“You must be tired”, Agnes commented with a smile when she noticed Maxi's warm reaction.
Maxi blushed.
"N-No.
In fact, I feel bad… that I was able to travel in comfort while others couldn't."
"Nonsense.
Have you forgotten that you are a patient?
Traveling by carriage for so long is not an easy task either."
Leaning an elbow on the window sill, the princess let out a small sigh.
“I considered staying near the ports until you fully recovered, but I thought it best for the royal healer to take a look at you as soon as possible…”
She trailed off, her long fingers drumming on the railing.
Maxi frowned when he saw the princess's dark expression.
Maxi received the utmost care throughout the journey from Castle Eth Lene to Drachium.
Two maidservants and a healer were with her the entire time on the ship, and she did nothing but sleep comfortably in a luxurious bed prepared inside the carriage.
In fact, Maxi found this all quite excessive.
She felt uncomfortable whenever the princess treated her like a seriously ill patient.
“I’m just… feeling a little discouraged,” Maxi said awkwardly.
"I've rested well for weeks...
and I've been taking my medicine on time.
I-I'm really fine now."
"Even so, I still want a skilled healer to take a look at you.
Drachium Castle has a tall wizard from the Wizard's Tower who is well-versed in the healing arts of the Southern Continent.
I'm sure he will aid in your recovery."
Maxi was about to speak again, but stopped when he saw the princess's determined expression.
There was no reason for her to refuse.
Although she was wary of the princess's meticulous care, Maxi nodded shyly.
“Oh, you can see the castle now.”
Agnes pointed out the window at a magnificent pale gray castle built entirely in the old Roem style.
Maxi looked at the distant tower that rose like a giant's spear above the spiky red clay tile roofs.
Although Drachium Castle was not as opulent as her father's, Maxi could tell at first glance that it was larger.
The carriage passed through the crowd that had gathered to watch the procession.
As they entered a large circular courtyard, the bell tower of a church and the castle's arched entrance came into view.
The soldiers on top of the walls turned the pulley to lift the iron bars over the entrance.
Maxi peered through the window at the knights on their warhorses passing through the door.
A vast garden lined with bushes welcomed them when the carriage finally entered the castle grounds.
Maxi's eyes widened.
The castle itself was much bigger than she imagined.
Despite having spent twenty years at Croysus Castle, considered one of the most luxurious structures in the west, she could not help but be impressed by the grandeur of Drachium.
“First, we must introduce ourselves to the king, then I will take you to my palace.”
When they finally arrived at the castle, the princess jumped out of the carriage before the servants even reached the door.
Maxi looked at the princess's outstretched hand with a worried expression.
“Y-Your palace?”
"My residence is a separate palace behind the main castle.
The use of magic is prohibited within the castle walls, so His Majesty had it built quite a distance away.
It was his gift to me for my thirteenth birthday.
Now, shall we?"
At the princess's encouragement, Maxi reluctantly accepted the offered hand and exited the carriage.
Ursuline and Elliot sighed upon seeing the scene.
“Your Highness, please allow us to escort Lady Calypse.”
"Maximilian is my guest.
It's only fair that I take care of her."
Ignoring the worried knights, the princess led Maxi towards a staircase.
Disconcerted, Maxi followed the princess.
They stopped in front of a pair of imposing doors inlaid with hundreds of glass windows.
A row of royal knights dressed in steel armor stood guard in front of the oval entrance.
Inside, servants dressed in expensive silks greeted them.
The royal guards and wizards in the princess's entourage followed her as she crossed.Maxi looked around the eerily silent room.
Beautiful statues stood between stone columns, and golden chandeliers in the vaulted ceiling illuminated everything below.
They passed through the sumptuous hall and stopped in front of the audience chamber.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Agnes Drachina Reuben has returned with her royal guards!” announced the servant standing at the entrance.
The arched mahogany doors opened, revealing a red carpet that led to the King of Wedon sitting on his throne.
He was dressed in intricately embroidered silk, with a stunning cape made of leopard skin draped over his shoulders.
His expression was one of boredom, and he was leaning on the throne.
For a man hailed as a wise leader, King Reuben III seemed very cold and indifferent.
His behavior was nothing like Maxi expected.
He had a majestic yet enigmatic air.
A mane of dirty blond hair stood out from beneath his crown, and his golden beard was untidy.
Her skin looked surprisingly smooth and firm for her age.
Something about him reminded Maxi of a lazy cat.
The king handed a scroll of parchment to the official at his side.
Both of his broad hands were adorned with rings, which he held out in salute.
"Finally, our precious treasure has returned safely.
