Under The Oak Tree Manga -

Maxi was curled in the large armchair by the fire, a heavy tome on mythical flora open on her lap. She was not reading it. Her eyes were fixed on the dancing flames, her brow furrowed. She wore a simple woolen dress, a far cry from the silks of Croix Castle, but on her, it looked like a queen's regalia. When she heard his boots, she flinched—a tiny, almost imperceptible jerk—and her hands flew to smooth her hair.

Her hands clenched the book. He saw the battle within her—the stutter that choked her words, the fear that paralyzed her tongue. She wanted to say something. He could feel it. But the words died in her throat.

But "near" was a torturous distance.

He lifted her from the chair as if she weighed nothing. She gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist instinctively. He carried her to the bed— their bed—and laid her down on the fur blankets.

She stared at him, her large, doe-like eyes wide. Then, slowly, tremblingly, she raised a hand. Her fingers hovered over his scarred cheek. "Y-you are n-not a brute," she breathed. "You are… you are my h-husband." Under The Oak Tree Manga

Come here , he wanted to roar. Let me hold you. Let me forget the smell of blood and dirt. Let me pretend I am a man and not a monster.

The word "broken" hit him like a mace to the chest. He rose to his feet in a single, fluid motion, crossing the room before he could stop himself. He knelt before her chair, so close he could count the freckles on her nose. Maxi was curled in the large armchair by

"R-Riftan," she said, her voice a soft, scratchy whisper. "Y-you are l-late."

The silence stretched for an eternity.

"Not what I wanted?" His voice cracked. "Maximilian, I have wanted you since the moment I saw you picking wildflowers beneath that oak tree. You were fifteen. I was a nameless squire covered in mud. You dropped your basket, and when you bent to pick it up, you looked at me. Just for a second. And I thought, 'If I ever become a knight, I will marry no one but her.'"