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1.52% Bride of the Demon Lord / Chapter 5: The Chosen Ones (3)

Capítulo 5: The Chosen Ones (3)

Iris couldn't blame her mother for worrying. Any sane parent would feel the same if their beloved daughters were subjected to such a threat. At the same time, she was surprised to find out that Junifer was harboring such views, which were almost the same as her.

Their mother turned her attention to her as if accusing her of something.

"What?" She paused and lowered her spoon to meet her mother's gaze. "I didn't tell her anything." Iris said in defense.

Years ago, she had voiced out the same sentiments Junifer voiced out tonight and almost scared their mother to death. Eventually, Iris learned to hold her tongue when she witnessed how a drunkard was beaten to death by the roaming guards when he started to spout insults, one after another, against the royal family.

Since then, Iris had been keeping most of her thoughts and opinions to herself. Even at home, she had been very careful not to say things that her younger siblings could repeat to other people. However, it didn't stop her from hating the royal family and its court more than she despised the darklings roaming the border of their lands.

"Mother is right, Jun." She gently chastised her sister. "If others heard what you've just said and reported you for a handsome reward, how would we be able to help you?"

Junifer instantly fell silent, and Iris felt bad about it. She didn't want her sister to limit her views by silencing her opinions, but she was aware of the consequences if Junifer dared to voice her thoughts out loud.

"I know and I'm sorry…" She started. "It's just that… I'm afraid. The last selection was a decade ago. You've seen them yourself, Sis. None of them were able to return after the darklings came to collect them."

Iris knew what Junifer was talking about. They were merely young girls at the time, clinging to their father's legs when they first saw the darklings in person at the town's square where everyone gathered to send the chosen maidens off.

The darklings wore expensive silks, golds, and jewelries that were worth enough to feed the whole town for a month. Their faces clean and smooth in contrast to the dirt-smeared faces of the townsfolk.

However, no matter how beautiful they were to look at, everyone was reminded of how terrifying those creatures were. One of the chosen maidens had burst into flames and was burned alive by a darkling, indicating that she wasn't chaste and was already tainted by a man.

The event haunted Junifer for months that she even had nightmares of it. Since then, she tried her best not to get involved with anything that had to do with the darklings and nursed a hatred towards the royal family who failed to protect one of her friends that had been taken to become a sacrifice to the demon lords.

They came to collect the previous chosen maidens and brought them to Asnar. Iris and Junifer knew some of those young women personally, and they had never seen them since then.

It was understandable why Junifer was afraid. If either of them was picked through the selection, then it only meant that they would never see each other again.

If Iris was one of the women being picked, she wondered how her mother and siblings would survive without her? Who would feed them and send her siblings to school if that happens?

Iris completely lost her appetite by then. Just thinking of what could happen if one of them were taken to Asnar was enough for her to forget her hunger. Well, it wasn't like she was skin and bones, but she had to force herself to finish her meal nevertheless. There was no way she could retire for the night with her stomach growling from hunger.

"With so many maidens to choose from, the probability of us being chosen is quite low." Iris shrugged, trying to lighten the mood around them.

"We could leave, you know." Junifer suggested, which rendered Iris and their mother speechless.

Since when did Junifer start thinking about the selection? Surely, she wouldn't have said this if it hadn't bothered her for some time now.

"I talked about it with Luca, and he agreed to take me out of town until the selection was over."

"Junifer Scarborough! Do you even know what you are saying?!"

Their mother, who was meek and gentle, snapped at Junifer. Ren moved immediately to her side and tried to coax their mother to calm her down.

"How could you say that? If you were chosen, could you imagine what could happen to us if the royal guards find out that you escaped with Luca?"

Their mother didn't need to say what could happen by then. Surely, Junifer would be charged with treason and disobedience and Luca would be severely punished for taking her away.

"Mother, please listen to me." Junifer said, with despair reflected in her eyes.

"Just like Sister said, the probability of being chosen as one of the sacrificed maidens is quite low. This is just a precaution. Luca has proposed to marry me and I accepted it. We plan to hold the ceremony once I turn eighteen. I want to be his bride, Mother. Not some darkling's who won't cherish me and would spite me because I'm human."

Iris didn't know how to respond. She was thinking that the right people to be called 'The Cursed Ones' were the young women who were sacrificed to keep peace and harmony between two parties.

The idea of escaping the selection was quite preposterous and dangerous at the same time in her opinion. However, who was she to question her sister?

She was just a little surprised when Junifer announced Luca's marriage proposal because he never mentioned anything about it to her and to Amelia.

