“Y-You insolent—What nonsense!” the duke sputtered.
The corner of Riftan’s lips twisted scornfully. “You were scared out of your wits by my declaration of war, and you probably thought you would never regain your peace of mind unless you had my fiefdom taken from me. But you are mistaken. If I am no longer bound by pledges or treaties, I’ll be free to show you just how deranged I really am.”
A chilled silence fell over the assembly room. Ignoring his stunned audience, Riftan slowly drove his point home like a tiger cornering its prey.
“I have an uncanny knack for sneaking into places. And you cannot even begin to imagine the unspeakable things I did as a mercenary. Do you know what that means? It means that the fear of not knowing whether each night could beyour last will never allow you to rest peacefully. When you open your eyes in the morning, the first thing you’ll do is to check that your head is still attached to your neck. Whenever you leave your castle, you’ll seek out the corners where I might be lying in wait to ambush you. If you’re prepared to live like that for the rest of your life…” Riftan fixed his gaze on the duke as his words sank in. “Then, by all means, do as you wish.”
“H-How dare…you make such deplorable threats!” The duke shot to his feet, his face white with terror. His lanky body quivered as though he had been struck by lightning.
Shaking his finger at Riftan, the duke cried out, “Did you hear him, Your Majesty? Did you hear what this lowborn just said? H-How can such a ruffian be called an honorable knight and a hero?! He is clearly a dangerous madman! We need not even bother with a trial. You must strip him of his knighthood this instant…and have him hanged for insulting a nobleman!”
“Silence!”
King Reuben’s regal voice boomed across the assembly room. He rubbed his temples and drew out a heavy sigh. “Did you make me rush down here to watch this circus?”
“Your Majesty! Are you still trying to defend this man after what he just said? If you do not punish him immediately—”
“Enough!” the king roared. “If you interrupt me again, I will have you punished for contempt of the monarchy.”
The duke shot Riftan an aggrieved look before begrudgingly taking his seat. Only then did the king turn his stern gaze on Riftan.
“Calypse, your behavior is simply unacceptable,” the king said stonily. “You are a knight. Regardless of how angry you are, you cannot make such appalling threats. Do you not understand that such declarations will do nothing for your cause?”
“Didn’t that man just proclaim that he will not be withdrawing his case? If that is so, why should I be mindful of my words?” Riftan’s tone was bland as he leaned back in his chair, sparks still shooting from his dark eyes. “If I lost my knighthood, I would no longer be a knight, and would therefore no longer be bound by the code of chivalry. And mercenaries have their own rule: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
Just as King Reuben had managed to pacify the room, uproars erupted over the audience once more. The duke bellowed his outrage, denouncing Riftan for his vile threats, while Ursuline retaliated by condemning the duke for initiating. Even the ever-decorous Elliot launched a torrent of fiery criticisms at the duke. When the Croyso knights joined the shouting match, the room truly was no different from a circus, as the king had described it. Maxi had not expected such a bitter, heated atmosphere, and she recoiled from the noise.
Having reached the end of his patience, the king leaped to his feet.
“You insolent fools! Must I upend a pail over your heads for you to come to your senses? Have you forgotten whose presence you are in?!”
He slammed a fist on the table. Maxi worried that he was so fed up with his vassals’ insolence that he might storm off. However, in a display of admirable patience, King Reubenstrode over to the window and stared up at the pale winter sky, his shoulders rising and falling as he took several deep breaths. He appeared much calmer when he turned around.
“It seems we cannot have a civilized conversation with both of you in the room. I will speak to each of you alone. Calypse, you will be first.”
The king turned his sharp gaze on the duke. “Lord Croyso, you are to wait in the adjacent room. I would be grateful if you try to collect yourself.”
Obeying the king’s commands, everyone except Riftan rose from their seats. The duke exited the room first with his four knights and a cleric. Maxi trudged after them, with Ursuline and Elliot protectively following her. She could not tear her eyes away from Riftan’s back even as the door closed. The situation was becoming far more serious than she had anticipated.
Her father’s determination to bring Riftan to trial was stronger than she had ever thought possible. Of course, Riftan showed no intention of backing down. In fact, he did not seem inclined to defend himself at all.
Maxi gnawed her lip. If the king failed to bring about a resolution, there would be a trial at Drachium Palace within a few months. Would Riftan stand a chance of winning?
After pacing in front of the closed door, Maxi clenched her fists and started after the duke. The flustered knights immediately tried to dissuade her.
“My lady, you mustn’t. There is no point in talking to such a man.”
“I-It won’t take long. I just…h-have something I wish to say.”
She pushed past the knights and ran down the corridorafter her father. The duke, marching ahead shielded by his men, came to a halt. His cold eyes flew to her. Even an insect crawling on the floor would not have received such a disgusted look.
“You dare show your face to me?” the duke snarled.
Ursuline and Elliot hurried to Maxi’s side as she took a deep breath to dispel her terror. Her father could not harm her anymore. She was no longer a Croyso—she was a Calypse. Repeating this in her head, Maxi spoke calmly.
“Please…withdraw your case.”
The duke scoffed as though he found the request so preposterous, he could not even be bothered to be angry.
