Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 188
Chapter 188: Chapter 188
Maxi paced around the waiting room and fervently prayed for a miracle. Judging by the occasional shouts that filtered through, it did not seem they would be answered.
Anxiously gnawing her lip, she imagined her father using absurd sophistry to frame Riftan. It set her nerves on edge just thinking about it.
She cracked the door open and peeked down the dark corridor. They were in the furthest room. Since King Reuben had prohibited third parties from participating in the mediation, there was no way of knowing how it was progressing. Maxi continued stewing in anxiety and pacing the length of the room when Ursuline spoke. Until then, the knight had been quietly leaning against the wall.
“I don’t think they will be calling you for further testimony, my lady. Why don’t you return to your chambers to rest?”
Ruth jerked his head up from where he had been dozing before the fireplace. “Yes. Let us return to our rooms. Sitting here won’t help anyone.”
“At least a shred of concern from you would be nice…” Ursuline said with a disapproving frown. He heaved a sigh. “But the sorcerer has a point. The talks won’t end anytime soon, so I suggest you get some sleep, my lady. They might go on through the night at this rate.”
“D-Do you mean all night long?”
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When Maxi’s eyes grew wide in surprise, the knight gave her a bitter smile.
“It is a tactic the king frequently uses to bring unruly subjects to heel. His Majesty is as robust as any knight. He’s able to tire most opponents into submission.”
“Don’t worry too much, my lady,” Elliot chipped in optimistically. “The king is fully capable of dragging out this mediation for two whole nights, and so is our commander. The Duke of Croyso will be forced to give in soon.”
Maxi sighed at their naivety. They clearly knew nothing about the duke.
Her father’s tenacity was second to none. Two nights? He would scream obscenities until he coughed up blood if he were told to do so. It occurred to Maxi that the king might have given her father the opportunity to do just that. It was obvious that the duke would be eagerly vilifying Riftan, letting loose a deluge of slander against him.
Maxi rubbed her throbbing temples. Seeing this, Ursuline grabbed the cloak on the wall.
“Let me escort you to your chambers, my lady.”
He opened the door with a determined look that said he would make sure she rested regardless of her answer.
Although she was certain that she would not be able to sleep, she was still exhausted from being on edge the whole day. Thinking that she ought to lie down even for a short while, Maxi resignedly agreed.
She was about to leave when she saw a faint light flickering at the end of the corridor. Maxi paused at the door. Princess Agnes was heading toward them with the royal mage, Simon. Realizing who they were, Ruth crept into the corner as if fleeing from a plague. Ursuline watched him with a disparaging look before stepping forward to address the princess.
“Your Highness, what brings you here at this hour?”
“There is something I wish to discuss,” said Princess Agnes, her anxious gaze flying to Maxi. “Can you spare me a moment?”
Maxi hesitated before stepping back into the room. The princess let out a sigh of relief at Maxi’s silent invitation and entered with Simon.
Maxi nervously studied the princess’s grim expression. A fire crackled on one side of the waiting room, while Ruth, Elliot, Ursuline, and two other members of the Remdragon Knights stood at the other end.
Princess Agnes’s gaze swept over their faces before landing on Maxi. In all the time Maxi had known her, she had never seen the princess look so exhausted. Her blue eyes appeared conflicted.
When the princess showed no sign that she would speak first, Maxi asked, “H-Has… something happened?”
“This might take a while. Can we sit?”
The hairs on Maxi’s nape stood on end at the hesitation in the princess’s voice. Managing to calm her nerves, she led the princess to the table. The knights waiting on the sidelines promptly pulled chairs out for them.
“Thank you.”
The princess gave a strained smile and sat down. Maxi clenched her skirt as she took the seat opposite. She glanced at Simon, silently standing behind the princess, and wondered why he was here.
“I apologize for being unable to stop things from getting this far,” said Princess Agnes. “I did everything I could, but the duke’s influence is truly formidable. Every noble who held any position at court took his side.”
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then heaved a sigh.
“I think he’s already managed to bribe most of them. We won’t be able to do anything if this goes to trial.”
“Y-You promised to… support Riftan i-if the duke put pressure on Anatol,” Maxi desperately reminded the princess.
The princess’s expression grew troubled, and there was a touch of a plea in her voice as she spoke.
“I understand how it must look to you, but I assure you, His Majesty and I are doing our best to protect Riftan. The royal family must always stay impartial. We cannot ignore the nobles’ demands and take Riftan’s side without sufficient justification. It’s why we called this mediation so urgently before it goes to a formal trial.”
“The commander’s actions were justifiable,” Ursuline interjected. “The Duke of Croyso harmed the commander’s wife. If I may put it plainly, shouldn’t he be grateful that we didn’t demand retribution?”
“That’s a knight’s logic. The nobles do not see it that way.”
The princess placed her hands on the table and clasped them together. She seemed to take a moment to find the right words before she spoke again.
“I’m sure you’re aware that a woman does not have all that much legal standing. Practically none, in fact. A daughter is her father’s property, and a wife is her husband’s. Even if the duke physically harmed you… if you are unable to prove that the abuse was life-threatening, the duke would only be required to pay a measly compensation. On the other hand, a knight breaking into a castle and attempting to murder its lord is a much more serious crime.”
“That’s preposterous!” exclaimed Elliot, sounding uncharacteristically exasperated. “None of this would have happened if it weren’t for the duke! Are you saying that we should have done nothing after witnessing such an atrocity?”
