Chapter Twenty-Four #7
“I’m sure His Majesty would have told him. The duke probably hasn’t come to see you yet because he has been accompanying my father since he arrived,” the princess replied brightly, mistakenly assuming that Maxi was upset with the Duke of Croyso for not coming to see his own daughter.
Maxi suppressed a sardonic smile. She knew that her presence here meant nothing to her father. No, it was incorrect to say that he would be completely disinterested. She shrank into herself when she recalled how he had threatened her if she ever besmirched the Croyso name.
The Duke of Croyso had always disliked introducing Maxi to the other nobles.
The man had kept her hidden away out of fear that the world would discover that his own flesh and blood was an inferior being.
If she were to embarrass herself in front of Wedon’s nobility, her father would certainly make his fury known.
Maxi tried to come up with an excuse to avoid the banquet. “I-I would love to attend…but I’m afraid I-I am too tired today. I-I think…it would be better to see him alone tomorrow.”
Agnes immediately frowned with concern. “Is the exhaustion still quite severe?”
“I-It is not that serious…but I fear that h-he would worry…if he saw me so sickly….”
The princess nodded, convinced by her stammering excuse. “I understand. Then you should rest. I’ll ask the healer to bring you your tonic.”
When the princess left the room, Maxi hid under the blanket and curled her shivering body into a tight ball. What excuse could she give to avoid seeing him tomorrow as well?
On second thought, her father might be the one to come up with reasons not to visit her. There were countless nobles in the capital with whom he needed to foster connections. He would have no time to spare on someone like her.
Maxi desperately clung to that hope. She did not wish to see him again. Her last memory of him was still raw in her mind. His voice as he spoke of the fate that awaited if she brought shame to the family, his murderous eyes, and the cane threatening to strike at any moment…Maxi shuddered.
She reassured herself by remembering that she had managed to avoid a divorce as her father had wanted, which should have been sufficient to satisfy him. She then desperately tried to banish all thoughts of the Duke of Croyso from her mind.
Her hopes were dashed the very next day. In the morning, Maxi received word that the Duke of Croyso was waiting for her downstairs in the drawing room. He had come to the princess’s residence to see her.
Maxi froze when she heard the news. Princess Agnes wore a disconcerting look that Maxi had never seen on her before. It was clear that the princess had talked to the duke already.
“Your father was…visibly distressed when I told him that you were unwell,” said the princess. “He demanded that I let him see you immediately.”
“H-He did?” Maxi blinked, hardly believing her ears.
Princess Agnes looked equally uneasy. She irritably swept up the golden locks that had come loose and dangled on her forehead. As she anxiously studied Maxi’s face, her scrutiny reminded Maxi of a knight gauging the strength of a weapon.
As if to confirm Maxi’s resolve, the princess squeezed her hands and said, “The knights managed to calm him down, but…he is not in good humor. Do you think you’ll be all right meeting with him?”
Maxi’s expression grew troubled. Just what had her father done for the princess to have such a reaction?
She knew that he was not the kind of man who would ever lose his composure in front of the nobles.
After all, he had perfectly played the part of a benevolent and indulgent father.
Though he violently flogged her in front of the servants, he would press his cold lips to her cheek like a doting parent in public.
That was the kind of man he was. She wondered what had gotten him so agitated.
Full of fear, Maxi cleared her throat. “May I ask wh-what made my father…so angry?”
“Well, clearly he was upset because of what you’ve been through, and…”
Agnes swallowed dryly and looked down as if she did not know how to continue. Maxi almost laughed at the absurdity of the notion. Her father would not have batted an eye had he been told that she had died a gruesome death in the monster attacks.
It was possible that he was not angry but simply keeping up the charade. No doubt he was obliged to call on her to maintain his image.
Her tension easing a little, Maxi got out of bed. She should be able to bear ten minutes with him. After all, had she not endured him for twenty-two years?
She steeled herself. Since the Duke of Croyso cared greatly for appearances, she did not think he would strike her while she was under the princess’s protection. She was a Calypse now, not a Croyso, she reminded herself. Her father could no longer treat her as he pleased.
“I will get dressed…a-and be down in a minute.”
Princess Agnes lingered as though she wished to say something else, but she pressed her lips together and left the room. Though the princess’s behavior was perplexing, knowing that the Duke of Croyso was waiting downstairs sent Maxi into a rush of preparations in order to appear presentable.
