Max licked her parched lips, it felt like she was pushed to a corner. The thought of leaving Riftan’s side made her stomach twist. As she hesitated and couldn’t give an answer easily, Ruth, who was deep in thought, began to speak.
“I understand the intention of the princess. But it is a very sudden suggestion. If the lady becomes a World Tower wizard, the lady will have to live in Nornui for the next three or four years. Now is not the time to make such a decision. Give her time to think about it, please.”
“If it were possible, I also would like to have time. However, we do not know when the Duke of Croix will return to the duchy. The man was forced to come to this place because he could not overcome my father’s coercion. He must be thinking of leaving at the very least, after the negotiation is over.”
The princess tried to persuade her with an impatient attitude. Max didn’t know what to do and lowered her eyes. She said she would do anything for Riftan, and yet she couldn’t give an answer as to what she was willing to do. While she continued to hesitate, Ruth glared furiously at the princess.
“Can’t it wait for at least three or four days?! The answer shouldn’t be forced to be made now. Not only Sir Calypse’s future is at stake, but also of his wife’s.”
The princess whose eyebrows were furrowed in displeasure, nodded in disgust with a long sigh. “I understand. Think about this solution while the talks are going on.”
The princess rose from her seat along with Simon. Max couldn’t say a word until the princess left the room. She felt like she was balancing on one wooden leg. Uslin, looking at her pale face in fear, suddenly opened his mouth.
“You may refuse that option.” Max was surprised and her eyes widened, but he continued seriously. “The commander will probably protest against it. To tell you the truth… he’s already preparing to leave Whedon.”
“You mean he’s thinking of…going into e-exile?” She asked in perplexion.
Uslin nodded slowly. “From the beginning, the commander had no intention of going into trial. If these mediation talks fail, he plans to take the lady and go to Livadon immediately.”
“But t-then… Anatol, and the Re-Remdragon Knights…”
“Many of the members plan on following the commander. In fact, everyone wants to follow him in exile, but there are those who have to remain in Whedon due to some circumstances. Perhaps the Knights may be divided.”
Max sighed and looked anxiously at the faces of Ruth, Elliott, and the knights who were silently guarding the door. They had a calm face, as if it was a fact that everyone already knew: it was clear that Riftan had spoken to them beforehand. She could not bear the shock of it and sank into the chair.
Uslin added hastily. “I’m not trying to put a burden on the lady. It is not yet known how the mediation talks will conclude. We just assumed the worst that could happen and discussed it just in case.”
“If this mediation fails… Riftan… Anatol and the Remdragon Knights… he will lose everything.”
When she murmured vaguely, the man closed his mouth as if he didn’t know what to say. A heavy atmosphere surrounded them. At that moment, Ruth spoke seriously, grasping her shoulders with both hands.
“M’lady, it would be useless to think about this right now… better go and get some rest first. It is not something to decide just on impulse. Entering the World Tower means living as a wizard all your life. Whether or not you are prepared to do so, you should think carefully and with a clear mind before making any decisions.”
Max looked at him in the face with hazy vision, then nodded. Uslin quickly supported her and led her out of the waiting room. She followed him and walked down the dark corridor, struggling to clear her complex mind. The stories she had heard from the bard lingered in her head. Ancient wizards who built an island in the middle of the sea to escape the heretic hunters, in the center of which stood a huge tower… When the story of the legend came to her head, an unfamiliar fear flooded her. When she got back to her room, she couldn’t sleep a second and tossed and turned all night.
***
Riftan didn’t return to the room until the sun had risen from the horizon. Max turned her back, pretending to be asleep and squeezed her eyes shut. She heard sounds like he was taking off his clothes, then his heavy body slumped into the spot next to her. She let out a shaky breath. Riftan’s thick forearms embraced her waist tightly. The warmth of his body she felt radiating against her back made her eyes water. She blinked in the dark. Just because he married her, he was dragged into a situation where he could lose everything. Wasn’t he resentful of her, even though it was her father who was making him go through such torment? If he had divorced and married the princess when he returned from the expedition… he would never have ended up in this situation.
