Chapter Sixteen #2
“Feel free to use them all, my lady,” he insisted. “We can catch more for you whenever you wish. After all, it is a knight’s greatest joy to be able to serve a lady.”
“It would be much appreciated if you could bring us some long-tailed lizards next time,” said Ruth, once again waving around a dead toad as he spoke. The creature’s long tongue slid out of its mouth and Maxi barely managed to contain the urge to vomit.
“Leave it to me! There should be plenty in the southern caves,” Ulyseon cried, thumping his chest.
She smiled stiffly at Ulyseon’s enthusiasm. Ruth used his dagger to cut off the flopping tongue in one swift motion before handing the toad to Maxi. “Would you like to try it yourself this time?”
Maxi’s shoulders tensed. She wanted to shake her head, but she could not show any sign of weakness with the squires looking at her so expectantly.
In the end, Maxi squeezed her eyes shut and accepted the clammy toad. The cold and squishy texture made goosebumps rise all over her body. It was the worst thing she had ever touched in her life. She fought the urge to hurl the corpse away and flipped the toad over.
Ruth placed the dagger in her hand and pointed to a spot below the toad’s head.
“Now, drive the blade through here and create a long incision.”
Maxi hesitated, taking a deep breath before thrusting the dagger into the toad’s cold body. The skin was tougher than she expected, and her hand shook with effort as she pushed the blade in. Sticky black fluid began to ooze from the wound.
Thinking that it was over, Maxi was about to throw the toad away when Ruth mercilessly gave the next instruction.
“Please squeeze the toad now, my lady. We want enough poison to flow out.”
Maxi silently vowed that the next time she came upon the sorcerer sleeping, she would run him through with the kindling.
—
After Ruth left for the construction site, Maxi was finally able to return to her chambers. She was thoroughly exhausted, and even though she washed her hands several times, she could not seem to rid herself of the slimy sensation on her palms.
She immediately cast off her clothes, soiled as they were with toad fluids, and scrubbed herself from head to toe in hot, soapy water. Her whole body still felt unclean afterward.
How much more of this appalling training must she endure? The sorcerer was not concerned with propriety, or even just her own personal comfort; he might bring lizards next, or venomous snakes, or spiders.
Rubbing the goosebumps on her forearm, Maxi decided that she would move on to the next phase of her training as soon as possible. Better to get it done quickly. For her to do so, however, she had to finish studying the basics.
After rinsing the soap off, she slipped into crisp new clothes and sat at the desk. She rummaged through the drawers and took out a book, parchment, and an ink bottle. Ludis walked in with a steaming cup of tea just as she finished arranging everything on the desk.
“A tea from Mage Ruth, my lady. Please try it.”
Maxi gave the maidservant a look of appreciation and took a sip of the warm tea. The bitter liquid had a refreshing scent that helped her forget about the unpleasant experience. Sipping the mandrago tea, Maxi began to peruse the dense textbook.
The day’s considerable mana use had tired her out, but this was not the time to dawdle. She intended to finish reading the entire volume that very evening so that she could persuade Ruth to teach her combat magic tomorrow.
About three minutes into her reading, a knock came at the door. The steward’s voice filtered through.
“My lady? It is Rodrigo. May I intrude for a moment?”
Maxi looked up from the desk and called for him to come in. Rodrigo entered and deferentially bowed his head.
“Forgive me for interrupting your rest, my lady.”
“I-It is all right. Is something the matter?”
“A message has arrived from his lordship. He said that visitors will be arriving and that they will be staying in the castle for about two days. I thought it best to inform you now.”
“V-Visitors? Do you know wh-where they are from?” Maxi asked, flustered.
Rodrigo grimaced. “His lordship did not mention which household they are from. Only that we are to prepare rooms, baths, and food for three knights.”
Maxi’s face fell. Had the king already sent his command for Riftan to dispatch his knights? The thought that these visitors might be royal messengers terrified her. It had only been three days since the news.
“Please do as his l-lordship has instructed…and prepare rooms on the second floor. And please tell the k-kitchen to pay extra attention to the meal.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Maxi sat by the window after the steward left, peering nervously down at the grounds.
A few moments later, five men on horseback entered the garden.
They were too far away to see their faces clearly, but the two men at the front appeared to be Remdragon Knights, while the three behind them were the newcomers who bore a triangular orange banner.
