Maxi vs. The Duke

Maxi sat across from her father in silence. Not in fear or embarrassment having just had her father belittle her and shame her, that was nothing out of the ordinary. She was simply thinking. The royal family also sat in attendance in the meeting hall.

She sat still and quiet, contemplating all that had changed since the last time she had seen this vile man sitting before her.

She was once squeamish and often sick even at the mere sight of blood and now she was a skilled healer. Early in her training she had struggled to circulate her mana from her body to the stone and back and yet she had used her abilities to save the lives of thousands. Though slightly slower to speak than most, with rigorous practice, her stutter, which had been at the forefront of her father's embarrassment, had significantly improved. 

Lord Croix smirked, mistaking his meek daughter's silence for compliance. He rose from his seat and called to her over his shoulder without sparing her a glance as he headed for the door.

"Come," he said quietly, trying to keeping an appearance of politeness.

Maximilian did not budge.

After a few steps the Lord realized he was not being followed.

"Come," he called with an edge in his voice which implied that it was not a request but an order, an order she should know better that to disobey.

"No." she finally answered.

Her tone was full of resolve. The firmness of her voice made the Duke nearly balk at her.

"No?!" he nearly shouted, his face red with rage, shocked by her blatant misbehavior especially in front of the royal family. "I am your father and you will answer t-"

"I no longer bear the burden of your name." Maxi interrupted, rising from her chair so she could look at this vermin eye to eye. "I am Maximilian Calypse. I will answer to no one, with the exception of the royal family, but to my Lord husband."

The Duke had wealth but that is about all he had. His looks, if he had ever had any, were gone long before he wed Maximilian's mother. Now he was a shell, worn down from stress and his own poor health. He relied more on his cane, a source which had caused her so much pain, more than she had ever seen. He almost looked as though a mild wind would knock him off his feet.

His face was beat red with rage and embarrassment at her defiance. He hobbled over to her swifter than she had expected but two of the Remdragon Knights swiftly stepped between the fuming madman and their lady. The knights' stance was tense as they stood ready to defend her ladyship if her father decided to use his cane as a weapon.

"You..I...you are a.." the old man snarled, so flustered he couldn't think properly.

The Duke took a few deep breaths and turned away once again hobbling towards the door. He paused halfway to the door and relaeased a long steady breath, almost a sigh. He suddenly turned and held out a single pale hand towards her, his long boney finger pointed directly at his daughter.

"You will regret your malicious disobedience and disrespect today, child." her father spat, bitterly.

Maxi found herself squeezing between the knights in order to approach her father. She held her head high, no longer afraid of this tiny, pathetic man. After all she had faced, all she had endured and overcome, what was this monster in a human's body compared to the strength and support of her chosen family?

"I only mourn that my sister still suffers under your cruelty and-"

She never saw it coming. By the time her mind processed the audible gasps from around the room she had already been struck. The old man's reflexes were faster than he let on, especially when he was enraged. She let out a small scream of surprise and she lost her balance and tumbled over, falling to the floor at her father's feet. She didn't realize she was bleeding until she spotted a few red dots on the white marble floor. Her father's rings had cut her face when he struck her. She decided at that moment she wouldn't ask for a healer, not this time, not until Riftan had come for her. She wanted her husband to see the scar, the cruelty of her father and to know the monster he was.

Everyone in attendance was too stunned to speak, shocked by the Duke's behavior especially in a public setting.

The Duke spat at her and without another word turned and made it all the way to the door before pausing to sneer at her over his shoulder.

He started to step out of the room when he thought he heard his daughter mutter something under her breath. Unable to let her have the last word, he turned halfway around to face her.

"What was that?" the old man snarled.

Maxi lifted her head and smirked at her father which unnerved him to no end.

"You'd better pray this heals before my husband comes for me," Maxi warned, "or there will be no force on earth that can save you from him."

The Duke smirked back at her, cold and twisted.

"Is that a threat, child?" the Duke chided. "You should know better that to threaten me in front of the king."

"Not to worry," Maxi said, her smirk dropping from her face as she stared at him with a proud, cold glint in her eye. "It's not a threat, Father. That's a promise."

The color drained from the Duke's face, his proud mask slipped just a little and one could see just for a moment, genuine fear in his eyes. The Lord knew of Riftan's obsession with Maximilian but he was beginning to realize that it meant Hell would freeze over before Lord Calypse let any harm befall his daughter.

"I suggest that you return home as soon as possible, Lord Croix," said Princess Agnes, "Before you do something worse that will bring you to your end even before Lord Calypse arrives. If you ever attempt to harm her, the savior of the war and all our lives, again, you will not only face the wrath and vengeance of her husband, but you will also answer to the crown."

The Duke, feeling cornered, backed away as he made his way over the threshold in defeat. Maxi followed behind and gripped the edge of the door while removing the stopper. The Duke whirled around once more. He couldn't resist spewing one last remark to attempt to save a sliver of his pride.

"I'm not afraid of your bastard husband," the Duke goaded.

"You will be." Maxi said flatly before shutting the door in her father's face with a resounding bang.