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5.18% Bride of the Demon Lord / Chapter 17: Not Just a Family Heirloom (1)

章節 17: Not Just a Family Heirloom (1)

A week later…

Amelia thought being ambushed by the direwolves in the woods and coming out alive that night would be the last of their woes. However, as soon as they returned to Calaren Town and retired for the night, Iris fell into a deep sleep and hadn't woken up since then.

She and Chrysanthe went to visit her friend, hoping they would be greeted by Iris's warm smile this time. Sadly, Iris was still lying prone and unmoving on her bed.

They found Luca and Junifer by Iris's bed, looking after her. Junifer was wiping a clean, wet washcloth over Iris's arm, her face filled with worry.

"She still hasn't woken up yet?" Chrysanthe asked the younger Scarborough sister.

When she noticed that Iris hadn't dropped by to see her the other day, she went to Amelia and found out that the three had a very close encounter with the direwolves in the woods. Amelia also told her how Iris's magic force ended up chasing the darklings away.

Junifer shook her head, unaware that her elder sister had been keeping a secret from her and their younger brother. She draped a thin blanket over Iris's sleeping form before closing the window next to her bed, so the chill wind won't come inside.

Men and women, along with children had started to leave their homes to enjoy the fine weather outside. After being trapped inside their houses for too long, it was obvious that everyone was thrilled to see the sun again.

Now that spring had arrived, the townsfolk had gotten rid of the extra layers of clothes and were celebrating, praising the old gods for finally answering their prayers. However, Amelia and Chrysanthe knew better.

It wasn't the old gods who spared everyone's life from the long harsh winter. It was Iris. The same woman who was now lying unresponsive on her bed, looking as if time had stopped with her. But Amelia and Chrysanthe would rather keep the truth to themselves than to place Iris in a dangerous situation.

"I don't understand. Iris has never fallen into a deep sleep as long as this before. A day or two is normal, but a week? Chrys, do you think my sister is sick again? Do you think she's cursed by a darkling?" She questioned her sister's best friend.

"I'm not sure how to answer that, Jun." Chrysanthe confessed. She was a daughter of a scholar and knew a lot of things, but the darklings were a whole different subject matter. She knew though that Iris wasn't cursed by a darkling and her deep sleep was caused by the amount of magic she used. The more magic Iris used, the longer her sleep would be.

However, she'd made a promise to Iris not to tell Junifer or Ren that she was a magus for their safety. If things turned to worse and Iris was revealed as a magus, there would still be a chance that her siblings might be spared.

"How did you manage to escape from the darklings anyway?" Junifer then questioned her lover. She had noticed that Luca had been quite evasive with his answers whenever she asked him about what transpired that night.

Luca looked uncomfortable in his seat. He glanced at Amelia before turning to look at Iris. He wasn't sure what happened after he passed out, but he could clearly remember Iris fighting with the direwolves to save him.

"Another pack of direwolves arrived and they engaged in a fight." He said, sticking to what Amelia told him as their alibi.

Luca knew that Amelia knew something, but he surmised that whatever it was, Amelia decided not to divulge it to keep them safe. There was nothing else he could do but stick to their story.

"Then you're lucky they didn't kill you." Junifer nodded, oblivious to the trauma Luca received from that night and how desperate her elder sister was to keep themselves alive, only for her to end up like this.

A knock on the door took everyone's attention and they found Iris and Junifer's mother standing at the doorway. She eyed Junifer and beckoned the young woman to come to her.

"Jun darling, would you mind getting these herbs for your sister? I still have some bronze coins left in the dresser that you can use to buy them. Don't forget to pick up Ren from the school on your way home." Her mother said.

"But Iris…"

Junifer hesitated to leave. She wanted to be here once her elder sister woke up. Iris was the pillar of support for their family.

"Iris will be awake soon. I'm sure of that. This is why you need to get those herbs so I can prepare a tonic she could take once she wakes up." Her mother insisted.

Luca rose from his seat and picked up his gray cloak. As he stood up, the room suddenly felt too cramped due to his towering height.

"Let me come with you." He told Junifer. "I'll make sure you and Ren are safely home before night comes." He said, urging Junifer to move as he sensed that her mother wanted a word with Amelia.

Junifer gave her sister a quick look before nodding and excusing herself to get her own cloak and the few bronze coins her mother mentioned.

"Thanks, Luca. Please give my regards to your mother. We really wouldn't know what to do with Iris if it wasn't for her."

Luca's mother was one of the few healers in their town. Although Elisa Scarborough was well aware of the reason behind her daughter's condition, people would find it suspicious if she didn't allow a healer to have a look at Iris.

"I'm sure Mother is more than happy to help you, Auntie. She's quite fond of Iris and she's been racking her mind, trying to figure out why Iris won't wake up." The young man said, assuring his future mother-in-law that everything was fine on his family's end.


章節 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.


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