Under the Oak Tree - Riftan's POV - Multiverse

Chapter 33 - The talk Part 1

This completely obliterated his chance of giving Maximillian Croix a better impression of him. Riftan's shoulders sank in discouragement. Understanding his feeling for Maximillian was not simple task for Riftan. Maximillian Croix had grown up to be such a damn lovely girl that he dreamed of her almost every night. And those dreams drove him to the edge of madness. Everything was about her. This past week his feeling drove him to insanity, and the thought of Maximillian thinking of him as a playboy just make him complete insane.

He had never looked at any other woman before and he had no one to compare her with. He had known no other standard of beauty but her slim and small body, her eyes that seemed to hide thousands of emotions beneath them, her small nose and lips, and her rich, luscious hair that shone exquisitely like fireworks. In the world of Riftan Calipse there were not other women as Maximillian Croix.

The next morning Riftan walked around the castle with the hope to find her. He did not have a plan on how to approach her. He just knew that he had to talk to her. The Castle was quite big, and after an hour of walking with any luck. He headed for the garden. He circled the garden and started walking along the deserted forest path. He rested against a tree, leaning his back against its marvelous trunk, taking a moment to catch his breath. Suddenly, he realized where he was. Riftan sighed in despondency, gazing at the grayish-white outbuilding that peeped through the dense forest. He couldn't believe he wandered all the way to that place again. He trudged out of the forest, his shoulders drooping like a man weary from a long journey. The garden that he had seen countless of times in his illusions drew closer and closer

At that moment, he heard a shrill laughter coming from somewhere. Riftan turned his head, but he didn't see anyone else in the garden. He stood blankly amidst the bleak wind, sensing a presence from a distance, and quickly moved to its direction.

As he circled the annex, his eyes found Maximillian Croix, crouching on the ground and playing with a big cat. He stood hidden, watching her. The girl was wearing a modest reddish-brown dress that was far from the dress she donned at the banquets. Her hair was now naturally disheveled and flowed gently over her shoulder. Her ivory pale face had a young reddish blush.

A sharp pang made its way on his chest. The scene before his eyes was similar to his illusions, but he didn't want to fall for her again like a complete fool. He didn't want to memory again and have to live just with it. Riftan just wan to take a real memory of her. One in where he was able to approach her, even when coveting her was not a possibility. He started to walk to her as an almost incomprehensible voice stopped him from his tracks.

"Y-you... Do you like me...?"

As if he was held back by a powerful force, Riftan couldn't refrain from looking again. She was speaking to the cat, which was lying by her feet, and she wore a solemn face. It was a funny sight, but strangely, he didn't feel like laughing.

A smile crept to Maximillian's lips as the cat stretched and rubbed its face against the hem of her skirt, like he understood her question. She carefully cradled the cat carefully in her arms and whispered to it like a playful child with a doll.

"T-then... a-always... will you stay by my side?"

She asked, with a startlingly unstable and pitiful voice. Riftan held his chest, feeling a numbness in the corner of his heart. The loneliness that she emitted was so clear that it felt like he could touch it with his hands. At that moment, he felt like she was someone closer than anyone else.

Riftan grazed the edge of his lips with his trembling hands. The girl had the softest part of his heart. The girl was rooted deep within his core before he had the chance to fall in love with anyone else, before he was able to defend his feelings with a hard shell. And yet, he still feared that his only comfort and paradise would shatter, but it was too late to change his mind.

"Lady Croix" Riftan make himself visible. He did not want her to think that he was creeping around and watching her without her knowing.

Maximillian face became red as soon as she noticed the unexpected visitor. Suddenly her features became hard and a displease glaze took over her features.

"S-Sir C-Calipse.... What a-are you d-doing h-here?"

"I just want to talk to you. Talk about last night"

"T-There is n-nothing to t-talk a-about it! If you excuse me, I better keep going"

Maximillian hurriedly turned around, anxious to be caught in a conversation that she was not ready for. Suddenly, an almost incomprehensible a hand in her wrist stopped her from her tracks.

"Please"

"I-I d-don't b-believe we h-have anything to t-talk about i-it Sir. Calipse"

"I know you have not obligation to listen to me, but I really want to talk with you. I know you may not need and explanation, but I need to give you an explanation"

"W-Why?"

Riftan throat grew dry and his hearth just stop at once when he realized he must answer this question, and once his words were out in the world, he could never take them back. More important he was about to say these words in front to her, and once this happened, she can just destroy him in a single sentence.

"Because I care what you think about me"

"I-I am afraid I d-don't understand y-you. Why w-would you care about what I t-think of y-you me"

Riftan took a long breath to confess what his hearth was a about to pour in front of the only woman who can destroy him just with words.

"B-because I like you..."

Maxi face turn pale and then red... Her expression was unreadable and Riftan heart drop and break at the same time.

"I know a low-born life like me has not business with a noble woman like you, so I apologize for my impertinence to confess my interest on your so abruptly..."

Riftan started to slowly turn around with his hearth broken in thousand pieces, no longer knowing how this happened. How he dared to speak so freely to the daughter of the Duke of Croix. Suddenly he fell a tiny pull in his tunic and his whole world stop there. Maximillian was holding Riftan shirt in a tiny pinch and that was more than enough to stop the greatness knight in the kingdom.

"L-lets talk" 

Writer note:

I apologize for the long break! As I promise before I wont Stop writing until I finish this story! Thank you for your support!  :)