The Most Beautiful Eyes Ch. 23

"What's the matter?" Princess Arya asked as even more people curiously walked in.

"It's something I need to take responsibility for," the round-faced baroness said, still very loud. She quickly looked around as if she was roughly counting the number of people. Then she practically hollered, "I'm Baroness Habrena Achter, and I'm a fairy!! I admit it!! And I placed a spell on Princess Consort Muriel!!"

Huh?

Muriel was stupefied.

Princess Arya was in a similar state, gazing at the baroness with slow blinking eyes and parted lips.

Vidar leaned in a bit and spoke. "Why are you admitting such a damning thing, and before all these people?"

"Because, Your Highness," the baroness said, squeezing her husband's hand and lowering her eyebrow, "a fairy can't be cursed nor blessed. The fact that I put a spell on your wife proves that she isn't fairy. The rumors splattered on these palace walls are completely false." She took another breath. "I'll test my blood under everyone's eyes. I'll even reveal the mark on my toe. Nobody should ever suspect that Princess Consort Muriel is a fairy."

***

Two days later, Baroness Habrena arrived at Vidar's townhouse on a hot morning. She sat with Muriel and Princess Arya in a reception room. They had a tea set, but little tea passed anyone's lips.

And the baroness explained.

"Before you we were so well married, you saved me, Your Highness. You inspired me, and all I wanted was to help you and everyone who pleased you. So, I decided to put a blessing on you." The baroness stirred some cream into her tea, the spoon chiming against the cup, but she didn't take a sip when she was done. Her eyelid was lowered as if she was quite tired. "When I'd finished, I thought it might have been a failure. I wanted you to have the ability to inspire anyone you wanted to. However, it became something mildly different. I've been embarrassed for a long time."

"Please," Muriel said, her fingers folded in her lap, "what sort of blessing was it?"

Baroness Habrena's lips pouted. Then she said, "Your bare hands, whenever anyone's flesh contacts them, that person will become much more motivated. Whatever strong desire they have at that moment, they'll feel much more confident to carry it out than before, and they'll be incredibly likely to try it." She shrugged. "It's a subtle spell. One wouldn't be able to easily detect it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to etch in the element of consent. Your Highness, you're unable to nullify this blessing. As long as your hands are whole and and attached to you, and as long as they have their skin, they'll inspire anyone they touch, whether you fancy it or not."

Princess Arya nudged her cup of tea away from herself. "You've put yourself in a dangerous position. If you have any family, they'll be viciously scrutinized."

"I consulted both my parents beforehand," the baroness said. "They both agreed that this needed to be done. Otherwise, an innocent woman would have her reputation tarnished. And besides," here, the baroness sadly looked at a pattern in the room's wallpaper, although she probably wasn't able to describe the details, "Now that I'm married to a baron, it's far easier to protect them. We've already hidden them away, given them false identification papers, and arranged secret a monthly allowance to keep them comfortable. And if anyone threatens us, well ..."

The baroness' hand went up to the fabric hiding her left eye.

She untied the fabric. Then she pulled it away.

Both Princess Arya and Muriel gasped into their palms.

There were a set of eyelids and charming eyelashes.

But ...

The baroness spread the eyelids opened to reveal a small pink cave without an eyeball.

"When a fairy casts a spell," Baroness Habrena told them, "that fairy is required to destroy something of themselves. Sometimes, they give up years of their life span. Other times, they give up some of their youth. The ability to regrow hair, one of the five senses, nearly anything can be given to the spell. In my case, I had my eye destroyed, but I have plenty more of myself to give to a spell. As for my parents, they're completely whole. The highest example of idiocy is to needlessly threaten a fairy, particularly when that fairy has living family members. While a fairy must always be cautious and be certain that their spell is worth whatever they lose, when one's life is in danger, a fairy would be willing to give so, so much more to protect oneself."

***