Moonlight Ball - Chapter 128

Sidrain was stunned, the words ringing in his head like a relentless bell. “Half a year?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

He gazed at Iris, who stood before him with wide eyes, a look of surprise etched on her delicate features. Sidrain’s mind was awhirl, grappling with the thought of spending half a year in this place, away from the world and all its distractions.

He remembered the dragon rebellion that had torn through the land, the fires and the screams, the bodies strewn across the battlefield. That had been a hard thing, but it was nothing compared to this.

Sidrain looked at Iris, his heart heavy with longing. She was beautiful, elegant, and sensible, with a smile that could light up the darkest night. She was everything he could have ever wanted in a lover, yet she remained aloof, withholding her affection.

How can you live like this for half a year? he wondered, his thoughts tumbling one over the other. He longed to hold her, to explore the curves and contours of her body, to feel her soft skin against his. But half a year? It was impossible.

He couldn’t bear the thought of living for half a year in the shadow of the dragon, even though he could defeat it with a smile. His lips felt dry, his fingers ached, and his body burned with longing. But what could he do? Half a year. The thought was unbearable.

“Does it truly have to be medicine?” Sidrain’s voice was tinged with a hint of desperation as he clasped Iris’ hand in his own.

Iris felt a tear prick at the corner of her eye. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sidrain, the wealthiest man in all the land, tried to offer a solution. “What about money? Or perhaps some jewelry? The spirits must take the medicine made by Iris Elaine, correct?”

Iris shook her head, a look of frustration crossing her features. “I’ll try to make the elixir for the spirits a little better…,” she trailed off.

“But surely, there must be someone better at this than you.” Sidrain pressed.

“Wizards who are interested in spirits…” Iris murmured, her thoughts trailing off. She knew deep down that she was the only one who truly cared for the spirits. “It’s not much,” she concluded with a heavy sigh.

Sidrain quickly understood as he had heard about this before. Most people were uninterested in spirits. He knew that there were two kinds of house fairies, and that while the original spirits were said to be difficult to control, those crafted by magicians were easy to manipulate. Horrible tales of magicians exploiting, mistreating, and ultimately killing these creatures abounded.

However, Leiden, the house fairy before him, did not fit the mold. His clothes, though made by his own hand, were of the finest quality, crafted from the best rope gifted to him by his master, Iris. He was well-nourished and appeared to be thriving, even possessing a rudimentary knowledge of the human tongue.

“Do spirits not require gems or coin as well?” Sidrain asked.

“Medicine is the most pressing need,” Iris replied. “Money can be acquired in time, but medicine is hard to come by. Without it, spirits are doomed to an early death.”

It’d be so easy if she could use her magic on them to save them, but she was strict in adhering to her principles, refusing to compromise even in the face of dire need. This was a lesson passed down to her by her teacher Elaine, and one that she had taken to heart.

“Remember, my dear,” Elaine had warned Iris. “You cannot save everyone. And it is never wise to sacrifice your own life in the pursuit of saving others. Understood?”

With those words in mind, Iris lived her life with relative freedom, her independence protected by her mentor Elaine. She accepted only the requests approved by Elaine and devoted the rest of her time to studying magic to her heart’s content. She had never been weighed down by the burdens of the world.

But now, as she considered her current predicament, she wondered if she was truly sacrificing her life. Elaine would undoubtedly say yes. And if he were to learn that she had given up half a year for a single man, especially a king, he would be livid. Yet, despite all that…

“I want to find a solution on my own,” Iris resolved.

Her mentor had cast her out, insisting that she needed to learn about the world for herself. And now, trapped within another’s body, she felt as though she was finally glimpsing the true reality of the world.

Slowly but surely, she was learning.

What brings happiness – one’s own achievements, the joy of a loved one, or the relief of suffering others? What is more important? What price are we willing to pay?

Iris faced her past, encountered the harsh realities of the present, and aimed towards a brighter future, all the while pondering these questions.

Iris gazed up at Sidrain, meeting his worried eyes. She had learned the consequences of magic from the very beginning of her studies. It was taught that every spell cast would come with a cost, and every effort was made to minimize it, but at the end of the day, a price must always be paid. This principle applied to the choices she made, too – there was always a consequence, a result she had to pay for.

For a long time, Iris had relied on her teacher Elaine. She lived in a beautiful world that Elaine showed her, a world she believed to be perfect. She closed her eyes and ears to the outside world and trusted her teacher completely. That world was her world, whether it was true or false, as long as Elaine was there.

But then she asked Elaine why the wizard tower didn’t help people, and Elaine abandoned her. These two events were separate, but they also felt intertwined. A gap appeared between them, a gap that seemed to stretch on forever.