Maxi froze.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Then she coughed and fastened a belt around her waist, saying, "The servants here have no idea that I am your wife.
They...
must have assumed that I would stay with the other wizards."
“Then you should have told them you wanted to share a room with your husband!”
"W-it would be kind of inappropriate!
And...
I'm here not as Lady Calypse, but as a mage from the Tower...
I thought it appropriate to stay with you."
When Sidina only gave a sleepy look in response, Maxi stammered, “Besides… it w-would be inappropriate to suggest such a thing… when Riftan himself didn’t seem to care about the arrangement.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?” Sidina shook her head in disbelief as she entered the water.
"You are husband and wife.
It's natural for the two of you to share a room.
I didn't mention it before, but I always thought it was strange that you slept in separate tents during the expedition."
Without noticing Maxi's flushed face, Sidina continued talking, splashing with bath water.
"You really are an odd couple.
You care a lot about each other, but you keep your interactions as dry as sawdust.
I have to say, your fights are pretty heated, but then you go back to walking on eggshells with each other."
"W-we've been apart for three years.
We just need time to readjust," Maxi murmured, visibly embarrassed.
“And it’s more that our meeting took place under… unusual circumstances.”
There was more splashing while Sidina was busy with her shower.
When the girl was silent for a while, Maxi started to open up.
"To tell you the truth...
Riftan was against me going to the Wizards' Tower.
We had a big argument over it and...
now we're at a loss on how to act towards each other."
“I already suspected that,” said Sidina.
She pushed the divider aside and added, “But you want to reconcile, don’t you?”
“Y-yes, of course.”
"Then all the more reason for you to share a room!
You're not going anywhere if you keep this up.
Whether it's talking with words or with your bodies, what you two need is private time together."
Sidina shook her finger as she spoke.
Maxi blushed at her friend's debauchery before the absurdity of receiving marriage advice from a young, single girl set in.
She looked at Sidina skeptically.
“W-we would only start yelling at each other again…if we were alone,” Maxi said, his tone somber.
Of course, arguing wasn't the only thing they did when they were alone, but she had no intention of sharing such intimate details.
She curled up in the chair in front of the fireplace and pressed her face into her knees.
Sidina sighed as she soaped her hair.
"So try talking to your bodies first.
There is no better balm for relationship problems between a man and a woman."
“And… how do you know that, Sidina?”
“That’s what all the books say!”
Maxi looked skeptical.
“In my experience…intimacy doesn’t solve all problems.”
“Well, it would still be better than staying as they are now.”
When Maxi didn't respond, Sidina frowned in exasperation.
"What will you do if Sir Riftan's eyes start to wander?
It's not uncommon for nobles to have secret mistresses and children out of wedlock."
Maxi tensed.
For a moment, his mind went blank as if he had been hit by an iron mallet.
Her face paled as she looked at her friend.
“R-Riftan would never do something so reprehensible!” Maxi said, standing up abruptly.
"He may not mean to, but I doubt that would stop other women from falling over him.
And anyway, you two have been separated for three years.
I'm sure he would have been tempted on more than one occasion.
Do you really think his fidelity never wavered?
He is a man, after all."
Maxi's mouth opened, ready to strike back, but the words would wither away.
Memories of women openly flirting with Riftan during the festival resurfaced.
Another memory, this time of maids laughing while stealing glances as he bathed in the well, followed soon after.There were other moments like that even before they got married.
His visits to Croyso Castle always provoked heated arguments among the maids, each trying to get the chance to have him bathed or changed.
Yet had Riftan ever looked at any of these women?
Not even famous beauties like Rosetta and Princess Agnes could shake his determination.
Such a man would never have succumbed to temptation.
Despite his confidence, Maxi suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
The mere thought of another woman touching him tore at his heart.
As Sidina washed off the suds, she said placidly, "My father was a pleasant man, but he had restless eyes.
This caused my mother much heartache.
Of course, I don't think Sir Riftan is the same kind of man my father was, but it never hurts to be cautious.
Even the most faithful can waver at times."
After rinsing herself with clean water from the teapot, Sidina got out of the shower and put on her clothes.
“R-Riftan… I would never do that,” Maxi said in a choked voice.
Despite his words, his head kept remembering how strong Riftan's thrusts were.
Intense anxiety gripped her.
Not wanting to show it, she tried to sound as calm as possible.
