It was well pastthe time Riftan usually retired, but he still had not returned. He was most likely speaking with the knights about the monster reports and would be held up all night.
Maxi had planned to wait for him, but staying awake proved difficult. Today had been the first time in a while since she had used her mana, and she was exhausted. Sittingon the bed, Maxi nodded off several times before finally giving in to slumber.
The sun was already at its zenith when she opened her eyes. Her shoulders sagged when she saw the empty sheets next to her. Estate management, road construction, and now monsters…Maxi wondered why the world refused to give her husband a moment of peace. She clutched her messy hair and sighed.
“Are you awake, my lady?”
“Ludis…”
The maidservant, looking impeccable as always, entered the room with a tray of food. Maxi gave her an awkward smile, embarrassed that she had slept until noon.
“I suppose it is too late…to say g-good morning.”
Ludis placed the tray next to the bed with a gentle smile. “The lord instructed us not to disturb you so that you could rest as long as possible. He said that you would be tired….”
Maxi suddenly worried about what Riftan would think about her healing the knight yesterday. Would he be displeased? Or would he reluctantly admit that her magic had proven useful this time?
She was deep in thought when Ludis held up a cup of tea with a unique scent.
“Ruth gave me some tea leaves. He said they were good for mana replenishment.”
Maxi looked surprised. “Ruth c-came?”
“He came last night to give me this and asked that I boil tea for you when you woke up.”
Ludis opened a leather pouch and showed Maxi the dried leaves and well-trimmed roots. She recognized the contents as a mixture of mandrago root, dried restoratives, and plainherbs.
Maxi took the tea from Ludis. If Ruth was aware of what happened last night, there was no doubt that he had also participated in the deliberations with the knights. Perhaps he would share what they had discussed.
“I should thank him. Is he…still in the castle?”
“Ruth, my lady?” Ludis closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember. “I saw him come down to the kitchen for breakfast this morning, but I am unaware of his whereabouts after that…. Would you like me to go see if he is in the library?”
“N-No. I shall…go there myself. I have something to ask him,” Maxi muttered, sipping the bitter tea, now cooled to the perfect temperature.
After emptying her cup, she ate the light meal Ludis had brought her. Then she washed her face, put on a dark blue silk dress, and brushed and coiled her hair. Once she was dressed, she headed to the library.
It had been a while since she had seen Ruth, and the thought of meeting him again made Maxi feel a little awkward. As she opened the library door, she could already imagine his sarcastic remarks about how much time she had wasted by not studying.
Unfortunately, the library was empty.
Maxi sighed as she searched the room, including the area behind the shelves where books sat arranged in neat stacks. Ruth must have gone to the construction site. It was a huge undertaking that involved crossing rugged mountains, and there would be plenty of duties there to keep the sorcerer busy.
Maxi felt deflated for a moment as she gazed out thewindow, but her resolve bounced back when she realized she could gather information without Ruth. Recalling the scout’s words, she searched the shelves until she found a hefty atlas.
“Pamela Plateau…”
She knew it was in the northwestern region, and traced the coarse surface of the map with her fingertip. The Pamela Plateau was located in the northern reaches of Livadon, close to the Baltonian borders.
The smeared letters were almost illegible. She spent a long while squinting at the map before moving on to the notes next to it. The explanation was short. It described the area as a harsh wasteland that was inhospitable to humans, and nothing more.
Frowning, she carefully read the next page to see if there was more information, but found nothing and closed the book with a thud. The scout had said that not much was known about the plateau, so it was unlikely for there to be details in such an old book.
Maxi shook off her disappointment and began searching the shelves again. It did not take long for her to find several more tomes on monsters. After pulling them out and leafing through, she picked the ones with detailed illustrations and returned to the desk.
A musty scent wafted up as she opened a bestiary with exquisite leather binding. She wrinkled her nose as she flipped through the yellowed pages until she found what she was looking for.
Trolls…
