"They were glowing?" Neville repeated in disbelief.
He leaned down and examined the soft curve of Soleia’s ear, where a small selenite crystal earring lay innocently. He prodded at it gingerly; the crystal was cool to the touch. He then carefully removed it to take a closer look.
It was simply an ordinary selenite earring, with no hidden chanisms or tricks. Rafael cleared his throat irritably.
"The princess loves this pair of earrings. Put it back on for her," Rafael said, and Neville hastened to obey.
anwhile, Orion had to once again ignore the petty jealousy that was starting to rear its ugly head. Ralph knew this was her favorite pair of earrings. Orion wasn’t even aware that she had others to compare it to.
Neville twisted his fingers as he stared between Orion and Rafael. "Truth be told... are you certain that was what you saw, Duke Elsher?"
"Are you accusing of being a liar?" Orion demanded hotly, his voice echoing through the infirmary. "I might not be a learned man, but I’d recognize glowing lights when I see them, especially under the dark of the blankets!"
Neville bit his lip, a pained expression crossing his face. anwhile, Rafael fought the urge to glare at his so-called best friend. His eyebrow twitched. Dark of the blankets? What was he doing with Soleia under the blankets when she was apparently too ill to open her eyes?
Of course, part of him noted with irony that he had no right to be jealous. In the eyes of everyone else, Orion and Soleia were a married couple that had every right to fornicate above and below the covers. It was Rafael who was the interloper in their relationship, never mind that Orion hadn’t shown Soleia the least bit of care... until now.
"But... it’s simply impossible," Neville said slowly, trying not to piss off the already irate Duke and his murderous best friend. "Princess Soleia does not have any magical ability at all. The selenite crystals in these earrings would be nothing more than decorative tools for her. You shouldn’t have seen anything."
"I know what I saw," Orion insisted.
Suddenly, the image of Soleia holding his arm and pressing her ears on it floated in his mind, the red of her cheeks a sharp contrast to the falling snow around them. He could almost taste the crisp winter air. It was so vivid, it had to be a mory.
Sothing like this had happened before, but he had forgotten it.
"She’s not powerless. Far from it. She has magic. She did sothing to before, and it cleared my head," Orion declared and Rafael sucked in a breath.
The two physicians paled similarly, staring at him with stunned faces. That simply couldn’t be true!
If Princess Soleia had magic, she should have cryomancy like the rest of her siblings. Yet, her earrings were pure selenite― a crystal mainly used for the nullification of magic.
Which ant that Princess Soleia could nullify magic. That was a gift so rare that countries would wage wars for such a person. Such an ability could lead to the rise and fall of empires, and the bloodlines that they harbored. That thought was so earth-shaking that they stumbled back in shock, staring blankly at the sleeping princess in disbelief.
They had to report this to His Majesty!
Rafael ntally cursed Orion. He of course had no clue about the severity of his claims. Once news of Soleia’s ability erged — and it would, as a secret of this caliber could not remain hidden unless Rafael killed everyone in the room — Soleia’s life would definitely undergo huge upheavals.
He had to diffuse the situation.
"I heard that she had an altercation with Prince Florian. According to young Prince Reitan, he saw his sister use ice magic to defend him back then. I suspect that it might have sothing to do with her current situation," Rafael said conversationally, as though he had not caused a cataclysmic explosion in the minds of the physicians.
"Ice? How?" The two physicians wrung their hands. "These crystals aren’t suitable!"
"I forgot to ntion that she was also wearing different earrings when I went out with her earlier to visit the vendors because she was afraid of losing them in the crowd," Rafael said, the lie easily rolling off his tongue. "She must have changed back into this pair of earrings in her room when she returned. Do you think the stones are reacting to this sudden change in her body?"
"But―"
Ralph’s words made sense, but Orion had seen Soleia’s state when he first burst into her room. That woman was in no state to even tuck herself in, let alone do sothing as dexterous and intricate as changing her earrings. But then Orion caught Ralph’s warning glance and changed his words.
"That’s right. The princess’s body was abnormally cold when I visited her and she was very tired."
When Ralph gave him that sort of look, it usually ant that he had stuck his foot in his mouth and said sothing he shouldn’t have. Ralph would explain things later.
The two physicians looked slightly calr once they heard Rafael’s words. "Oh, that could explain it, yes... a late awakening is often very taxing on the body, especially if it’s one caused by duress," Neville said, a pinched look around his mouth. "Prince Florian does have a penchant for... inspiring change."
"You an he’s a bullying little shithead," Rafael said, smiling winningly. "But no worries, I’ll keep your words a secret if you keep the news of the princess’s new powers a secret."
"But the king would need to know―" Sven protested, only to fall silent when Rafael once again waved the bloody rapier around, this ti transforming it into a little ribbon that whipped around the air with deliberate lightness. If it hit them, they wouldn’t be standing.
"Loose lips sink ships," Rafael said simply. "We brought her here for treatnt, and she will be treated. Anything else is not in your purview. Do you understand ?"
The bloody ribbon caressed their cheeks as gently as a lover’s touch. But both n shuddered and recoiled as though a viper had spat in their faces.
"Yes, yes, we won’t say a word," they promised frantically, almost sinking to their knees.
"Now, let’s begin treating the princess," Rafael said, clasping his hands. "What are your suggestions?"
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