Under the Oak Tree-Chapter 252 - 13

252 Chapter 13

“I-Is he… hurt? Or ill?”

“Heavens, no! No sword on earth could touch Sir Riftan in battle. The commander is in good health,” assured Ulyseon. His excitement seemed to snowball the more he talked. “In fact, he has been astonishingly active! Just look at this harbor. Sir Riftan has managed to turn Anatol into the biggest trade city in Wedon. You’ll be in for a surprise, my lady, when you hear of all the changes that have occurred since you’ve been gone. Anatol is all set to become an earldom. His Majesty has promised to confer upon the commander the title once he returns from the campaign. That means you will soon be a countess, my lady!”

Stunned, Maxi stared up at the young knight. She said shakily, “Riftan… has left to fight in a campaign? H-He’s not here?”

Dismay crossed Ulyseon’s face. He rubbed his nape with a gloved hand and said in a deflated voice, “He departed for Livadon last month following a royal decree. It is Livadon that provided troops for Wedon last year to aid in the conflict in our northwestern region. Now with monsters invading eastern Livadon, His Majesty is repaying the debt by sending our best knight. He likely wanted to flaunt to the world that Wigrew’s reincarnation is under Wedonian command.”

“And… Riftan agreed to the earldom as his dues for his loyalty?” Maxi mumbled, looking stupefied.

Her certainty of their reunion was shattered, and the disappointment she felt was beyond words.

“When do you think… he will return?”

“It is not a large-scale campaign, so it should not be long. The latest report said he is expected before spring.”

Maxi bit her lip. The expeditionary party would only remain in Anatol for about a week at most. They would likely depart for the Pamela Plateau the moment the Temple Knights arrived. Everything seemed a shade darker knowing she would have to leave for a long journey without seeing him.

“Please do not look so discouraged. I shall send word to Sir Riftan as soon as we arrive back at the castle. Once he hears you are here, I’m certain he will vanquish those monsters and return as soon as possible.”

Ulyseon’s attempt at solace did nothing to improve her mood. She doubted Riftan would rush back for her. Besides, the fastest route from Livadon to Anatol would take over a month. Even if he were to make all haste after receiving the message, she would be gone by the time he arrived.

“I have not… returned for good,” Maxi said, shaking her head sadly. “I was supposed to stay another year at the Tower… but an allowance was made, and I received an elemental rune in exchange for joining the expedition. I must depart for the Pamela Plateau in a few days with the other mages.”

“The Pamela Plateau?”

It was Ulyseon’s turn to be surprised. Gaping, he looked down at her with a stunned expression. He was about to say something when their conversation was cut short by his subordinates returning to the tavern with four carriages in tow.

Following the other mages, Maxi climbed into a carriage. Though it was clear Ulyseon had more he wished to discuss, he reluctantly took the reins of his pedigree steed his men handed him.

From horseback, he poked his head through the coach window. “Let us talk more once we get to the castle, my lady.”

With that, he trotted to the head of the procession. Sidina had taken the seat next to Maxi, waiting for her chance to pounce. As soon as the knight was gone from view, she began to bombard her with questions.

“Max, are you really the Lady Calypse? How could you go this whole time without saying anything?”

“Might I remind you… the rules of the Tower prohibit mages from revealing their status or which house they come from.”

“That doesn’t stop friends secretly telling each other! I thought that’s what we were.”

“I-I’m sorry, but it was difficult for me to bring it up.”

At Maxi’s flustered apology, Sidina stopped glaring and breathed a deflated sigh. “Well, I can understand why. The Remdragon Knights may be legendary, but the traitor also resides in Anatol, so… had you made it known you were Sir Riftan’s wife, I’m sure everyone in Nornui would have given you a hard time.”

“Now that you mention it, we will soon meet the traitor. How do you think Master Calto will react?” Anette asked with a glint in her eyes.

She seemed more interested in Ruth Serbel than the warrior who had slayed the Dragon.

Maxi’s lips curled up into a wry smile. “I’m… not sure if we will find him at the castle. It is likely he also left for the campaign.”

As she answered, her deep sadness from earlier seemed to return. Thanks to Sidina unleashing a barrage of questions about the Remdragon Knights, however, Maxi found a brief reprieve from the shock of not being able to see Riftan. Doing her best to forget her disappointment, she began narrating an overblown account of her husband’s accomplishments to her friends.

