Under the Oak Tree (Novel)
2 primary works
Book 1
Most fairytales end with a wedding and a happily-ever-after – but this is no fairytale. The first volume of Suji Kim's hit webnovel, now available in English print for the first time.
Lady Maximilian is the daughter of the powerful Duke Croyso, but she is rarely allowed outside her family’s sprawling castle for fear her stutter will tarnish their noble name. When she is forced to marry Sir Riftan, a low-born knight caught in one of her father’s schemes, Maxi doesn’t dare hope for happiness, let alone love. Her stumbling communication and his gruff manner sour their relationship before it can begin, and Riftan leaves without a word the morning after their vows are exchanged.
Now, three years after their disastrous wedding night, Riftan has returned a war hero. To Maxi’s surprise, despite rumours that he was offered marriage to Princess Agnes, a beautiful and renowned sorceress, Riftan still wants Maxi for his wife. And when he comes to claim her, that longing becomes a desire that bewilders Maxi, even as she is overcome by the scorching heat Riftan’s presence ignites within her. As she learns to navigate the intricacies of her new life, Maxi will find herself and her courage, and discover that she is anything but powerless.
Book 2
As her first winter in Anatol turns to spring, Lady Maximilian finds herself confronting an unfamiliar feeling: hope. Her voice and her magic strengthen every day; the only parts of Calypse Castle left to refurbish are its gardens, which she plans to fill with blooming flowers; and the way her husband, the recalcitrant war hero Sir Riftan, looks at her from across their bedroom makes her feel, for the first time in her life, that she might be worthy of love and affection.
However, Maxi's life is never that easy. Just as she begins to feel at home with Riftan, Maxi receives a surprise visit from Princess Agnes, the renowned sorceress who might have become Riftan's wife if he'd decided to divorce Maxi after the Dragon Campaign. Not at all what Maxi expected, the princess stirs up complicated emotions and politics that could lead to monumental changes in Maxi and Riftan's relationship.
This volume collects chapters 77-133 of the original webnovel by Suji Kim.