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5.48% Bride of the Demon Lord / Chapter 18: Not Just a Family Heirloom (2)

Capítulo 18: Not Just a Family Heirloom (2)

Elisa sent off her second daughter and Luca to the door. She then waited for a little while before closing the front door of their little cabin. She leaned her back against the door, her eyes took in the appearance of their home. The small carvings Iris made when she was younger, the shawl Junifer was knitting that laid on the worn basket near the hearth, the faded color of the paints on the family picture Ren attempted to draw just before their father's passing.

"Dear, why did you have to die so early?" She whispered to herself, her eyes shone with tears as she glanced at the closed door of the bedroom her daughters were sharing. "What do I do with Iris?"

She went back to see her daughter's friends and found Amelia nibbling on the berries she brought with her. Amelia would occasionally share the things her older brother gave her with her friends, and with the long winter over, berries like this won't come along for a good few months.

"Amelia, do you happen to know where Iris's ring is?" She asked as she took the seat Luca had vacated earlier.

Amelia blinked and shook her head.

"No Auntie, I don't. Is it missing? Do you need my help to find it?" She asked, knowing how important the ring was to Iris.

"I'm not sure…" Elisa smiled thinly. "I just noticed that she hasn't worn her ring since she came home last week."

"Do you think Iris lost it during your encounter with the direwolves?" Chrysanthe said softly. "Iris would surely look for it once she wakes up."

Amelia had doubts about it. Iris had gone to the forest on her own two days before they went to the woods and were ambushed by the direwolves. It must be the reason why she found Iris burning with fever later that day.

"It's not just a family heirloom." Elisa fidgetted on her seat, clasping her hands together as if she was about to make a prayer to the old gods to spare her eldest daughter.

"Oh?" Amelia cocked her head to one side.

"It's… It's a magic limiter that is supposed to suppress a magus's magic and hide their existence from others." Elisa explained. "My husband gave the ring to Iris when her magic started to manifest six years ago. He said that it would keep Iris safe."

Unfortunately, after passing the limiter to Iris, her husband's health started deteriorating. His condition became worse as days went by, and he passed on not too long after. Elisa feared that with the ring lost, Iris would end up dead like her husband soon.

—-

"Then we need to find it very soon." Amelia commented.

"But the town's council still deems the woods unsafe." Chrysanthe reminded her. "The clearing has turned into a graveyard overnight and no one could explain why."

"But I can't just wait here and do nothing when I know that Iris's life is in danger." Amelia had on a stony expression, but Chrysanthe could clearly see the smoldering rage hidden beneath it.

Amelia just couldn't bear to see Iris in this state. If that damned ring was the key to keep her best friend alive, then she was willing to scout the woods again to find it and save Iris. But the woods were stretched too far for her to search alone and she had no idea what Iris was doing there a week ago, all on her own.

At times like this, her anger towards the capital and the royal court would rise. Amelia thought that it was unfair for someone like Iris to suffer like this. Just because she was born a magus, the Kingdom of Dravial deemed her tainted and cursed by the old gods.

"And it's almost time for the selection, Melia," Chrysanthe continued. "The crown prince and his entourage have just arrived this morning. Since he will be the one to facilitate the selection, I doubt that he would allow any eligible young woman to leave the town during this period."

Which also meant that Luca and Junifer would have no chance to elope now, with the crown prince staying in Calaren Town and Iris trapped in a deep sleep.

"Damn it," Amelia cursed.

Three days later, everyone in the Calaren town, especially all the eligible young maidens, was required to show up to the town's square for the selection, unless one was gravely ill or deemed half-dead by the healers.

If her older brother heard what she had just said, Amelia was certain she would receive a scolding from Jacob.

"Watch your words, Melia. Even without your title, you are raised as a noblewoman." Jacob would usually say with displeasure in his tone.

If the crown prince, Prince Rupert, the eldest son of the king, was still the same little scumbag she knew from her childhood years, Amelia hoped that she wouldn't cross paths with him. She couldn't guarantee that wouldn't cause a scene if he provoked her once again.

"What do we do then if Iris still hasn't woken up then?" Chrysanthe asked, glancing between Amelia and Iris's mother.

Iris had continuously been unresponsive on her bed for a week now. They all feared that she would die in her sleep, just like her father.

"What else could the royal guards do?" Amelia frowned. "It's not like they can drag Iris out of this room and force her to wake up."

She looked at Chrysanthe, who was obviously out of sorts due to the upcoming selection. If appearance was one of the criterias required for the next sacrifice, Chrysanthe would surely get full marks with her face alone.

