Startled by the princess's sudden appearance, Maxi was about to retreat when she managed to stop herself.
She didn't want to offend the princess.
“N-No… Your Highness.”
"Now that I think about it, you've never visited the Palace of Drachium, have you?
It seems your sister visits every year… don't you like the capital, Maximilian?"
Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Maxi began to break out in a cold sweat.
“I-I didn’t… like traveling…”
"Still, you should come visit the capital with Sir Riftan sometime.
If you do, I'd be happy to show you around."
Before Maxi could say anything, Riftan abruptly interrupted.
“We thank you for the invitation, Your Highness, but my wife is not strong enough to handle such a long trip.”
With that, he once again led Maxi towards the gate.
Distressed, Maxi looked over her shoulder and saw the princess shrugging her shoulders with an ambiguous smile on her lips.
It seemed like she wasn't offended by Riftan's rudeness, but she didn't seem pleased either.
Running after him, Maxi said nervously, “You shouldn’t… s-be so rude to Her Highness… you should treat her with great courtesy…”
"There's no need for you to worry about the princess.
That woman just wants to provoke me," Riftan spat acidly as he walked forward.
"I'll show the rest of our lands to the princess, so you don't have to worry about her anymore.
Like I said, she has a talent for manipulating people as she wishes.
Nothing good will come from associating with her."
“B-But… aren’t you busy with the road construction?”
Riftan frowned as if he was displeased.
“It turns out that the princess will help us with the construction,” he muttered with a sigh.
“H-How?”
"To build the road that connects Anatol to the ports, we need to eradicate the monsters that dwell in the southern parts of the Anatolium Mountains.
Having a high mage like Princess Agnes assisting us will certainly be useful.
And by taking her along, we would be hosting at the same time.
Two birds with one stone."
Maxi was speechless for a moment.
"B-But...
Princess Agnes is our guest sent by the king.
H-How could we...
ask for such a service from our guest?
If something goes wrong..."
“Her knights have grumbled at me for the same reasons,” Riftan said, licking his lips lightly.
“Which is ridiculous, since it was the princess herself who offered help first.”
It seemed that this was the matter over which Riftan had dueled with the royal knight.
When Maxi looked at him with concern, Riftan smiled and stroked his hair with his uncovered hand.
"You don't need to be so worried.
They weren't really against it.
They were just looking for an excuse to challenge me to a duel.
Not only is the princess capable of protecting herself, but I'm not so foolish as to put our royal guest in danger."
Maxi pursed his lips.
He spoke so gently that she could no longer think of an excuse to dissuade him.
She couldn't disagree simply because she didn't like the idea.
"Then don't worry unnecessarily.
Just rest.
I know making all these preparations wasn't easy for you."
“H-Is there…anything I can do…to help?”
Riftan narrowed his eyes as if she had said something absurd.
"You?"
Steadying herself not to be discouraged, Maxi stammered, “I’m also c-capable of healing magic… s-so I’m sure I could be useful.”
"I appreciate your offer, but no.
There are currently many mages in Anatol, so I intend to employ their services.
There is no need for you to worry about such things."
The refusal was so resolute that Maxi closed his mouth, unable to say anything else.
The only roles Riftan wanted her to play were those of lady of the castle and his wife.
Although he had said that she was the only family he had, he did not consider her a companion with whom he could share his problems.
Hiding her disappointment, Maxi followed behind Riftan as he walked one step ahead of her.
True to Riftan's words, Maxi no longer had to deal with the princess after that day.
The princess spent most of her time with Riftan.
They would go out early in the morning to inspect the southern parts of the Anatol Mountains, and on the days when they didn't do so, they would discuss matters in the training grounds or stroll through the lands.Of course, they were never alone.
Whenever they left Anatol, the White Dragons and royal knights accompanied them.
When they toured within the borders, the princess's companions followed them.
There was absolutely no reason for Maxi to feel anxious or dissatisfied, but anxious and dissatisfied she was.
Seeing a woman as stunning as the sun itself next to Riftan made his heart ache.
She let out a wistful sigh and looked out the window at the garden below.
It was starting to show more signs of life.
For Maxi, Princess Agnes was her complete opposite.
Not only was she beautiful and full of confidence, she was also a force to be reckoned with.
Maxi worried that by spending too much time with the princess, Riftan would soon recognize his wife's inadequacies.
He would finally see how pathetic and miserable she was.
A chill ran down his spine whenever such thoughts invaded his mind.
All her life, Maxi had been compared to her sister, Rosetta.
Therefore, the thought that even her husband could compare her to another woman filled her with fear.
Maxi bit his lip.
So deep-rooted was her sense of inferiority that she couldn't completely shake it off, no matter how hard she tried.
