Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Chapter 177
“W-What’s the harm in trying? E-Even my father must know… th-that a conflict with the Remdragon Knights would be to his disadvantage. If we t-took a step back… and offered him terms h-he’d be willing to negotiate-”
“I’m afraid we’re past the stage for negotiations now, my lady. You must be aware of this yourself,” Ruth muttered grimly.
Unable to think of a retort, Maxi bunched her skirt in her fists. The Duke of Croyso was a man who valued his reputation and the prestige of his family name above everything else. Never before had he experienced the humiliation of being beaten bloody and crawling on the floor. Nothing they could offer would quell his outrage.
Maxi was certain of this. She hugged her cold forearms as she trembled in the hopelessness of it all.
Ruth quietly regarded her for a moment. “Don’t you want to make the duke pay for what he did to you? He may be your father, but… that doesn’t pardon his atrocious actions.”
Maxi’s face blanched at the unexpected question. She looked at Ruth, shame etched across her features, before casting her eyes to the floor.
“I-I… don’t care what happens to that man,” she muttered coldly. “I just… don’t want Riftan and the others… to go off to war again.”
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“Those men have lived all their lives on the battlefield, and they will continue to do so. You won’t last if you get worked up every time.”
Maxi clenched her jaw. Ruth’s gaze lingered on her before heaving a sigh.
“I understand your sentiments, my lady, but I pray you will stand by Sir Riftan’s decision this once.”
Maxi begrudgingly nodded. No matter how much she racked her brain, she could not think of a way to get her father to change his mind, nor the words to persuade Riftan. She was dejectedly biting her lip when Ludis entered the room with a tray of steaming herbal tea. It was unfortunate that neither of them were in the mood for it.
Maxi excused herself and returned to her room. She had been so tense during the exchange that she felt drained the moment she sat on her bed. Flopping onto the sheets, she tried to recall the faces of her father’s vassal knights. None of them would be a match for Riftan. That was what she mumbled to herself in an attempt to assuage her fears, but it proved ineffective. Rubbing her throbbing temples, Maxi closed her eyes.
The war preparations began in earnest. Maxi often saw mercenaries and knights doing drills together in the training grounds, and she occasionally spotted carts loaded with weapons and cannonballs rolling into the castle.
She was forced to turn a blind eye to it all. Though a torrent of words hounded her whenever she saw Riftan’s face, she could not find the right ones to say aloud.
Should I apologize for causing this war? Or do I insist that I have no desire for revenge?
With no idea of what to say, Maxi gave him the cold shoulder on more than one occasion. There was no doubt that Riftan would have sensed the anxiousness that shrouded her, but still he refused to tell her anything.
His behavior was the main reason behind her despondence. He was always unduly courteous and cautious around her, and it made her fear that he no longer felt the passion he once had. And though he tended to her more attentively than ever, it felt closer to a father looking after a child than a husband caring for his wife.
What was more, Riftan had yet to tell her about the war himself. Was he afraid that she would collapse from shock? Lost in her thoughts, Maxi stared out the window.
The garden bustled with laborers busily preparing for winter and sentries transporting provisions. Upon Maxi’s orders, Ludis had made inquiries and had found out that all the war preparations would be over in three to four days’ time. After which, Riftan would advance on the Duke of Croyso with four hundred mounted troops.
Maxi forced herself to banish the horrors of war from her mind and turned away from the window. Ludis, who was sewing by the fireplace, saw Maxi’s dark expression and crinkled her face in concern.
“My lady, shall I bring you something to eat?”
“N-No, I had too much at lunch. I have no appetite.”
“Then how about a warm cup of-”
“I-I said I’m fine.”
Hearing the irritation in her master’s voice, Ludis closed her mouth. Maxi felt sudden remorse at being snappy for no reason.
“I-I will… let you know if I do,” she said, her face turning red. “I truly… don’t have an appetite for anything at the moment.”
Ludis gave her a small smile to indicate that she did not mind and returned to her sewing. Feeling like an overanxious child, Maxi began pacing around her chambers. That was how she passed the afternoon until the blare of a kopel sounded outside.
Maxi’s head jerked up. Two long blasts. That meant that someone of high status had come to the castle. She hurried over to the window to see a group of about forty envoys carrying the banner of the royal family. Cold sweat trickled down her back as she watched them enter the gates. Had the king sent a mediator as everyone had expected?
“L-Ludis… please help me get ready. W-We have guests.”
Maxi was in such a hurry that she almost stumbled over a bump in the carpet. Ludis steadied her and helped her to the stool in front of the mirror. When she was seated, the maidservant skilfully rolled Maxi’s curls into a hairnet in the blink of an eye. Ludis then heated a clothing iron, which looked like a rod with a flat, iron plate at the end, and smoothed the wrinkles on Maxi’s dress.
After meticulously assessing herself in front of the mirror, Maxi draped a velvet cloak over her shoulders and hurried out of the room. Through the railing, she spotted Riftan and the knights greeting the guests on the floor below. The tight tension surrounding both parties made her freeze.
Princess Agnes stepped out from the royal retinue that filed into the hall. Relief washed over Maxi; at least one of the royal envoys was someone who held Riftan in goodwill. When the princess began speaking, however, Maxi’s relief dissipated at her grave tone.
“I have undertaken this long journey in all haste to bring you His Majesty’s message. I hope you will forgive me for coming unannounced.”
Riftan regarded the princess coldly before turning away. “If the message is so urgent, I assume it cannot wait until you’ve rested. Please, follow me. Rodrigo, take Her Highness’s guards somewhere they can rest.”
As Riftan began climbing the stairs, the princess, the two knights flanking her, and four opulently dressed attendants followed.
