Riftan clamped his hand around Richard Breston's skull, pressing him against the cold stone wall.
“Are you acting under Heimdall’s orders?” he whispered.
Breston smirked, his red eyes meeting Riftan's, teasing him.
"What do you think?"
Riftan pulled the man's head by the hair and pushed it against the stone again.
Softly, he said, “You are testing my patience.”
“You bastard“”
“Don't forget that the bastard here is the one holding a knife to your neck,” Riftan said calmly, tracing the tip of the dagger under the man's chin and drawing a thin, red line.
Anger flared in Breston's eyes, giving him the appearance of a wild beast.
Although the Northman seemed to be holding back his anger in an unusual manner at the moment, Riftan knew that the man would try to reverse the situation once he had the opportunity.
He felt Breston move under his control, fighting like an untamed warhorse.
Applying more pressure, Riftan pinned him against the wall.
“Heimdall wants to throw Balto into the flames of war?” he said, his voice dropping to a growl.
“Surely you cannot think that the other monarchs will tolerate this betrayal.”
“How naive you are, Calypse,” Breston mocked, his lips twisted into a vile crocodile grin.
"Even if your accusations are true, do you really think the other monarchs would agree to judge the King in the North?
Heimdall Rune Valdemar is a member of the Council.
No one can accuse him without evidence."
When Riftan didn't respond, Breston continued, "And if the others already had this evidence, you wouldn't be threatening me now, would you?"
Riftan stared at the man's smug face.
Though every fiber of his being wanted to hurt the bastard just to see him scared, reason kept him in check.
He narrowed his eyes.
Ending this traitor's life now would certainly provide momentary pleasure, but it would also disrupt the long-awaited meeting of the Council of the Seven Kingdoms “ conversations that had been in the works for three years.
Heimdall VI would use the murder of his vassal in the heart of the basilica to pressure the pope.
No doubt he would also spread spies throughout the Seven Kingdoms under the pretense of hunting down the murderer.
And in response, the Osiriya Basilica would be forced to take a firm stance.
Riftan gritted his teeth.
He wouldn't put the already precarious armistice at risk because of this idiot's nonsense.
As if reading his thoughts, Breston's smile turned smug.
“Now that you know your threats are in vain, why don’t you put away that dagger?”
Suppressing his seething anger, Riftan released the man.
Breston pulled away quickly and stared back with unbridled hatred.
Preparing to block an attack, Riftan adjusted his grip on the weapon.
However, to his surprise, the northerner remained motionless.
Breston finally let out a low laugh.
"I plan to challenge you to a duel soon, so I'll wait.
You'd be surprised how patient I can be."
A sinister smile played on his lips as he walked away.
Riftan watched him leave in silence before heading down the stairs to the left of the hallway.
He entered the cloister adjacent to the garden, where he found Hebaron Nirtha leaning on the stair railing.
The sturdy knight sighed heavily.
“It’s not like you to provoke a sleeping bear, Commander.”
“But it is like me to give a clear warning,” replied Riftan, passing by his subordinate.
“They will act more cautiously now, which will give us more time.”
Hebaron followed him.
“But by doing so, you gave the northern agitators a chance to destroy any evidence.”
“Did you forget that the ruler of Balto is one of them?” Spotting a group of clerics crossing the garden, Riftan lowered his voice.
"Even if we had definitive evidence, this matter would require discretion.
The armistice is a delicate agreement between the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms.
If any of them abandon it, the armistice will be in danger.
For now, privately pressuring them to give up their plans is our best option."
"You could have been more cautious.
This man is dangerous.
He is ruthless and cunning, a master manipulator.
What will you gain by antagonizing him further?"
Riftan stopped in a corner of the windy garden and turned to his second-in-command.
When he met Hebaron's calm gaze, his seething emotions dissipated.Until then, Riftan was sure he had kept a cool head in his meeting with Richard Breston.
Now he realized that his anger had taken over him.
