Chapter 168: Chapter 1 Maxi had been idly occupied with embroidery when the deafening cheers outside startled her. A long trumpet blast announced the victory. The sound seemed to infuse her with new vigor, and she felt like a bear rising from its winter hibernation. The great forces of evil that had plagued her life with pain and adversity from late spring till now had finally raised a white flag. Maxi cracked open the window. She gazed out over the forest of elm trees, which now wore the colors of autumn, and put on her slippers. A healer entered her room bearing a tray just as she was wrapping a shawl around her shoulders. The healer looked surprised. “Do you require anything, my lady? I will bring it to you at once if you let me know what it is.” “I-I wish... to go to the main castle. I want to hear news about the campaign party...” “I will order a maidservant to bring back the news for you. You must not leave your room yet.” “But I feel fine, I’m no longer so drowsy. I’ll only... t-talk to the knights. I’m sure they’ve received detailed reports f-from Livadon.” “But I’ve just brought you your meal and tonic...” The healer looked troubled as she set the tray on the table. Maxi had been drinking the bitter tonic every day, morning and night. She wrinkled her nose. “That tonic... m-makes me feel sluggish. I’ll have it when I get back.” The healer looked unsure for a moment but resignedly called for maidservants to accompany her. Maxi made her way down the quiet corridor with two maidservants trailing behind her. Since the princess’s palace was located in the most isolated place within Drachium Castle, it was peaceful during the day. The sun-lit corridor led onto a marble staircase. Afraid that Maxi might tumble down, the maidservants supported her by the elbows as she descended. It made her feel like a ninety-year-old crone, but she kept her complaints to herself. In truth, her legs felt weak from the long bed rest, and even just walking was enough to make her feel dizzy. Considering my current state, I can’t complain about the healers making a fuss. With a sigh, she descended the last step. It was then that she heard Princess Agnes’s voice. Maxi cocked her head. The princess usually spent her day in the training grounds or at the main castle and only returned to her palace around sunset. It was rare for her to be in her residence at this time. Worried that something might have happened, Maxi hurried down the corridor. When she peered through a half-open door, she saw Princess Agnes and Simon sitting in the middle of a spacious room lined with bookshelves. The princess was scrawling something on a piece of parchment. She leaped up from her desk when she spotted Maxi. “Maximilian. Should you be out of bed?” “I-I thought a brief walk... would be all right.” Without sparing Maxi a glance, the mage prodded the princess. “Your Highness, your hand has stopped moving.” “Goodness, I’m sick of your nagging. Are all wind magic users taught how to harp on and on as part of their training?” The princess angrily jabbed the quill into the ink bottle and added irritably, “Next time I’m going to ask them to only send me water mages!” “If you fail to adequately explain the situation to the coming inspectorate, you’ll have to wait at least a decade for new mages to be assigned to you.” Simon snorted and motioned for Maxi to come in. “What are you standing there for? Come in and take a seat.” “I-I’d rather not disturb you... when you are so busy. If you’ll excuse-” “And where are you going?” asked Agnes, looking concerned. Maxi gave her a bitter smile. “I-I was... thinking of going to see Sir Elliot t-to ask him news of the Remdragon Knights.” “Why go to the trouble when you can just ask me?” Fiddling with the quill, the princess smiled. “Everyone is well. If you consider the time it takes for the messenger pigeon to reach Drachium, they should have reached Levan or be on board a ship by now.” Hearing the good news, Maxi darted toward the desk. “R-Riftan... sent a message?” “Yes, it arrived this morning. Would you like to read it? It shouldn’t take more than two to three weeks for them to get here.” Princess Agnes rummaged through a pile of parchments and fished out a palm-sized note. Maxi took it from her, her eyes widening as she read. Number of dead among the Remdragon Knights: nil. The wounded will be treated in Levan before departure. That was it – just two sentences, and the date of their departure, hastily scrawled on the scrap of parchment. