#5: Curse

𓍯𓂃𓂃Matteo's POV𓂃🖊

I looked around my surroundings after using my magic to stop that girl who tried to attack one of the knights earlier.

I let out a quiet breath, closing my eyes briefly as I focused on heightening my senses with magic. The faint hum of mana in the air became clearer, weaving through the gathering like threads in a tapestry. I needed to find the girl who saved me that night...

She's here somewhere. I can feel it.

I scanned the crowd, noting the subtle differences in the magical signatures around me. Most were normal, some are weak or ordinary.

No matter how I tried to scan the surrounding, I couldn't something similar like the strong, precise magic I'd felt that night in the forest.

But... Wait...

There was something faint, almost elusive, I tried to trace where it came from but before I could, it slipped away.

My eyes narrowed, my gaze sweeping the women before me. Who is hiding from me?

My thoughts were then disrupted when my brother, Kaiden, walked out the balcony where I was.

"So? Any clues?" my brother asked as he walked up to stand beside me.

And as expected, the moment he appeared, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd. Women called out his name, some even trying to catch his attention with bright smiles and exaggerated gestures.

My lips tightened in mild annoyance as I glanced at him. Of course, he soaked it all in with his usual charm, offering polite smiles and nods. It was no surprise, my brother was the popular one among the three of us.

Wherever he went, women seemed to flock to him, drawn by his charisma and good looks.

Meanwhile, I returned my focus to the task at hand, letting his popularity distract the crowd while I worked. "Nothing solid yet," I muttered, still scanning the area with my heightened senses. "But I felt something faint just a moment ago. I know she's here"

He raised an eyebrow at me, his smile steady as he waved at another group of admirers. "Well, sounds like the person we're looking for might be here after all."

I nodded "Possibly."

"Oh, it's William's date from yesterday," Kai said with a teasing lilt, pointing toward a certain girl in the crowd. His grin widened as he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Yoohoo! Miss Thalia!"

The girl turned toward him, I could see the confusion and embarrassment seen in her face when every other woman in the vicinity stared at her.

My eyes narrowed slightly towards her....

I know her...

She was the girl who had bumped into me last night while I was patrolling the area in search of the mysterious girl, hoping I could find her during the start of the celebration.

At the time, I hadn't paid her much attention.

"You forgot your book last time!" Kai shouted towards the girl as murmurs started to envelop the field. With a casual wave of his hand, he used his telekinesis to fling the book toward her face.

Fortunately, she reacted just in time, catching it before it could hit her.

"If you're just going to give it, at least give it like a gentleman," she snapped, her tone laced with irritation as she clutched the book to her chest.

Although, the knights were about to move and punish her for talking to a royal out of turns, Kai stopped them with a hand signal.

Kai only chuckled in response, clearly amused. "Oh, come now, where's the fun in that? Besides, you should be thanking me for giving it to you"

Thalia narrowed her eyes at him, clearly unimpressed by his use of word. "Next time, maybe don't aim for my face?"

Kai laughed even harder, leaning casually against the balcony railing. "You've got quick reflexes, I'll give you that. Besides, isn't it nice to see me again?"

Her glare only deepened as she muttered under her breath

That's strange... Last night, when I bumped into her during my patrol, I was certain she was a mundane. I didn't sense even a whisper of mana flowing through her.

Yet now, I can feel a faint, but unmistakable one.

It's... quite suspicious, if I'm being honest.

But maybe I just didn't notice last night since I was focus on something else, her mana is weaker than her friend back at her village.

I doubt she can even use magic without killing herself or passing out.

And yet, I still took her in. Why?

I don't know, I just...feel like it

I narrowed my eyes, watching her from afar as she gripped the book tightly, her expressions shifting from irritation to something unreadable. Could she be the one we're searching for? Or was this just a coincidence?

No... she isn't the one.

She will never be the one

She's weak... her mana is barely there, not too far from a powerless human. There's no way she could be the woman who saved me that night.... It just doesn't match.

