Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
She carefully assessed her reflection in the mirror and began to go over her speech.
Though her tongue refused to cooperate more than usual because of her nerves, the words came easier the longer she persisted.
After practicing over and over, she found herself able to state her case clearly, albeit a little awkwardly. It gave her some measure of confidence.
The very next day, all her hard work came undone the moment she spotted the Duke of Croyso’s carriage entering the castle grounds. Maxi instantly felt like a powerless child once more.
She stood at the window as her father climbed the stairs leading to the great hall.
He appeared to have brought at least a hundred knights with him.
His men dazzled in shining armor as they trailed behind him, followed by a large group of hierarchs and mages.
It was impossible to tell if he was here for mediation or for war.
Surely he’s not planning on attacking Riftan while pretending to obey the king, is he?
Maxi narrowed her eyes at the Croyso delegation, but her suspicions evaporated when she noticed the duke’s wary demeanor. He had brought all these men solely for his own safety. The beating he had received from Riftan must have shaken him.
The duke hurried into the great hall like a man being pursued. Maxi grabbed her robe and stepped out of the room. Elliot, who had been standing guard at the door, promptly blocked her path.
“Is anything the matter, my lady?”
“I-I think my father has arrived. I-I thought…I’d talk to him before…”
“We are prohibited from interacting with the duke before the king’s arrival,” said Elliot, resolutely shaking his head. “A confrontation before the mediation would only serve to heighten animosities and make the situation worse. We must wait for the king.”
It was a sound point. Even the Duke of Croyso would have to watch his words in the king’s presence, and Riftan would have to repress his murderous hostility.
That was what troubled her the most—that the duke’s venomous tongue might send Riftan over the edge, initiating a fight to the death.
Just imagining it filled her with dread.
Maxi anxiously paced the room and could not stop glancing out the window. At noon, three carriages and a procession of knights bearing royal banners finally entered Loverne Castle. By the time Maxi went downstairs to greet the king, the spacious hall was packed with hundreds of people.
Elliot spotted her dithering as she silently debated over where to stand. He politely led her to her spot.
“Please stay close to me, my lady. I was charged with your safety during the length of the mediation.”
Maxi meekly followed and stood behind the Remdragon Knights. Soon after, King Reuben, Princess Agnes, and a group of attendants entered the great hall. Riftan, the Duke of Croyso, and the Earl of Loverne stepped forward to kneel before the king.
The earl bowed his head. “We thank you for undertaking this strenuous journey, Your Majesty.”
The king apathetically waved his hand. “It was very strenuous indeed. How splendidly you all have managed to hassle me into journeying here in the middle of winter.” He swept a haughty, golden gaze over his vassals.
“Here I am, as you wished. Let me make it clear, my dear Duke Croyso, that I shall be greatly displeased if it turns out all that travel was for nothing.”
Even from this distance, Maxi could see her father clenching his jaw. It was something he did to hold himself back when his anger was at its peak. The veins in his hands bulged as he clutched his cane. He shot Riftan a murderous glare before replying to the king.
“If I may remind His Majesty…I did stress that taking this arduous journey was wholly unnecessary.”
His speech was slightly slower but nowhere near enough to warrant ridicule. The degree of authority and pride ingrained in the Duke of Croyso’s being refused to kowtow even before royalty. He would never allow himself to look pathetic.
Nonetheless, the humiliation of his defect stood stark on his face. Anger flashed in his eyes with each word he spat. He glowered at Riftan with such hatred that it sent a ripple of nervousness through the audience. Riftan’s burning animosity was just as palpable.
King Reuben passed an annoyed gaze over the two men champing at the bit to rip each other’s throats. He clicked his tongue. “Let us get a few hours’ rest before we commence. It appears we’ll have to step in before our favored vassals start stabbing each other.”
The earl hastily stepped forward. “Allow me to escort you to your room, Your Majesty.”
The king shook his head. “No. You watch over these two to make sure they don’t tear each other to shreds.”
The earl responded with a bitter smile and instructed the castle’s steward to show the royal guests to their chambers.
King Reuben led the princess and his attendants up the staircase shrouded in gray shadows.
