Max walked around the room, praying fervently, hoping that her narration of what really happened would miraculously settle the mediation. However, it seems unlikely that her hopes will be fulfilled as she heard the occasional shouts of angry voices from the meeting room.

  She bit her lip anxiously. Just imagining her father telling conspiratorial lies against Riftan to frame him made her nerves boil.

  She opened the door of the room where she is at to look down the dark hallway—towards the door that leads to the meeting room. The second meeting was tripartite, so there was no way of knowing what was happening since everyone else was barred from entering the meeting room. Max restlessly paced back and forth. Uslin, who was leaning silently against the wall, suddenly opened his mouth.

  Ruth, who was nodding off as he sat in front of the fireplace, raised his head in alert.

  Uslin frowned displeasingly at Ruth and sighed deeply.

  When her eyes widened in surprise, the knight smiled bitterly.

  Even Elliot chimed in and expressed optimism. Max sighed at their naivety. They knew nothing of the Duke of Croix.

  As long as he’s persistent, her father won’t lose to anyone. Two nights would be an easy endurance. He could continue to endure, even if he vomited blood. What’s more, it could even get frantic. He would be very riled up by now, spitting out all kinds of slander and insults.

  Max rubbed her forehead. Seeing this, Uslin took the cloak hanging from the wall and walked over to her.

  Then, he opened the door with a determined expression, as if to make her take a break no matter how much she protested.

  Although it seemed that she would not be able to sleep after returning to her room, the truth is that she was also feeling very tired from being on her toes all day. She thought it would be better to lie on the bed and get some rest, so she reluctantly agreed.

  As she was leaving the waiting room, she saw a dim light from the end of the dark hallway. Max stopped in front of the door. Princess Agnes walked silently with Simon, the royal wizard.

  After seeing their faces, Ruth crept into a corner of the room as if he was avoiding a plague. Uslin looked at him like he was a pitiful man and then walked over to the princess.

  The deep eyes of the princess flew over Max. Max hesitated and stepped aside the door’s entrance, gesturing a welcome. At the silent invitation, the princess breathed a sigh of relief and led Simon to the room.

  Max took a step back and looked at her rigid face with a tensed eye. The fireplace was burning in the waiting room, and on one side of the room were Ruth, Elliott, Uslin, and two other members of the Remdragon Knights.

  The princess looked around, seeing their faces one by one and finally fixed her gaze on Max. The princess looked more exhausted than ever, and there was a hint of concern in her blue eyes. Max asked impatiently as Princess Agnes gave no signs of opening her mouth, even after a long time.

  Hearing that made her hair stand on its ends, but Max managed to control herself and guided her to the table. Then, the knights who were waiting, quickly brought her a chair.

  The princess smiled stiffly and sat down.

  Max sat across from her and tightened her grip to the hem of her dress. ‘But why did she bring Simon with her?‘, she was staring doubtfully at the wizard who was silent behind her, when the princess began to speak.

  She sighed, as she brushed her tousled hair from her forehead to the back of her ear.

  Max could hear her desperate heartbeat. The Princess had a perplexed look on her face then she continued to speak.

  Uslin broke into the conversation impatiently.

  The princess put her hands on the table and squeezed them tightly. Then, she slowly parted her lips, as if she were choosing the right words.

  Elliott raised his voice with an unusually exasperated expression. The princess shook her head as if she completely understood Elliot’s stance.

  Max’s vision began to blur and her ears began ringing. Max shook her head in despair. Somewhere in her confused mind, she heard Elliot’s desperate voice.

  Uslin looked at Elliot with a stern expression to stop him. But Elliott looked at him defiantly, as if he couldn’t bear his anger.

  Elliott’s face was burning in fury. Before Uslin could retort, the princess intervened in an earnest voice.

  Max gazed at her with hope.

  The princess’s eyes shone with determination. Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine accordingly. The princess stared at her for a long time, as if she was looking deep inside her, and then slowly opened her mouth.

  Max was confused. Was she saying that she should go back and testify at the trial to defend Riftan? Hadn’t the princess said that the justification for the abuse wasn’t a sufficient reason to attack the duke? Max asked in a hurry.

  The princess hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

  The unexpected words made Max’s eyes widen. Ruth gave a sarcastic laugh.

  The princess sighed and looked at Ruth with a shocked expression, as if he had no right to say that.

  Ruth, who was smirking at the princess’ suggestion, suddenly realized it and opened his mouth.

  Not only Max, but even the knights widened their eyes at his words. She wanted to reprimand him, ask what kind of nonsense he was saying, but unexpectedly, the princess nodded.

  “Nornui will only intervene in a conflict if it involves the protection of a wizard belonging to the World Tower. If Maximillian becomes a wizard in the World Tower, the duke of Croix wouldn’t only be interrogated for inflicting corporal punishment on his daughter but also for the persecution of Maximillian as a wizard. When that happens, the World Tower will immediately dispatch wizards to investigate the matter. And as soon as it is revealed that he has been inflicting harm on Maximillian, all wizards will turn their backs on the duke.”


  Unable to keep up with the sudden twist of the story, Max stuttered heavily.

  The princess shook her head.

  Max couldn’t speak easily and looked at Ruth with a downcast look. She remembered perfectly what he had said to her.

  Simon, who was silent, opened his mouth. Without asking permission to take a seat, he pulled a chair next to the princess and calmly continued speaking.

  Uslin asked him.

  The princess nodded.

  The story was unfolding so fast until she’s about to feel dizzy. Confused, Max looked in confusion at the resolute face of the princess, the calm face of Simon, and Ruth’s stiff face.

  Her throat went dry as if she’d swallowed sand. She squirmed and began to speak as if it hurt.

  The princess’s face darkened. As she touched her mouth with her fingertips, she nodded strongly.

  Max stiffened. She couldn’t speak, instead, Elliott was quick to reply.

  Ruth backed away, his expression grim. Agnes, who was glaring at him with narrowed eyes, rubbed her forehead and said weakly.

  Note –