Goodness, he's ao clueless that he thinks his knight talk is boring for her, and in turn she thinks he finds her lacking. They're both putting on airs that they don't need!
i went into this knowing that the FL is quite weak compared to other manhuas, but man does it get on my nerves. I hope Riftan gets how low her self confidence in and reassure her on that, hire some teachers for her so she can build up her confidence. she needs some self growth development, stats!
Someone in the comments on a different chapter mentioned the light novel, so I went and read it. And to me it seems the webcomic exaggerates her stutter and the visuals also portray him as more aggressive. That annoys me a bit cause they are a cute couple.
If I remember correctly this conversation wasn't set up like this (she was on the bed so he never slammed on the table). She most definitely has a stronger personality in the LN. I'd recommend reading it to anyone over 18 😉 https://www.lightnovelworld.com/novel/under-the-oak-tree-wn This webcomic chapter is a mash up of different chapters (or condensation if you remove all the sex) but generally its around chapter 47 in the LN.
she actually gets those stats through her own means (without Riftan helping her technically)! Someone does help her, but not without her persistence to be taught.
So I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the developments further on.
With Riftan, I think he's too preoccupied with his own insecurities to notice that Max lacks self-confidence. He constantly thinks about spoiling her or "giving her the best" material-wise because he (everyone else in the kingdom honestly) thinks that she's this pampered princess who gets everything she asks for. It doesn't cross his mind that Max has never had the luxury of even being treated decently, so her lack of self-esteem doesn't register to him.
So yes, he is a meathead and he definitely needs to work on understanding her more too.
With Max, it's a whole different beast to beat. Her anxiety and trauma is off the charts and her lifetime of abuse doesn't let her understand that she doesn't have to keep up the image of the perfect princess to deserve being loved. She can't tell anyone what's wrong because she's been fed the lie that she has to be perfect. I can't remember if it's ever been shown enough here,
but in the novel, he father's words constantly remind her that she'll be discarded if they ever find out she's not who they think she is.[/spoiler
I think Max and even Riftan's thought processes are better conveyed in the novel, so I would recommend reading it if anyone's up for a deep dive into their characterizations.
you need to read the novel to fully appreciate the beauty of this story. i know FL could seem frustrating, but JUST KEEP READING!!!!!!! there's some amazing character development waiting