Maxi furrowed her brow at his nonchalant demeanor. “Where…have you been? I was worried. You haven’t been in the library…when I come by.”
“I had to shut myself up in my tower these past couple of days so I could finish making the magical device,” he answered flatly. He strode into the library and plopped himself down on his usual seat.
Maxi gave him a quizzical look. “But don’t you usually…work on the devices in the library?”
“I wished to avoid running into that troublesome woman.”
“T-Troublesome…woman?”
“Princess Agnes.”
Maxi’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Most of the Remdragon Knights seemed to be on amicable terms with the princess, so Maxi had assumed that Ruth would also hold the princess in high esteem.
“Do you…not get along with her?”
“I am afraid the acrimony is one-sided. I am merely avictim of the princess’s bullying. You see, she sees me as a renegade for breaking the rules of the Mage Tower.” Ruth crossed his arms over his chest and shuddered. “Truth be told, I would like to have nothing to do with her if possible. She made sure I had a hard time during the campaign. I doubt even a cleric would have treated a pagan so cruelly.”
“I-I was unaware of that. You…never said anything…whenever you’ve mentioned the princess in the past.”
“Why would I have mentioned such a thing?”
He plucked a book from the pile next to him and flipped it open. A strange sense of solidarity rose inside Maxi. The fact that there was someone else who disliked the princess gave her consolation. Though she knew how shameful that was, it still made her feel better.
“I-I do not think…she is a bad person…” she muttered in a veiled tone.
“Objectively speaking, yes. She is a talented, fair-minded person when she wishes to be. Very cordial to the Remdragon Knights. But I believe I am free to have my own opinion of her. And in my opinion, she is difficult to deal with.”
Ruth’s frankness bolstered Maxi’s confidence enough that, after a moment of hesitation, she confessed her own feelings. “To be honest…I am also ill at ease with the princess.”
“I would have been surprised if you were not,” Ruth answered blandly, turning a page of the book. “In fact, I would have thought it strange if you had happily welcomed your husband’s once-considered suitor into your home.”
Immediately, it was as if a weight had been lifted from Maxi’s shoulders. Whenever her jealousy of the princessreared its ugly head, she felt like a wicked witch from the old tales. “Be that as it may…I still feel quite awful…that I find her difficult…when she is h-helping Anatol.”
Ruth snorted, turning another page. “Believe me, my lady, the princess is not helping us merely out of the goodness of her heart. I heard that she asked to claim most of the harvested monster loot in exchange for her assistance. That alone makes this a fruitful deal for her. And I’m certain she also intends to use this opportunity to try to convince Sir Riftan to return to the capital; King Reuben is desperate to keep him close.”
Maxi’s shoulders stiffened. “Princess Agnes…wants to bring R-Riftan back to the capital with her?”
“Well, I do not see why else she would come to such a remote region as Anatol.” Ruth answered indifferently, but when he saw the look on Maxi’s face, he quickly added, “Of course, I doubt Sir Riftan would ever agree to it no matter how hard the princess tried. Our liege is not fond of life in the capital, nor does he like staying in Drachium Palace.”
“Wh-Why is that?”
“I would think it was obvious. Ever since he was knighted, the nobles of Drachium openly showed him contempt. Even if they were to welcome him now, I doubt he would accept their company. Your husband despises conceit to a fault.” He shrugged casually. “Besides, Sir Riftan is fond of Anatol. Why would he want to be a lapdog in Drachium when he could be the king here?”
“K-King?”
“To Anatolians, their lord is a greater liege than even King Reuben. After all, it was Sir Riftan who helped this desolate, forgotten land flourish into the thriving region it isnow. The people adore him, and he also cares deeply for them in return.”
Maxi looked out the window, suddenly overwhelmed by an emotion she did not understand. The sweeping scenery outside was more beautiful than any mural, painted with bold brush strokes of life and wilderness. As Ruth said, this land was special to Riftan. He would never leave it behind. Though she was relieved, she also felt a familiar pang of loneliness. It was as if she were envious of this land that could so permanently bind him….
“In any case, Princess Agnes will not be able to stay here forever. Surely, she will return to the capital once she realizes that Sir Riftan cannot be swayed. Just endure her ’til then, my lady. I, for one, intend to avoid her as much as possible.”
His jovial voice roused Maxi from her foolish thoughts, and she gave him a small smile. Ruth was right. She could only wait and hope that the princess would give up sooner rather than later. Then, hopefully, she would be liberated from this anxiety of losing her husband.
—
Unfortunately for Ruth, hisplan of avoiding the princess was not to be. The extensive road construction required enormous manpower. The knights left the estate several times a day to hunt the monsters that stalked the construction site and threatened the safety of the workers. Ruth was assigned to take part in the monster raids and thus had to suffer Princess Agnes’s constant provocations.
Although he looked thoroughly unhappy whenever Maxi saw him, she envied him. It seemed like everyone in Anatol was allowed to help Riftan except for her. While she merelydirected gardeners, even the squires Ulyseon and Garrow were out slaying monsters or running errands for the knights. She knew that managing the castle was nothing to scoff at, but Maxi still felt like a child left alone in an empty house.
