Chapter Twenty-Seven #9
Riftan turned his rage-filled eyes to her. His throat bobbed furiously as though he were holding back a thousand rebukes. He took a step back, appearing to contain himself, and scrubbed at his face.
Finally, he asked in a calmer manner, “What do you intend to do now?”
“The duke has high mages in his service who can communicate with the Mage Tower,” the princess replied.
“He will probably get them to confirm the authenticity of our claims. The tower administrators have agreed to corroborate our story, but a thorough investigation would easily reveal that Maximilian has never officially registered. So before that happens…”
The princess hesitated before continuing gravely, “Maximilian must enter Nornui. Once she’s a member of the Mage Tower, the duke will not dig too deeply.
And even if he does, they will do all they can to protect her.
Their administrators promised me that they would change the date of her registration. ”
Anticipating Riftan’s outburst, Maxi closed her eyes as soon as the princess finished speaking. Contrary to her fears, however, he remained ominously silent. She tore at her skirt, her heart twisting painfully in her chest.
“If you were a man,” said Riftan, his forbidding voice slicing across the room, “I would have immediately challenged you to a duel.”
“I should be grateful I was born a woman, then,” the princess muttered bitterly.
Sighing, she continued as though she were coaxing a stubborn child.
“Don’t just lose your head. Take some time to think this over.
If Maximilian does this, you’ll be able to keep your knighthood and estate.
And becoming a high mage will benefit her as well.
With her skills, she will be able to leave Nornui within three years.
You need only endure until then, and everything will be solved. ”
Riftan looked as though he could murder the princess with his eyes alone. After leveling his frighteningly dark gaze at her for a while, he slowly turned it toward Maxi.
“And you agreed to this?”
Maxi gulped and bobbed her head, her eyes cast downward. She could not think of anything besides the burning lump lodged in her throat. Seeing her at a loss for words, Riftan let out a hollow laugh.
“I was an imbecile for keeping my mouth shut, thinking you had a proper plan.”
“I-I’m sorry for not telling you of it sooner, but…I c-couldn’t just let you lose everything….” Maxi trailed off at his sharp intake of breath.
Riftan clutched his forehead and asked through gritted teeth, “So…you decided to leave?”
“I-It will only be four years at most. I-I will…do my best! I won’t sleep…or rest…and work h-hard every day…so I can return as soon as—”
“Enough!”
Maxi recoiled. Riftan clenched his jaw, his shoulders trembling, as he attempted to rein in his rage. His face flushed before regaining its usual stone-stillness. Maxi could tell that his resolve had solidified into something impenetrable, more solid than a brick wall.
Riftan turned to the princess and said evenly, “You can forget it. I will never allow it.”
The princess opened her mouth, an argument at the tip of her tongue, before she appeared to realize that words were futile. She stopped and took a silent step back.
“I will visit Anatol again soon,” she said finally. “You can think it over until then. You’ll see that this is the only option we have.”
“Don’t bother,” Riftan intoned as he pulled Maxi toward the door. “As long as I am the lord of Anatol, you will never be welcome. I don’t want to see your face ever again.”
“R-Riftan…you mustn’t—”
Ignoring Maxi’s mortified protests, Riftan marched out of the room. Maxi peered over her shoulder as he dragged her along and saw Princess Agnes shaking her head. It was evident that she and the princess were equally taken aback by his reaction, which had been far angrier than expected.
Maxi was about to chide him for being too harsh when she noticed his grim expression.
“Make preparations to depart,” Riftan ordered the knights waiting outside. “We are leaving this castle.”
“Right now?” Elliot cast a startled look back and forth between Riftan and Maxi, then nodded without any objections. “Understood. I will prepare the carriage at once.”
Elliot raced down the corridor while Riftan continued striding ahead with Maxi in tow. Ursuline, Ruth, and the other knights silently trailed them. They all seemed wary of Riftan’s menacing aura.
An hour later, their carriage was waiting for them in front of the castle gates.
Maxi glanced at the knights in formation as she climbed in.
They were leaving without paying their respects to the king.
The breach of etiquette briefly crossed Maxi’s mind, but she dared not voice her concern.
Riftan was too livid to care about such formalities.