As the royal delegation left the hall, those who were kneeling rose to their feet in unison.
Maxi watched uneasily as her father retreated behind his knights. A sense of foreboding rose in her chest at the malice she saw on his face. It was clear that no words would be able to change his mind.
Riftan directed a contemptuous glare at the duke’s back, then turned away as though the sight of the man revolted him.
“Maxi, come here.”
He strode over before starting toward the annex where they would be staying. As his reassuringly large frame blocked her father from view, Maxi finally exhaled. Riftan led her to an empty room and began to persuade her once more.
“I’ve told you countless times, you don’t have to attend. This isn’t a formal trial. It’s just a meeting called by King Reuben to mediate between me and the duke.”
Maxi resolutely shook her head. “No matter what you say…I cannot s-stay out of this. My father intends t-to bring you to trial…for breaking into his castle and assaulting him when…you were only trying to save me….”
“I’ve always wanted to beat that man to death,” Riftan said savagely.
Maxi exhaled a tired sigh. “Riftan…you believe that you had j-just cause for attacking my father, but how will you prove that if I am not p-part of your story?”
Riftan’s shoulders slumped, looking defeated. Maxi clasped his frozen hands and gave him a determined smile.
“I am not…the naive noblewoman you th-think I am. You must know this by now. I-I had a rough childhood…and I have journeyed across h-half the continent. Not to mention I have experienced…a t-terrible war as well. This isn’t enough to hurt me.”
As Riftan’s expression darkened and his eyes clouded with pain, Maxi thought that it might have been better to have stayed quiet. He looked as if he was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Ursuline’s voice came through.
“Commander, the king wishes to speak with you before the mediation.”
Riftan silently gazed down at Maxi, his eyes full of anguish, before he reluctantly turned to leave the room.
“Don’t let anyone in.”
After giving the stern command to the knights guarding the door, Riftan cut across the hall.
Maxi sat before the fireplace and anxiously waited for the mediation to begin.
A second felt like a minute, and a minute felt like an hour.
Weighed down by the fraught tension, she began biting her nails when there was another knock.
“My lady, the mediation has begun,” Ursuline said through the door.
“P-Please give me a moment.”
Maxi examined her reflection in the mirror. She still looked elegant despite a few stray hairs sticking out from the braid coiled around her head. Maxi draped her cloak over her shoulders and stepped out of the room.
“Wh-Where is Riftan?” she asked.
“He has gone ahead to the assembly room with His Majesty,” Ursuline replied as he led her to the stairs in the center of the hall. “Please do not worry. Charon and I will enter with you.”
“Who else…will be joining us?”
“About ten people from the king’s retinue, attendants, and guards…and the duke will probably bring five or six people with him.”
It was a relief to learn that there would be fewer people than she had anticipated. The sheer number of men her father had brought with him had been intimidating.
The knights led her to an assembly room on the second floor. Maxi nervously glanced around as they entered. King Reuben sat like an imposing judge at one end of the spacious room. Princess Agnes and the earl stood at his right and left respectively, both wearing grave expressions.
Riftan and the Duke of Croyso sat at opposite ends of a long table. They had their heads turned away in a blatant refusal to even look each other in the eye. The icy atmosphere petrified Maxi. Seeing her frozen to the spot, Elliot led her to her place behind Riftan.
“This way, my lady.”
Maxi sank into one of the chairs that lined the wall. As Elliot and Ursuline took their seats on either side of her, the king looked up from the roll of parchment he was reading.
“Are all concerned parties now present?” he asked languidly.
Propping his elbow on the armrest, King Reuben rested his chin crookedly on one hand and waved the parchment with his other. “I was just re-reading the lengthy case sent by the Duke of Croyso. The duke claims that our most favored knight did something heinous last fall.”
An amused smile tugged at the king’s lips as he mockingly scanned the parchment. “To summarize, he claims that the Champion of Wedon broke into his castle and attempted to murder him.”
Ursuline shot to his feet in anger, but the king continued speaking before the knight could say anything.
“Around the same time, you, Calypse, declared an unlawful war on the duke. It eludes me why one of you is raving about a war, while the other is dead set on a trial. Do shed some light on what exactly transpired.”