Chapter 06: The hope

Isis' POV:

"What do you mean? Why can't you treat her?" the prince inquired.

"The truth is...."

"Just what's going on here? I heard you saying that you people can't treat the young lady," A voice made its way to us. The owner of the voice had the appearance that of a king. Behind him was following two young men along with Zack.

"Your Majesty!" All of them bowed down in honour, except the prince. I guessed right. He was the king of the Euphoria that I had heard only in tales but never in my dreams imagined to be in his presence. He sure was the king. His strong demeanour said it all. He was exactly what the rumours described him. His golden hair was the proof of Royalty. His ocean blue eyes were as deep as the name itself. His stern shoulders and husky voice made everyone tremble in fear. I also bowed my head along with others.

"Did you not hear what I inquired?" he spoke in a stern voice.

"We apologize. Your Majesty! But this case requires your concern," the core healer spoke.

"Explain it," He ordered. His deep voice echoed through out the hall in front of the room in which Evelyn stayed. All of us were trembling in fear.

"The truth is, this lady has a Mana-less Core."

"W-What?" the prince said, in a surprised tone.

"Elaborate your point. I don't want any lie," the king spoke again, but this time, his eyes darkened.

"As I stated earlier, the lady has a mana-less core. This is just my speculation but I think that the lady has somehow come in contact with His Highness, Crown Prince's mana, which made her mana-less core to absorb those powers. This doesn't happen normally but I believe, the mana-less core of the lady and the immense powers of His Highness just happen to have high affinity for each other. And when that power disappeared from her surrounding, in case the prince was not by her side, her core reacted severly, desperately wishing for those powers to come back. Now, His Highness is the only one who can save the young lady. But...."

"Proceed!" the king said.

"But in order to save the lady, His Highness has to make mana contract with her. Because she cannot live without His Highness mana. And it's not evident now but there will be an adverse effect on His Highness life too if he does not opt to do this, as his power has choosen the lady's core as its home. And one more thing, if she doesn't get this power back today, she might die of pain and dehydration."

"Does it mean that my son has to accept her as her wife?" he said, non-chalantly and straight-forwardly.

The lady healer before him started trembling. Everyone was surprised. No one expected this to happen. Silence became the answer of his question. He sighed and looked at His Highness.

"Now, what would you like to do, Zenier? I have heard from Zack that these two knights have saved you from the seashore. It looks like now its your turn to return the favor."

The prince did not speak. The atmosphere turned into dead silence.

"And the young boy, is it true that your sister is a knight despite having a mana-less core? You might not remember it but being a knight with no mana is a serious crime in our empire," the king questioned me.

I could not held my head high. The secret that we had been desperatley hiding ever since she held the sword in her hands, now had come to light before everyone.

What could I say? That my sister promised my deceased dad that she would become a knight despite having a mana-less core. That she worked day and night untill her hand got callouses. That she cut her hair and threw away her dresses just to fulfill her promise. How could I forget her tears that she shed in those hopeless nights? How could I destroy her dreams and efforts with my own hands?

"No! I cannot do this? I cannot let anything hurt her anymore? I will surely save her and also all of her dreams," I yelled in my head, trying to knock some sense in myself.

I made up my mind and knelt before His Highness.

"Your Highness! It's true that my sister has a mana-less core and she is also a knight. Truthfully, I was the one who forced her to join the knight's department. She did not wanted to do this. If you want to punish anyone, please punish me. But please save my sister. She is innocent," I let out what my mind decided on. But my tears could not stop falling. I could do anything for her. Anything! Even if it means I had to replace her on the deathbed. I was completely ready!

On the other hand, His Highness did not speak a single word uptill now. I could completely understand what he was feeling right now. He was the one who was struggling more than anyone. How could he not? The ones who saved his life turned out to be criminals and now he has to save them by sacrificing his freedom of life. The choice was hard. It surely was.

"My son! The decision is yours to make. I will respect your wishes,"the king spoke.

"Father! Please allow me to take the lady's hand. I assure you I will treasure her for the rest of my life and will not accept anyother lady except her as per Royal customs."

I was stunned to see the prince kneel beside me and declare his wishes.

"My prince! How can you do this? You cannot decide such important matters on a whim," the person behind His Majesty spoke frantically.

"Duke Hanzz, I know that this is an important matter and it not only involves my life but also the young lady's life. And because of this exact reason, I am making this decision. I hope you understand," the prince replied.

"Zenier, Are you sure you won't regret this decision? You do know that in our Royal custom, a king can marry only one lady and he has to spend the rest of his life with her, no matter what happens," the king inquired.

"No! Father. I won't regret it rather I will work hard to keep my promise," he responded.

"Now, then what do you say, young knight? Are you willing to hand your sister over to my son? Will your sister accept the decision you made for her?" The king turned toward me and asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I am willing to hand over my sister to your son, the crown prince, Zenier Alpheus. And I assure you my sister won't decline the decision I made for her," I answered back.

"Very Well! Let the contract begin, now then both of the parties have agreed on," The king announced.

"My king! How can you do this? You can't stake prince life?" Duke Hanzz retaliated.

"Duke! I think you should know your place. This is my son's decision. In other words, crown prince' decision. Do you want to be hanged for disrespecting the future king of the empire?" The king eyes's darkened as he spoke.

"No! No! No! Your Majesty! I donot object to His Highness decision," he responded in a flustered tone.

"Let everyone know in this castle that they must treat these two knights with utmost care. They are now our special guests and also the saviour of crown prince," He announced, making everyone obey his orders.

"And you Core Healer! Take us with you to where the lady is, we will form the contract right now."

"Yes! Your Majesty!"