They passed the time with lively chatter, and before they knew it, the carriages were nearing the walled city of Anatol. The three women fell silent and looked out the window as they passed the gates.

The sight rendered Maxi speechless. Had she been away for thirty years instead of three? If the harbor’s transformation was surprising, the city’s was jaw-dropping. The hill that used to serve as a grazing pasture for sheep was now packed with stone houses at least three stories high, and buildings she had never seen before dotted the streets. She could make a rough estimate of the size of the market by how the passing carts and wagons were laden with wares. The population would no doubt have increased exponentially as well.

“To have such a bustling market even in winter… Anatol must be an immensely prosperous city,” Sidina exclaimed in awe as she observed the crowded street.

Maxi felt a strange mixture of pride and anxiety. Though seeing the city flourish made her happy, it also felt as though she were in a foreign place. Had the world become a completely different reality while she had been cloistered away on the island? What if Riftan’s feelings for her had changed as much as Anatol?

As the carriages traversed the square and made their way to Calypse Castle, she began a vain effort to spot a familiar sight.

“Tell us about Calypse Castle.”

“You will… see it for yourself soon,” Maxi replied tentatively, afraid that the castle would be entirely different from how she remembered it.

The carriages soon crested the hill and crossed the moat. Much to her relief, Calypse Castle appeared as it always had, apart from two new wooden buildings and a watchtower. The crude walls and the knights doing drills on horseback in the vast training grounds were reassuringly familiar.

Not long after she stepped out of the carriage, she realized that the grounds were full of people she did not recognize. The staircase leading to the great hall bustled with finely dressed guests, and she did not know most of the knights resting with their helmets off.

“There are many new faces,” Maxi said to Ulyseon as he dismounted.

Ulyseon swept his eyes over the training grounds. He was almost glowing with pride as he said, “When Sir Riftan allied with the southern nobles, they sent their children here to train as squires under him. Though most will likely succeed their fathers, about half of them hope to join our order.”

“A-An alliance?” Maxi asked, trying to count the newcomers.

There were at least thirty. What did it mean for so many nobles to entrust the care of their children to Riftan? Maxi felt feverish at this deluge of news.

“The other knights are away attending to their duties. You should be able to meet them upon their return. Please head inside for now, my lady.” Ulyseon then turned to address the other mages. “You must be tired from the long voyage. I shall have rooms prepared so you may rest as soon as possible.”

Calto turned away from inspecting the castle and said indifferently, “I would like to see your cleric.”

Ulyseon nodded. “The cleric is currently staying at the main castle. I shall inform him of your arrival.”

The group started toward the largest building. Though the glaring winter sun beat down on them, the wind was stingingly cold, and frost clung to the flowerbeds. Holding a shivering Roy close beneath her cloak, Maxi cut through the garden she had landscaped herself and climbed the staircase to the great hall.

A familiar sight greeted her as soon as she stepped through the castle’s double doors. She looked around the hall, awash with a strange emotion. Light poured in from the hundreds of glass windows, and the scent of baked bread and meat wafted out of the corridor leading to the kitchen. It appeared that most were gathered in the dining hall. Here in the great hall, there were only a few sentries and young servants carrying firewood.

“Lady Calypse has returned! Have maidservants attend to her at once,” Ulyseon instructed the sentries, his voice ringing with authority.

The men chatting to the side of the hall turned to look at the newcomers in surprise before scurrying toward the kitchen. Shortly after, five servants came rushing out. Maxi broke into a smile when she spotted a familiar face.

“Rodrigo! Have you been well?”

“My lady! You have returned.”

The steward’s wrinkled face lit up like a child’s as he greeted her. Ludis was not far behind him.

“And you, Ludis?” Maxi said brightly. “How have you been?”

“Very well, my lady. I am pleased to see that you are also in good health.”

The maidservant gave Maxi a fond smile and gently held her hand. Their warm welcome eased her tension. After exchanging pleasantries with the rest of the maidservants, she introduced Calto Serbel and the other mages, who were lingering absentmindedly nearby.