A warm welcome to our defenders of honor."
"Your Majesty.
We have returned from our trip after successfully carrying out your orders."
Princess Agnes approached the throne and bent to kiss the hem of the king's cloak, which extended to the dais.
The royal knights and mages also knelt to pay their respects.
Maxi hurriedly followed suit, lowering his head.
The king's lazy voice echoed above his head.
There was a hint of displeasure about her.
"Raise your heads.
You know I prefer to talk face to face."
Not wanting to be insolent, Maxi cast furtive glances around and only looked up when she saw Ursuline and Elliot do the same.
Resting his elbow on the arm of the throne, King Reuben III cast an indifferent glance at the people kneeling before him.
His hoarse voice was low as he said, “It seems like you have lost a lot of your men.”
“A third of our forces are still in Livadon, as the war is not yet completely over.”
“Who’s left?”
“Os Dragões Brancos e a maioria dos cavaleiros das regiões oeste e norte do reino, Vossa Majestade.
Todos eles deverão voltar dentro de um mês.”
The king's golden eyes swept past the knights before stopping abruptly on Maxi.
Maxi swallowed hard, sure her heart would stop.
The king was strangely intimidating, despite his relaxed manner.
“If I’m not mistaken, isn’t this the White Dragons’ armor?”
Ursuline and Elliot promptly bowed their heads again at the king's nickname.
“I am Elliot Charon of the White Dragons, Your Majesty.”
“E eu sou Ursuline Ricaydo dos Dragões Brancos, Vossa Majestade.
Estamos aqui seguindo as ordens do Sir Riftan Calypse para escoltar com segurança a Senhora Calypse até o Castelo de Drachium.”
“Lady Calypse?”
The king's keen eyes fixed on Maxi.
A brief moment of terror passed through her.
She swallowed hard and managed to say calmly, "It's...
an honor, Your Majesty.
I'm Maximilian Calypse."
“Hmm.”
King Reuben's golden eyes instantly turned cold.
Maxi felt like she was kneeling in front of a lion wearing a human mask.
He stroked his curly beard as his lips twitched into a frown.
“So, you are the reason for this reckless knight’s repeated rejections.”
An icy tension instantly gripped the audience chamber at the king's sharp words.
Maxi turned pale and hurriedly lowered his head.
Agnes quickly came to Maxi's defense.
“Pai, a Senhorita Calypse é uma maga e a maior contribuinte para a batalha em Eth Lene.
Nós a trouxemos apressadamente para a capital porque ela ficou gravemente ferida durante a batalha.”
“How interesting.”
Contrary to his words, King Reuben's expression seemed disinterested.
“Riftan Calypse é o orgulho de Wedon e nosso cavaleiro mais favorecido.
Não seria adequado negligenciar sua esposa.
Vamos garantir que você tenha tudo o que precisa, então sinta-se em casa.”
Maxi struggled with her shaky voice to respond.
“I-I thank you for your generosity… Your Majesty.”Like a cat bored with its toy, the king looked away from her and elegantly waved his hand at his subjects.
"I would like to hear more, but it would be cruel of me to keep you here when you have just returned from a hard-fought war.
You can submit your reports later.
I will order a lavish banquet tonight in your honor."
The officer noted the king's command and handed the parchment to a waiting servant, who hurriedly left the audience chamber.
The returning group bowed to the king in unison and silently left the room.
Maxi waited until the doors closed behind them to breathe again.
Seeing Maxi's pale face, Agnes gave him a wry smile.
"His Majesty has a bad habit of making others uncomfortable.
He was just trying to get to you, so don't worry about it so much, Maximilian."
The statement didn't help Maxi feel better.
After all, King Reuben was the very man who wanted Riftan to divorce her and marry the princess.
It was natural that the king considered her a nuisance.
Maxi anxiously bit his lip.
Ursuline, who had been watching her silently, spoke.
"You don't need to worry.
The king is a benevolent man, he would never harm you out of malice."
Maxi gave him an enigmatic smile.
Nothing about the king seemed benevolent to her.
As if reading his mind, Agnes laughed.
"He may be grumpy, but he is fair in his own way.
He will certainly praise you when he hears of your contribution.
Don't worry, I will make sure he knows."
Outside the main castle, they once again got into the carriage.
Drachium Castle was vast enough to house a small village.
They passed a chapel, a large military training camp that could easily accommodate over ten thousand men, and a dense forest of elm trees.
When Maxi finally arrived at her room at the princess's residence, she was completely exhausted.
His accommodation was a spacious, comfortably furnished room overlooking an orchard and reservoir.
