Moonlight Ball - Chapter 79

“If she’s from the north, wouldn’t she be good at laundry?”

Some noble lady spoke again and everyone followed.

“Laundry is important.”

“Then should we tell her to do laundry together?”

“There is way too much laundry with the patients’ pus. It’s not an easy job.”

“Of course. We have to supervise her well. We have to check whether each piece of clothing is clean. The Queen also said that cleanliness is important.”

“She is yet to marry and has stamina, she could supervise there all day. And if we need more hands, we could go.”

“Oh my, that sounds good.”

Once more, the laughter of the noble ladies leaked out of the tent.

Me, they want me to do laundry? Especially the laundry with the patient’s pus? Margaret’s face blushed in crimson red. She wanted to scream and lash out her anger immediately but she held it in, trembling. They were all noble ladies with statuses higher than her. She couldn’t do anything against them.

Wait until I get the Queen’s attention. I will make every one of you wenches lick my boot. Margaret was desperate.

***

That night, Sidrain saw no light emanating from Iris’s room and thought it was odd. She hadn’t turned off her light recently. Iris was embarrassed every time Sidrain visited, but she waited for him with the lights on.

“Ris?”

Sidrain had received a report from the head of the maid that the queen was acting weird all day. He also received the same report from Elena. No, it wasn’t a report. Elena came with her eyes ablaze, asking if he knew who Margaret En Surah was. There was definitely something between her and the queen, she said, and that the Queen was shaken by her appearance. Elena was determined to reveal that girl’s identity.

As Sidrain listened to Elena’s rambles, he thought, it’s possible that she was more obsessive with Iris than I am.

He scolded her, saying that she shouldn’t go around all crazy and go take care of the queen, but as soon as she saw the dark room, he felt that something was off.

“Ris, what’s wrong?”

Sidrain sat on Iris’ bed and carefully called her. But she didn’t answer. She put the sheet over her head like a turtle and was trying her hardest to pretend to be sleeping.

“My lady, really why are you doing this?” Sidrain laid behind her and hugged her with the sheet.

“I, I’m going to sleep.”

“Why, already?”

Iris doesn’t sleep early.

“I’m tired.” Iris stuttered. Her voice sounded depressed so Sidrain remembered the name Elena mentioned.

Margaret En Surah.

Who is that girl?

“My lady really can’t lie, but you don’t want to tell me?”

“N, nothing happened.”

“Ris.” As he called her name as if trying to comfort her, Iris didn’t talk for a moment. Eventually she mumbled, “Have you ever had a nightmare before, Sid?”

“Of course.”

“A nightmare that recurs often?” she asked.

“Of course. The day I’m assimilated with Testalia. Or dreams I have when my condition isn’t the best.”

Then Iris carefully took out her head from the sheet. Her face could be barely seen under the moonlight. Her eyes were a little swollen, she had been crying.

“I have it too,” spoke Iris.

“Right,” nodded Sidrain.

“I have a nightmare. It’s something I dream about as I was about to forget it… I know that I don’t have to go through it again but I still dream about it from time to time. Whenever I’m not well or I’m tired.”

“Mhm.”

“But that’s a dream so I’m okay. Dreams go away when morning comes. But…” What if it becomes the reality? Iris couldn’t say it.

She hated everything, from the reason she was crying, was feeling depressed, and feeling agitated. She wasn’t Iris then and even now her appearance wasn’t Iris, but Rosemary. She could’ve been more confident. But the moment she heard Margaret’s name, the only thing she could do was run away. She was scared.

“A nightmare… The nightmare I have is usually twenty, twenty one, twenty two, nightmares around then. When does Ris have a nightmare?” Sidrain whispered. His voice was so sweet and trustworthy. Iris wanted to believe anything he said.

“When I was little,” answered Iris.

“Around when you went into the Magic Tower?”

“B, before I went into the Magic Tower.”

“Then you were really little. Iris, when you have a nightmare,” Iris closed her eyes as Sidrain whispered. He closed the distance between their lips, then soon caressed her cheek and her neck. “Especially in the middle of the night.” Sirain didn’t look at Iris’ face. She thought he was a caring man. So he couldn’t show her this face. “You just have to destroy it.”

Iris hugged her without a word. Thank you, she wanted to say. But she didn’t understand his real intentions.

***

(Manifestor: Iris Elaine.

Manifesting place: Surah Rones)

Sidrain pressed down on the paper. Iris was agitated the moment she saw Margaret En Surah. The agitation was stronger than his expectation. She mentioned nightmares and didn’t say anything else, but her nightmare seemed to be worse than he assumed. And she was from Surah Rones, which was Count Surah’s mansion. Was this coincidence?

It was like a dog barking a poem.

“Retendon.”

A knight came up at Sid’s calling. He was with Sidrain when he went to kill a dragon. He usually wore a helmet so one couldn’t see his face.

Count Retendon En Mutarion.