Under the Oak Tree

Riftan muttered roughly, like a drowned person. “I’m far from being a hero. I’m not like that…”

His voice stopped when she touched his chest under the fabric of his clothes. Riftan looked at her with heavy, confused eyes. Max kissed his cheek and dug her fingers into his black hair, which glowed with a dark blue light. As she pulled on the hair near the back of his neck with her fingers, a slight shudder ran through his iron body.

“Maxi… stop…”

She pretended not to hear, while kissing under the lobe of his ear. A groan emanated from Riftan’s throat. He grabbed her shoulder with trembling hands and pulled her away.

“This is enough.”

She flushed with fear and looked at him anxiously. “Do you not… want me a-anymore?”

There was something like frustration that flashed on Riftan’s face. He muttered some swear words, roughly sweeping his face with one hand.

“Do you think… that is possible? I wanted you even when you were so thin and fragile.”

“Then…”

With a sigh of relief, she ran her hand over his forearm. At that moment, Riftan grabbed her arm as if he had touched a hot iron. Pain flashed in his eyes.

“But I don’t want to do that. Don’t you know? Even when I see you so hurt, I’m horrible as an animal in heat!” He rubbed his forehead against her hand, breathing shakily. “I don’t want to bother you anymore. I want to protect you. I want to treat you properly even once.”

“I-it doesn’t bother me.” When she got between his knees, he groaned and brought her over to the bed. “You… the things you do to me when we do that doesn’t bother me. Riftan… I like everything you do to me. I want to reciprocate that… to you.”

His neck trembled greatly. Riftan reached out and tried to embrace her, but he shook and clenched his fist again. Surprisingly, it was fear that floated across his face. A man who didn’t blink even with fearsome monsters in front of his nose was afraid of a woman who couldn’t even cut him in half. He turned his head and backed away from her, clenching his teeth until his mouth turned white.

“No. I can’t. I don’t have the confidence to be gentle. I’m sure I might do it like a person who has lost his sense…”

Riftan’s words broke when she unbuckled his belt and thrust her hand into the fabric. He inhaled wildly, grasping the blanket as if to gather self-control. While hesitating, she pressed her lips to his slightly parted lips gently and pushed her tongue in. The taste of sweet wine was felt on the tip of her tongue. As if testing it directly, she licked his lips gently and Riftan rushed to kiss her greedily.

He grabbed the back of her head and entangled her tongue with her aggressively. Then, she wrapped her arms around his thick, throbbing neck. Riftan tilted his head for better access, thrusting his tongue deeper into her mouth and wrapped his hand on Max’s breast over the bodice. That only seemed to boil the blood inside her body. She moaned, mimicking him, touching him the same way. Then Riftan’s face turned red enough to be clearly recognizable in the dark. As if ripping it off, he removed her bodice and placed his lips in front of the tip of her breast.

She shuddered and hugged his head. She felt the inside of her body melt down like a candle. He pulled the crumpled dress around her waist to the tip of her leg, rubbed her sweat-dampened back with the rough palms of his hands covered in calluses. Then, placed wet kisses on her white belly. Suddenly she was lying on the bed with her whole body glowing pink. The swaying shadows from the fire ran through their bodies. Max tugged on Riftan’s robe and pulled it over his head. He hugged her sternly.

His member, swollen with arousal, squeezed in between her legs. Riftan slowly grinded his body over hers, pouring kisses across her chest and neck. Excited by the heat, Max pressed her nails against his shoulders. At that moment, Riftan raised his body suddenly and pulled out like he snapped back to his consciousness. She looked at him puzzled. His face was fiercely stiff with discontent, and his entire body trembled slightly. However, Riftan took his self-control, held back, and pulled the blanket up to her neck. A stiff smile appeared on his mouth.

“Today… let’s just leave it this way. It hasn’t been long since your body recovered.”

Max stared at him blankly as he sat and lifted his pants. She felt ashamed and humiliated. Then she started to get confused and angry. She was fed up with being treated like a sick person. She caught him grabbing the robe he had picked up from the ground. She tried to pull him back on the bed, but he didn’t even budge as he was twice heavier than her. She climbed onto the man’s knees whose face was blank and pushed her swollen lips over his moist, juicy lips. Then Riftan groaned, took a deep breath, and collapsed in a ridiculously simple manner. Max looked at him with a strange sense of victory.

“I, I… I am not a child that you must protect and care for. I… I am your wife.”

He gave her a bewildered expression, then gradually narrowed his eyes on her. Her heart, which had been so elated, shrank in an instant. Riftan muttered in a low voice, dangerously wrinkling his sharp, masculine face.

“Then… what are you going to do now?”

“About w-what…?”

Max, who thought he would take over, looked around uncomfortably. Riftan gazed at her face, moved down to her bare breasts and abdomen, then squeezed his eyes shut, and his brow furrowed. A little confidence returned after his reaction, so she ran her hand over his chest, which was throbbing so violently she feared it would explode, and said in a low voice.

“You said th-this is natural… to do b-between husband and wife.”

Then she kissed the tip of his chin and ran her hands over his collar bones then down to his muscled abdomen. A sound of pain flowed out from his mouth.

“… you’re killing me.”

Since his voice seemed to be genuinely sore, Max withdrew her hand and he held his fist against his eyebrows. Although he said he worried about her body, he may have actually not wanted her. Max gently pulled her hands away from him.

