Chapter 9: I’m NOT the Holy Maiden!

 

 

 

Chapter 9: I’m NOT the Holy Maiden!

 

“LADY Iris, why don’t we pay a brief visit to Prince Reseda?” Cytisus suggested.

Iris frowned. “What for?”

“What for? Well, this excursion was originally at his request, was it not? I’ve agreed to report back to him periodically.”

“Oh. Hmm. I wasn’t expecting that,” she muttered to herself.

“What do you mean?”

“W-Well, if I’d known how much hassle it was going to create for His Highness, I wouldn’t have made such a presumptuous request in the first place, that’s all,” Iris stammered hastily. “And…and my attire is completely unbefitting of the occasion!”

“I’m sure he’ll be quite happy to see you,” Cytisus grinned.

Her expression stiffened. “Happy?”

“Besides, I must inform him of the fairies’ blessings.”

And so, Iris was left with no choice but to accompany him to a meeting with Reseda.

As it turned out, leaving the Temple was easy; there was a large white door that connected to the palace grounds just outside. From there, they headed back to the same greenhouse where they’d met up for tea a few days prior. Inside, Reseda tended to the flowers while the maid from last time set the table for them.

As light streamed in through the greenhouse glass, the flowers sparkled, but the prince sparkled even brighter, his glossy pink hair like dewy petals that framed his smooth ceramic skin. When he noticed Iris, he smiled so brightly that he threatened to make the flowers bloom around him. To her, it felt like HanaKoro’s artist had conspired to make him as terrifyingly beautiful as possible, like the human incarnation of a rose…but frankly, he was so flawless, not even the King of Flowers could compete.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Lady Iris.”

He was so absurdly handsome, Iris couldn’t help but feel dizzy. As she staggered, her choker bell jingled, and she reached up to silence it.

“Thank you for going to all this trouble for my sake,” Iris told him sincerely. After all, her visit to the Temple of Magic had been so much fun.

“I’m glad you liked it. Please, have a seat.”

He escorted her to the little white table. Flummoxed, she sat down as requested. Then the maid poured them some tea. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly.

Unlike last time, the conversation proceeded smoothly—possibly because Cytisus was with her or because they actually had something to talk about. When the topic of the fairies’ blessings came up, Reseda’s eyes widened.

“She received the fairies’ blessings?”

Cytisus nodded quietly.

“And she can see them?”

“She can.”

“But I haven’t seen any!” Reseda frowned bitterly. “How is this possible?”

“It is very, very rare, though with a few notable exceptions, like the Holy Maiden.”

They looked at Iris. Even the maid looked at her. Iris recoiled in her chair. Surely you must be joking!

“So...you’re saying Iris could be the future Holy Maiden?” Reseda asked, confused.

“No, I’m afraid not! That’s simply not possible! My family lineage is not endowed with mana of any sort!” Iris declared sharply. As she shook her head, her ringlets bounced from left to right—and a tiny voice said “I’m dizzy,” though Iris didn’t notice.

“At present, I have yet to sense any mana from Lady Iris. That said, the possibility still exists. We won’t know until she undergoes the formal evaluation at sixteen.”

Right as Cytisus finished speaking, one of Iris’s curls sprang up of its own accord. Startled, she looked at it—and realized one of the fairies from earlier had concealed itself inside. The same mischievous fairy who had yanked on her hairband, in fact. It poked its head out from the tip of the ringlet and grinned at Iris.

“You don’t have any mana, Iris, but you have a holy scent!” it whispered.

“A holy scent?” Iris repeated, baffled. At this, Reseda and Cytisus looked at her dubiously.

“What’s this about a holy scent?” Cytisus asked, his eyes glinting from behind his monocle.

“Well…it appears one of the fairies smuggled itself out of the Temple…”

Timidly, Iris held up her ringlet for him to see. He leaned in closely, peering at her hair. Meanwhile, Reseda scowled, since he wasn’t able to see the fairy for himself.

As he registered the fairy in her hair, Cytisus let out an exasperated sigh. The fairy flew out of Iris’s ringlet and trailed along her left arm, rustling her sleeve. “It’s the scent of the Holy Maiden. It’s coming from here!” it explained.

“Lady Iris, may I examine your left arm?”

“You may.”

With Iris’s consent, Cytisus took her arm, rolled up her sleeve, and scrutinized her scars. Then he leaned in and took a big whiff of her skin.

“Wha?!”

It was so uncouth, Iris couldn’t help but feel alarmed. Scars or no scars, she didn’t want anyone ogling her body, much less sniffing it! Clearly, he saw her as nothing more than a child. Not that she expected anything different, of course, but the shame of it still made her blush beet-red.

“Cytisus, that’s crossing a line, and you know it,” Reseda reprimanded him. This seemed to bring Cytisus back to his senses.

“I apologize, Lady Iris. That said, I cannot detect anything beyond a pleasant fragrance.”

Iris’s face was practically turning purple by this point. Not only did he smell her, but he saw fit to comment upon what he smelled! Where is your tact?! Just do your job!!! I may be ten years younger than you, but I’m still a delicate young woman!

Cytisus shot a confused look at the fairy, who pouted. “I’m not lying!” it insisted.

Iris thought for a moment, then suggested, “Perhaps it’s referring to the topical oil I’ve been using.” Camille made it herself, after all. In HanaKoro, it was said to be imbued with the power of the Holy Maiden.

“What sort of oil?”

“Camellia seed oil. Rumors say it’s supposed to help reduce scars, so I’ve been applying it to my arm. Perhaps the person who makes it has some special power.”

This was the perfect opportunity to alert them about Camille. By suggesting she might be a potential Holy Maiden, Cytisus would surely try to dig up information about her. Then he’d find out that she was his sister, thereby crushing any possibility of a romance between them. And if Iris could get Reseda to meet Camille this early, then their engagement would surely never come to pass. The two of them could go off and get married, and Iris would get to keep her voice! Please, I’m begging you!

Cytisus’s monocle glinted in the light. “Could you tell me more?”

“There’s a store that sells this oil downtown. They have a girl working there who’s about my age, and I’m told she helps with the refinement process. Strangely enough, it’s the one product they sell that seems to be wildly effective.”

He put a hand to his chin in contemplation. “But…if she’s a commoner, then she can’t possibly be a Holy Maiden candidate.”

Thus far, only those of noble descent had ever been selected as a Holy Maiden. Following a rigorous screening process, a limited number of candidates were invited to enroll at the Academy, where they were further evaluated. She who scored highest would then receive the title.

Of course, in reality, Camille wasn’t a commoner at all. Like Cytisus, she was an heir to the House of Sade, which meant she was surely gifted with a bountiful mana supply. Thus, she was all but guaranteed to be nominated as a Holy Maiden candidate.

It all comes down to this! This is the moment that decides my fate!

“I spoke to her once, actually. She’s a pretty girl with blue hair. Actually, come to think of it, something about her reminded me of you, Lord Cytisus… I don’t suppose you have any distant relatives living in the city, do you? I was told she doesn’t know who her father is.”

Iris knew it might offend him, but she went ahead and said it regardless. She couldn’t take any chances. Go ahead and hate me if you must, but as the villainess, I’m not letting you set my city on fire!!!

Unsurprisingly, Cytisus frowned at her.

“Could you tell me the name of this establishment? I would like to see it for myself.”

“Gladly!”

He believed me! Oh, thank goodness!