‘I’m such a fool. What even am I worth…?’ Her heart felt like it was rupturing and she closed her eyes tightly. ‘If I go to the World Tower, I will not be able to sleep in his arms for the following years. It has been so difficult being away from him for just a few months, will I be able to bear it for four years?’
“Don’t you worry about anything. Everything will be fine.”
Suddenly, Riftan’s deep voice echoed in her ear. As if realizing she hadn’t fallen asleep, he turned her body around, hugged her tightly to his chest, and pressed his cheeks against the top of her head. Max sank deeper into his arms, she wanted to run away with him and stay in his arms like that.
‘Can’t I just do as he planned? Leave his title, Anatol, the Knights, and everything else. Just the two of us far away from all this.’
She swallowed a desperate cry that was painfully scratching her throat. She wouldn’t forgive herself if she gave in to such temptation. She couldn’t always cling to him like a child who was afraid of being separated from her parents, it was her own fault and weakness that brought them to that situation. This was the result of her not placing his trust in him, constantly being suspicious and insecure, to the point that they got that deep in the problem. If she did nothing now and closed her eyes pretending not to know anything, she would end up forever despising and blaming herself.
The next morning, Max went to the annex where the princess was staying, escorted by knights, just before Riftan would go to the meeting room. Ruth insisted that she should think about it a bit more, but she was afraid that if she didn’t act at that moment, her resolve would crumble. Max closed her eyes tightly and knocked on the princess’s door. Agnes looked a bit surprised when she saw her standing in the doorway.
“Have you already made up your mind?”
The princess led her into the room and asked carefully. Max nodded as she sat down in a velvet-covered chair.
“The princess’s suggestion… I will accept it. I will become a wizard of the Wo-World Tower.”
Contrary to what she expected, Agnes’s pale face had a slightly complicated expression. “I know it’s ridiculous to say this after pushing you so hard yesterday, but… are you really sure? Once you enter the World Tower, you will not be able to leave the island until you have finished your training. Communication with the outside world is also subject to significant restrictions.”
Max nodded slowly. The princess narrowed her eyes, as if trying to assess her determination and looked at her with a helpless smile.
“I know Maximilian has no choice. It may sound hypocritical, but I made this suggestion because I thought it would also be beneficial to you.”
“You suggested it… because it is be-beneficial to me?”
She looked at her with a puzzled face. She would have to be separated from her husband for four years. How was that going to be beneficial to her?
The princess smiled bitterly when Max glared at her with angry eyes. “Maximillian is talented. The good judgment and quick decision-making you demonstrated during a crisis… that quality is rare even among well-trained wizards. If you study properly, you will surely become a great wizard in just a few years. I thought it was a waste to pass up that opportunity just because you were married.”
“You don’t have to say th-that. I… have already decided to leave.”
“I’m not flattering you, I’m serious.” The princess frowned as if she was annoyed. “Entering the World Tower is a most honorable event for a wizard. I wouldn’t have made an offer like this if I hadn’t thought Maximillian deserved it.”
As she raised her chin arrogantly, she looked into Max’s shocked eyes and added softly. “I know how deeply passionate the relationship between the two of you is. It will be heartbreaking that you will be separate from your husband, but doing this is your chance to stand on your own two feet. I don’t want you to go there for Riftan’s sake alone.”
Max’s eyes stiffened at the impetuous words. The princess sighed in response to her awkward reaction. “You must be realizing it now too… how women are treated. I would not have been an exception. If I hadn’t become a wizard, by now I would have married a prince in order to strengthen Whedon’s unity.”
Cynical energy rose above Agnes’s jewel blue eyes. “However, if you become a world tower wizard, you won’t have to do anything against your will. No one will be able to force you, not even the Duke of Croix or Riftan. You will have the power to protect yourself.”
Her powerful voice resounded loudly in her heart. If she didn’t feel such heartbreaking pain for what was going to happen, she would have been excited. How many times had she longed to be such a talented and confident wizard such as the princess? However, she felt so miserable to rejoice about it. Her head was blank, as if she had been hit with a mace. It felt like something was splitting her in half.
