Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 255

Max and the Princess grew incredibly nervous at his chilling tone. Riftan leaned over the table and shot them a menacing look.

“You spouted a lot of words in there, and yet now it seems like your lips are sealed together? I want to know who was the one who came up with that idea.”

Max’s shoulders hunched at his daunting voice, if she was a turtle, she would have already been hiding in her shell. Finally, Princess Agnes confessed with a sigh.

“It was my idea. I thought that the only way to get the duke to abandon a trial was to make him suffer a great loss that he could not bear.”

“So... are you saying you used my wife to achieve that?”

When it was made clear who the target of his attack was, he straightened his posture and approached the princess with nimble speed.

“Who asked you to do that? Did I ask for your help!?”

“If the trial had been held, you would have lost your title and assets. There was no other way.”

“And what does that have to do with you? With what right did you dare to offer that solution to my wife!”

“Ri... Riftan...!”

Max was startled at his blatant rudeness and tugged at the hem of Riftan’s tobe. He turned his head towards her and looked at her with exasperated eyes, his thick neck visibly convulsed as if he was shedding a thousand curses. Then, as if he had regained that self-control, he took a step back, rubbing his face roughly. After a moment, Riſtan asked in a calmer tone.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“... the duke also has contact with several high-ranking wizards who can investigate it in the World Tower. The Duke of Croix will probably try to verify the facts through them. I have spoken to some of the high command mages in the tower, but if they dig a little deeper into the matter, they will quickly discover that Maximilian has not yet been officially appointed. Before that happens...”

The princess hesitated for a moment before continuing, then in a serious tone she began to speak. “Maximilian must go to Nornui. If she becomes a member of the World Tower, the duke will not delve further into the matter. And even if he does discover the truth, Nornui will keep her protected. The tower administrators also promised to alter the day of her registration.”

As soon as the princess finished speaking, Max closed her eyes tightly, but contrary to the expectation that Riftan would impulsively flame in anger, he kept quiet. It was eerily silent.

She felt her heart clench and she squeezed the hem of her dress even tighter, she did not have the courage to look directly into his eyes. As she lowered her head with a troubled heart, a cold voice rang out like a blow of frost.

“If you were a man, right now, I would have challenged you to a duel.”

“I must be thankful for being a woman then.” Princess Agnes murmured sarcastically, letting out a long sigh. She continued, carefully speaking to convince him. “Don’t lash out at me like that, for once, think carefully about it. When she becomes a Nornui wizard, she will be able to defend your title and territory. Also, being a high-ranking wizard would not bring harm to Maximilian. With her skills, she will be able to graduate from Nornui in three years. If you just hold out for those three years, everything will be resolved.”

He seemed to be able to kill the princess with just his gaze. Riftan, watching Agnes dangerously with his dark eyes, slowly turned his head towards Max.

“... You also agreed to this plan?”

Max swallowed dry saliva and nodded slowly. She pulled away from him, she had no idea what to say. It seemed like a hot lump had caught in her throat. Riftan, who was looking at her silently, not knowing what to do, let out a dispirited laugh.

“Without knowing it, I thought it was a good plan, that’s why I kept quiet like an idiot.”

“S-sorry for not having told you beforehand. However... l-I couldn’t let you lose everything just like that...”

Max’s words became vague at the sound of his harsh breath. Riftan grabbed his forehead and began to speak as if he was chewing every word.

“That’s why... you decided to leave me?”

“J-just for three or four years . I-I... I will work hard! Every day, I won’t even sleep... nor rest... I will really try h-hard... I’ll be back as soon as...”

“Enough of this bullsh*t!”

Max trembled with fear and took a step back at the sudden rise of his tone. Riftan’s shoulders trembled, and he gritted his teeth, as if trying to ease his fervent anger. His face heated up, turning red with his temper, then in an instant he stiffened like a stone statue and she could see that his determination got harder than walls. Riftan turned his gaze towards the princess and with a low voice, spat out his words.

“Wake up from those dreams. There is no way I will allow this.”