He had failed to suppress his impulsive desire to eliminate the seeds of conflict then and there, fair judgment be damned.
As if discerning the true motive behind his commander's rash actions, Hebaron said frankly, "Why not explain everything to her, madam, and ask for her understanding?"
Riftan gave him an icy look.
“Don’t get involved in this.”
“Is she not the cause of your uneasiness?” Hebaron clicked his tongue, adding, "She may lose all affection for you.
What then?"
“Then she will return to the Tower of Mages,” replied Riftan numbly.
Hebaron stopped to stare at him.
“Do you really intend to send her away?”
“It’s the best.”
Hebaron's mouth opened to retort, but Riftan didn't give him the chance.
He left the cloister, heading towards the designated quarters for the White Dragons.
He had preferred to stay with his men rather than accept Princess Agnes' offer to reside in the sumptuous palace reserved for nobles.
Not out of humility, but out of the knowledge that he would only feel misery lying alone in a big, extravagant bed.
Suppressing his boiling frustration, he walked through the busy courtyard filled with clerics.
Without warning, his wife's resentful look crossed his mind, along with the memory of her shy smile.
Riftan closed his eyes tightly.
He would willingly bear her resentment if it meant protecting her from the chaos and danger around her.
The division of the spoils of war was a much more tedious and complicated affair than anticipated.
In the negotiation were the five government leaders of the coalition, including the pope.
The commanding officers, high-ranking knights, and any nobles entitled to vote were also present in the council chamber.
It took hours for each party to say their piece.
Maxi was exhausted as she sat looking down at her knees, waiting for her turn to speak.
When she finally arrived, she was given no more than five minutes to explain the contributions of the mages in the rear support unit.
Nobody really paid attention to her.
Everyone was busy inflating their own achievements.
Not even the Arexian forces, with their insubordination during the final clash, were an exception.
Maxi was fed up with this.
After the first negotiation, she was forced to attend two more.
When the other sessions ended with no decisions made, she announced that she would stop attending them altogether.
If she was honest, it wasn't the nobles' bickering that she found difficult to bear“it was being forced to see Riftan alongside Princess Agnes.
Rubbing her sore eyes, Maxi looked at the purple sky through the window.
Just seeing Riftan's impassive face from afar made her heart sink.
Sometimes it was anger.
She desperately wanted to ask him how he could remain so distant.
The sad reality was that her hope for their relationship was slowly fading.
“Will you really not consider returning to the Tower with us?”
Pulled out of her depressive thoughts, Maxi turned her head.
Anette, who was writing something on parchment on a table, was looking at her with a serious expression.
"Armin and I will be leaving for the Tower in a few days with Master Celric.
Wouldn't it be better if you came with us?"
Maxi was blank for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
“B-But the negotiations are not over yet.”
"Master Calto and the other senior mages will stay.
We decided that some of us should return discreetly to share our discoveries."
After making sure the ink was dry, Anette rolled up the parchment and sealed it with wax.
Sighing, she placed the roll on top of a pile on the table.
"Think seriously about this.
I'd hate to see you miss the opportunity to hone your talents because you're busy pining over a man who cares little about you."
Maxi opened his mouth angrily to argue, but he couldn't utter a single word.
She blushed.
Did others also find her so pitiful?
After biting her lip, she managed to stutter out, "Y-You don't know...
how passionate and devoted my husband Riftan used to be.
I'm sure...
t-that there is a reason for his behavior."
“And what would that be?” Anette asked, exasperated.Anger rose in Maxi's chest.
“H-he didn’t give me a clear explanation, but I’m sure it’s because of my“”
"Max!
Come see this!"
His attempt at an apology was interrupted by Sidina abruptly entering the room.
Maxi looked at the surprised girl, and then at the pile of magnificent dresses in her arms.
Sidina's eyes sparkled with excitement as she placed them one by one on the bed.
“You will go to the banquet with me tonight.”