Max shook her head weakly. “Right now… my head is too o-occupied with the thoughts of stopping the trial. I can’t afford to think of anything else…”
“Of course it is in that state.” The princess nodded meekly. “For now, we should focus on defeating the Duke of Croix. And then, you will have time to think about the next steps.”
They specified some more details and got up from their seats. As she walked out of the door to head to the meeting room, Uslin and Elliot were waiting by the door, looking at her with worry. Max flashed them a determined smile and headed to the main building along with the princess. The third meeting of mediation would be held in the same place as yesterday. They all stood in front of the large arched door to gauge the situation inside for a moment. The Duke’s sharp, loud voice could be heard through the door.
“If Your Majesty just lets an act as terrible as this pass, the nobles will all pretest against it at once! Does His Majesty intend to turn his back on the vassals who swore allegiance to him for the sake of a mere knight of some humble town?”
It was a despicable threat. Max’s face was seething with anger at the insulting words towards her husband. The princess looked at the ceiling as if to gather all her patience, then she announced herself with dignity and approached the attendant who was on duty at the door.
“I have an urgent report for His Majesty. Ask permission for us to enter the conference room.”
“Wait a moment please.”
The young attendant carefully opened the door and stepped inside. After a while, he came back to open it wide and stepped aside to invite them inside. Max carefully entered the conference room with the princess and Simon. Riftan, who was sitting in the front of the table looking annoyed, looked at her, and his eyes widened. She was close to the princess, avoiding his questioning gaze. Princess Agnes walked slowly in front of the king and bowed politely in accordance with palace etiquette.
“I apologize for interrupting the meeting, Your Majesty.”
“No matter. I was bored of hearing the same words over and over again anyway.” King Ruben’s sullen words distorted the Duke of Croix’s face. The king yawned naturally and spoke slowly. “What is there to report? Don’t beat around the bush and let me hear it.”
“There is something His Majesty has yet to know about this matter. I was hesitant to make a decision on my own, Lady Calypse decided that we shall not stand still so we came in a rush like this to explain to His Majesty.”
She paused for a moment and looked alternately at the rigid faces of Riftan and the Duke of Croix. King Ruben raised a thick eyebrow and touched his chin with his hand.
“I said to stop beating around the bush and tell me the whole storyI don’t like long talks.”
The princess straightened her posture and shot an icy look at the Duke of Croix. “Then I’ll get straight to the point, Your Majesty. The Duke of Croix claimed that his actions were a light corporal punishment, but for Lady Calypse, it was different. If the Duke decides to take this matter to trial, Lady Calypse will charge him with ill-treatment before the wizards of the World Tower.”
The princess’s voice echoed loudly throughout the room. The Duke’s expression was livid with anger and he rose from his seat and screamed. “Nonsense! What does the World Tower have to do with all this!”
“It has a lot to do with it! Protecting the World Tower wizards is Nornui’s greatest concern. The main purpose of The World Tower is to protect wizards from hunters and pursuers of heretics.”
Simon spoke on behalf of the princess. Then, both the Duke of Croix and Riftan made a confused expression, as if they were listening to a calf speaking. Regardless of their reaction, the wizard continued to speak calmly to the king.
“Maximillian Calypse was named a member of Nornui last spring. She is a wizard of the World Tower and given that, any cruelty inflicted on her constitutes a persecution of a wizard. As soon as she asks for protection, the World Tower will launch an investigation, and as soon as the facts are confirmed, the duke will be held accountable for it.”
“I can’t bear to listen to any of this nonsense!” The duke slammed his fists on the table with full anger and looked at Max and the princess as if he wanted to murder them. “Wizard you say? Ha! To cover up this bastard, they are telling such an absurd lie! Her majesty’s intentions are suspicious!”
Note – LF: Don’t come for me but I honestly think Max is too dependent on Riftan and being in Nornui will help her build herself too. BUT YES IT WILL BE SAD AF.
Nymeria: Completely agree ^
