Both Maxi and Princess Agnes froze at Riftan’s threatening tone. He leaned against the table, shooting daggers at them.

“Cat got your tongue? You both prattled on quite smoothly back there. I’ll ask again, whose damned idea was this?”

Maxi’s shoulders hunched over like a turtle at the warning in Riftan’s voice. In the end, it was Princess Agnes who answered with a sigh.

“It was mine. The only way to get the duke to give up on the trial was to threaten him with losses too heavy to bear.”

“And that’s why… you dragged my wife into this?”

Now that the recipient of his anger was clear, Riftan straightened himself and stalked over to the princess.

“Did anyone solicit your help? Because I don’t remember asking.”

“If the trial had gone ahead, you would have lost your knighthood and estate. We had no choice.”

“And how does that concern you? What right did you have to make such an offer to my wife?!”

Aghast at his extreme impertinence, Maxi clutched the hem of his tunic. “R-Riftan!”

Riftan turned his rage-filled eyes to her. His throat bobbed furiously as though he were holding back a thousand rebukes. He took a step back, appearing to contain himself, and scrubbed at his face.

Finally, he asked in a calmer manner, “What do you intend to do now?”

“The duke has high mages in his service who can communicate with the Mage Tower,” the princess replied. “He will probably get them to confirm the authenticity of our claims. The Tower administrators have agreed to corroborate our story, but a thorough investigation would easily reveal that Maximilian has never officially registered with the Tower. So, before that happens. ”

The princess hesitated before continuing gravely, “Maximilian must enter Nornui. Once she’s a member of the Mage Tower, the duke will not dig too deeply. And even if he does, they will do all they can to protect her. Their administrators promised me that they would change the date of her registration.”

Anticipating Riftan’s outburst, Maxi closed her eyes as soon as the princess finished speaking. Contrary to her fears, however, he remained ominously silent. She tore at her skirt, her heart clenching.

“If you were a man,” said Riftan, his forbidding voice ringing across the room, “I would have immediately challenged you to a duel.”

“I should be grateful I was born a woman, then,” the princess muttered bitterly. Sighing, she continued as though she were coaxing him. “Don’t just lose your head. Take some time to think this over. If Maximilian does this, you’ll be able to keep your knighthood and estate. And becoming a high mage will benefit her as well. With her skills, she will be able to leave Nornui within three years. You need only to endure until then, and everything will be solved.”

Riftan looked as though he could murder the princess with just his eyes alone. After leveling his frighteningly dark gaze at her for a while, he slowly aimed it at Maxi.

“And you agreed to this?”

Maxi gulped and bobbed her head. She could not think of anything else but the burning lump lodged in her throat. Seeing her at a loss for words, Riftan let out a hollow laugh.

“I was the imbecile for keeping my mouth shut, thinking you had a proper plan.”

“I-I’m sorry for not telling you of it sooner, but… I c-couldn’t just let you lose everything…” Maxi trailed off at his sharp intake of breath.

Riftan clutched his forehead and asked through gritted teeth, “So… you decided to leave?”

“I-It would only be three years at most. I-I will… do my best! I won’t sleep… or rest… and work h-hard every day… so I can return as soon as—”

“Enough!”

Maxi recoiled. Riftan clenched his jaw, his shoulders trembling, as he attempted to rein in his rage. His face flushed before regaining its usual stone stillness. Maxi could tell that his resolve had solidified into something impenetrable, more solid than a brick wall.

Riftan turned to the princess and said evenly, “You can forget it. I will never allow it.”

The princess opened her mouth, an argument at the tip of her tongue, before she appeared to realize that words were futile. She stopped and took a silent step back.

“I will visit Anatol again soon,” she said finally. “You can think it over until then. You’ll see that this is the only option we have.”

“Don’t bother,” Riftan intoned as he pulled Maxi toward the door. “As long as I’m the lord of Anatol, you will never be welcome. I don’t want to see your face ever again.” ⁱ‘R-Riftan… You mustn’t—

Ignoring Maxi’s mortified protests, Riftan marched out of the room. Maxi looked over her shoulder as he dragged her along and saw Princess Agnes shaking her head. It was evident that the princess was just as taken aback by his reaction, which had been far angrier than expected.

Maxi was about to chide him for being too harsh when she noticed his grim expression.

“Make preparations to depart,” Riftan ordered the knights waiting outside. “We are leaving this castle.”

“Right now?” Elliot looked back and forth between Riftan and Maxi, then nodded without any objections. “Understood. I will prepare the carriage at once.”

Elliot raced down the corridor while Riftan continued walking with Maxi in tow. Ursuline, Ruth, and the other knights silently trailed them. They all seemed wary of Riftan’s menacing aura.

An hour later, their carriage was waiting for them in front of the castle gates. Maxi glanced at the knights in formation as she climbed in. They were leaving without paying their respects to the king. The breach of etiquette briefly crossed Maxi’s mind, but she dared not voice her concern. Riftan was too livid to care about such formalities.

Maxi sat down meekly and studied Riftan’s face. He fixed his piercing gaze on her for a while before swinging the carriage door shut.

The moment he was out of sight, the cold tension drained from her lungs. Maxi rubbed her throbbing temples and let out a weary sigh. This was likely the beginning of their most exhausting argument yet, and the thought filled her with dread.

An air of uneasiness surrounded them as they set out. Everyone seemed to act as though they were traversing thin ice. The knights refrained from talking, and Riftan seemed to be dead set on ignoring Maxi.

