With the days growing shorter, darkness fell on the castle long before Maxi finished her work. She lit a candle and walked to the window, her thoughts turning to Riftan.
No one in the castle worked harder than he did. All day long, he inspected the land, trained soldiers, and scoured the area outside the walls to wipe out monsters or plunderers who might be lying in wait. And when that was done, he went to check on the progress of construction in the village, discuss taxes with the tax collectors, and ensure that no one was causing trouble in the estate. Though he worked day and night, he never showed signs of fatigue.