Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 29: Chapter

“Please don’t linger outside too long, my lady. You’ve only just recovered.”

“I j-just want to walk a l-little.”

Maxi smiled and walked on. Ludis had begun to treat her like a younger sister. The maidservant seldom spoke unless necessary, and when she did, it was only out of concern.

This really is my home now...

Maxi took in Calypse Castle with fresh eyes. She thought back to her solitary life at the Croyso castle. Imagining the new experiences that awaited her, she felt her heart contract with hope. freℯ𝓌e𝚋𝐧𝘰vℯl.𝐜𝚘𝗺

But leaving Croyso Castle had not transformed her into a different person. She still had a stutter, and Riftan would one day realize that she was foolish and useless. Then, everything would change. The thought of losing his affection made her blood freeze. It was possible that he might even turn into someone like her father...

“My lady, are you feeling unwell?”

Ludis seemed to have noticed her agitation. Maxi tried to shake off her doubts.

“I’m f-fine. I’d like t-to have a w-warm cup of t-tea.”

“I’ll prepare it at once, my lady.”

Maxi turned around, trying to collect herself.

I’ll change. I’ll become a proper lady of the castle who Riftan can depend on.

***

The next day, Maxi received a visit from the merchant. After a long deliberation, she chose white marble with a jade sheen for the banquet hall floor and masterfully crafted glass for the castle windows. Aderon assured her that workers from his guild would arrive the next day to begin construction.

Maxi headed straight to the library with the receipt from Aderon in hand. There, she attempted to record the transaction in her ledger with the help of accounting books. By the time she had made a list of purchased items and their cost in clumsy imitation of Rodrigo’s records, it was dark outside.

The following days were just as hectic. Many parts of the castle needed repair, and there was no end to the list of required items. Early each morning, Maxi met with Aderon to discuss the refurbishments and purchase additional landscaping tools before proceeding to supervise the workers.

In the afternoons, she met with the landscaper introduced to her by Aderon to review the plans for the gardens, then examined designs for the window frames and railings with the artisans. But her busy day did not end there. Late into the night, she wrestled with the jumble of receipts that she had been issued during the day, always anxious that her calculations were incorrect.

“My lady, you look exhausted. You should rest...”

“I’m f-fine.”

After checking on the progress of the flagstone removal in the banquet hall, Maxi went down to the first floor to examine the goods from the merchant guild. Aderon and his workers arrived precisely at the appointed hour with a large horse-drawn wagon. The servants unloaded the goods before hauling them in.

“These are the marble slabs and tools for the floor, my lady.”

“And the w-windows...?”

“The guild branch at Anatol doesn’t have the required quantity of glass. High-quality glass must be ordered from the capital or from Livadon. For now, I shall send a message to the nearest branch to see if we can purchase glass in bulk.”

He spoke as if he were granting a favor. She almost thanked him, then sighed at her servile attitude. She led him to the drawing room. Before the maid had had a chance to bring them tea, the merchant launched into an explanation of the time and cost required for construction.

Maxi tried to catch every detail, but her head spun when Aderon began to reel off names of foreign currencies. She struggled to keep up with his calculations. One soldem was worth twenty liram, and twenty liram were equal to 240 derham or twelve denar, which meant that thirty denar were worth...

Just when Maxi thought her head might burst, Aderon said, “Oh, dear. It seems that I got ahead of myself in my excitement. Please forgive me.”

She forced a smile. “I-It’s all right.”

“My poor nerves won’t calm down knowing that I am contributing to the refurbishment of the great Lord Calypse’s castle!”

“Th-Thank you for y-your hard w-work.”

Aderon awkwardly rose from his seat, leaving behind a piece of parchment inscribed with explanations. As soon as he left, Maxi dashed to the library. Recording the workers’ wages alone took her many hours. She was sighing deeply when she heard a rustle. She whipped around to see a man emerging from a pile of books in the corner. fr𝚎e𝙬𝚎𝚋𝚗૦ν𝚎𝒍.c૦m

“R-Ruth?”