She'll only be dragged into something far beyond her capabilities. She'll be crushed during the process in her stay here, killed before she even understands what's happening.

I exhaled slowly, my grip tightening.

But I couldn't let her go, she's already here. I shouldn't care that much, besides... those who are weak to handle the process will die anyway.

We'll just have to bury them and send some gold and their letter to their family.

"Listen up, everyone!" I announced, gathering the attention of each and every woman in the field "You'll be staying here for about a week or so, depending on your assigned number. The process will take at least 2 days for the first 15 women."

"This is ridiculous!" one of them exclaimed, stepping forward with defiance in her eyes. "I've done nothing wrong! Why should I be subjected to this process?"

Others nodded in agreement, their voices overlapping as they tried to talk their way out of it.

"I have a family waiting for me!"

"This is wasting everyone's time!"

"This is unfair!"

I raised my hand, silencing the crowd with a stern expression. "Enough." My voice was sharp, cutting through the commotion.

"None of you are here by accident," I continued, scanning the crowd with unwavering authority. "The King's orders are clear. You will all be treated fairly and provided with everything you need during your stay. But let me make one thing clear, no amount of arguing will change the process. Bear with us for the time being, or you'll only make this more difficult for yourselves."

The women fell silent, though the tension in the air was palpable. A few of them still looked disgruntled, but none dared to speak up again.

Good.

I gave a slight nod to the knight standing beside me, signaling them to bring forward the first eight women from the crowd to begin the process and without hesitation, they moved to carry out the order.

"You shouldn't be too harsh on them, Matt... they're delicate, after all," Kai said with a smug expression before casually making his way toward the carriage parked beside the balcony.

However, chaos erupted once more when someone in the crowd suddenly shapeshifted into a hawk, soaring high into the sky as another woman followed, attempted to escape by using her ability to levitate, only to be struck down instantly by the barrier's powerful surge of electricity.

Their lifeless bodies hit the ground with a heavy thud, making the other women shout and tremble in fear.

One of them rushed forward, kneeling beside them. She placed her hands over their motionless forms, using her healing magic in desperation, hoping there was still a flicker of life left in them.

The woman kept trying, her hands glowing with magic, but no response came. After a moment, realization dawned on her. Her shoulders slumped as she stepped back, disappointment

"This is pure madness... Just because you can't find the culprit doesn't mean you can just eliminate the innocent!" she said, her voice sharp with defiance as she turned to face me.

Thalia Payne.

She must have a death wish, daring to speak so boldly to a prince. If my father were here, he would have already ordered her execution without a second thought.

"Obey the king's order and you'll live. Defy it, and you will face death," I said sharply and glared at her before looking at the crowd.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈𓆰♕𓆪

"Anything yet?" The king asked, sitting on the side of the queens' side, holding into her hand.

It has been days since the operation had started and not a single one among the women were able to match the one who had helped me that night.

As the process continued, some mundanes lost their lives and some mages had damaged their aethercore, leaving them weak. But still, no sign of her

"No, nothing" I said, keeping my head low as I stood just a few steps behind my father.

I heard him sigh in disappointment and let go of my mothers' hand, placing it gently on her hand before standing up

"The curse is slowly eating the queen's life and no healer could even improve her health for a little without dying" He spoke in a low voice, his gaze fixed on my mother's frail form.

She lay motionless in bed, her skin pale, her energy all but drained.

"I know," I replied, "I've spent over a decade searching across the three kingdoms for the next Phoenix's descendant, yet I still haven't found the one." Slowly, I stepped to the other side of the bed, my eyes lingering on my mother's weakened face. "Do you think... if I find the girl who saved me, I might also be able to save the Queen?"

"There's a possibility," he admitted, finally meeting my gaze. "If she's still within the kingdom... even better if she's among the women gathered in the Vale for the selection, then it would be easy for us to capture her."

"Should I go reckless on the operation, Father? That way, if she's really one of those women, she has no other choice but to show up."

After all, that girl seemed like the type who wouldn't be able to stop herself from stepping in if she saw her friends in danger... especially if it was because of her.

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