Maxi squinted at it; it did not contain the golden bird, the royal family’s emblem, but it still felt familiar. She decided it must belong to one of the other noble families of Wedon.
She wracked her brain trying to remember which household the crest belonged to, but soon gave up and rose to her feet. No matter who the visitors were, it was her duty as the lady of the castle to welcome them.
Maxi left her chambers after Ludis fixed her hair, descending the stairs just as Riftan led the guests into the castle. Maxi searched his solemn face before looking over the guests behind him.
An older but stout knight and his two younger subordinates inspected the hall. From their wary expressions, Maxi did not think they were from a noble family that was on friendly terms with Riftan.
She approached them nervously. “Riftan, I was told…that we had guests.”
Riftan furrowed his brow and strode to meet her, touching her still-damp hair. “We must have disturbed your rest. They are from Ruigen. They are only staying for two days, so you need not trouble yourself.”
His blatant dismissal of the guests flustered her, though the visitors themselves did not seem offended. The middle-aged knight stepped forward and kissed her hand.
“Greetings, my lady. I am Aeron Levia. We have come under the command of the Earl of Loverne.”
“It is a p-pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Aeron…. I hope your stay here will be comfortable.”
The Earl of Loverne was one of the king’s vassals who had a sizable estate not far from Anatol. Why had the earl sent his knights here? Feeling both curious and cautious, Maxi studied the deeply lined face of the knight and was about to speak again when she heard Riftan’s sharp voice.
“You traveled a long and dangerous way to make small talk with someone else’s wife.”
“I was merely greeting the lady.”
“Didn’t you say it was an urgent matter? We’re wasting time. Follow me.” Riftan spun on his heel and began climbing the stairs.
The knight sighed. Each man gave a respectful nod to Maxi before following after Riftan. Since they clearly were not welcome visitors, Maxi decided her role as hostess was over, walking slowly back to her chambers.
—
It was late in the evening when Riftan returned, looking exhausted. Maxi had been pinching her thigh in an effort to stay awake, and she leaped out of bed to rush over to him.
His eyes grew wide when he saw that she was not asleep. “Why are you still up?”
“I…I was waiting for you to return. I wanted to know what was going on.”
Riftan’s brow furrowed slightly as he perched on the arm of a chair and began removing his armor.
Maxi placed a kettle full of water over the fire so he could wash, then went over to stand behind him.
As Riftan untied the joints of his vambrace, she placed her hands on his waist to help him undress.
Riftan stiffened and awkwardly pushed her hands away. “You don’t have to mind me. I can do it myself.”
“It is a wife’s duty…t-to attend to her husband.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Maxi’s face flushed at how brazen she sounded. She could not count the times he had attended to her. She could not say the same for herself.
She hastily added, “I am rarely able to do so because you…return late and leave early in the morning. But it is normally a w-wife’s duty to make sure…her husband is able to rest in comfort.”
With that, she snatched the heavy armor from his hands without waiting for a reply. The weight made her stumble, and she barely managed to remain upright as she staggered over to the armor stand. She hung the chain mail and neatly placed the vambrace and greaves over it.
It took less than twenty steps to move to the stand, but droplets of sweat dotted her forehead. She wondered how Riftan was able to walk around normally with something so heavy weighing him down.
“Just leave that there,” Riftan said when she tried to pick up his sword to put it away. “You won’t be able to carry it.”
Maxi looked skeptically at the weapon. Compared to the massive swords that some soldiers strapped to their backs, Riftan’s looked ordinary. The blade was roughly four kevettes long, and neither the unadorned hilt nor the leather scabbard appeared to be too heavy.
“N-Nonsense,” Maxi retorted. “I may not be able to swing it…but I doubt that I…w-won’t be able to pick it up.”
Riftan, who was pulling his sweat-soaked tunic over his head, eyed her slender arms with an arched eyebrow. “You can’t.”
Fuming, Maxi grabbed the hilt.
Not only was she unable to lift the sword, but she could barely keep it upright.
Surprised by the unexpected weight, she tightened her hold until her knuckles turned white.
She thankfully had not dropped it, but her arms were shaking as if they were about to break. Her face grew red with the effort.
The tip of the sword shakily rose an inch off the ground.
“S-See? I told you I could lift it.”