After several failed attempts to speak to him, she gave up and idly watched the passing scenery. It occurred to her that it would be better to remain in this carriage forever.

If only the journey back to Anatol could last longer than a month; it would allow her the time she needed to think things through in a calm state of mind. More than anything, though, she wanted to delay the eventual confrontation.

Whenever they stopped to rest, Maxi would cautiously study Riftan’s face. His fury was evident even from a distance. Though this was certainly not the first time she had witnessed his anger, she had never seen him so unstable.

Maxi felt miserable. It was not as if she wanted to leave his side either. Tears of anguish welled in her eyes, and she drew a blanket around herself as she huddled in the corner of the carriage.

“Are you all right, my lady?” Ursuline asked.

They had just arrived at Calypse Castle. The knight’s voice was full of worry as he helped Maxi climb out.

She gave an automatic nod in response. After handing Talon’s reins to a stable hand, Riftan strode over and snatched her arm from Ursuline.

“You and the others can rest after you’ve unpacked.”

“Everyone in the castle will want to know what happened. What should we—

“Tell them nothing has changed,” said Riftan brusquely, heading toward the great hall. Servants waited by the castle entrance to greet their lord, but Riftan did not even spare them a glance as he passed.

Maxi huffed as she tried to keep up with his quick steps. When they finally reached their bedchambers, cozy thanks to the warm fire, Riftan released his grip. He strode over to the armor stand where he began removing his robes and heavy armor.

For the first time, the palpable silence felt like torture. The only sounds were the crackling fireplace, rattling window, and clinking of armor. After a while, Maxi’s anxiety got the better of her.

“I-I know that you’re angry, but… there was no other way… t-to force my father to back down. I couldn’t let you face a trial.”

Riftan’s hand froze as he was placing his sword belt on the stand. His fierce eyes flew to her.

“No other way?”

Maxi flinched back as he marched over. When she went to back away, he caught her and leaned threateningly close.

“Don’t make me laugh. You could have just trusted me and let me handle it!”

“A-And your solution… was to leave Wedon?” Maxi bit her lip and glared back. “Do you really think… th-that abandoning everything — Anatol, the Remdragon Knights — is… a solution?”

Riftan’s jaw tightened, and he swore under his breath. He grabbed her shoulders.

“It’s decided, and I’ve already told the knights. I will have to give up the assets I’ve acquired as Anatol’s liege so it can fund the running of the estate. I will still be able to take any personal assets from my mercenary days. You wouldn’t have to worry about starving. Be it in Livadon, Osiriya, Balto, or Dristan… there are countless feudal lords who want me in their service. I can ask them for another piece of land and start over.”

Maxi stared at him vacantly, unable to believe her ears.

“H-How can you… s-say something so irresponsible? Y-You are the lord of Anatol… and the commander of the Remdragon Knights. Th-The people in this castle… the residents of this land… all worship you. The knights would give up their lives for you! And yet… you’re going to abandon them?”

Riftan’s eyes wavered ever so slightly. He clenched his fists as if to double down on his resolve. “If I leave, Hebaron or Ursuline would rule over Anatol. And the order has many outstanding knights. They will be fine!”

“But they don’t… w-want you to leave. And… I know you don’t either. Don’t even th-think about lying!”

Maxi jerked away from him and took a step back. The sight of him looking so helpless tore her heart to pieces.

“I have… w-witnessed firsthand how much you ch-cherish this land. Didn’t you… work day and night so Anatol could flourish? Why would you abandon it now… when you’re finally seeing the fruits of your labor? A-Are you going to… throw away everything you’ve built for the past decade… just for me?”

Maxi emphatically spread her arms. How could he decide to turn his back on the castle she had worked so hard to refurbish, the defenses he had built around it, and the city that had just begun to thrive?

“A-Are you in your right mind?” Maxi yelled. “0-Or have you gone completely insane?!”

“That’s right!” He grabbed her as she went to move further away and forced her to look at him. “Nothing else matters more than having you by my side. I can build walls and amass riches as many times as necessary. Tell me to do it a thousand times, and I will!”

Maxi clenched her jaw to suppress the sobs that threatened to burst from her throat. His blind obsession with her was incomprehensible. What on earth was it that bound this man so steadfastly to her? Her eyes roamed over his desperate expression.

She did not want to leave his side either, not even for a moment. Nevertheless, a part of her was aware that this was not right. They could not turn their backs on the world and live only for themselves. There were countless other things requiring his attention besides her.

“I-I…” Maxi croaked as though trying to dislodge a bone in her throat. “I want to go to Nornui.” Riftan stared back in disbelief. She desperately continued.

“B-Becoming a mage… would solve everything. Y-You won’t have to lose your lands… or leave the Remdragon Knights. You… 0-only have to wait three years. I promise I’ll return without—”

“Ha…” His hollow laugh cut Maxi off. He dropped his gaze to the floor and mumbled dejectedly,

‘You want me to go through that hell again?”

He had his hands over his face, and Maxi could see his fingers trembling faintly. Her torn heart felt like it was bleeding.

When he raised his head once more, all signs of vulnerability were gone, replaced by a blank mask.

“That time might not mean anything to you, but I already endured three years to be with you. Only God knows how miserable and lonely they were.”

His lips twisted into a wooden smile.

‘You don’t know what it’s like for a day to feel like a year, and a year like an eternity. Nor what it’s like to count the seconds, yearning for that person… Only someone who has no idea would ask that of me.” .