When the knights knelt in front of the altar and lowered their hoods, the clerics stepped forward for the laying of hands. The worshippers clasped their hands together and murmured a prayer in the Roemian tongue along with the clerics. Feeling that they were being given preferential treatment, Maxi was slightly offended. The Remdragon Knights had not been honored with such a ceremony. However, thinking back, she realized that might have been because Riftan had not wanted to waste time and had departed without delay.
Whatever the case, Maxi offered a short prayer for the Temple Knights and a more earnest prayer for the Remdragon Knights.
As the ceremony came to a close, the high priest stepped into the pulpit to say the benediction before ringing the bell that signaled the end of the service.
One by one, the knights rose from the pews. Maxi squinted ahead and assessed each of them as they filed out of the basilica. Her gaze stopped at an exquisite young knight who practically shone among his aloof and gloomy comrades.
He was a young man of delicate beauty more suitable for a bard than a swordsman. He was at least six kevettes tall, with a lithe figure of graceful proportions. His face was framed with soft, light brown curls that lent him a gentle air.
Maxi felt slightly relieved. It appeared that not all of the Temple Knights were intimidating. As the last of the procession left the basilica, Maxi wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and followed. Outside, the soldiers were already information. A queue of warhorses was lined up next to seven wagons laden with baggage.
Maxi paused at the top of the stairs to observe them. They were so preoccupied with their departure that it did not seem like she could approach. She hovered nearby, unsure of what to do, when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
“Y-Your Grace!”
At her call, Duke Aren turned his head. Maxi rushed down the stairs and made her way toward him, but stopped short a few steps away. Standing in front of the duke was the young knight she had observed inside the basilica.
The knight’s icy yellow-green eyes slowly swept over her. Petrified by his piercing gaze, Maxi stood frozen like a mouse before a snake.
There was nothing gentle about the man up close. His smooth face, like that of a sculpture made of plaster, was colder and more austere than that of any other knight. His gleaming eyes were as sharp as daggers as his gaze bore into her.
Seeing Maxi rooted to the spot before the knight’s chilling aura, Duke Aren walked over to her with a perplexed expression.
“It has been a while, Lady Calypse. How is your stay at the monastery? I hope you find nothing lacking.”
Maxi willed herself to look away from the knight and nodded to the duke. “I have been w-well…thanks to your generous care.”
“I should have come to see you sooner…. Do forgive me for not doing so.” Looking sheepish, the duke cleared his throat and introduced the knight standing next to him. “Thisis Sir Kuahel Leon of Osiriya. I’m sure you have heard of him at least once. He is the paladin who leads the Temple Knights of Osiriya. Sir Kuahel, this is Lady Maximilian Calypse, wife to Sir Riftan Calypse.”
The knight’s cold eyes glinted with interest. He regarded Maxi for a moment before respectfully placing a hand on his chest and bowing. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Calypse.”
“I-It is an honor…to meet you, Sir Kuahel.”
Maxi hastily ducked into a curtsy. Her stomach churned. To think that this young man was the commander of the Temple Knights!
She clutched the letter inside her pocket. No matter how much she thought about it, it did not seem proper to ask the renowned commander of a knightly order to convey a letter on her behalf. Too afraid to ask, Maxi began to backtrack.
“F-Forgive me…for interrupting.”
“It is perfectly all right. Please, do not hesitate to ask for whatever you might need,” Duke Aren said with a broad smile.
After pausing for a long while, Maxi told herself she had nothing to lose. Before she lost her courage, she ventured, “I-If it is not too much trouble…I wished to ask you t-to…pass a letter to my husband.”
“A letter?” the duke said quizzically.
Maxi tentatively withdrew the parchment from her pocket. The letter she had written with such care had become a crumpled mess in little more than an hour. Her cheeks flushing, Maxi hastily tried to smooth out the creases.
She meekly turned to Sir Kuahel. “Could you please give this l-letter to my husband? I-It does not contain…anything important. I merely…w-wished to send him my regards….”
“You are making this request to me?” Sir Kuahel asked in a flat voice.
Unnerved by his indifferent gaze, Maxi began to babble, “O-Only if it is not too much t-trouble…. Y-You could hold on to it…and…g-give it to my husband…if you ch-chance upon him in Louivell….”
Maxi quickly found herself faltering in front of the knight’s blank expression. Her back prickled with cold sweat.
“Lady Calypse,” Duke Aren interjected with a troubled expression. “The Temple Knights will be heading east of Louivell, while the Remdragon Knights are camped in the west. They will not be crossing paths anytime soon.”
Maxi’s heart plummeted in her chest. “I-I see. I was not aware.” Her shoulders slumped as she clutched her letter, completely devastated.
