Chapter 187: Chapter 1
Riftan’s reaction sent a chill through Maxi. The only time he became frighteningly calm like this was when his anger was at a tipping point. She worried that he might launch himself at the duke.
Princess Agnes had so far stayed silent throughout the proceedings. She now cried out as though she could not contain herself any longer.
“What unreasonable demands! Sir Riftan is indisputably an honorable knight. He is the hero who risked his life to fight in the Dragon Campaign in your stead, Lord Croyso! If you were to make him stand before the tribunal, it would only earn you the ridicule of the whole continent.”
The duke’s face flushed crimson. He directed an icy glare at the princess and said, “That man entered my castle by stealth and assaulted me while I was unarmed. I doubt I would be the only one condemned...”
The duke’s scheming eyes flew back to Riftan.
“Even if I were, it wouldn’t matter,” he spat through clenched teeth. “I will make him stand trial for his crimes. Nothing will convince me otherwise.”
“You don’t know when to stop talking, do you?”
Riftan had been watching the duke’s determined face. As he finally broke his silence, he unfolded his arms and leaned over the table. The action reminded Maxi of a predator flattening itself before it pounced.
The duke visibly recoiled. Riftan took a moment to observe the duke’s reaction with derision before muttering in an ominously gentle voice, “I have always admired your ability to come up with the most believable excuses. Why don’t you just be honest? Tell them that you are terrified of me.”
“Y-You insolent- What nonsense!”
The corner of Riftan’s lips twisted scornfully. “You were scared out of your wits by my declaration of war, and you probably thought you would never regain your peace of mind unless you had my fiefdom taken from me. But you are mistaken. If I am no longer bound by pledges or treaties, I’ll be free to show you just how deranged I really am.”
Icy silence fell over the assembly room. Ignoring his stunned audience, Riftan slowly drove his point home like a tiger cornering its prey.
“I have a knack for sneaking into places. And you cannot even begin to imagine the unspeakable things I did as a mercenary. Do you know what that means? It means that the fear of not knowing whether each night could be your last will never allow you to rest peacefully. When you open your eyes in the morning, the first thing you’ll do is to check that your head is still attached to your neck. Whenever you leave your castle, you’ll seek out the corners where I might be hiding, lying in wait to ambush you. If you’re prepared to live like that for the rest of your life...”
Riftan fixed his gaze on the duke as his words sunk in. He slowly added, “Then, by all means, do as you wish.”
“H-How dare... you make such deplorable threats!”
The duke shot to his feet, his face white with terror. His lanky body shook as though he had been struck by lightning.
Shaking his finger at Riftan, the duke cried out, “Did you hear him, Your Majesty? Did you hear what this low-born just said? How can such a ruffian be called an honorable knight and a hero?! He is a dangerous madman! We need not bother with a trial. You must strip him of his knighthood this instant and have him hanged for insulting a nobleman!”
“Silence!”
King Reuben’s regal voice boomed across the assembly room that now sounded more like a madhouse. He rubbed his temples and drew out a heavy sigh.
“Did you make me rush down here to watch this circus?”
“Your Majesty! Are you still trying to defend this man after what he just said? If you do not punish him immediately-”
“Enough! If you interrupt me again, I will have you punished for contempt of the monarchy.”
The duke shot Riftan an aggrieved look before begrudgingly taking his seat. Only then did the king turn his stern gaze on Riftan.
“Calypse, your behavior is simply unacceptable. Regardless of how angry you are, you cannot make such appalling threats as a knight. Such declarations will do nothing for your cause.”
“Didn’t that man just proclaim that he will not be withdrawing his case? If that’s so, why should I be mindful of my words?” Riftan’s tone was bland as he leaned back in his chair. “If I lost my knighthood, I would no longer be a knight. Thus no longer bound by the code of chivalry. And mercenaries have their own rule: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
Just as King Reuben had managed to pacify the room, uproars erupted over the audience once more. The duke bellowed his outrage, denouncing Riftan for his vile threats, while Ursuline retaliated by condemning the duke for initiating.
Even the ever-decorous Elliot launched criticisms at the duke. When the Croyso knights joined the shouting match, the room truly was no different from the circus the king had described it as. Such a bitter, heated atmosphere was not what Maxi had been expecting, and she recoiled from the noise.
Having reached the end of his patience, the king leaped to his feet.
“You insolent fools! Must I upend a pail over your heads for you to come to your senses?! Have you forgotten whose presence you are in?!”
He slammed a fist on the table. Maxi worried that he was so fed up with his vassals’ insolence that he might storm off. However, in a display of admirable patience, King Reuben walked over to the window and looked up at the pale winter sky. He appeared much calmer when he turned around.
“It seems we cannot have a civilized conversation with both of you in the room. I will speak to each of you alone. Calypse, you will be first.”
The king turned his sharp gaze on the duke.
“Lord Croyso, you are to wait in the adjacent room. I would be grateful if you try to collect yourself.”
