Chapter 245 (1/2)

Chapter 245

Riftan’s fingers turned stiff Max, as laying on his lap, turned her head to look intently at his face He then bluntly spoke as he stared at the raindrops that haainst the

“It’s only because I felt nervous Croix Castle is a place where I don’t really feel at ease”

Max blinked in puzzlehted, his actions werecoh his speech and behavior were not very sophisticated, the arrogance in his attitude was present in the way he interacted, like he did not care about what other people would perceive hi Soant”

“Did I appear arrogant?” He asked, his eyebrows pulling together

“Every time someone talks to you… You look down at them with this expression” Max lifted her chin up and i her best to look as conceited as she could e “Whenever someone spoke to you… you looked down at them with th-this kind of expression on your face”

“You hed at Max’s ridiculous effort to imitate him, then lowered his head and placed his lips on top of her protruding bottos poked her eyes when he pecked her lips

“And whenever our eyes met… you used to stare at me with a fierce expression It scared me…”

“You ed i at you”

He responded gravely and squeezed her face between his hands, e frontwards like a squashed puffer fish Her face flushed red and because of her protests he eventually removed his hands away from her face It felt like a thorn pricked her heart at the ignorance and nonchalance he gave towards his treatment towards her back then She looked at him with disbelief in her eyes

“I d-don’t think so You looked as if you were angry about so Sometimes… I… felt like it was because you despised me”

Suddenly, the smile on Riftan’s face iped off Max anxiously looked up, searching for an answer in his black eyes that seemed to have clouded to conceal his emotions Riftan then muttered his words with a bitter sht you hated ot close to you, you were visibly nervous And whenever I tried to speak with you, you would run aith a frightened look on your face I felt like a horrendous monster every time you did that” He lifted a handful of her hair that fell on her shoulders and brought it to his lips “Later on, it aggravated et you out of my head and stop, I wanted to make myself feel at ease”

For a moment, Max was speechless She wondered when she started toto him She recalled the first tie of hihts sent to settle the dispute with Dristan Ahts, it was him that stood out ue over ould attend to him while he was at the castle, and even the ladies ere invited to the dinner banquets couldn’t take their eyes off him

But Max couldn’t understand omen would fuss over someone who appeared so cold-hearted that they couldn’t even approach hihtened around hiination did it cross that she would catch so his feelings

Max hesitated for a ainst his copper-colored cheek “And so… did you h-hate me?”

“I did”

Max withdrew her hand at his blunt response, but Riftan grabbed it as she was about to ainst his face

“I really hated you for capturing o”

Then Riftan’s dark eyes sank and Max sat up and climbed to his lap

“I r-really… never hated you You were scary, but… inThat’s henever y-you’re in front of et nervous and turn stiff”

Riftan looked down at her intently, as if to test whether her words were true, then placed a blanket around her exposed white back and eainst him Max felt beyond ecstatic as she basked in his warainst his shoulder She wondered if that was how it felt to be a bird lounging in the comfortable, cozy nest Even the heartbreaks and sadness, all her worries and pain seemed toshadows of the fire from the furnace and asked

“Aren’t you… disappointed with m-me?” She felt his arm that wrapped around her back stiffen Max then hurriedly stuttered to add justice to her question “I… stutter… I ht that I was”

“You are exactly what I dreamed of”

He abruptly intercepted her words “No, you’re beyond coined you would be You are i my breath away And the child…”

Riftan sed as if there was so stuck in his throat “To tell you honestly, I don’t think I want one anymore I don’t even kno o through such a risk again”

She felt hi faintly and Max blinked hazily She hated herself for being relieved by his words Of course, he needed a successor That was the most dutiful role of a wife to her husband, even her mother lost her life after several attees just to fulfill that duty Riftan’s words felt unfamiliar, she was used to her father’s obsessive attitude of having an heir

Max stared intently at hiure out if he really just said those words And then, Riftan lowered his face to kiss Max’s dah for me”

Those words echoed in her heart She buried herself deeper into his wide chest and their shadows casted by the light appeared like a strange shape of an anireat to be just stuck to each other like this and never be able to part It would have been nice if it was only the two of the drowsy from Riftan’s hands that caressed her hair The sound of the rain then gradually subsided, a soft silence enveloping them

The tension that surrounded Calypse Castle immediately dissipated after the announceh the security in the fortress seeons loaded eapons visibly reduced Max saw this as an opportunity and told Riftan that the Duke of Croix was su Surprisingly, Riftan was blunt about this