Maxi reflexively hid behind a pillar, intimidated by the hostile atmosphere. Could she intrude on their conversation when it was so fraught with tension? Not knowing what to do, Maxi hesitated for a while before making her way toward the drawing room. She did not wish to return to her chambers where she would be all alone, tormented with anxiety. And frankly, was she not the main reason all of this was happening?
Mustering her courage, she approached the arched mahogany door. The knights and the veiled attendants standing outside threw glances at her. Maxi paused and was about to greet them when she heard the princess’s icy voice from inside the room.
“His Majesty has made it very clear that he will not condone a war.”
Maxi flinched and froze to the spot. Riftan’s furious voice followed.
“The crown has no right to interfere in this matter. You have failed to keep your word to protect my wife, so what right do you have to deny me?!”
“Please remember whom you are addressing!”
The heated exchange carried on before everything went quiet. The princess’s heavy voice finally broke the silence.
“I have no excuse for my failure, but that’s a personal debt I must repay. I come to you now not as Agnes Reuben but as the king’s messenger. I ask that you show me due respect.”
Riftan said something in a low tone that was practically a mumble, and Maxi could not make it out. The frigid tension behind the door had her scared stiff. She found herself neither able to enter nor walk away. Cold sweat prickled her back as she stood rooted to the spot.
Once again, the princess’s tight voice came through the door.
“His Majesty does not want to jeopardize the stability of Wedon. I’m sure you’re well aware of the Duchy of Croyso’s territorial dispute with Dristan. If the duke were to lose a significant number of his men in a war with Anatol, Dristan would never let the opportunity slip through its fingers. They will attempt to reclaim the eastern part of the duke’s territory, which will be a heavy loss for Wedon.”
“Stop your exaggerations! Plundering another territory is a clear violation of the armistice. Dristan would never dare openly disregard it.”
“Dristan has reasonable grounds for it. The eastern parts originally belonged to their kingdom. The lands should have been returned after the treaty, but the duke asserted his claim when he married a Roemian princess. If Dristan points to that as their reason, even Osiriya won’t be able to intervene.”
Maxi stiffened at the gravity in the princess’s voice. She sounded even more somber as she continued.
“The balance of power among the kingdoms is the only thing sustaining the armistice. If that balance breaks, no treaty will hold any sway. It could collapse all order in the Seven Kingdoms.”
“There have been disputes between the kingdoms for all kinds of reasons even with the armistice. If one war is enough to dissolve it, then it would’ve collapsed a long time ago!”
“Have I not just explained to you that any conflict between Anatol and Croyso won’t end with one war? We simply cannot allow anything that would weaken Wedon’s power and give Dristan the opportunity to invade. If you insist on going against His Majesty’s orders, he intends to ask Osiriya for reinforcements to stop Anatol.”
Maxi gasped. The king’s reaction was far more serious than she had expected. She felt a chill deep in her bones. The tension oozing from the other side of the door was almost palpable. After a moment of silence, the princess spoke again in a much calmer tone.
“That is how gravely the royal family regard this matter. I pray that you will not force us to take such extreme measures.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It is a request. The mantle of Rosem Wigrew’s reincarnation is bestowed only on those who have greatly contributed to the peace of the Western Continent. I ask that you rescind your declaration of war, at the very least so as not to sully that title.”
A thud sounded behind the door as if in rebuttal.
“Why would I care about a title I never wanted?” Riftan snarled. “If Dristan tries to invade, I will consider it my responsibility to drive them out. The king may do whatever he wants, but he won’t be able to stop me this time.”
Maxi could not stand by and listen anymore. She was reaching for the handle when a slim hand as pale as white jade blocked her. Startled, she looked up to see one of the princess’s attendants next to her. The attendant regarded Maxi through her veil before opening the door.
Riftan’s fierce gaze flew straight to the attendant as she strode into the room. Unfazed, she strode over to him and removed her veil.
Riftan’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here…?”
“I asked Her Highness to bring me along as one of her attendants. I thought I would have to step in if she failed to persuade you.”
The delicately beautiful voice was one Maxi had spent years listening to. Could it be…? Maxi began to doubt her ears.
“Coming here was a great risk on my part. I have come counting on your honor as a knight, so I trust you will not harm me.”
Hebaron, who had been quietly standing next to Riftan, scowled and interjected. “You offend us. We would never do anything as cowardly as taking an innocent woman hostage.”
Ignoring the knight’s interruption, Rosetta haughtily regarded Riftan.
“I believe, sir, that you owe me a debt. Is that not so?”
“Are you asking me to repay you by rescinding my declaration of war?” said Riftan, his voice growing dangerously low.
Despite the intimidating aura rolling off him, Rosetta refused to back down. She scoffed and looked toward Maxi.
“What else do you have to offer me?”
Maxi’s eyes widened as she met Rosetta’s turquoise gaze. She could not process what was happening.
With a condescending smile curled on her lips, Rosetta said, “Of course, you may ignore my request if you don’t agree that you are indebted to me. If you consider my help inconsequential, by all means, pay me no mind and invade my home. How could I protest if you regard executing your will more important than the debt you owe?”
Riftan followed Rosetta’s gaze and locked on Maxi, his face hardening. Maxi took a step back. A suffocating silence fell over the room. Rosetta seemed to be testing Riftan as she fixed her eyes on him, while Princess Agnes maintained the silent pressure.
Riftan had his jaws clenched throughout this exchange. After a while, he swore under his breath and glared at Rosetta.
“The debt I owe is great…” he said through gritted teeth. “Fine. I will withdraw Anatol’s declaration of war.”