Obeying the king’s commands, everyone except Riftan rose from their seats. The duke exited the room first with his four knights and a cleric, and Maxi and Ursuline followed suit. She could not tear her eyes away from Riftan’s back even as the door closed. The situation was becoming far more serious than she had anticipated.
Her father’s determination to bring Riftan to trial was stronger than she had ever thought possible. Riftan showed no intention of backing down. In fact, he did not seem inclined to defend himself at all.
Maxi gnawed her lip. If the king failed to bring about a resolution, there would be a trial at Drachium Castle within a few months. Would Riftan stand a chance of winning? After pacing the length of the corridor, Maxi went after the duke. The flustered knights tried to dissuade her.
“My lady, you mustn’t. There is no point in talking to such a man.”
“I-It won’t take long. I just... h-have something I wish to say.”
She pushed past the knights and ran after her father. The duke, marching ahead shielded by his men, came to a halt. His cold eyes flew to her. Even an insect crawling on the floor would not have received such an icy look.
“You dare show your face to me?” the duke snarled.
Maxi took a deep breath to dispel her terror. Her father could not harm her anymore. She was no longer a Croyso – she was a Calypse. Repeating this in her head, Maxi spoke calmly.
“Please... withdraw your case.”
The duke scoffed as though he found the request so preposterous he could not even be bothered to be angry.
Maxi quickly added, “Even if you go ahead with the trial... th-there is nothing to gain. Rather... you have much to lose. It will strain your relationship... with the royal family and earn you the scorn of the nobles. And... if you insist on putting my husband on trial... I-I will testify in his defense. I will... expose all the cruelty I suffered at your hands... a-and have you charged!”
Her father’s eyes burned with an all-consuming rage. Maxi willed her trembling legs to stay still. She could not believe that she was standing up to him, right to his face.
The fear that his cane might come flying at her made her back prickle with cold sweat. Despite this, Maxi mustered all the courage she could and stared directly into his ruthless eyes. There was a moment of suffocating silence. Finally, her father spoke.
“Do as you wish.”
Maxi flinched at his surprising calmness. The duke’s lips twisted into a mocking smile.
“Do you truly think anyone would bother listening to what you have to say? Cruelty? Ha! And how do you intend to prove it? The world will only see you as the daughter who framed her own father to defend her husband.”
Maxi’s eyes darted over the Croyso knights surrounding them. The sight of their unfeeling expressions plunged her into despair. As vassals of the House of Croyso, these men would never defy her father to take her side. She doubted even her nursemaid would be willing.
The duke gave a derisive click of his tongue. “Let’s suppose the impossible and say that they did believe you. Do you really think it would affect the trial? All I did was discipline my child properly. Only God knows the effort I put in to fix that atrocious impediment of yours.”
Maxi was left speechless by her father’s shamelessness. She simply could not believe her ears.
“Are you saying... that everything you did was for my sake?”
...
The duke raised his chin. “Why would I have bothered to have you treated each time if my intention was abuse? I always made sure that you were left with no scars. All of that was for but one reason – to mend you.”
Maxi opened her mouth to argue, but she was so stunned that she could not think of anything to say. A hollow laugh was all she could manage.
How could he claim that everything had been for her sake when he had ravaged her life with anguish and pain? The duke watched her lips tremble with a look of contempt before he landed his next blow like a hammer on a nail.
“I bent over backward trying to make you normal. A parent raising a hand against their child in the name of discipline could never be considered a criminal.”
“W-Would that still apply after I married Riftan? Y-You had no right... to put your hands on me, even if you are my father!” Maxi yelled, no longer able to contain the anger surging up inside her.
The duke scowled and shook his head as if he found it laughable.
“Do you truly think kicking up a fuss will make a difference? If charges are laid, I would only be slapped with a fine. Your husband, however, would have to pay more than that for his transgressions.”
Evidently at the end of his tether, Elliot grabbed the hilt of his sword and stepped forward. Although Maxi was just as incensed, she moved to stop him. There would be no turning back if blades were drawn. She gathered the last of her composure and glared at her father.
“E-Even if you were to be spared just punishment... it wouldn’t matter. I will still expose all of your disgraceful a-actions. I’m certain that many will denounce your hypocrisy. A-And even that lofty reputation of your house you care so much about... will be muddied. Are you sure... you’ll be able to bear the disgrace? Is your revenge... really worth the sacrifice?”
Maxi could almost hear her father grinding his teeth. He gripped his cane as if steeling himself to strike, and the knights stepped forward protectively.
The duke glared at them in disdain and hissed, “By all means, let’s see what you can do! Tarnish your father’s reputation, make a mockery of yourself! It would certainly be a spectacle worth watching.”
...
The duke spun and entered the waiting room. Unable to face the knights, Maxi squeezed her eyes shut. She was ashamed of her abhorrent father, of her powerlessness, and above all, of dragging Riftan into this ditch with her. She hung her head and continued down the dark corridor.
The king spoke privately to the Duke of Croyso after his audience with Riftan. Then, with both of them present, the mediation carried on late into the night.
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