“Why don’t you lie down and rest while I call the healers for you?”
"T-There's no rush, Your Highness.
You must also be tired from the journey..."
"I promised Riftan that I would take care of you with the utmost care.
I'm doing this for my own honor, so don't worry."
The princess quickly returned with two healers.
Maxi lay tense on the bed, blinking at the ceiling, as the women studied her appearance and felt different spots on her abdomen.
One of the healers asked questions before preparing a decoction of more than a dozen herbs in a ceramic kettle.
Maxi looked dubiously at the foul-smelling black tonic.
"What kind of...
medicine is this?
I've never seen any of these herbs before..."
“It helps with recovery,” the princess quickly replied to the healer.
“Rest assured that all the herbs in it are of great benefit to the body.”
Maxi wanted to ask more, but stopped himself.
The princess would also be exhausted.
Closing her eyes, she swallowed the bitter tonic.
The healers continued the strange treatment regimen, placing a bag of heated stones under his blanket and applying a strange-smelling oil to his hands and feet.
They were almost finished when an unknown voice sounded from outside the door.
“Please forgive my intrusion, but I come to respond to the princess’s call…”
Agnes turned and called the person to come in.
The door opened to a thin man in his forties.
He wore a dark gray robe, and his scruffy beard bristled as he entered the room.
"I heard some idiot managed to squeeze every last drop of mana out of his body.
So who is it?
Let me see this fool.
I came prepared with a good lecture."
“Simon, I will not tolerate rudeness.”
The princess gave the man a stern look, but he remained unfazed.
The man called Simon grumbled and turned to look at Maxi with critical eyes.
"Clearly not a student of the Mage Tower.
May I ask what kind of fool taught her magic to make her think it was okay to do something so reckless?"
“I-I…”
“Simon.”
The wizard pursed his lips at the warning in the princess's tone and pulled up a chair next to the bed.
"Yes, yes, I understand.
She is an esteemed guest, so I will stop being annoying and assess her condition.
Please give me your hand."When Maxi reached out his hand hesitantly, the man grabbed it with bony fingers.
She felt him infuse some of his own mana.
Maxi shivered as the cold energy penetrated his body.
He continued to infuse for about ten minutes before releasing her with a sigh.
"You are not as severely exhausted as I first suspected.
Still, I will prescribe at least a month of bed rest."
“Will she make a full recovery then?” said the princess.
The wizard blinked his owl eyes and let out another sigh.
"Yes.
In her current condition, her body will naturally recover on its own.
However, she must not use magic until she has completely recovered her energy, or it may lead to permanent damage."
“Wh- What do you mean… permanent damage?”
“It could shorten your life expectancy,” the wizard said, his voice low.
Maxi backed away.
The wizard crossed his arms, his expression becoming serious as if to convey that this was not an exaggeration.
"All beings are born with mana within them, but mages are able to gather the mana present in nature at will and make it their own.
It is our inherent mana that serves as a magnet to store this additional mana.
Not only have you depleted yourself of your surplus, you have also used up a portion of the energy that every human must retain at all times.
It is an act that shortens one's own life."
"N-It wasn't intentional.
It was a desperate situation...
and I only did what I could..."
The wizard sighed at her mumbled apology.
“Well, you are certainly not the first mage to act recklessly in battle, my lady,” he muttered bitterly.
He shook his head and stood up.
"Right now, your body is as fragile as a baby's.
That's the reason why you're constantly drowsy.
Let your body sleep as much as it needs so that you can regain your energy.
You shouldn't exert yourself until you're completely well."
Maxi nodded.
After giving further instructions, the wizard left the room.
Finally, when the princess and the healers also left, Maxi was able to rest.
Even after arriving at Drachium Castle, all Maxi did was eat and sleep like a baby.
From time to time, she drank the tonic prepared for her by the healers, or allowed a cleric to infuse her with restorative magic.
Although it seemed like the main castle hosted a banquet every night, Maxi never left the princess's residence.
Not only was she always tired, but she also didn't feel like attending noisy meetings.
Even though she was now free from life in a war camp, she still felt completely discouraged.
Riftan's anguished expression tormented her, and at times she was overcome by fear that he might have lost all affection for her.
When such thoughts haunted her, Maxi sought solace in sleep.
His body was simply too exhausted to torture itself with self-deprecating thoughts.
She watched the hours pass like a goldfish floating in an aquarium.
Approximately two weeks later, news of victory arrived from Livadon.
The coalition army advanced to the Pamela Plateau and completely annihilated the monster army's main camp.
Noisy celebrations erupted at Drachium Castle and throughout the capital.