Max thought that Riftan had to be exhausted as well, but she couldn’t refuse his meticulous care. In truth, his touch, which was soft as if he was handling fragile glass, felt like a great comfort to her worn-out mind and body. Max leaned her head back in the tub, looking at his strong, copper-colored hands gently caressing her. She could feel the blood in her body warm up and her stiff muscles release the tension.
“You can sleep if you’re feeling tired. I’ll dress you up and bring you to bed.”
Not minding if the sleeves he rolled up to his elbows got wet, Riftan embraced her from behind and kissed her on the temples.
Max looked up at his hair that was damp from the tub’s vapor and his tinted cheekbones. Unable to resist the heavy weight of her wet eyelashes, she let her eyes slowly shut. The sound of the wind blowing against the windows and the water sloshing around created a strange rhythm—lingering in her ears. Surrounded by the peaceful, languish atmosphere, Max slowly fell asleep.
***
Max quickly regained her health upon returning to Calypse Castle. Riftan started behaving like a person who dedicated his life to fatten her up, and everyone in the castle seemed to be doing the same. Every morning, she would be served with grilled chicken, soup, and a variety of vegetables, and when her appetite returned, they served plump pheasants, ducks, lambs, and calf. For dessert, cakes filled with sugar, honey, cinnamon, and all kinds of strange fruits from the south were brought to her.
While they were away, the construction to widen the road had been completed and Anatol’s market now overflowed with all kinds of rare goods, so Riftan seemed to have made his mission to bring her every food that exists in the world. Max sighed as she watched him enter the room with enough food for two men to eat.
“If I keep being fed like this… uh, I’ll become a fat lady.”
“Please be one.” He set the tray next to the bed and looked over her skinny frame. “You need to gain some weight. Come on, eat some.”
As if feeding a picky child, Riftan held the spoon and tried to feed her. He watched as Max ate little by little, large pieces of filled pie and steamed sea bass topped with cameline sauce and chopped geese. While she ate, Riftan cut off large pieces of wine-stewed meat next to her and Max also took those with enthusiasm. She liked the relief on his face every time she finished most of her food, but even though she ate a large portion of it each time, Riftan was never satisfied. When she barely emptied a third of the tray and set the plates aside, he offered her a piece of meat.
“Eat a little more.”
“I really… am full.”
“Just one more bite.”
Max reluctantly opened her mouth. After eating so much, she felt like she was a sack for storing food, but if it would mean reassuring Riftan, she could endure the feeling of being bloated for hours. She eagerly chewed the meat and watched as he called for the maid to pick up the tray.
Riftan’s overprotection had become several times worse after he witnessed her miserable plight. At times, he had to leave their room to fulfill his duties as the Lord of the estate, but he would come back every few hours to check her condition and bring her meals. Although she had already regained a lot of energy, she felt so restless because she had to stay in the bedroom. However, she couldn’t complain because she knew she was the one who made him so anxious.
Max hid her sigh. “There are p-preparations to be made for winter… is it really okay if I do nothing…”
“Everything has been taken care of last year. This year, it’s only food that we need to stock up on.” Riftan frowned and looked back at her as he washed his hands clean in a basin. “The preparations are almost done. Rodrigo is referring to last year’s ledger and is completing the preparations for this year step by step.”
