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.