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶 Maxi’s face fell. It said they needed to treat the wounded. Was someone gravely injured? She was anxiously gnawing her lip when Princess Agnes said cheerfully, “Don’t worry. If one of the knights had been gravely injured, he wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to send such a message. The other lords put more effort into theirs. They report that they will be staying at the basilica in Levan for three to four days to treat their injured, then immediately board a ship back to Wedon. The main castle is already in a flurry preparing for a grand banquet.” The princess shuddered as though this exasperated her. “I’ve been writing hundreds of invitations ever since we received news of the victory. I think His Majesty is planning on using this opportunity to call all the nobles to the capital.” “Th-Then you must be... b-busy preparing for the banquet.” “Actually, planning a response to the Mage Tower’s inspectorate is currently more pressing than a frivolous banquet,” said Simon. He tapped on the parchment, urging the princess to keep writing. The parchment was filled with words in the ancient tongue. The princess groaned and started again. After watching over the princess’s progress for a moment like a warden, Simon turned to Maxi. “Three mages from the Mage Tower died during this campaign,” he explained. “Nornui has sent an inspectorate to make sure none of the deaths were caused by unjust commands. It will be difficult for Wedon to hire mages from the Mage Tower in the future if they are not satisfied with our explanation.” “Does the Mage Tower... have such authority?” “The Mage Tower was established to stop the persecution against mages, and its affiliates are all under its protection. Though the treatment of mages has improved in recent years, the Orthodox Church still holds unfavorable views of magic. That is why Nornui meticulously investigates the death of any of its mages to make sure there are no wrongful deaths.” “Which is why,” said the princess bitterly, “those in command, such as myself, are forced to jump through these hoops at every large-scale battle. They expect us to explain to a naive scholar who has never fought in a war and beg them for a new mage.” Maxi eyed the princess’s beautifully written ancient script for a moment before asking, “D-Does the Mage Tower... send its mages to w-wherever they are requested?” “When the Mage Tower receives a request, it is customary for them to review it and send those who volunteer. Though now it will likely take ages to receive a mage from them since every lord in the kingdom is vying to gather as many in their service as possible... The Mage Tower strives to distribute their numbers evenly throughout the kingdom.” “Th-Then... could Anatol also request a m-mage? We are sorely in need of more...” Both Simon and Princess Agnes froze. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Simon opened his mouth. “Well... your request will likely be rejected as long as that man remains in Anatol.” “Th-That man?” “Who else?! He’s referring to that brazen renegade!” the princess cried out. “Ruth Serbel, the runaway that abandoned the rules of the Tower! As long as that traitor is in Anatol, the Mage Tower would never consent to sending one of its own.” ... Maxi had always wondered why a renowned knightly order such as the Remdragon Knights only had one high mage in their service. It had never occurred to her that Ruth was the reason. As if her anger intensified the longer she talked about Ruth, the princess continued her outburst. “If not for that nuisance, many high mages would have volunteered to serve under Riftan Calypse. I’ve advised Riftan to drive that bastard away, but he never listens. He is suffering enormous losses because he stubbornly insists on remaining loyal to that useless scoundrel.” Maxi’s face fell. She knew it was not the princess’s intention, but her words reminded Maxi that Riftan had rejected a royal betrothal in order to honor a marriage vow he had been forced to make. Her heart grew cold. Misunderstanding Maxi’s expression, the princess collected herself and said, “Don’t worry. There are many unaffiliated mages that are quite skilled. When the Remdragon Knights return, I will make a request to the king to seek out accomplished mages for Anatol.” “Th-Thank you, Your Highness.” “No need to thank me. Now then, you should return to your room. It’s too soon to be overexerting yourself.” Unable to argue against the princess’s insistence, Maxi obediently returned to her bedchamber. She drank the tonic and lay back on her bed. Then, though she was sick and tired of doing so, she forced herself to sleep. A stream of uneventful days passed once more. In contrast, the main castle bustled with a procession of nobles arriving to attend the capital’s victory celebrations. The gardens were packed with servants every morning waiting to