There had been a ringing inside Iris's ears she had not been aware of. It was not painful, it certainly was difficult to keep on track.
Mainly because she had not even realized that the ringing had been there till she made it to the bathroom. There was something different about this place now.
[System apologizes for the delayed response. There was some interference from the host's side.
The higher-ups are looking into the solution]
As soon as the ringing stopped, the system went back online. So maybe the interference was the ringing noise in Iris's head.
[Scanning complete.
The cause of system interference - lack of external sustaining magic available]
That did not make sense. Or rather, it made a lot of sense when she took into consideration Orpheus and her aura. The lack of magic was suffocating.
'System, what can you tell me about Orpheus and Chaos'
Now that the system was back online, Iris knew it was time to grill it. There was no telling when such a time would come again.
Especially if the other decided to hand around for a while.
[User doctor does not meet requirements to access the knowledge. The user needs Iris Character profile Lvl - 20 to unlock the information.
Alternatively, users can gather the information themselves to know more]
Lvl 20? Why so high? But this exchange made one thing clear to Iris - the system was asking her to gather this information herself.
"Hey, you alright in there? You've been there for a while now" the ringing noise came back and the comfort of her system was stripped away from Iris in an instant.
Iris sighed and decided to open the door….
…only to see the whole party on the other side, looking at her with a worried expression.
"Is your stomach alright?" Lady Hua asked and Iris felt her face heat up.
Was that what they thought happened? Her stomach? Upset?
"It's alright. Everything is alright. Important things, let's focus on them for now" Irisignored the group ahead, not looking at the other's faces. She could not face them at all.
The silence was awkward as well.
"Anyway, would you all like to settle down first and relax? The sultan can wait till later. Lady Iris, my master would also like to have a chat with you" Nicole asked as she turned to her.
Lady Hua and Sasha turned to her as well in question.
She was the leader of this small group and they all had realized that.
"Nicole, help Lady Hua and Sasha settle in. I'll come and collect them later. As for you-" Iris turned to Orpheus with loss.
She did not want to leave the other alone but she did not want to bring the other with her to the sultan as well. She had a feeling that it would not end well if she did.
"It's alright. I have things I need to do here so I will take my leave now. I will find you later for a talk" Orpheus waved as she left the room.
She had been standing adjacent to the window this whole time, so her escape did not bring as big a shock to Iris as it could have.
Still, the relieved feeling Iris wanted to feel did not emerge.
"You seem unsettled. Should we keep an eye on her?" Nicole asked as she looked outside the window. Orpheus looked to be nowhere but she could also not have gone far.
"Let her go. You won't be able to catch her now anyway. Besides, we have more important things to work out here" Nicole sighed but let it go.
She trusted Iris enough to take her words for it.
"I understand. There are guards out there with instructions to take you to your new homes. Follow them and do not give them any trouble. Lady Iris, please come with me" Lady Hua looked ready to protest.
But Sasha had enough wits to stop her and drag her away.
"Well lady Nicole, shall we get going now?" Nicole tilted her head with a questioning look and it made her silver hair drape over her side.
She looked different today, her hair having a waviness to it now. Had they always been that wavy? Or was it a recent addition?
"Your hair, did you do something with it? They look different" the blush that bloomed on Nicole's face was radiant and made her look cute.
"I, ah yes, the hair are a new addition. Master said that they might make me look better" the last line was mumbled out forcefully and brought a new wave of embarrassment out of Iris.
It made the warrior look years younger and a lot more attractive.
"The Vizier is right, it does make you look cuter" there was a shift in that expression and the embarrassment reached Nicole's eyes now.
Iris was not clueless. She could guess why the other was behaving like this - this new shiness and hesitation. That unwillingness to look Iris in the eyes.
Iris knew it had been a possibility, but not this soon. Iris had done everything she could to prevent this but it had still happened - the obsession.
Nicole fell into the same trap as many of the other characters had. The situation just turned delicate, especially since Iris could not even avoid the other.
Maybe it was time to cut this bud before it could bloom.
"Nicole, I understand your feeling but please reconsider. It's not love or even lust. It's just a phase, one you will come to regret sooner or later" by the speed of things, it would come far sooner.
Nicole looked taken aback by her words but not confused.
"You understand? I don't think you do. If you did, then you would not ask me to back off. I love you" Ah, there it was - the dreaded words.
There had been a time Iris would have loved to hear those words, but not here and not now. Not in this world, because it would weaken Iris's resolve by a lot if she fell into that trap.
"Nicole, no. We both have things to do and responsibilities to handle. We do not have time for this now" Iris was firm in her decision but she could see Nicole's expression break…
…then it turned determined and Nicole looked Iris right in the eye.
"Duty, responsibilities - we will never be rid of them no matter how old we get. I am not asking for your love, just a chance. Give me one full day and we can try it out. Just one will be enough" Iris knew one day would not be enough.
But she could not deny the other this small favor. Especially if it got Nicole off of her back.
"One day, but that is it. I'm sorry that I cannot reciprocate your feelings but I am willing to give you that one day. Let me sort out some things first and then we can do that" It all felt like a big mistake.
Iris could not help but get a really bad feeling about everything.
"Nicole, everything is alright in Oreta, right? It feels different, the magic here is…intense" Iris could not help the chills this place gave her.
The sun was settling down in the sky but Oreta looked to be unaffected. The city used to sleep after dark but now it looked to be working day and night.
"Everything is amazingly good right now. Trade is great and movement is great, even our reputation is great. Everyone is working day-and-night to make ends means and make it even better" Nicole seemed happy.
Then why was the feeling of dread spreading through Iris?