“What caught your attention, my lady?”
The voice brought Maxi out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to look at the speaker.
Ruth was at the entrance to the library, munching on an apple.
Maxi frowned at his nonchalant attitude.
"Where...
have you been?
I was worried when you weren't here...
whenever you came to the library."
“I had to lock myself in my tower for the last few days to finish making the magical device,” he replied flatly.
He entered the library and sat down in his usual chair.
Maxi looked at him curiously.
“But don’t you usually… work on them in the library?”
“I wanted to avoid meeting that troublesome woman.”
“T-Woman… troublesome?”
"I'm referring to Princess Agnes.
I would like to avoid her as much as possible."
Maxi's eyes widened at the unexpected response.
Since most of the White Dragons seemed to be on good terms with the princess, Maxi had assumed that Ruth also thought highly of the princess.
“You… don’t get along?”
"I'm afraid the animosity is one-sided.
I'm just a victim of the princess's bullying.
You see, she sees me as a renegade for breaking the rules of the Wizard's Tower."
Ruth wrapped his arms around himself and trembled.
"To be honest, I'd like to have nothing to do with her if possible.
She made sure to give me a hard time during the campaign.
I doubt even a clergyman would treat a pagan so cruelly."
"I...
I didn't know that.
You...
never said anything...
when you mentioned the princess in the past."
“I don’t see why I would have to mention such a thing.”
He took a book from the pile beside him and opened it.
A strange sense of solidarity rose within her.
The fact that there was someone who didn't like the princess gave him comfort.
Even though she knew how shameful this was, it still made her feel better.
“I… I don’t think… she’s a bad person…” she muttered in a veiled tone.
"Indeed.
Objectively speaking, it is true that she is talented, as well as being a fair person when she wants to be.
She is also friendly towards the White Dragons.
But I believe that I am free to have my own opinion about her, and in my opinion, she is difficult to deal with."
Ruth's frankness made Maxi feel a little more excited.
After a moment of hesitation, she confessed her own feelings.
“To be honest… I also feel uncomfortable around the princess.”
“I would have been surprised if you hadn't,” Ruth replied banally, turning a page in the book.
“It would be strange if you were happy to welcome the princess since she used to be a potential bride for your husband.”
Ruth's words made her feel much better.
Whenever she felt jealous of the princess, Maxi felt as if she were one of the evil witches mentioned in the old tales.
“Whatever… I still feel pretty bad… for finding her difficult… when she’s helping Anatol.”Ruth snorted, turning another page.
"Believe me, my lady, the princess isn't just helping us out of kindness.
I heard she asked for monster booty in exchange for her assistance.
That alone makes this a fruitful deal for the princess.
And I'm sure she wants to take this opportunity to convince Sir Riftan to go to the capital, since King Reuben desperately wants to keep Sir Riftan around."
Maxi's shoulders stiffened.
“Princess Agnes… wants to take Riftan back to the capital with her?”
“Well, I don’t see why else she would come to such a far away place.”
Ruth replied indifferently, but when she saw the expression on Maxi's face, he quickly added, "Of course, I doubt Sir Riftan would agree to this, no matter how much the princess tries to convince him.
Our overlord does not like life in the capital, nor does he like staying in the Palace of Drachium."
“W-Why?”
"I would think it was obvious.
Since he became a knight, visiting nobles from Drachium have openly shown their contempt for him.
Even if they changed their ways now, I do not believe Sir Riftan would welcome their company, as he despises presumption in the extreme."
Ruth shrugged her shoulders as if what she had just said was of little importance.
"Besides, Sir Riftan likes Anatol.
Why would he want to go to Drachium when he could be king here?"
“R-King?”
"To the Anatolians, Sir Riftan is a greater overlord than King Reuben.
After all, it was Sir Riftan who helped this desolate land on the edge of the kingdom become the flourishing village it is now.
The people worship him as their overlord, and Sir Riftan also cares deeply for them."
Maxi looked out the window.
She was suddenly overcome by an emotion she didn't understand.
The stunning landscape outside was as beautiful as a mural painted with bold brushstrokes.
Was this land special to Riftan?
Although she was relieved, she also felt a little lonely.
It was as if she was jealous of this land that held him…
"In any case, Princess Agnes cannot stay here forever.
She will certainly return to the capital as soon as she realizes that Sir Riftan cannot be persuaded.
Just bear with her until then, my lady.
I, for one, intend to avoid her as much as possible."
Ruth's jovial voice woke Maxi from her foolish thoughts, and she gave her a small smile.
He was right.
She could only wait and hope that the princess would give up on persuading Riftan and return to the capital as soon as possible.
Then, hopefully, she would be freed from this anxiety of losing her husband.