greet them. Picnics and welcome feasts were held in the evenings. Day and night, Maxi strained her neck from her bed to stare out at the castle gates, just in case Riftan miraculously arrived earlier than expected. It must have been a pitiful sight, for Princess Agnes called on her one day and suggested that Maxi attend that evening’s banquet. Maxi stared back at her in surprise. So far, the princess’s fussing over Maxi’s health had rivaled Riftan’s. ... As if she were aware of the reason, the princess gave her an embarrassed smile. “I spoke to the healers today, and they told me that your health has improved greatly. If it’s not too much of a strain, I think a change of scenery would do some good. After all, you’ve never attended any of the events this whole time you’ve been at the capital.” “B-But...” Maxi stammered, hesitant. Though she had attended the occasional social function at Croyso Castle, it had always been under her father’s watchful eye. They all ended the same way, with Maxi retiring to her room early. Since she had been forbidden from socializing with the other nobles, her knowledge of court etiquette came only from books. She had no conversational or social skills to speak of. Cold sweat broke out on her back as she imagined herself stuttering like a fool among the haughty nobles of the kingdom. In the end, she went with the same excuse she always used. “I-I do not like... loud gatherings...” The princess gave her a resigned look. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but I guess I must come clean. The truth is, the Duke of Croyso arrived at the castle this afternoon along with the other nobles from the north. You’ll be able to see him if you attend this evening’s banquet.” A chill ran down Maxi’s spine. She ducked her head to conceal her expression, her heart pounding as she felt the old terror creep back. “M-My father is here? Does he... know that I-I’m here?” “I’m sure His Majesty would have told him. The duke probably hasn’t come to see you yet because he has been accompanying my father since he arrived,” the princess replied brightly, mistakenly assuming that Maxi was upset with the Duke of Croyso for not coming to see his own daughter. Maxi suppressed a sardonic smile. She knew that her presence here meant nothing to her father. No, it was incorrect to say that he would be completely disinterested. She shrunk into herself when she recalled how he had threatened her if she ever besmirched the Croyso name. The Duke of Croyso had always disliked introducing Maxi to the other nobles. The man had kept her hidden away out of fear that the world would discover that his own flesh and blood was an inferior being. If she were to embarrass herself in front of Wedon’s nobility, her father would certainly make his fury known. Maxi tried to come up with an excuse to avoid the banquet. “I-I would love to attend... but I’m afraid I-I am too tired today. I-I think... it would be better to see him alone tomorrow.” “Is the exhaustion still quite bad?” “I-It is not that serious... but I fear that h-he would worry... if he saw me so sickly...” The princess nodded, convinced by her stammering excuse. “I understand. Then you should rest. I’ll ask the healer to bring you your tonic.” When the princess left the room, Maxi hid under the blanket and curled her shivering body into a tight ball. What excuse could she give to avoid seeing him tomorrow as well? On second thought, her father might be the one to come up with reasons not to visit her. There were countless nobles in the capital whom he needed to foster connections with. He would have no time to spare on someone like her. Maxi desperately clung to that hope. She did not wish to see him again. Her last memory of him was still raw in her mind. His voice as he threatened her of the fate that awaited if she brought shame to the family, his murderous eyes, and the cane threatening to strike at any moment... Maxi shuddered. She reassured herself by remembering that she had managed to avoid a divorce as her father had wanted, which should have been sufficient to satisfy him. She then desperately tried to banish all thoughts of the Duke of Croyso from her mind. Her hopes were dashed the very next day. In the morning, Maxi received word that the Duke of Croyso was waiting for her downstairs in the drawing room. He had come to the princess’s residence to see her. Maxi froze when she heard the news. Princess Agnes wore a disconcerting look that Maxi had never seen on her before. It was clear that the princess had talked to the duke already. “Your father was... visibly distressed when I told him that you were unwell,” said the princess. “He demanded that I let him see you immediately.”