For Your Honour

Part 1 The Insult

"Did you insult my wife?"

Maxi was sure if she was capable of moving as if the paper cut on her self-esteem didn't render her immobile, she'd disappear into herself like a turtle as she flinched at the soft question uttered by her husband. The soft question in a soft tone and expressed utter ruthlessness, no short of violence would hide in those words. She pursed her lips as she looked up to her husband, reaching a hand up to calm him, to stop this from going any further but his expression was enough for her to even keep her distance from him, feeling a cold shudder at the sinister glint in his eyes. There would be no reasoning now and she wished she had the capability of walking away unfazed in the first place.

She wished she wasn't a klutz to garner another person's ire and unfortunate attention.

Maybe she wished she had the guts to say something further.

There was a tired sigh, drawing Maxi's gaze briefly before her eyes lowered in distaste and discomfort. The nobleman, Lord Rathburn gave Riftan a blasé glance up and down as though sizing him up and finding nothing quite remarkable - except he couldn't hide the faint waver in his eyes and the man's mouth twisted with a faint grimace as he stroked his sleek mustache.

"My apologies, Lord Calypse, I didn't realize you were in hearing distance," Maxi was certain she heard the grinding of teeth from Riftan's jaw somehow over the delicate music and clinking of glasses and trill of women and men around them. "But honestly one can hardly call an observation an insult." Lord Rathburn's chuckled faintly as though trying to diffuse the tension and bring out a little bit of cheer in the little crowd that was gathered. Maxi would've just let it be, not wanting the night that had been so far wonderful and delightful to be ruined with snide remarks. But Rathburn's gaze turned to Maxi who tensed faintly, feeling the cold sweat prickle at her husband's ominous aura beside her and the familiar gut-wrenching sensation and the heat of shame rise up in her face. She loathed admitting her eyes were stinging a little from embarrassment and shame. "As well may I say, young lady..." She tensed at the words of the young lady, feeling the mocking words sting her entire being. "Might I suggest you watch where you walk so such facts are not so obvious...and therefore suggested insults are not grounded with reason."

Giggling arose from the trio of women that stood with Lord Rathburn, elegantly dressed in pastel colors with sparkling out-there jewels and gems to blind an ogre. Lady Rathburn, the person Maxi had accidentally and unfortunately upset greatly, leaned in closer to her husband as though to speak in hushed tones but her voice purposefully rang loud and clear for all and was clearly meant for Maxi's ears, fluttering her black and pink feathered fan in front of her face, her eyes narrowed slyly as she chuckled, throwing Maxi a smirk. "Oh, but my dear...the observations already s-so so m-much-much clearer than ever." The noble lady mockingly stuttered over her words before bursting into a trill of giggles along with the other ladies.

Maxi's mouth opened and closed, feeling the heat rise higher over her face as she bit her tongue which felt further solid, almost like steel, unable to bend and make a sound. How humiliating! So lost in her feeling of shame, she never noticed Riftan's move around, laying against her back even though she felt a comforting heat.

She never saw the steely glint in his eyes like a sword that had just been drawn from its sheath in sunlight, as they looked to her as she ducked under the weight of words she had heard in some form and way her life growing up.

She liked to think she'd moved on from such slights.

She wanted so desperately to turn and run, hide before she made her humiliation present for everyone to see-