Light spilled from the drawing room door into the corridor. Maxi’s stomach twisted into a knot as she approached. Standing just a few steps away, she hesitated for a moment before squeezing her eyes shut and entering the lavish room.
“My lady.”
Standing by the door, Sir Elliot respectfully offered her his hand. Maxi awkwardly took it and strode across the room. Ursuline was also present, and his eyes held a hostile gaze aimed at her father.
The Duke of Croyso stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Maxi’s heart turned to ice. One glance at his cold eyes was all it took for her to know that he was furious.
“What a long time it has been, daughter.”
Her father’s voice was ominously gentle. When Maxi merely stood frozen, his lips curled into a smile.
“Will you not greet your father?”
Hearing the veiled threat, Maxi hastily opened her mouth. “A-A long time…indeed, Father. I-I am glad to see—”
“I’ve heard everything,” he said, cutting her off. “How extremely difficult it must have been for you.”
Lowering himself into a chair with thick silk upholstery, the Duke of Croyso fiddled with a button on his garment as he narrowed his eyes at Maxi. His tone was cryptic when he spoke.
“Everyone in the capital is talking about you. I felt terrible when I heard the news.”
“Your Grace!”
It was Elliot, who had been quietly standing behind Maxi. Anger rose on the duke’s face at the knight’s impertinence.
“Can you not see that I am talking to my daughter?” he snapped. “It is not a conversation you should dare to intrude on.”
Elliot did not back down. “We have orders from Sir Riftan to protect her ladyship.”
The duke glared at him. “Are you implying that I am a danger to my own daughter?”
“But her ladyship does not—”
Elliot abruptly stopped himself and darted a glance at Maxi. Unable to grasp what they were talking about, Maxi looked from one person to the other in confusion.
The Duke of Croyso let out a sigh. “I’ve already told you of my intentions, have I not? My daughter deserves to know the truth. I hope you are not suggesting that you are more concerned for her welfare than I am.”
The color drained from Maxi’s face. How could this man utter such barefaced lies with a straight face?
Ignoring her stunned gaze, the duke haughtily raised his chin. “I would like for you to leave us now. I wish to speak with my daughter alone.”
The two knights exchanged glances before turning to Maxi. She reluctantly nodded.
“P-Please give us a moment. I will be…j-just fine.”
Elliot gazed at her for a moment, then gave a reluctant nod. “Then we will be in the room right across the hall. Please call us if you need anything, my lady.”
The knights turned around and left the room. When she heard the door close behind them, Maxi anxiously clutched her dress. Her father’s gaze was like a knife hacking into her. The venom in his eyes made all her muscles grow tense.
However, instead of immediately throwing threats at her as she had expected, the duke remained ominously silent. Unable to bear the torturous stillness any longer, Maxi spoke first.
“M-May I ask…why you came—”
“Prepare to leave for Croyso Castle immediately.”
Maxi froze at the unexpected words.
The duke fixed his gaze on the window as though he could no longer bear to look at her. “I am in the process of securing Rosetta’s marriage to the royal family. I cannot allow you to remain here. Be prepared to leave today.”
“B-B-But…” Maxi was so flustered that she was at a loss for words.
A look of sheer contempt suddenly flashed across her father’s face.
“What on earth made you think you could crawl into the capital in the first place? You should have remained quietly in that hinterland…. How dare you come here and shame me?” he snarled, his voice growing more and more vicious with each word.
Trembling, Maxi clasped her hands. Her father no longer had the right to order her around. The only person who had authority over her actions now was her husband; therefore, she had no reason to shake in fear. Repeatedly reminding herself of this fact, Maxi spoke as calmly as possible.
“I have…n-no intentions of impeding the marriage talks. My husband…will be here to t-take me home in a few days. I will quietly remain in the p-princess’s residence…until then.”
“Are you disobeying my command?” the duke asked, his voice growing lower ever so slightly.
Against her will, Maxi’s reply turned into a plea. “I c-cannot leave…wh-when Riftan will be here any day now. Was it not your wish…th-that I…preserve this marriage?”
“That is exactly why I’m taking you away from here!”
The duke shot to his feet and strode over to her. Maxi went to clutch the door handle, but her father was faster.