“These… are guests from the Mage Tower. They are all exhausted from the journey, so please prepare them our best rooms.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Anette, who was sniffing the aroma wafting over from the kitchen, abruptly said, “I, for one, would like to eat. Thickly sliced bacon and good ale would be a dream right now.”

Calto shot her a stern look as if to remind her to show some decorum. Anette seemed not to notice and turned to Rodrigo expectantly.

The steward bowed and said, “While you warm yourself with a bath, I shall have food delivered to your room.”

The servants began lugging their things up the stairs. Though it appeared Ulyseon wanted to keep conversing with Maxi, a sentry held him back. He reluctantly left with the other men.

Maxi and the eighteen mages ascended the stairs. Ludis led her to her bedchamber, just as she used to. Since she was here as a member of the expeditionary party and not as the lady of the castle, Maxi wondered about the propriety of occupying a room better than the one offered to the party’s leader. Calto, however, did not seem to mind.

The servants showed him to the guest chambers while Maxi tentatively stepped into hers. She looked around at yet another familiar sight. The room was dim and chilly but otherwise exactly as she had left it.

“Shall I prepare a bath and a change of clothes, my lady?” Ludis asked as she drew the curtains and deftly lit the fireplace. Extracting the cat from her cloak, Maxi nodded and lowered Roy to the floor. He shivered and darted toward the fireplace, where he curled himself into a ball.

Ludis looked surprised. “My word, I’ve been wondering where this one went. How on earth did he end up with you, my lady?”

“He snuck into my luggage.” Maxi regarded the cat with pity, knowing that his tumultuous experiences on the island had made him timid. “Would you… also bring something for Roy? He did not eat much on the ship.”

“I shall bring some milk with your bath. It won’t be long.”

When Ludis left the room, Maxi took off her heavy cloak, draped it over a chair, and slowly walked over to the bed. The sheets were clean but cold and had the musty smell of fabric that had not been used for some time. She ran her fingers over the elaborately embroidered cover before turning her gaze to the empty armor and weapon stands. She had been hoping to find a trace of him, but there was not even a strand of hair.

Maxi stood stone-still in the middle of the room, feeling like an intruder in someone else’s house. Though she was finally in the home she had yearned to return to, the warmth it had once provided was no longer there. She slowly turned, her face forlorn, when something caught her eye.

A finely crafted chest she did not recognize sat on the shelf. Did it belong to Riftan? Unable to contain her curiosity, she picked it up and cracked open the lid. Inside were a few pieces of worn parchment. It seemed to be where Riftan stored contracts or other important documents.

Disappointed, she was about to shut it when she froze. She knew that seal stamped on one of the parchments. Pulling it out and unfurling it, she immediately recognized the handwriting. It was the letter she had written from Nornui two months ago. As she blinked down at it, her throat tightened with hope and anguish. Why did he keep this at his bedside?

He had likely thrown the letter in without much thought, or it could be the work of Ludis or another busybody maidservant. Afraid of the inevitable disappointment, Maxi strove not to put much meaning to it. Her hands, however, trembled slightly as she pulled out the other letters.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly leafed through the bundle. There were more than thirty pages, meaning that all the communications she had sent starting in her first year at Nornui were also here. Maxi ran her gaze over the words she had written as though seeing them for the first time. The sentences she had struggled to pare down were surprisingly formal and dry in tone. Not knowing what to write, she had ended up sending long-winded passages essentially saying she was well. Her face slowly contorted as she stared at the letter.

Her heart pounding, she wondered how Riftan had felt while reading these when she herself could not bear to. She was about to place everything back inside the chest when she noticed another piece of discolored parchment camouflaged on the darkly painted bottom. It lacked the seal of the Mage Tower, which meant it was not one of hers.

After a moment of hesitation, Maxi plucked it up. It took her a while to realize that it was from her, one she had sent him from the monastery in Levan. Kuahel Leon, the commander of the Temple Knights, had delivered it to him upon her request all those years ago.

Maxi silently stared down at the contents of the old letter, barely remembering what she had written. Her eyes stung with tears, and she hastily pressed her sleeve against them. The fact that Riftan had held onto this piece of the past tore at her heart. At the same time, the knowledge that he yearned for her as she did for him was an immense relief.

She clutched the tattered parchment to her chest as though it were the most precious thing in the world.