Chapter 31
Gabel wasn't the only one looking at her with admiration, the other knights were also awe-struck at Maximillian's younger sister. Uslin Rikaido shot them a displeased look, seeing how they were gawking.
"We are here to settle the matters regarding the dispute. It's pathetic to be gawking at women in the middle of a war."
"Who's gawking?"
Gabel grumbled with an embarrassed expression and fixed his posture and at the mention of "war" his face instantly darkened. Just before coming to Croix, they had to fight a fierce battle against nearly thrice the usual number of bandits and Gabel lost one of his cherished apprentices in the midst of it. Although he sarcastically declared that the fallen apprentice was not worthy of bearing the Remdragon Knight's armor for losing his life to a bunch of bandits, he paid for an expensive funeral for him. Gabel wasn't even the only one who had lost a cherished apprentice.
The bandits of Dristan, who were nothing more than a disorganized armed bunch, were rapidly turning into a systematic army. And like a group of rats in a food warehouse, they kept coming in flocks from somewhere, no matter how many of them they slaughtered and drove them away. It was pretty obvious that they had the Royal Household of Dristan backing them. Where else could peasants, who were starving to death, obtain powerful war horses and get their hands on steel weapons? The fact that twenty thousand men single-handedly became soldiers and were controlled by a certain commanding system was threatening.
"This way."
The butler who was guiding them led them up to the third floor instead of the reception. Riftan followed him and took one last glance at Maximillian Croix. Her face suddenly had an anxious expression and she hid in the shadows. Riftan could clearly see her eyes clouding like a mist, her round face was ghostly pale, and her tiny body donned with a simple reddish-brown dress stiffened in nervousness. He looked away from her again. He wanted to believe that the reason why she looked at him so warily was because she was worried about the news that the knights would bring.
"Kindly wait for a moment. I will seek permission from the Duke and return."
The butler asked them to wait at the end of a marble-tiled hallway and went inside a humongous mahogany door that stood at least 10 kvets (around 3 meters). Riftan stood calmly in front of the door of the office which was closed humiliatingly on his face last time, waiting for his request for an audience to be granted.
The Duke of Croix permitted them to enter after a long time, letting the steam cool off enough from his head, and Riftan strode through the red door with his knights. The Duke sat in an exquisite chair adorned with a lion's fur and shot him a cold glare with his green eyes.
"I heard that you've come bearing a message from His Majesty." He crossed his arms above the desk and had a displeased look on his face. "How come he didn't just send a messenger straight to my castle?"
"His Majesty wanted to impart a clear awareness of what's happening in the eastern borders. This is also the reason why we regularly report the situation."
Riftan approached the Duke's desk and spoke in a monotonous tone, but he replied sarcastically, his neatly groomed mustache twitching.
"Well, what orders did His Majesty give you?"
"His Majesty is concerned about the possible prolonging of the current dispute. Dristan's Royal Army is intervening and there is a high chance that this conflict will escalate to an all-out-war. His Majesty does not desire for the situation to get any worse."
"If it is proven that the Royalties of Dristan are backing the bandits, then they are punishable according to the Peace Treaty." The Duke leaned back on his chair and retorted bluntly. "I cannot come to terms with people who invaded my territory. Even the king should not impose such humiliation to fall upon me."