The princess opened her mouth wide as if trying to persuade him, then took a step back, realizing that it was useless to say anything at that moment. “I will visit Anatol again sooner or later. Until then, think carefully. You will come to realize that there is no other way right now.”

“Don’t come.” Riftan said ruthlessly as he grabbed Max and walked towards the door. “As long as I am the Lord of Anatol, I will not allow any visit from you. Don’t ever show your face in front of me.”

“Ri-Riftan... those words...!”

He walked out the door pretending he didn’t hear Max’s embarrassed plea. She looked back as she was dragged away and saw Agnes shake her head, the princess also seemed to have a more perplexed reaction than expected. Max tried to blame him for being so mean, but when she saw his hardened face, she closed her mouth firmly. Riftan gave orders to the knights waiting outside.

“Prepare to leave. We are leaving this castle right now.”

“You mean, right now?” Elliott took turns looking at Max’s and Riftan’s faces and nodded without raising objections.“Understood. I will prepare the carriage immediately.”

As Elliot ran down the hall, Riftan led Max again with longer strides. Uslin, Ruth, and the other knights followed silently, they all adopted a very cautious attitude as if sensing the harsh atmosphere of Riftan. About an hour later, the carriage that she had taken to come here was waiting for them at the castle gate. Max climbed on it and looked across the knights in the ranks. She wondered if it would be alright to leave without even saying goodbye to King Ruben for a moment, but she didn’t dare to get any words out of her mouth. She knew well that Riftan was too angry to maintain proper etiquette.

Max sat silently in the carriage seat and looked at him. Riftan, who was watching her with a pointed gaze, slammed the door shut. When the castle disappeared from view, the cold tension that had filled her lungs escaped. She let out a tired sigh as she rubbed her temple in pain. His eyes were darker than ever, she was worried that an intense fight would break out at any moment. They set out in a dangerous atmosphere, as if walking on a thin layer of ice. The knights watched their words and Riftan looked like he had chosen to ignore her.

Max, who tried to speak a couple of times, soon gave up and looked at the passing scenery. She even thought that she would rather live in the carriage just like this. Wouldn’t it be nice if Anatol were at a distance of more than a month of travel? She needed time to calm down and, above all, to delay the moment she had to face Riftan. Whenever they stopped the carriage for a short rest, Max would gaze intently at her husband’s blank face. Even from a distance, she clearly felt that he was furious. She had seen him get angry many times, but it was the first time that he seemed so dangerously furious. Max was overwhelmed in her miserable heart. She hadn’t wanted to leave his side. Tears of sadness welled up in her eyes, she sat wrapping herself with a blanket around the corner of the carriage and sighed.

Relief over her father abandoning the trial, anxiety about the future, fear of Riftan’s reaction... complex emotions were tangled in her mind. Even in a very exhausted state, Max couldn’t release the tension for even a moment. She sat in the rocking carriage, stiffening her body like a stone. As a result of traveling for a day and a half like this, she was completely bruised when she reached Anatol.

“Are you alright?”

Uslin helped her out of the carriage as he asked worriedly. Max unconsciously nodded. Riftan, who was handing over Talon’s reins to the stable keeper, walked over and took her arm from Uslin’s hand.

“You go unload the luggage then rest.”

“The knights who stayed in the castle will ask about the outcome of the meeting. What shall we tell them...?”

“Tell them nothing has changed.”

Riftan spoke in a sharp tone, then headed towards the great hall. The servants flocked at the entrance to greet the Lord, but Riftan didn’t even pay attention to them. Max took a deep breath, barely keeping up with his rapid pace. Finally, upon entering the warm and cozy bedroom, Riftan released her hand, walked in front of the bed, and began to remove his robe and heavy armor one by one. She felt throughout her body that she was being silently tortured. The sound of firewood burning, the wind shaking the windows, and the sound of armor rustling were short-lived. In the end, Max, who couldn’t overcome her impatience, opened her mouth first.

“I know you’re a-angry. However... to make my father step back... there was no o-other way. I couldn’t let you be placed on trial.”

Riftan’s hands, which were removing his scabbard-sheathed sword by his waist and placing it on its holder, stiffened. His intense gaze went to her.