“If it doesn’t… feel good… I’ll stop now.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her with resentment, as if he had been misled. Max hesitated, not knowing what to do. After a long struggle, Riftan, who had been in conflict for a long time, spoke helplessly like a loser.

“I don’t have the confidence to do it and not strain your body. You have to do it yourself.”

As she rolled her eyes in shame, she stammered. “H-how can I… p-please explain to me how I should do it…”

He pulled down his pants with shaking hands. Then he lifted her body over his and gave instructions. “Spread your legs. Good… put that… Under…”

She sat on top of him and slowly took his member inside her. It was a bit overwhelming to feel him being so tense and tight. Riftan’s lips twitched as she stopped moving her hands over his abs. As Riftan held himself back, his body burned like hot copper. He groaned, making a harsh sound, and asked.

“… Doesn’t it hurt?”

For a moment it was a bit painful, but she shook her head. She touched him and he clenched his fist so hard that his hand turned white, and laid her back on bed again.

“Try moving a little. Move in a way that won’t strain you… uh….”

She slowly moved up and down according to his instructions and Riftan tilted his head and he buried his head back on the pillow, gripping the duvet so tight. He was like a lion tied to a chain and unable to do anything. Max looked at him with blurry eyes, wrapping him from above and then slowly climbed up. As she repeated moving up and down, the pain disappeared, and a strange pleasurable sensation arose.

She took him in again and again. Riftan moaned as if she was killing him, his entire body slick and wet with sweat and a harsh breath came out of his mouth. She couldn’t believe that the strongest man in the world stood so powerless under her. The more she moved, the more anxious and painful it seemed to him, but he held himself back in silence. She wanted to move faster and stronger to satisfy him, but it wasn’t easy. Quickly, those movements led her to the limit. The part of her body that touched him was throbbing and convulsions were taking place inside her. Still unsatisfied, she grinded over him anxiously and slumped over him.

“Ri-Riftan… Help me.”

He swallowed dryly, wrapped both arms around her tightly, and began to move deeply and rapidly. Max’s eyes rolled back in pleasure as she clung on to his body. Whenever he pushed in, sharp pleasure ran down her back. She sobbed wildly, crushing her forehead against his shoulder. Riftan constantly stroked her shoulders, back, and neck with passionate strokes. It seemed to her that he was struggling to control himself, but It felt like he couldn’t help it anymore.

Riftan quickly muttered words she couldn’t understand and moved faster and faster like a stallion released from its reins. Max struggled with her limbs, then her toes curled. In no time, an intense climax ran over her body like it was going to cut through her. He hugged her trembling and convulsing body tighter. It would be so good if they could stick together like that and become one, Max thought as she closed her misty eyes.

***

It had been a long time when the sound of falling rain awoke her and she opened her eyes. The scene of an unfamiliar room with shadows of the fire from the furnace came into view. After a moment of confusion, blinking her eyes in bewilderment, Max felt a hand stroking her head and looked up. Then, she saw Riftan sitting against the wall and looking out the window. Max looked at him blankly, and soon realized that she was lying on his lap and sat up. Riftan pressed her head back to his thigh.

“Stay like this and lie down.”

Then, he touched her earlobes and combed her tangled hair with his fingers. Max’s shoulders flinched at the ticklish feeling. He lifted the spilled sheet over her shoulders and asked with an anxious face.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel f-fine.”

“I tried to hold back at the end, but you pushed me too hard.”

Only then did she wonder if she was too daring. She tried to turn around, hiding her flushed, embarrassed face in her messy hair. “L-looks like it’s raining outside.”

“It’s the autumn rain. After this, the temperature will drop.” He replied, looking at the raindrops on the window.

Max glanced at his dark face, then carefully wrapped her hands around the hand that was resting on his knee. She felt him slightly tense as she fiddled with his long, strong, calloused fingers. Max took his hand firmly and murmured under her breath.

“You can be relieved n-now. To be honest… I am pleased that I don’t have to see Riftan going to war.”

“Don’t you hate that man?”

Her face grew dark. When she thought of her father, the first thing that came to mind was fear. After being engulfed by deep-seated fear, a feeling of helplessness and shame followed. Perhaps, beneath those emotions there was hatred and resentment. However, the fear was so intense that the hatred did not have time to surface. Max replied in an empty voice, fiddling with his fingers.

“I don’t want to think about anything… regarding t-that person.”

There was a moment of silence. For a long time, only the sound of firewood burning, and the sound of raindrops echoed silently, and Riftan suddenly spoke.

“I knew you didn’t look very happy.” His sunken eyes fell on her face. “I even thought of sneaking into the castle and kidnapping you.”

His lips twisted in vain. “After that thought, the dazzling environment around you came to my eyes. If you were unhappy even in such a beautiful castle, I wondered how I could possibly make you happy.”

She looked up at him with trembling eyes. A distorted smile settled on Riftan’s lips. “I should have got rid of those useless thoughts, abducted you, and ran away.”

“I really think… th-that would have been nice.”

When she gently agreed, his smile faded. Riftan looked at her with a vague look, then looked out the window again.

“If I had, you would have been sad. Back then, you hated the sight of me.”

“I didn’t h-hate you. I was just… scared. I told you that b-before.”

“In my eyes, it seemed like you hated me.”

“In m-my eyes too…”

Max glared at him and closed her mouth firmly. As he waited for her to continue her words, he wrapped her hair around his fingers. She hesitated and sighed.

“In m-my eyes… Riftan seemed to hate me.”