Chapter 237 (1/2)

Chapter 237

She sobbed and took a deep breath The smell of horses and the steely scent of his iron ars Riftan placed both his hands on the sill and stared at the crescentaura that could cut emitted from his back; he was still cladded in armor Max had no idea what to say She stared at his tense back with a hazy vision and as she lowered her gaze down to her knees, she heard a light knock on the door

“Sir Calypse, the hot water is ready”

Ruth announced from the other side of the door Riftan slowly turned and opened the door Max scooted to the edge of the bed to avoid the light that creeped in frolance over Riftan’s shoulder

“Here, I brought soe into As for the food…”

“Bring the food up an hour from now”

Riftan blocked the door with his broad shoulders as if preventing Ruth frorabbed the basin, towel, and clothes fro azed nervously at Riftan as he approached the bed with the basin in his hands He placed the basin filled with stea hot water by the bedside table and dipped a towel into it, then wringed the towel and brought it close to her face Max reflexively flinched, her throat tightening at his ht voice

“I’ll wipe off the blood”

“Ah…”

After Riftan had wiped her face clean, he then carefully re off the bloodstains from her bare shoulders and back Max felt miserable and helpless as she wordlessly accepted his care Every tilide down her back, she felt shae to run and hide away soently wiped away the dried blood and scabs off her bare back, not paying attention to her uneasy expression Max bit her lips anxiously as she felt his tre down her back, and rinsing the towel several ti

“… How often did this happen?”

Max’s shoulders tensed; she avoided his gaze and averted her eyes fro for an escape She forced a stiff smile

“Wh-what… Do you row heavier Max looked away, fiddling with her tangled,silent, Riftan’s aura probed for an answer She tried to ignore it but being unable to withstand the heavy tension, she eventually murmured in an aard tone

“It di-didn’t happen… that o-often It’s ju-just… that he was extremely f-furious at me… today U-usually, it’s not this… bad…”

He stared at her with an undecipherable expression as she struggled to protect the last ounces of her reh her, and Max’s face turned red in embarrassment

“Fa-father is… e-exceptionally s-strict… at tiets f-furious…”

“Since as he doing this to you?”

Riftan brushed off her pathetic effort of trying to cover up the incident like it was no big deal and probed her relentlessly Max held her breath like she was a cornered person, back pressed helplessly against a wall She needed a shi+eld, so to wrap her protectively and so pride She felt so insecure, like a weak, defenseless, bare infant defending herself from a man clad in armor Max pulled the blanket nearer to her like it was a shi+eld and looked at hiered by the cruelty of being prodded to reveal everything

“W-what do you want to kno often I-I… get hit… since hen did he start hitting me… d-do you really want to know that?”

The knuckles that were holding the towel turned white as her grip tightened Her heart trehable that even up to that point, she was still trying to save her pride

“If you’re th-that curious… then I’ll give you an a-answer It began when I was e-eight years old Wh-when it became clear… that I was a s-stutterer My fa-father would make me… recite a po-poem in front of him t-twice a week If I-I… st-stuttered… he will punishher words that were spoken so helplessly, Riftan lowered his head with a bewildered look on his face It was the first tied voice, holding his forehead

“Today… I wasn’t thinking of taking you back to Anatol”

At that moment, Max instantly lost all of her will Whether or not Riftan knew that she was looking at him with a face so pale as if all the blood was drained from her body, he continued to speak like a puppet, his eyes stuck on the hardwood floor on the fluttering shadow of the fire in the furnace

“I thought that it could have been better for you to stay in your father’s estate If you had said that hat you wanted, I would’ve let you… the whole tiain I’d leave once I saw that your health was recovering, I just wanted to see your face and then I’d leave This ti you with me like I did before…” Riftan’s voice cracked as his voice greer and softer He breathed heavily as he swept the hair away froed for the duke to see your face even just once That round under me crumbled apart”

“I-I d-didn’t…!”

Max’s voice suddenly surged reflexively, but her lips were iaze fleards her again She fiddled anxiously with the sheets, her eyes averting from side to side

“I-I never said that I never said I didn’t want to s-see…”

“Then why did you go back to that place with him? Why?”