who could have imagined such a man picking flowers for his wife?

He’s too good to me. This must be a dream.

Her face clouded over. Flowers and dresses, people who treated her with respect, and a kind husband… Her life had changed at a dizzying speed.