Under the Oak Tree

“Does th-that mean… that a formal trial may not be held?”

“If the talks successfully conclude, then that can happen.”

Hebaron looked into the air and stroked his chin as if weighing the possibility of this and that.

“It is said that King Reuben himself will come down to this southern region to intervene, so the Duke of Croix will also feel the pressure. However, given that the arrogant duke has come to this point, he must now be firmly decided. It is best not to expect too much.”

“My fa-father… wants to marry my younger sister into the royal family. If His Majesty actively supports Riftan… my father won’t have the upper hand either.” Max spoke earnestly like she was hoping to believe as such.

Hebaron sighed and scratched the back of his head. “To be honest, I don’t know how far King Reuben will side with us. He will try to avoid stripping the commander off his title, but I don’t think he will cover the issue up so openly to the point of going against the nobles. As you know, King Reuben values Wheddon’s unity above everything.”

Hearing his words, Max was terrified. “If-if I testify… we can stand a chance, right?”

She expected him to smile and tell her not to worry, but Hebaron hesitated and responded with a grim look.

“The results cannot be guaranteed. After all, a trial without clear evidence is a fight between justifications. It will depend on which argument is more powerful.”

Max gripped the hem of her dress tightly, then bit her dry lips. “The talks… w-when will it be held?”

“In principle, it is said that palace trials do not take place during the winter season. It is also said that a trial should only be held when the majority of all the nobles who occupy various positions are present in Drakium Castle. King Reuben will try to put an end to this problem before that happens.”

He looked up at the sky as if trying to count the days for when the talks would happen and spoke slowly. “I think the date for the talks will be set within the next few weeks. The commander will also be leading some of the knights to count Robern’s territory before the Duke Croix and King Reuben reaches it.”

“Can I come… when th-that happens?”

When he paused, he let out a long, deep breath. “If you could convince the commander.”

Max touched her temple. Even though this was happening, he was stubborn enough of a person to keep his mouth shut about it: she was better off talking to a wall. The thought of arguing with him already made her feel depressed and exhausted. Max hugged her cold forearm and spoke in a deeply sunken tone.

“I u-understand. I… I’ll talk to him about it.”

“I apologize for burdening the lady.”

Hebaron had a guilty look on his face and Max shook her head.

“Not at a-all. Thank you for letting me know. It’s better than not being aware… It would have been more painful for me not to know anything.”

Max ended her conversation with Hebaron and immediately returned straight to the room to wait for Riftan. Her head felt like it was going to explode as she thought of how she would start their conversation. She contemplated on whether she should approach him and be angry that he didn’t tell her a word about what was happening or beg for him to let her intervene. As she wandered in front of the fireplace, she felt a terrible headache and flopped down on the bed. She was staring at the canopy blankly, but her eyes suddenly turned hot. She couldn’t even understand why she was crying.

From the beginning she knew that her father did not even have very little affection for her, she was not disappointed by that matter. However, it was heartbreaking that Riftan had to pay that price as well. Max closed her eyes tightly. It was unacceptable that he would be reprimanded in front of arrogant nobles and forced to defend himself. She couldn’t bear to see Riftan put himself in a disgraceful position because of her. When the tears ceased, her determination became firm. The insults and embarrassment she would receive would all be fine to her. If necessary, she would even disclose all the mistreatments her father had done to her in all the years. It didn’t matter to her whether she became the topic of gossip or not. However, it was heartbreaking to think that even Riftan would be dragged and become the target of ridicule and pity by the nobles.

‘Would he be ridiculed for marrying a woman like me?’ Max held her face at the possibility and was overwhelmed with guilt and worry.

If possible, the Duke of Croix should cancel the indictment before a formal trial took place. If he found out that she was going to testify, her father, who valued ​​his image so much, could change his mind. While she was in the middle of that thought, there was a rattle of the door opening. Max jumped to her feet and stood. When Riftan saw her uneasy appearance, she widened her eyes and put a smile around her mouth.

“Were you taking a nap?” He closed the door and walked towards the bed, combing her messy hair with his hands. “Did I do you too hard last night?”

Max stared at him, smiling pretentiously with blurry eyes as if there were no problems. She wondered if he could explain to her about what brought the messenger today, and her expectations fell. He would not say anything to her.

Max bit her lip and struggled to open her mouth to speak. “Earlier… I saw guests arrive… and a messenger from Count Robern…”

His smile faded slightly. “The guests will stay for a few days and then they will leave. I ordered the servants to attend to them, so don’t worry about it.”

“What purpose did he come for… won’t you t-tell me?” Max looked at him hopefully.

Riftan spoke in a sullen tone and avoided her gaze. “They are planning to promote various projects with Anatol as a base. Count Robern also sent someone because he wanted to take a step here.”