Maxi sat down meekly and studied Riftan’s face as he tucked a blanket around her. He fixed his piercing gaze on her for an agonizing moment before swinging the carriage door shut. The brittle thud of his footsteps faded as he strode away to take his place at the front of the party on Talon.
As soon as he was out of sight, the cold tension drained from Maxi’s lungs. She rubbed her throbbing temples and let out a weary sigh. This was likely the beginning of their most exhausting argument yet, and the thought filled her with dread.
An air of uneasiness surrounded them as they set out. Everyone seemed to act as though they were traversing thin ice. The knights refrained from talking, and Riftan seemed to be dead set on ignoring Maxi.
After several failed attempts to speak to him, she gave up and idly watched the passing scenery. It occurred to her that perhaps it would be better to remain in this carriage forever.
If only the journey back to Anatol could last longer than a month! That would allow her the time she needed to think things through in a calm state of mind. More than anything, though, she wanted to delay the eventual confrontation.
Whenever they stopped to rest, Maxi would cautiously study Riftan’s face. His fury was evident even from a distance. Though this was certainly not the first time she had witnessed his anger, she had never seen him so unstable.
Maxi felt miserable. It was not as if she wanted to leave his side, either.
Tears of anguish welled in her eyes, and she drew a blanket around herself as she huddled in the corner of the carriage.
Anxious thoughts swirled through her mind as the minutes blurred past, marked only by the rattle of the carriage wheels.
“Are you all right, my lady?” Ursuline’s face was full of worry as he helped Maxi out of the carriage. They had just arrived at Calypse Castle.
She gave an automatic nod in response. After handing Talon’s reins to a stable hand, Riftan strode over and snatched her arm from Ursuline.
“You and the others can rest after you’ve unpacked,” he growled.
“Everyone in the castle will want to know what happened,” Ursuline asked cautiously. “What should we—”
“Tell them nothing has changed,” said Riftan brusquely, heading toward the great hall.
Servants waited by the castle entrance to greet their lord, but Riftan did not even spare them a glance as he passed.
Maxi huffed as she struggled to keep up with his quick steps.
When they finally reached their bedchambers, cozy thanks to the warm fire already stoked by the servants, Riftan released his grip on her arm.
He wordlessly strode over to the armor stand, where he began removing his robes and heavy armor.
For the first time, the palpable silence felt like torture. The only sounds were the crackling fireplace, rattling window, and clinking of armor. After a few tense moments, Maxi’s anxiety got the better of her.
“I-I know that you’re angry, but…there was no other way…t-to force my father to back down. I c-couldn’t let you face a trial.”
Riftan’s hand froze as he was placing his sword belt on the stand. His fierce eyes flew to her.
“No other way?”
Maxi flinched back as he marched over. When she instinctively began backing away, he caught her and leaned threateningly close.
“Don’t make me laugh,” he hissed. “You could have just trusted me and let me handle it!”
“A-And your solution…was to leave Wedon?” Maxi bit her lip and glared back. “Do you really think…th-that abandoning everything—Anatol, the Remdragon Knights—is…a solution?”
Riftan’s jaw tightened, and he swore under his breath. He grabbed her shoulders.
“It’s decided, and I’ve already told the knights.
I will have to give up the assets I’ve acquired as Anatol’s liege so it can fund the running of the estate.
I will still be able to take any personal assets from my mercenary days.
You wouldn’t have to worry about starving.
Be it in Livadon, Osiriya, Balto, or Dristan…
there are countless feudal lords who want me in their service.
I can ask them for another piece of land and start over. ”
Maxi stared at him with wide eyes, unable to believe her ears.
“H-How can you…s-say something so irresponsible? Y-You are the lord of Anatol…and the commander of the Remdragon Knights. Th-The people in this castle…the residents of this land…all worship you. The knights would g-give up their lives for you! And yet…you’re going to abandon them?”
Riftan’s eyes wavered ever so slightly. He clenched his fists as if to double down on his resolve. “If I leave, Hebaron or Ursuline would rule over Anatol. And the order has many outstanding knights. They will be fine!”
“But they don’t…w-want you to leave,” Maxi protested. “And…I know you don’t, either. Don’t even th-think about lying!”
She jerked away from him and took a step back. The sight of him looking so helpless tore her heart to pieces.