Chapter 94

For the first time in her life, Maxi played a dice game, drank stale beer while watching street performers, and sampled a pie made of a thin crust and filling she was not familiar with. When her stomach was full of all kinds of new foods, the princess cajoled her into joining a pole-throwing competition.

"Holding the pole at the end will make it fly farther. Grab it here and imagine that you're throwing it in a high arch," explained Princess Agnes.

The princess herself had already effortlessly thrown her own pole, earning a high score.

Maxi awkwardly climbed onto the podium and gulped. A few feet away, Riftan watched her with his arms crossed. If she did well, it might just abate his excessive worrying a little.