“Where…was his lordship headed? H-He barely rested last night…because he was busy tending to me…Did he leave the c-castle again?”
“I think he was going to the training grounds, my lady,” Ludis answered genially, laying out the fresh clothes on the bed. “Are you able to stand, my lady? Please, allow me to help you dress.”
With Ludis’s help, Maxi slipped into crisp new clothes, then sat back on the bed to eat the watery soup. Meanwhile, Ludis lit the fireplace to boil water for tea. Maxi threw glances at her maidservant, wondering if Ludis would say more about the events of the day before, but she grew impatient.
“Do you know…what happened…to the others?”
“The others, my lady?”
“Many were w-wounded yesterday…but then a monster suddenly appeared…and in the chaos, I wasn’t sure….” Maxi’s voice faltered as she recalled how the monster had swatted men away like straws of hay with a single flap of its wings.
“I do not know the details…” Ludis continued cautiously as Maxi’s countenance grew pale. “But I could find out if you wish, my lady.”
“W-Would you?”
Ludis gave her a gentle smile and nodded. “Of course, mylady. Right away. Please, just rest here until I return. His lordship has made it very clear that you are not to leave your bedchambers today.”
Maxi nodded meekly. It was not as if she even had the energy to walk out of her room if she had wanted. Ludis removed the kettle from the fireplace and placed it on the tray before she left. As soon as the door closed behind the maid, Maxi put down her bowl and lay back against the pillows. She had only rested for a short while, however, before Ludis returned to knock on the bedroom door.
“My lady, Her Highness wishes to see you. May we come in?”
Startled, Maxi leapt to her feet, staggering immediately as a wave of dizziness washed over her. “G-Give me a moment!”
Her head throbbed, screaming at her to lie back down, but she could not turn away a royal personally seeking an audience. As quickly as she dared, Maxi pulled a gown over her thin linen nightdress, then attempted to tame her wild cloud of red hair in the mirror. All she could do about her swollen eyes was to press a cold towel to her eyelids, but even that hardly made a difference. At least her hair was no longer quite such an unruly mess.
She returned to her bed, trying to look composed. “P-Please show Her Highness in.”
Princess Agnes strode into the room looking as radiant as ever. Her long golden tresses were braided down her back, and she wore an uncharacteristically elegant turquoise dress that flaunted her curves and fluttered as she crossed to Maxi’s bed.
“How are you feeling, Maximilian?”
“I-I am well, Your Highness. Please f-forgive me…for greeting you in this state.”
“Do not trouble yourself with trivial formalities. It is I who should apologize for coming to see you on such short notice. I know it is rather untoward, but I heard Ludis asking the men about what happened yesterday. I hoped to have the chance to explain it to you personally.” Ludis brought a chair and she sat, flashing Maxi a faint smile. “I also wished to apologize.”
“Apologize? Wh-whatever f-for?”
The princess sighed, visibly annoyed. “Our plan yesterday had been to pick off the wyverns in the valley one by one. It was my task to cast a barrier to contain them while the knights lured them into a corner. But there was a breach in my wards….” She hesitated, sweeping a lock of hair that had slipped over her forehead. “That is how one of the wyverns was able to escape and devastate the camp. You could have been badly hurt, all because of my momentary lapse. I am truly sorry.”
Maxi was taken aback by the princess’s open admission of her mistake. Agnes was the highest-ranking person in this castle; she had no responsibility to protect anyone and certainly did not owe anyone an apology, least of all Maxi.
Maxi waved her hands. “Y-You need not apologize, Y-Your Highness…. You…fought for Anatol e-even though it was not your duty. If you had not…helped us yesterday…”
“Oh, rest assured, I was not assisting Anatol without ample compensation, Maximilian,” the princess confessed with a wry smile. “We slew twenty-three wyverns yesterday,and I was able to claim all twenty-three magic stones, not to mention the mountain of bones and hides. Such a bounty is excessive compared to my measly contribution.”
Maxi shifted nervously. She did not know the exact worth of such a haul of magical items, but she was certain it was exorbitant.
The princess shrugged sheepishly. “But after my grave mistake, my conscience will not allow me to accept payment, so I shall have to have a discussion with Riftan.”
In all honesty, Maxi did not care about the loot one bit. “W-Were there many casualties? What happened…to the people…at the camp?”
The princess, who had been studying Maxi’s anxious face, remained silent as she chose her next words carefully. Her voice was calm when she finally opened her mouth. “Some got away with minor injuries, and we were able to save six of the gravely wounded. However…two of the workers who had been crushed beneath the wyvern could not be saved. They were already dead before the dust settled.”
The color drained from Maxi’s face. Those men had been in the same place as her—at the same time—and they had lost their lives. The thought sent a chill down her spine. Could they have been two of the people she had tended to?
She lowered her gaze and murmured, “I-I suppose…everything I did was for naught.”
“Nonsense.” Warm fingers wrapped around her cold hand, and Maxi flinched in surprise. The princess held Maxi’s hand and regarded her with her signature uninhibited stare. “The people you healed were among those who were able to flee from the wyvern in time. What you did required courage.”
