Under the Oak Tree

383 Chapter 144

No matter how much Maxi wanted to deny it, the Duke of Croyso was her father. It was a truth the whole world was aware of. And now, by openly mocking her husband, her father had shown just how little he thought of his eldest daughter.

Intense shame roiled through her. It was not her father's utter disregard that upset her — it was the fact that this disregard had caused Riftan to suffer such blatant discourtesy. If he had not married her, Riftan and the Remdragon Knights would never have been subjected to such treatment. Though Riftan had assured her she had nothing to apologize for, Maxi was still racked with guilt.

Elliot, who had been riding silently next to her, suddenly spoke with a look of concern.

"You look tired, my lady."

Maxi managed to force a smile on her lips. "I-It is manageable."

"We will reach the banks of the Lauden River soon and likely camp there for the night. Try to bear it until then," Elliot said encouragingly.

Maxi's face fell when she realized the knight was glad to be camping out. Fury against her father surged inside her once again for making the men prefer to sleep in open fields over the safety of walled townships.

Not wanting to burden the already tired knights with her feelings, Maxi put on a bright front. "I will not trouble you by falling off my horse, Sir Elliot… so you needn't look at me with such anxious eyes."

Reassured by her good-humored response, a small smile tugged at the knight's lips.

Soon, a frozen river emerged on the other side of the field. Riftan stopped the march and ordered the knights to set up camp. They watered the horses at the river and methodically set up the tents along level ground. Maxi watched them for a while before dismounting. She tethered Rem to a stake before going to help the army's cooks with the dinner preparations. While a mage's primary responsibilities lay in tending to the wounded and aiding the knights, there were plenty of other tasks to be done.

Wiping beads of sweat from her forehead, Maxi boiled carrots and cabbages in a large cauldron, sliced rock-hard bread into lumps, then distributed them to the soldiers with bowls of soup. Next, she went to check on the herb supply. She was just starting on more emergency remedies when a hand clamped onto her shoulder.

"Are you still working?"

Maxi turned to find Ruth looking down at her with an exasperated expression. He heaved a sigh when he saw how chafed her hands were from the cold.

"Sir Riftan has been looking for you for a while. I'll take over here, so please retire for today."

"L-Let me finish this batch."

"I need you to get up right now, my lady," Ruth replied sternly, crossing his arms. "I know you haven't had anything to eat yet. You really must stop overtaxing yourself. Please don't forget that there are people worried about you."

Flushing, Maxi rose to her feet. She had been making extra effort to compensate for her father's bullying, so it disheartened her to be rebuked for it. Rubbing her stiff shoulder, she trudged toward Riftan's tent.

Just then, she caught sight of a golden-haired giant sauntering along in the gloom. Maxi narrowed her eyes as she watched Richard Breston walk across the Wedonian camp like a prowling predator.

Since each of the army's units were camped at a distance from each other, Maxi rarely had to see the northerner up close. Until now, Riftan had conveyed his orders to the Baltonian soldiers through messengers, which they obediently followed. It could be that Breston was here tonight to voice his dissent.

Maxi glared warily at the northerner until she saw him enter Riftan's tent. She quickened her steps until Ursuline stopped her at the entrance.

"I suggest you wait out here, my lady. It will do no good to get yourself involved with those two."

"B-But…" Maxi started to object but stopped when she realized he was right. Riftan was quick to lose his reason with matters concerning her. Knowing this, Richard Breston tended to use her to test the supreme commander's patience.

Biting her lip, Maxi reluctantly stepped away from the entrance. Still, she could not bring herself to walk away. She stood close to the tent and strained to listen to the conversation happening within.

"Why are we bypassing Croyso Castle?" Breston's voice filtered through. "Are you not aware that we must resupply the army there?"

"And travel further south? The army has no such time to waste. We can have the supplies sent directly to the battlefield. I've already sent a messenger to the duke."

"For God's sake, man," Breston scoffed, breaking into a laugh. "Do you truly believe he will listen to your request? Anyone can see he's bent on making things as difficult for you as possible. He wouldn't hand over so much as a bag of wheat unless you demand it with an army at his gates."

The derision in the northerner's voice made anger course through Maxi, and she felt her face growing heated.

"I don't know what you've done to earn such disfavor," Breston continued with apparent glee, "but that man will use some flimsy excuse to delay sending supplies."

"Get to your point."

"You should go ahead and lead the army to Midna. My men and I will collect the supplies from Croyso Castle."

After a moment of tense silence, it was Riftan's turn to let out a cold laugh. "What makes you think I trust you any more than I trust my father-in-law? It's obvious you will defect once you've managed to break away."

Breston put on a show of disappointment. "You wound me. Is there such a lack of trust within our ranks?"

"Until now, Balto has used whatever means to preserve its forces while sending the soldiers of other kingdoms to their deaths," Riftan said coldly. "Let me tell you now, you won't be able to weasel yourself out this time. Your knights will have to fight with me and my men at the front."

"Without the supplies, we wouldn't last half a month. Do you intend to have us all starve?"

"The supplies will arrive on time," Riftan replied with conviction. "And even if I have to send an army to gather them, the Knights of Phil Aaron will not be chosen for the task. I would rather entrust a cat with a fish."

The hostility between the two men seemed to emanate out of the tent. Worried that Breston might launch himself at Riftan, Maxi kept her guard up. However, when the northerner spoke again, it was with the calmness of someone who had been expecting the answer.

"Your arrogance truly astonishes me, Calypse. The Knights of Phil Aaron are also fighting for the peace and prosperity of the Roviden Continent. I do not see why we must endure such slight."

Riftan made no response. After a while, Maxi heard a heavy sigh.

"Very well. Let us go with your plan. But whatever happens, it will be on your head."

Maxi did not hear Breston's answer. There were footsteps, and Breston burst from the tent. Maxi impulsively backed away. Not wanting to appear scared, she leveled a haughty glare at him.

As if amused by her hostility, the northerner's twinkling eyes lingered on her before he ambled off like a prowling tiger. She watched the man go, then turned to the tent's entrance.

Riftan had his head tilted back and was massaging between his eyes. Her heart sank like a lead weight at seeing him so weary. Not only was her husband burdened with the grave responsibility of stopping the dragon's revival, but he also had to keep an eye on an enemy within his own army. As if that were not enough, her father was another weight on his troubles.

It frustrated her greatly that there was nothing she could do for him. The self-esteem she had painstakingly built during the past few years seemed to crumble all at once. After watching Riftan with despondent eyes, she turned and walked away.

Riftan gazed at his wife with concern. She had grown increasingly quiet since entering the Duchy of Croyso. Her expression was frequently dark, even demoralized. No doubt, being there brought back painful memories for her.

Gripping his reins, Riftan clenched his jaw. Whenever he was reminded of the deep emotional scars the duke had inflicted on Maximilian, he was overcome with uncontrollable rage. It was all he could do not to turn his horse around and race toward Croyso Castle to hack the man to pieces.

Riftan tore his eyes away from her, desperately trying to quell his burning rage. He would get his chance to make the man pay. Right now, his priority was to stamp out these tiresome monsters.

He had just spurred his horse when he saw Hebaron, who had been riding ahead, galloping toward them.

"Commander! A pigeon brings a message from Princess Agnes."

Riftan snatched the crumpled roll of parchment from his aide's hand and opened it.

Riding beside them, Ursuline asked impatiently, "What does it say? Has something happened to the unit that went northeast?"

"It's good news," Riftan said, handing the note to Ursuline. "The coalition has succeeded in liberating the southern castles of Arex."

Ursuline's face brightened. "That was sooner than we expected."

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