Iris then decided to confront Luca about it at their next meeting and to convince him not to take Junifer before the selection took place.


Capítulo 6: Encounter With a Darkling (1)

Her eyes twitched under the lids as she groaned softly. Her stiff body aching as she adjusted herself under the covers, her face wincing slightly from discomfort and pain. Iris didn't sustain any broken bones from yesterday's incident, but it had left a large bruise on her right side. She applied medicinal balm that her mother made on it, but she doubted it would offer her any comfort throughout the day.

Iris rolled on her left, propped herself up on one elbow and found her younger sister still asleep, curled on her own bed with a slight frown on her face. Junifer was obviously distraught over the selection that was about to take place in two weeks and the thought had been keeping her on edge lately.

Iris had no idea how the sacrificed maidens were chosen, but she doubted that someone like her would be an ideal bride, whether for a human or a darkling. Most women her age were either already married to avoid the selection and had their first child on the way. However, it never bothered her that no young man had sought her hand in marriage.

She swung her legs off the bed as she sat on the edge, taking a moment to clear her thoughts before starting her day. Her hand reaching up to her neck out of habit to touch the ring her father had given her, and its absence startled Iris.

Right, she had lost it yesterday. Retracing her steps, she figured that she might've lost the ring during their chaotic escape from the forest. Iris needed to go back to find it right away.

'Might as well check the snares if they caught something.' She muttered to herself as she pulled on her trousers and dark shirt before tying her hair into a half ponytail and grabbed the foraging pouch she received from Ren two years ago.

When she stepped out of the room she shared with her sister, she found her mother nursing a cup of steaming drink in her hands while staring blankly outside the window across from where she was seated.

"Mother?"

It was only then her mother noticed Iris's presence.

"Where are you going this early, dear? I thought you didn't have to hunt until the weekend."

"I need to check on the snares." Iris didn't want to lie to her mother, but it would surely break her heart if she knew that she had lost the one thing her father had left her.

"I also need to have a word with Luca to confirm whether they are really trying to leave town before the selection." She added, convincing her mother.

Her mother sighed and rubbed her temple. Amongst the three Scarborough siblings, Junifer was the one who had a bad temper and would easily get into a fight.

"You do that, Iris. I'm not sure what's going through your sister's mind to even entertain such an idea."

"She's worried, Mother, especially now that we know Luca has proposed to her. I know Jun would never wish any harm on us because of her. Don't worry too much, Mother. You just recovered from your illness." Iris said before she slipped outside their cabin and was greeted by the sun rays coming as nature's easel, giving brilliant colors to what was hidden even under the passing starlit night.

It wasn't like she wasn't worried about the selection, but there were more pressing matters she would rather think and worry about, such as what she would be putting on their table for the coming days until the winter ends.

Whether they would live or not didn't depend on the selection nor the royal family, who seemed to have forgotten them. If not for the selection, Iris had no doubt that the capital wouldn't spare their town a glance, just as they had done these past years.

Many people from Calaren Town and their neighboring villages barely received any assistance from the capital, leaving them to their own devices.

Iris didn't waste any more time and followed the trail she had taken yesterday. If she was right, then her lost ring would probably have slipped off where the unseen force had sent her and her friends flying midair because of the darklings. She couldn't sense any presence of a darkling ahead and surmised that it would be safe for her to check the ground for her missing ring.

When she reached the third mark, she released a breath that she didn't know she was holding from the moment she stepped into the woods. Iris supposed that she should have asked Amelia to accompany her today, but remembered that Amelia would be busy with her sword training at this time.

Amelia would accompany her and Luca during their hunting trips only because she deemed it as a sort of training to improve her sword skills. Even if the Buchanan family had lost their noble glory and wealth, Amelia's older brother, Jacob, had become a merchant who made a lot of money from trading around Dravial.

The snow was noticeably thinner than yesterday, and Iris inwardly smiled as she realized that the cold winter wouldn't last much longer and spring would soon arrive. However, this didn't mean that she would be able to find her ring easily.

Iris moved deeper into the forest as she continued to follow the path until she reached the fourth mark where she and her friends got hit by the darklings. Her jaws slackened, eyes widened in shock as she looked at the place.

Before her, the ground wasn't covered with thick snow and the trees surrounding it had somewhat died and were left like dry husks. Small bones that she had no doubt were birds and rabbits laid on the ground without a single drop of blood on them.

Iris's mouth went dry and a cold shiver ran down her spine when she realized that she and her friends could end up like this if they were caught by the darklings.

Suddenly, she heard a low growl coming from the clearing…


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