Ruth scratched his light gray hair and gave her a bleary-eyed look. Maxi stared back blankly, unsure of how to react. He appeared to be sitting atop a collection of precious books. How long had he been there?

“Why has there been so much commotion lately?” complained Ruth, unperturbed by the fact that the lady of the castle had caught him sleeping on the library floor.

“W-We’re refurbishing th-the castle...”

“Yes, I know about the castle, but I was asking about you, Lady Calypse.”

“M-Me?”

“You’ve been groaning and muttering to yourself in the library for days. Are you aware that you were disrupting my sleep?”

Maxi stared at him, mouth agape. She did not know whether she should be mortified that someone had watched as she tore at her hair, indignant that the man had not made his presence known, or amazed by his audacity in reproaching her. As she opened and closed her mouth at a loss for words, the sorcerer stood up and walked toward her.

“Is this a ledger?”

Maxi hastily gathered up the mess of papers scattered across the table, but she was too late. Ignoring her attempts to hide the documents, Ruth picked up a few sheets and examined them. He frowned.

“Just how many miscalculations are there?”

“G-Give it back!”

She tried to snatch the papers from him, but he simply turned around and raised them above her reach. He groaned quietly as he examined the contents.

“Twenty liram for one marble tile? Surely that’s a mistake! Please tell me that you’ve written down the wrong unit here.”

“I-I was j-just about to c-correct it!” Maxi exclaimed frantically.

Ruth’s mouth seemed to be on the verge of frothing. With narrowed eyes, he snatched away the accounting books she had been hiding behind her back. Her mouth dropped at his insolence. A gentleman would never touch a lady’s belongings without her permission. Her face flushed with anger, and she pulled at his sleeve.

“G-Give it b-back! H-How d-dare you...!”

“How much gold have you spent in the last few days?”

Maxi flinched and peered up at him. Her heart sank when she saw Ruth’s frightfully contorted face. His next words came as a hiss through clenched teeth.

“Just. How. Much?”

“W-Well...”

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

“R-Riftan said... n-not to w-worry about th-the cost...”

...

“But you should at least be aware of how much you’ve spent.”

His sharp tone made her face burn. She avoided his gaze, feeling as humiliated as she had in the distant past when her tutor had chided her for stuttering.

“I-I d-don’t know exactly h-how much...”

“Do you have an estimate?”

She slowly shook her head. Ruth rubbed his temples in undisguised annoyance. She wondered for a moment whether he had the right to admonish her, but the fear that she might have made some grave mistake overrode the thought.

After a long pause, she decided to confess.

“I-I’m n-not used t-to handling such m-matters...”

“Then you should have asked for help!”

He was right. Maxi stared at her toes, feeling like an utter fool.

“H-How much of it is wr-wrong?”

“The ledger is a complete mess. Some items are impossibly cheap, others are ridiculously overpriced, and the calculations are all wrong. And do you see this purchase list? You’ve bought too many unnecessary things! The Dragon Campaign may have brought Sir Riftan a massive fortune, but gold should not be spent like water! We need the gold to pay the knights and guards of Anatol, not to mention the road construction planned for next year that will connect the village to the port! Come winter, tax revenues will fall. We must not waste gold!”

...

Maxi shrank back like a turtle withdrawing into its shell.

“I-I d-didn’t know... I w-was n-never told... I was t-told to d-do as I wished...”

Ruth’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed audibly as her stammering trailed off.

“I’m not saying that the castle shouldn’t be refurbished. There was too great a focus on the castle’s fortification, and it’s plain to see that the place looks more like a military base than a lord’s residence. But this is excessive. If you continue to spend this lavishly, Sir Riftan will have to battle another dragon within a few years.”

“Th-That’s...”

Maxi had to grip the back of a chair to stop herself from falling. Her only wish in refurbishing the castle had been to please Riftan. Realizing that he might fly into a rage instead, she felt the blood drain from her body. Close to tears, she looked up at Ruth with pleading eyes.

“P-Please t-tell me w-what I d-did wrong... I’ll c-correct my m-mistakes...”