While Amelia and Iris were of a muscular and leaner body type, Chrysanthe was all softness and curves. Her long brown colored hair often tucked smoothly in a half ponytail with a few strands free to frame her small face and emphasize her bright brown eyes.

"I suppose you are right." Chrysanthe agreed with her.


Capítulo 19: The Selection (1)

Amelia started her day even before dawn broke. She left her bed, cleaned her room and made sure everything was in place. She had this ominous feeling that she might not be able to come back to this place again. She hadn't felt like this since their family lost their wealth and was forced to leave the capital ten years ago.

She looked at her father's old books that she was able to keep after leaving the capital. Amelia had to beg Jacob to allow her to keep a box of their parents' belongings that weren't confiscated by the royal court. It was a day filled with tears and anguish, and Amelia felt that today might not be any different.

Today was the selection and the chance of being chosen amongst the eligible unwed women was quite high, given that many young women in their town chose to marry as soon as they reached the legal age to settle down. Not that she could blame them. Those women would rather choose a loveless marriage and face a possible early death due to childbirth than be sacrificed as tribute to the thirteen demon lords of Asnar.

She then went downstairs and found her older brother sitting with a blank expression on the worn leather couch in the small space of their living area, head cradled in both his hands. Amelia didn't need to ask why he was acting like this. Surely, everyone in town was feeling dreadful about what awaited them later that day.

"Amelia…" He lifted his head and saw her standing there, deep in her own thoughts.

"Jake." She replied once she realized that he was waiting for her to respond.

"You're up early." She forced a smile, hoping to lighten the mood between them. "What's up?"

"You know what's up, Amelia. I promised Father that I would keep you safe and take care of you." Jacob broke into tears and shook his head. "But there's no way I can save you from the selection. Melia, the royal family is still keeping an eye on us. I'm sure they wouldn't stop until our family had nothing left, but I have nothing but you, Amelia."

Amelia said nothing, but her tears were threatening to burst. She knew what Jacob had done and sacrificed for her sake. Jacob, who was now reaching his thirties, remained unmarried because he took it upon himself to take care of her. She hated that she was being a burden to him and couldn't do anything to help him.

"It's alright, Jake. No matter what happens today, we'll always have each other's back. I'm glad that you are my brother." Her voice trembled, knowing that if the royal family still held a grudge towards their family, then it would only make sense that they would include her name as a tribute.

The Buchanan family was wrongly accused of being part of the last rebellion against the royal family. Jacob and Amelia's father, the marquis, ended up beheaded in public as a punishment, and all of their properties were confiscated. The execution served as a reminder to the opposing noble families of what would happen to them if they tried to usurp the throne again.

Jacob's life was only spared because he had been sent to study in the neighboring human kingdom. His return was welcomed by the death of his parents and his younger sister Amelia, who was only 9 years old at the time, thrown out of their home to die from starvation.

Life had been hard for the Buchanan siblings since then and to ensure that they did not get the royal family's attention again, Jacob had decided to settle in Calaren Town and frequently traveled around the kingdom as a merchant.

"It's not okay, Melia. This isn't the kind of life father and mother wanted to have for you. I also know that you wish to become a knight and restore our family's reputation, but this place… this kingdom isn't suitable for a woman like you. You deserve so much better."

What else could they do? The royal family seemed determined to prevent any chance for their family to recover.

Perhaps being chosen today at the selection wouldn't be so bad after all. Amelia thought. The possibility of the unthinkable might happen today anyway. It wouldn't be any worse than their parents' sudden death years ago.

With her gone, Jacob wouldn't have to settle in this wretched town and could live the life he always wanted. Unlike her, Jacob didn't want to meddle with the royal court anymore.

"At least let me cook something for you to eat before we head to the town square." Jacob said and made a beeline to their small kitchen. Whenever he was home, he would always make it a point to eat with her as he was rarely at home due to his work. Though Amelia could count those moments with her ten fingers, it meant a lot to her too.

Amelia then proceeded to take a bath and dressed herself. She didn't wear her usual attire, which consisted of a shirt and a pair of trousers, but instead pulled out a gray dress she hadn't worn for more than a year. It was a gift from her brother for her eighteenth birthday, but she had never thought that the next time she'd worn it would be on the selection day instead.

When she was younger, Amelia used to love wearing dresses and would constantly dress up for her mother's entertainment. However, after their family's fall, she had chosen more practical clothing that wouldn't hinder her movements.

As she looked in the mirror with a crack on its corner, Amelia pinned her long hair up and realized that she somewhat resembled her dead mother. No wonder her brother would look at her at times with a hint of sadness in his face. Jacob must have missed their mother terribly.

When she returned to the dining room, she found that Jacob had already started his meal without waiting for her. He gestured for her to take a seat and join him.


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