Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 200

Max felt her throat tightening. She couldn’t believe those were his parting words to her; so plain and cold. It was as if the time they spent on the ship was a whole lie. Riftan turned, his face calm and collected as he walked away from the chapel. The knights beside him lowered their heads toward her and followed the commander.

“We will be back soon and take the Lady back to Anatol, so don’t worry too much.”

Yulysion said confidently before turning around, and Max went out with the priests to see them off. Dozens of wagons and armed knights filled the courtyard beneath the stairs. At the forefront were the elite Knights of Livadon and the Remdragon Knights. Max’s heart pounded violently inside her chest as their flags fluttered from the wind blowing from the west.

She watched with inexplicable heaviness as Riftan mounted his horse. He soothed Talon, who whinnied and led him through the lines to make sure everything was in order. Then, he urged his warhorse towards the front of the line. The knights all began to move and follow Riftan’s lead.

Max watched the entire scene with a grim gaze when, suddenly, Riftan came to a halt. The knights who followed him stopped with him and began talking among themselves about what was going on. Riftan yelled something at Hebaron and didn’t seem to care about the commotion, then jumped off his horse and started striding back to the temple.

“Just a moment...”

He hurriedly ran up the stairs and grabbed his wife’s forearm. Before she could respond, he led her under a beautiful, large tree located next to the chapel. Max struggled to keep up with him, stuttering, unsure of what to say.

“Ri-Riftan... all of a sudden, why...?”

“Although I know this is damn foolish, but...”

He turned around and gazed down at her as he muttered incoherently. Max was puzzled by the conflicted expression on his face. He stood stiff and awkward for a long time, before pulling something out of his pocket and holding his hand out. She looked down blankly at the thing in his hand. In the middle of his palm was an unevenly discolored piece of shekel that was slightly dented along the edges.

“Take it and keep it.”

Max felt unsure and blinked at it. It was a simple copper coin used by commoners. She had never seen or touched one in her life. Unaware of his intentions, she looked at him in confusion and noticed that his face was noticeably tense. Without saying another word, he took her hand and handed her the coin.

“You must keep it with you at all times.”

“W-Why...?”

Riftan’s mouth twisted, as if hesitating, and finally relented with a sigh. “I received it after completing my first quest when I joined the mercenaries. They say that it brings good fortune to carry it around. Even though It’s just a stupid superstition among mercenaries, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it, so I kept it...”

Riftan blurted out the last sentence as if he was embarrassed to have dwelled on such superstition. “It’s true that I rarely get injured when I have this, so I carried it around with me ever since.”

Max quickly returned the coin back to him as if she was burned by it. “Then if that’s the case... Ri-Riftan, you should keep it!”

“I don’t need such a thing as luck now. I’m confident that I will make it out alive without relying on such things.” Riftan’s long fingers intertwined tightly with hers, then his eyes dimmed heavily.

“You have no idea how difficult it is for me to leave you. Although it is a foolish superstition... I want you to at least have this.”

“I don’t see it... as foolish. If this does b-bring you luck... I want Riftan to carry it around. You are the one going to a d-dangerous place.”

“I prefer this.”

He lowered his head and brought her fist that grasped the coin to his lips. He pressed his lips against the back of her hand, his bangs glistening and tickling her skin sweetly.

“My worries will be more at ease if you at least have this with you.”

“But... M-my heart will burn all black with worry for you.”

Max muttered resentfully, her voice trembling. He lifted her head and looked into her eyes that brimmed with tears. His face was filled with an indescribable intense emotion. Riftan held her face between his palms and wiped Max’s tears away with his thumbs.

“...It will?”

She couldn’t bring herself to speak and simply nodded her head. Riftan inhaled a short breath and lowered his head to press his lips against hers. Max’s eyelids fluttered as his soft breath brushed against her lips. Riftan’s gaze was seething but, on the contrary, his touch was delicate and short.

“I’ll be alright.”

“Can you promise to... come back to me without a single i-injury?”

“...Yes, I promise.” His neck convulsed as if he had just swallowed a bundle of Rock. Riftan leaned in again and kissed the back of her hand once more. “Please, I hope that nothing bad happens to you... may everything that falls upon you be all good...”

Riftan murmured in a whisper, like he was praying, then straightened his posture again. He gently caressed her cheek softly. Max looked up at him with sadness in her eyes.

“I really have to go now.”

Max nodded, keeping her lips sealed, as she knew she wouldn’t be able to prevent her tears from falling, and simply nodded her head again. Riftan stood tall. His legs immobile, as if they had turned into iron. Slowly, he stepped towards the courtyard. He didn’t look back again as he trudged down the stairs and mounted his horse again.

The knights waited in silence for their commander to lead them, and when he spurred his horse forward, the army moved in perfect unison. Max stood at the top of the stairs with the priests as they watched them leave. She wanted to see her husband to the end, but her vision kept blurring with her tears. Gripping the coin tightly with both hands, she swallowed back her tears.