“There was no other way?”

When Riftan approached, Max nervously took a step back. He caught up with her quickly and leaned menacingly toward her.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It was something you had to let me handle. You just had to let me take care of this!”

“L-leaving Whedon... was that your solution?” Max bit her lip and looked at him. “Leaving Anatol, the Remdragon Knights... everything—did you really think that was a solution?”

Riftan’s cheek muscles tensed and stiffened. He let out a low curse and grabbed her by the shoulder. “It was already decided. I had already told the knights. I would have left all the assets I acquired while I was a lord here to serve as an operating fund, but I could keep the personal property that I acquired while working as a mercenary. There would have been nothing for you to worry about. Livadon, Osyria, Balto, Drystan... There are many royalties who want to hire me. I just had to accept their offer of a land and start over.”

Max looked at him in utter disbelief. “H-how... Can you say such irresponsible words? Y-you are the lord of this place... and the commander of the Remdragon Knights. The people of Ca-Calypse Castle... as well as the citizens here, they all revere you. Even the knights are r-risking their lives following you! Are you saying... that you’ll throw them all aside?”

Riftan’s eyes trembled slightly, then clenched his fists tightly and quickly rebutted. “Hebaron or Uslin would rule Anatol without me. There are many excellent Knights, so the Knights of Remdragon will continue as is without any problem.”

“They... don’t want you to leave, Riftan. And we a-all know you also don’t want to. Don’t even try to d-deny that!” Max turned and stepped back as if to shake his hands off her. Seeing his cornered expression, it felt like her heart was breaking. “I-I...know how much Ri-Riftan cherishes this land. For so long... you’ve been working to rebuild Anatol! Now that you are finally seeing the fruit of your work... you’re going to leave everything behind? A-are you saying... just because of me... you’re going to give up everything you’ve achieved in the last ten years?”

She spread her arms in exasperation. Calypse Castle, which she carefully renovated, and the solid walls that surround it, a city that is about to achieve a dazzling revival... how could he decide to turn his back on all of it? Max let out a desperate cry.

“Have y-you lost your mind? It’s like you’ve gone i-insane!”

“Yes!” He took a step forward and grabbed her in a fit, forcing her to see him. “As long as you’re by my side, anything else will be fine. Over and over again, I will build walls and collect riches. If you tell me to do that a thousand times, I would!”

She clenched her teeth to resist the cry that was about to break out from her throat. She could not understand his blind obsession. Why the hell was this man so tightly tied to her?Max watched his desperate face with trembling eyes. She didn’t want to be separated from him either, she really didn’t want to leave even for a while, but in a corner of her heart she knew it was wrong. It was impossible to ignore everything and turn away from the world. He had many more things to cherish aside from her.

Max spoke with difficulty, as if she was trying to get a bone out that was stuck in her throat. “I.. I.. I want to go to Nornui”

He looked at her with a confused gaze, as if he couldn’t believe what she just said. In one last desperate effort, Max gathered her remaining strength and continued speaking. “If I become a wizard... everything will be solved. You will not have to lose Anatol... t-there will be no need for you to leave the Remdragon Knights. Please... w-wait three years. Whatever it takes, I will definitely return...”

“Ha...”

Max stopped speaking at the empty laugh that came out of his lips. Riftan muttered bluntly, looking down at the ground in despair.

“Are you telling me to wait all over again?”

It could be clearly seen that his fingers covering his face were trembling slightly. Max looked at him with a broken heart. However, when he looked up again, his wounded face easily disappeared. He opened his mouth with an expressionless face, as if he were wearing a mask.

“Three years may not mean so much to you, but I have already endured three years so I could be with you. Only God knows how miserable and lonely those days were.” An incomprehensible smile lingered around Riftan’s lips. “You don’t know how it feels. One day feels like a year and a year feels like an eternity. You have no idea what it’s like to count every minute when you long for someone... you don’t know, and so you can dare tell me to wait three years for you.”

Note – LF: THIS REALLY HURT. If you all have read Riftan’s POV, then your hearts must be breaking too ☹