Chapter 16: The Prince Comes To Visit
WHY is this happening?
For some inexplicable reason, Prince Reseda was standing inside the Chevalier annex, holding a basket full of bak chee and shooting Iris a puzzled look with those sparkly flamingo-pink eyes. Adorable, yes…
HOWEVER!
“…and thus, they decided that I’ll be staying here on your property for the time being. Oh, and here’s that bak chee you wanted,” he explained, smiling brightly.
Meanwhile, Iris clutched her head. Admittedly, she had something of a knack for exasperating others, but when the tables were turned back on her, she couldn’t handle it!
“WHY THIS?!” she screamed before she could stop herself.
Reseda recoiled and looked at her in alarm.
Oops. I shouldn’t let my panic get the better of me…but really, who WOULDN’T panic at a time like this?! Clearing her throat, Iris took the basket of bak chee from him and set it on the table.
“I apologize for shouting, but…why did they feel this was necessary, exactly?”
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AS promised, Reseda had spoken with the king about the soilpox prevention effort. He had brought Cytisus along to provide a demonstration of the magic circles. But the King realized it was forbidden magic and declared it too dangerous.
Right when they seemed to have reached an impasse, however, Reseda decided to prove the vaccine’s effectiveness by ingesting it himself right there on the spot. The whole room panicked, and the royal knights formed a wide circle around him. It was then that he told them that he would quarantine himself on Iris’s property: “After all, since she already has soilpox immunity, she won’t get sick.” And so, the second prince of Floraison was sent off to the Chevalier estate in a rickety carriage reserved for servants—the same one that had just brought in a shipment of bak chee.
Naturally, Iris’s father declared that “As loyal knights of the royal family, we couldn’t possibly turn him away.” Thus, it was decided that he would be quarantined in the annex a short distance from the main house. Her father didn’t feel the need to lock him in the basement since he wasn’t showing any symptoms. So their servants scrambled desperately to tidy up the dusty, unused annex…and here they were.
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“HOW could you be so reckless?!”
Granted, Iris had already confirmed the vaccine’s viability in a small number of townspeople. But he was royalty! Never in a million years would she have asked him to be a trial patient!
But the way Reseda saw it, he was essentially stealing Iris’s hard work right out from under her, and although she’d essentially asked him to do it, he didn’t feel good about it. Thus, he wanted to contribute to the vaccine effort in some way, no matter how small. He thought she’d be happy about it, not angry.
“I wanted to be your partner in crime. Besides, I’m just the spare, anyway. As long as my brother’s around, they don’t need me,” he laughed casually.
This enraged her. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
Iris grabbed him by the shoulders. He looked back at her dubiously. This boy is as clueless as they come! Well, I’m NOT going to let him talk about himself like that!
“You’re not just a spare! No one could possibly replace you, Reseda!”
A warm tear trickled down her cheek. He gave her another one of his rosy smiles.
“What are you grinning about?! I’m serious!” Iris growled.
He reached out and wiped her tear away with his fingers. “That’s the first time you actually called me by name,” he grinned.
Immediately, she leaped backward and curtsied. “Please forgive my insolence!”
“It’s not insolent. Keep it up, Iris.”
“No, I couldn’t possibly!” Iris shook her head vigorously, her ringlets bouncing all over the place as she took another step back.
“What’s wrong, Iris? What are you so scared of?”
Chuckling, Reseda moved closer. Iris backed away until she bumped into something solid behind her.
What am I scared of? Are you kidding me?! Have you looked in a mirror lately?! You may be smiling, but I can tell you’re furious! And yes, I could fight you off, but then I’ll get slapped with the death penalty! Look, I swear I’ll never do it again! Somebody save me!!!
“You called, Iris?” asked Sauge.
Reseda’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he let out a defeated sigh.
“Oh, am I interrupting something?”
“No, not at all! Your timing is perfect as always!” Iris blurted, desperate to keep her from leaving. Reseda slumped his shoulders.
“I must say, the little prince is quite brave to ingest the vaccine of his own volition. It inspired me to lend you my aid,” she continued with a grin.
“How so?”
“I went and spoke with the Orange Fairy Leader just now. And as he is the king’s guardian, I imagine he’ll put in a good word for you about the vaccine. Isn’t that nice?”
As she grinned merrily, Iris stared back in shock. Reseda bowed deeply. “I owe you a debt, Lady Sauge.”
“Oh, no need for all that. You humans are an endless source of entertainment. Keep up the good work.” And with that, she vanished.
“For a Fairy Leader, she’s quite capricious, isn’t she?” Iris commented. She was grateful, of course, but a tiny bit exasperated with Sauge as well.
“Your Highness!”
Just then, the door flew open, and Nigel ran in. Reseda clucked his tongue in annoyance. “Nigel, stay right where you are,” he commanded sharply.
At this, Iris’s brother froze on the spot, grimacing. He was fully prepared to catch soilpox if fate willed it, but he could scarcely defy a direct order from the prince.
“I must sincerely apologize for the inadequate dwelling you’ve been assigned,” Nigel continued.
Reseda laughed weakly. “Oh, it hardly matters. This entire affair is being kept hush-hush, after all. We can’t have the citizens knowing their own prince caught soilpox, now can we?”
Nigel and Iris both pursed their lips. If Reseda contracted soilpox, he would be hidden away without any treatment, as if it were merely a common cold. After all, they wouldn’t want anyone to think that a member of the royal family had been punished by God. How absurd. Iris let out a small sigh. To the commoners, survivors were heroes.
“Really, don’t make such a fuss about it.”
“I’m going to take the vaccine, too. That way, I can be by your side to assist you at all times! Doesn’t that sound like a good idea? Iris, will you administer the vaccine?”
“Absolutely not, Nigel. You are the heir to the Chevalier name, and as such, it is your duty to protect the family,” Reseda declared, pointing at him firmly. Naturally, Nigel had no rebuttal for this; bitterly, he held his tongue.
“Heir” this, “family” that—these aristocrats have it rough! Not like the House of Chevalier even has that much power or influence to begin with. We don’t have any mana! Iris thought with all the flippancy of an outside observer.
“Besides, once we’ve proven that I’m still healthy, we’ll need to convince more aristocrats to take the vaccine…and that’s where you’ll come in,” he continued.
“As you wish, my liege,” Nigel replied grudgingly.
“You have nothing to worry about. Iris will be around to protect me—as a knight of the royal family. Isn’t that right, Iris?”
His voice snapped her back to her senses, and Iris looked around at them. Reseda was smiling, like always, but Nigel looked apprehensive.
Knight of the royal family, my foot! Don’t just throw that title around whenever it’s convenient for you! But then again, I don’t want you revoking it, either!
“…His Highness is in safe hands with me,” Iris responded reluctantly.
Meanwhile, she could feel a heavy weight descend upon her shoulders…