When they finally disappeared from their sight, the High Priest, who was standing behind her, gently approached and turned her around to go back inside.

“We shall head back inside now. I will be showing the room that the lady will be staying in. ”

Max quickly wiped the remaining tears with the sleeve of her dress and walked back to the temple. At that moment, a hollow wind gently blew across her back and Max turned to look behind her one last time, before following the High Priest inside.

***

The monastery where she would be staying appeared after a long flight of stairs, past the main garden, auditorium, small vegetable garden, and a tiny chapel. Max gazed up with a surprised look at the four-story stone building. The structure was perfectly symmetrical, like the rest of the buildings in Livadon, and it was as magnificent as any other part of the temple, but somehow, it had a sullen atmosphere.

The priest guided her through the convent and briefly explained the facilities inside. “That area is where the sisters who are training to become priestesses live. There are also noble ladies who are staying in to pray for their brothers or husbands to return safe and sound. Most of the people spend their time in their own rooms. However, everyone usually gathers to pray in the morning and evening. You shall be able to meet other ladies then.”

Max tried to hide her discomfort at the idea of interacting with noble women from Livadon. She had no desire to meet them, not only because she was not confident in social settings, but she was afraid of being ridiculed for her stuttering. However, instead of rejecting the priest’s offer, she simply nodded.

The priest escorted her to a clean and spacious room on the second floor of the convent. “This will be the madam’s room.”

Max looked around as she entered the exotic but grandiose room, which had a large glass window. It wasn’t over the top luxurious, but decent enough. The bed was wide and the sheets on it were fluffy. There was also a varnished mahogany table and a large wardrobe against the wall to keep her clothes.

“The servants will bring your meals everyday to your room at your preferred time. If you wish, you can dine in the dining room with the priestesses and sisters. You may go anywhere you wish within the temple grounds, but kindly refrain from entering the north annex, as it is the residence of the priests. If you wish to leave the temple, you must notify the priestess in charge of this monastery, and we will provide you with an escort. Does the Lady have any questions?”

Max could only shake her head slowly at the avalanche of information thrown at her. The strict-looking young priest stared at her for a while, then turned around.

“If you have any questions later on, please let me know. I will instruct a servant to assist you immediately.”

Then, he closed the door and left. Max, completely exhausted, flopped down on the bed, and that was how her life in the monastery began. Like the other ladies, she spent most of her time idle in her room. During the day, she walked in the garden, but she never went out of the temple and hardly spoke with others.

It was rare for priests and priestesses to approach her and engage in conversation; if they did, it was usually about the rules within the temple. Even when she ran occasionally into the noble ladies of Livadon in the halls, they would only share small nods as they passed. The atmosphere in the temple did not have any reluctance against guests from other Kingdoms. First of all, Max didn’t expect her days at the monastery to be filled with vibrance and liveliness, as the expected lifestyle there was to be recluse and abstinent, but Livadon was currently facing a war against an army of monsters.

The faces of priests and priestesses were solemnly hardened with heavy fatigue from all the preparations they had to do for worship and everyday burials. Even the noble ladies who were condemned to wait for their family to return alive or as a corpse, were also dark. Max knew her expression was the same as theirs. When she saw herself in the mirror, a woman with a grim, pale face and dark circles under her eyes looked back at her.

Every night, Max would toss and turn, worrying about Riftan. And when she opened her eyes in the morning, she would sob with longing for Castle Calypse. She wanted nothing more than to return to Anatol as soon as possible with Riftan, Ruth, and the Remdragon Knights.

She attended morning services every day, praying for fate to side with them and to hear news of victory in retaking Louiebell Castle. However, the news that the messengers brought them were always the same. The fortress created by the army of trolls was tougher than expected and could not be easily penetrated. It was difficult to bring them to a confrontation as it could result in an all-out battle.

Oftentimes, nobles who would visit the temple would be making all sorts of wild speculations that this war wouldn’t end until next year, if the situation continued like that. When she heard such talk, Max felt like her stomach was bloating and turning. The other noble ladies’ faces also clouded darkly. After spending ten days in such a grim atmosphere, Max entered the temple with her usual gloomy expression. However, the air was different than usual, she was puzzled. The nobles of Livadon and the noble ladies who stayed at the monastery were strangely bright and excited. Unable to overcome her curiosity, Max carefully asked the lady sitting next to her.

“E-excuse me. Was there perhaps... good news from Louiebell?”

The young woman, who appeared to be roughly the same age as her, stared back at her with a surprised expression and replied in a friendly tone.

“The Holy Knights from the Great Temple of Osyria have arrived. They are going to pay their worship in the central temple this afternoon and head for Louiebell right after.”

Note – LF: Aw dang, I wish they didn’t have to part ☹ It’s so heartbreaking to see this lovely couple separate. I guess in the next chapter we’ll see the handsome holy knight? Hehe 😀

Nymeria: This is stressing me out so much D:

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