After glaring at Maxi as though he wished to obliterate her, the duke excused himself and left with his retainers. It suddenly dawned on Maxi—it was truly over. Though it was still too early for her to relax completely, her shoulders sagged with relief.
Riftan had been watching everything play out as if it were a stage comedy. As he slowly approached to her right, Maxi’s whole body stiffened. He grabbed her arm and turned to look at the king.
“It appears that we are done here,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “We will now take our leave, Your Majesty.”
“You may do as you wish,” the king replied flatly, slouching wearily in his chair. “Have you any idea how worried we were that you would kill the duke? I think I lost five years of my life through this whole ordeal. I do not wish to see your face for a while.”
Riftan smirked. “In accordance with His Majesty’s wishes, I will steer clear of the capital for the next few years.”
“You insolent brat.” The king’s lips twisted into a crooked smile, and he slowly shook his head. “I’m glad we didn’t end up losing you over this. I suppose we have you to thank for this unexpected turn of events, Maximilian Calypse.”
Maxi floundered, unsure of how to respond, before executing a hasty bow. King Reuben halfheartedly flicked his wrist, excusing Maxi from royal protocols. Riftan promptly steered her out of the assembly room.
Sensing the tension between the couple, Princess Agnes cautiously followed them. They walked in icy silence for a long time. It was only as they reached their chambers that Riftan finally spoke.
“Whose idea was this?”
Both Maxi and Princess Agnes froze at Riftan’s threatening tone. He leaned against the table, glaring daggers at them.
“Cat got your tongues? You both prattled on quite smoothly back there. I’ll ask again, whose damned idea was this?”
Maxi’s shoulders contracted like a turtle withdrawing into its shell at the warning in Riftan’s voice. In the end, it was Princess Agnes who answered with a sigh.
“It was mine. The only way to get the duke to give up on the trial was to threaten him with losses too heavy to bear.”
“And that’s why…you dragged my wife into this?”
Now that the recipient of his anger was clear, Riftan straightened himself and stalked over to the princess. He loomed over her, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Did anyone solicit your help? Because I don’t remember asking.”
The princess stood her ground. “If the trial had gone ahead, you would have lost your knighthood and estate. We had no choice.”
“And how does that concern you? What right did you have to make such an offer to my wife?!”
Aghast at his extreme impertinence, Maxi clutched the hem of his tunic. “R-Riftan!”
Riftan turned his rage-filled eyes to her. His throat bobbed furiously as though he were holding back a thousand rebukes. He took a step back, appearing to contain himself, and scrubbed at his face.
Finally, he asked in a calmer manner, “What do you intend to do now?”
“The duke has high mages in his service who can communicate with the Mage Tower,” the princess replied. “He will probably get them to confirm the authenticity of our claims. The tower administrators have agreed to corroborate our story, but a thorough investigation would easily reveal that Maximilian has never officially registered. So before that happens…”
The princess hesitated before continuing gravely, “Maximilian must enter Nornui. Once she’s a member of the Mage Tower, the duke will not dig too deeply. And even if he does, they will do all they can to protect her. Their administrators promised me that they would change the date of her registration.”
Anticipating Riftan’s outburst, Maxi closed her eyes as soon as the princess finished speaking. Contrary to her fears,however, he remained ominously silent. She tore at her skirt, her heart twisting painfully in her chest.
“If you were a man,” said Riftan, his forbidding voice slicing across the room, “I would have immediately challenged you to a duel.”
“I should be grateful I was born a woman, then,” the princess muttered bitterly. Sighing, she continued as though she were coaxing a stubborn child. “Don’t just lose your head. Take some time to think this over. If Maximilian does this, you’ll be able to keep your knighthood and estate. And becoming a high mage will benefit her as well. With her skills, she will be able to leave Nornui within three years. You need only endure until then, and everything will be solved.”
Riftan looked as though he could murder the princess with his eyes alone. After leveling his frighteningly dark gaze at her for a while, he slowly turned it toward Maxi.
“And you agreed to this?”
Maxi gulped and bobbed her head, her eyes cast downward. She could not think of anything besides the burning lump lodged in her throat. Seeing her at a loss for words, Riftan let out a hollow laugh.
“I was an imbecile for keeping my mouth shut, thinking you had a proper plan.”