"B-but...
I agree that it's strange for a married couple to sleep in separate rooms.
I'll ask a servant to take me to his room."
Sidina clapped her hands, looking immensely pleased.
“Here’s your answer!”
She ran up to Maxi and held her hands, her eyes shining.
"Do you remember what we learned during our reading sessions?
You must try them all tonight.
Turn Sir Riftan into a pleasure slave so that the thought of another woman never enters your head!"
“Y-you have to stop reading these lewd stories!” Maxi screamed, letting go of his hands.
He felt his cheeks burning.
Sidina had a knowing smile on her face.
Casting withering looks at her friend, Maxi grabbed her robe and left the room.
Riftan leaned back in the bathtub and rubbed his face with a wet towel.
The vaporous air seemed to envelope his skin.
Feeling his muscles relax in the warm water, he reached for his goblet of wine.
The bath he was immersed in was one of many interconnected wooden drums.
A tray table stood where the drums met in the center, filled with dried fruits preserved in honey.
Goblets of wine adorned the table.
Such opulent baths were common in the castles of Livadonian nobility, as was the custom of offering luxurious hospitality to guests.
“I'm impressed that you managed to build such a grand bath,” Hebaron murmured with a lazy sigh.
“Eth Lene Castle was practically in ruins when we left.”
Sejuleu, who was relaxing in the opposite bathtub, smiled.
"I paid the most attention here when we started the restorations.
You have no idea how much the parish clergy criticized me for choosing to build a sauna before the chapel."
Ulyseon was next to him, happily devouring the food.
He stopped to ask, “Speaking of which, where are all the paladins?”
"They went to see the parish clergyman.
These guys don't know what rest is if things hit them in the face," said Sejuleu.
Riftan removed the towel he had placed over his eyes to look at Sejuleu.
“Do you think they plan to contact Osiriya immediately?”
“The Temple Knights who arrived first have already sent word to Balbourne, so they probably went to hear more about the papal conclave.”
After looking thoughtfully at the water droplets on the ceiling, Riftan leaned forward to rest his elbow on his knee.
He scooped up water with his other hand to rub his neck and shoulder, feeling the accumulated fatigue weighing down his limbs.
Wiping the water from his eyes, he asked in a slightly hoarse voice, “Have you discovered anything about the undead?”
"I investigated as soon as I received your message and I think you were right.
Someone is intentionally creating these horrible creatures.
I still haven't been able to identify the culprit, though.
Whoever it was managed to leave no trace."
Sejuleu's expression took on a dark edge as he continued, "I think it's safe to say that my theory about the remnants of the monster army running loose across the continent was wrong.
I'm sure it's just a small group that is secretly creating these undead."“Could a small group of monsters destroy an entire village?” Ulyseon countered.
Sejuleu's brow furrowed slightly as he rubbed his temple.
"The villages attacked were small, with no defenses to speak of.
Furthermore, this mysterious enemy is also capable of magic.
They didn't stand a chance."
Riftan frowned.
If the Livadonian commander was right, this meant that dark wizards were roaming the Western Continent, leaving frightening undead creatures in their wake.
Their ability to mingle with humans without arousing suspicion would explain how the monster army knew about the internal affairs of each kingdom.
They could have easily gathered information while disguised as servants or merchants delivering goods.
Now it was clear.
There was nothing the Seven Kingdoms could do to keep the formation of the human coalition army a secret.
“I wonder how far away they are,” Riftan muttered.
Sejuleu looked at him curiously.
“What do you mean by that?”
"The bastards roaming the continent creating more undead.
I wonder how far they are from the monsters' base.
We have a better chance of victory if we attack before they return to the Pamela Plateau with news of our invasion."
“To be sure,” Sejuleu replied, nodding understandingly.
"I've been keeping a record of the places where the undead have been spawning.
We should be able to narrow down their location with this information."
“What good is that when it will take weeks for the Council of the Seven Kingdoms to meet?” Hebaron said dryly, picking up his cup of ale.
"No creature is slower to act than royalty, as you well know.
I can already see them procrastinating until Aquarias."
Sejuleu gave a wry smile.
"Have you already forgotten about our new pope?
The rulers of each kingdom are already gathered in Osiriya to celebrate his appointment.
They will certainly gather as soon as they receive the news."
Riftan frowned.
Something told him this was all part of a carefully calculated plan.