Max’s face hardened. “The story I heard is… It’s a little different.”

A deep tension appeared in Riftan’s eyes and he jumped up from the bed. “From whom did you hear that useless story?”

“It w-was not a useless story. You… You should have told me about the truth sooner.”

Riftan’s eyes narrowed. He shook his head and smiled coldly as if rejecting her words. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but you should erase it from your head.”

Max got out of bed and stood in front of him. She wanted to appear confident, but the difference in their physique was so noticeable that she felt smaller and weaker. She glared at him and gathered all the courage she had in her weak heart.

“You can’t take me out… from a-all the problems in that way, Riftan. Max took a deep breath, trying to speak as calmly as possible. “Even more… when it was my father who got you in trouble.”

“Who told you that?” He growled fiercely. “Was it Ruth? Or Hebaron? If there is anyone who would dare ignore my orders, it is one of them.”

“Th-that doesn’t matter. What’s important now is what we should do in the futu-…”

“I’ll resolve it myself!” Riftan yelled like he was fed up with it. “Please let me resolve it on my own!”

“H-how can I do that!” Max’s shoulders shook in frustration. “How can I-I… pretend not to know! You stubbornly say it’s not because of me, but… it is all because of me! If you are stripped of your title… that’s my, my responsibility! Are you going to… make me suffer from that guilt all m-my life? Are you?”

Riftan grabbed her by the wrist as she pounded his chest with her fists in resentment. “Whatever you say won’t matter. If you thought I would put you to stand in that trial, then you don’t even know me the slightest bit. I can resolve this even if you don’t come!”

Her dried tears began welling up again. Max glared fiercely at him with her reddened eyes. “Stop being so s-stubborn! My father will also present witnesses. You need someone to d-defend you too.”

“That will never be you.” He said harshly through his teeth. “If things get to the worst, I’ll stick with Uslin or Elliot. You don’t have to be involved this.”

“Their statements won’t hold as much ground as m-mine! I am the Duke’s da-daughter… and the cause of this situation. My testimony… w-will be more credible!”

“How many times do I have to tell you no!” His face twisted fiercely like a cornered man. “In order to protect me, you want to do… something like that? Stand in front of those damned people and force you to confess the things you desperately wanted to hide? I’d rather be stripped off my title!”

Max thought that it would be great if she was strong enough to grab him and shake him until he was brought back to his senses. Her prestige could not be more valuable than his honor. Compared to his title, heritage, and fame, her pride was nothing.

Max spoke fervently as if to plead. “I, I… I don’t mind testifying. I’m just… I’m just going to talk about what happened that day. Nothing more than t-that.”

“Enough. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

He removed her hands from him and turned to leave the room. A fire burned inside of her. Max went straight after him and tugged at his clothes violently. She then yelled angrily at Riftan, who was looking down at her with astonished eyes.

“Don’t even think about le-leaving here like this! Whatever Riftan says… I’ll be a witness! If Riftan says he won’t take me with him…Then I-I’ll go there by myself!”

His eyes then turned cold. Riftan growled back, just as angry as she was. “Do you want me to lock you up?”

Max looked at him with shocked eyes and her face hardened. “Are you saying you’re going to do the same as my f-father did to me?”

At the end of that sentence, the blood on Riftan’s face drained. Even if he had a knife to his chest, it was unlikely that he would have such an expression. His horrible gaze instantly broke Max. She groaned, hurried to him, and embraced his stiff body tightly.

“I’m-I’m sorry. I di-didn’t mean to say that! My father and Riftan are different. I know you’re doing this to protect m-me.”

He took a deep breath and looked at her with a helpless expression. Max cupped his stricken face with one hand, kissed the tip of his chin, and pleaded out breathlessly.

“P-please, I’m begging you. Please understand. As much as you want to protect me, look after me… I want to do anything for you too. When you are in t-trouble… and I can’t do anything even with my two hands… it’s the most p-painful thing for me. Please… don’t force me to feel that way.”

“I…” He murmured through a tight throat, took her hand, and pushed her away from him. “I have to think about it.”

“Ri-riftan…”

Max tried to reach out to him, but her hand lowered weakly. She didn’t want to push him anymore, there was still time until the meeting, so she could take the time to persuade him. She stared with grim eyes at his back as he walked out the door like he was fleeing.

It seemed like her comparison of Riftan to the Duke of Croix had changed his demeanor, he no longer raised his voice at her or acted overbearing around her. And Max used that weakness to persuade him relentlessly. When the day to finally leave for Count Robern’s territory came, Riftan relented and succumbed to her threats that if he did not take her with him, she would secretly ride on horseback and follow him. It also helped that the talks would be held in a small conference room where only the Duke of Croix, King Reuben, and a few witnesses were present, rather than the court in Drachium Palace.