Princess Agnes bobbed her head to show that she understood. “I don’t think that Riftan has done anything wrong either, but a trial is a battle of who is more right. Even if we scoured the laws of Wedon and Roem combined, the facts are not in Riftan’s favor. Moreover, the duke has gathered more witnesses and has a legion of nobles backing him. If we fail to stop this trial, we won’t be able to prevent the nobles from stripping Riftan of his knighthood.”
The room seemed to spin around Maxi. Her ears ringing, she hung her head in despair. Elliot’s agitated voice sounded distant in her dazed state.
“Then why did you stop us from waging war against the duke? Dealing with him with force would have been better! How could the royal family treat the commander like-”
“Elliot! That’s enough,” Ursuline reprimanded with a stern look. “Did you not hear Her Highness? The royal family is doing their best!”
Unable to contain his anger, Elliot glared defiantly back. “Whose side are you on, Sir Ursuline?! This whole thing is ludicrous. Why should our commander lose his knighthood because of that snake?! You know as well as anyone how dedicated Sir Riftan is to Anatol. We can’t allow them to snatch away the lands he has poured his blood, sweat, and tears into for the past decade. We should go ahead with the war as we originally intended!”
Elliot’s face was flushed with anger. Before Ursuline could say anything, the princess spoke with an imploring tone.
“I understand your anger, but I ask that you spare a moment to listen to what I have to say.”
Grasping at a shred of hope, Maxi looked at the princess. “D-Do you… have a s-solution in mind?”
“We must make the duke withdraw his case. That is the only possible solution,” the princess replied, her eyes bright with determination.
Her resolute demeanor sent a chill down Maxi’s spine. The princess held Maxi’s gaze for a long time, as if peering into her innermost thoughts, before continuing.
“We can only win by overturning the crux of the duke’s defense. And to do so, we need you to make a decision, Maximilian.”
Maxi looked baffled. Was the princess asking her to testify for Riftan during the trial? Had she not just explained that it would not be enough to point to the duke’s violence as a justification for his assault? Maxi urged the princess to continue.
“If there is anything I can do… I would be happy to. Please tell me exactly w-what I must do.”
The princess hesitated before she answered.
“I intend to get the Mage Tower involved.”
Maxi’s eyes widened, and Ruth let out a snort.
“And how exactly are you going to do that? The Tower strictly maintains its neutrality. It is their rule not to interfere with the internal affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, no matter the situation.”
The princess gave Ruth a disparaging glare as if to tell him that he had no right to make such comments. She sighed and said, “There is one thing that would prompt them to step in.”
“What are you-”
Ruth stopped mid-scoff and gaped as realization dawned on him.
“No… you’re not planning on recruiting her ladyship to the Mage Tower, are you?”
This time, even the knights grew wide-eyed. Maxi was about to chide Ruth for his nonsensical comment when the princess nodded.
“If Maximilian were to become a pupil of the Tower, we can charge the duke with mage persecution. Nornui takes protecting its mages very seriously. If there is a trial, they will send a representative to investigate. The moment the claims of physical harm are corroborated, not a single mage will remain in the duke’s service.”
“B-But… But…” Maxi stammered, unable to follow the rapid developments. “I-I don’t understand… Even if… I was to register with the Tower now… the incident… has already occurred. Can we still accuse the duke of mage persecution… w-when the assault happened earlier?”
The princess shook her head. “No, but I intend to falsify the record to show that you registered last spring. The story is that the last time I visited Anatol, I urged you to register as a mage of the Tower, and you agreed.”
“B-But…”
At a loss for words, Maxi turned to Ruth with a disconcerted look. She still remembered what he had told her about the Mage Tower’s training regimen.
“I-I heard that one is required… to study at N-Nornui for four years… to become a mage. My father is aware th-that I’ve never been there. I’ve only spent a year in Anatol… and before then, I’d never left Croyso Castle.”
Simon broke his silence as Maxi finished her point.
“A good deal of people register first before entering Nornui to begin their studies.” Without bothering to ask permission, he took the seat next to the princess and continued calmly, “It won’t be difficult coming up with a reason to explain your late entry. We can say that you registered last spring at Princess Agnes’s recommendation. Although you intended to depart immediately, the monster army invaded, so you decided to delay your studies to offer what assistance you could.”
“Can she still receive the Tower’s protection without formal training?” Ursuline asked.
The princess nodded. “One receives Nornui’s protection the moment they register. They have assured me that they will turn a blind eye to the falsified date.”
The conversation seemed to be spiraling out of control. Maxi almost felt steam shooting from her ears as she tried to keep up. She looked over the participants’ faces one by one – the princess’s determination, Simon’s calmness, and Ruth’s stoniness.
“Th-Then… does that…?”
Her throat felt gritty as if she had swallowed sand. She willed the words out of her mouth.
“Does that mean… I’ll have to go to Nornui?”
The princess’s face fell slightly. She stroked the edges of her lip before giving a reluctant nod. “Yes, for at least three to four years… As a rule, one is expected to begin their training as soon as possible after registering.”
Elliot spoke when he noticed Maxi standing frozen.
“Could we not just leave it at registering her ladyship’s name? The commander would never agree to Lady Calypse being away from Anatol for that long.”
“The Mage Tower has its own rules, and those who register must abide by them. There are no exceptions.”
Ruth winced and backed away. After shooting him a glare, Princess Agnes rubbed her forehead. She sounded deflated as she continued speaking.
“Moreover, it would fail to convince the duke. That man will no doubt start another case the moment he learns he’s been duped. By then, he might also include a charge of deceiving a high-ranking noble.”
