Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 190
Chapter 190: Chapter 190
Even the ever-languid King Reuben grew stony at the duke’s flagrant disrespect of the princess. A dangerous glint shone in his golden-brown eyes as he looked down at his vassal.
“It seems you hold me in the lowest regard, Lord Croyso.” The king sat upright in his chair, an intimidating smile stretched on his face. “Have you forgotten that the person you insult is my daughter? I came here with an open mind, intending to listen to all of your complaints… but my patience wears thin.”
The duke immediately collected himself, though his eyes still burned with animosity. “It seems I misspoke in anger, Your Majesty. Nevertheless, I find the princess’s claim hard to believe. Everyone knows that she shares a close friendship with this scoundrel. I cannot help but suspect that she is lying to protect him.”
Acid dripped from the duke’s words. He turned his contemptuous gaze on Maxi.
“Though it pains me to say this about my own child, my daughter is feeble-minded. How could she have become a mage of the Mage Tower just six seasons after leaving the duchy? A donkey would have a greater chance of becoming a warhorse!”
Riftan’s face twisted viciously as he shot to his feet. The duke recoiled, seemingly fearful of an attack then and there. Ignoring the two royal knights who stepped in to restrain him, Riftan kept a murderous look fixed on the duke.
The princess deliberately raised her voice to shatter the tension. “If you doubt me, I will call on the knights who participated in the Livadon Campaign to stand witness. Not only did Maximilian serve as a healer in the coalition army’s support unit, but she also played a vital role in the final battle. This is a fact that the soldiers of Livadon, Osiriya, and Balto can vouch for. There are countless people who would gladly corroborate her talent as a mage.”
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The duke seemed in utter disbelief as he looked Maxi up and down. She hunched her shoulders out of habit before forcing herself to stand straight. There was no reason to be intimidated.
She furtively wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and met her father’s eyes. He could crush a person with his gaze, and he was currently using the full force of his disdain. Maxi could feel her face burning.
As she willed herself to meet his cold eyes, she suddenly realized that he was smaller than she remembered. She blinked. Her father had always seemed far bigger than her, and his scornful looks had always made her feel as minuscule as an ant. However, she now saw that he was only slightly taller than Princess Agnes. His stick-straight, lanky frame was skinnier than she remembered. Compared to a troll or a werewolf, he was practically a scarecrow.
In an instant, the fear that had mushroomed inside her drained away like sand. All that was left was empty bewilderment.
Why had she been so afraid of him? After their reunion, there had been no reason for her to cower before him. She had the means to protect herself now. Her magic could block a Remdragon Knight’s blow; her father’s cane could not be more powerful than that.
Maxi swept a placid gaze over him. “It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. I am… a mage. If you insist on putting my husband on trial… I will also use every means available to me to fight it.”
Maxi felt Riftan’s fierce glare boring into her cheek. Although his eyes glinted dangerously, he kept his mouth firmly shut as if he could not bring himself to call her out on her deception. He seemed inclined to keep his silence for now. Maxi let out a surreptitious sigh of relief when the Duke of Croyso’s shrill voice cut through the room.
“You ungrateful wench! Go ahead! Let’s see who wins! We’ll see who was telling the truth!”
“You cannot be serious.” King Reuben, who had been watching the situation unfold with avid interest, heaved a sigh. “Lord Croyso, things will become exceedingly cumbersome for both of us if the Mage Tower gets involved. Do you realize that you are about to be accused of persecuting a mage?”
“How can I be accused if I was not even aware that my daughter was one?!”
“Whether you did it knowingly or unknowingly does not matter,” Princess Agnes retorted coldly. “What does is whether physical violence was inflicted.”
Simon nodded his agreement. “Her Highness is correct. The events before and after the assault are incidental. The Tower will draw its verdict based solely on whether or not an act of violence was perpetrated.”
The duke’s face was now almost purple with rage. Amusement rose on the king’s face.
“Thus is the quandary, Lord Croyso. You must know how vexing the Mage Tower can be. If they turn their back on you, the majority of the mages in your duchy will leave. It would be futile for you to expect the Tower to ever send any to you again. Are you still going to demand a trial even in the face of such sanctions?”
The duke opened his mouth as if to protest before clenching it shut without a word. Though he was almost foaming with rage, his years as a high-ranking nobleman seemed to hold him in check. He rolled his eyes upward as though trying to calculate the potential losses in the event of this unforeseen scenario.
King Reuben quietly observed the duke. Then, as if to ram his point home, he said, “If you go ahead with this trial, not only will your house lose its prestige, but also many of its high mages. Quite the predicament for you, seeing as you have to keep Dristan at bay. And that’s not all. If the Mage Tower decides to move on this, even I will not be able to disregard it.”
The duke’s face visibly stiffened. “You mean…”
“That Nornui will prevent the royal family from taking your side during the trial.”
“Your Majesty, you have a duty to preserve the dignity of your nobles. Are you not concerned about the royal family earning the enmity of all the houses?”
“I grow tired of your threats, Lord Croyso,” the king said after a while, his eyes turning cold. “My only wish is to maintain Wedon’s unity and safeguard the peace of the Seven Kingdoms. To think that you would use that against me… I cannot help but doubt your loyalty.”
“Your Majesty, my life was threatened by the man you personally knighted. To whom would I turn to for justice if not you?”
“Is that not why we have been tolerating your whining thus far?”
The duke’s lips turned white with humiliation at the king’s irritable response. Seeing this, King Reuben softened his voice.
“I do think that what happened to you was unfortunate. Calypse did go overboard. But having heard both sides, it’s clear that it was your actions that instigated it. Calypse will no doubt be condemned by many of the nobles if this goes to trial, but so will you. It will be harder to determine who’s at fault if the Mage Tower gets involved. What good will come from taking this further? Would you not be making a mockery of yourself if the verdict does not land as you wish?”
Beside himself with rage, the duke’s shoulders shook. He seemed to be in denial that his plan was on the verge of falling apart. His bloodshot eyes darted between Riftan and Maxi.
Maxi was scared that her father would burst into belligerent protests, but the sense of propriety ingrained into his core managed to contain his boiling anger. The duke clenched his jaw in a desperate attempt to collect himself.
It was then that the king made his offer.
“Still, it would be unfair of me to let this matter slide after all you’ve been through. So, how about this? Allow this affair to pass quietly, and I will halve the dowry you pledged for Rosetta.”
The duke’s rage was so all-consuming that the king’s proposal seemed to fall on deaf ears. He pressed his lips into a thin line, refusing to answer.
“But if you insist on going against my will,” the king continued imposingly, “I will be obliged to nullify the engagement between our houses. You cannot expect me to link the royal family with a disloyal vassal.”
With that, the duke was left with no choice. He clutched his cane with so much force that it was surprising it did not splinter.
“I understand,” the duke said, forcing the words from his mouth as though vomiting blood. “I shall… withdraw my suit… as Your Majesty wishes.”
Maxi exhaled the breath she had been holding. Though she had acknowledged it with her own ears, she still could not believe that her father had caved.
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. 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.”
“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 half-heartedly 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 got to their chambers that Riftan finally spoke.
“Whose idea was this?”
