“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.
