The Truth Behind the Ring

Clang!

The fork in Kalina's right hand fell to the ground with a metallic noise. Her eyes were fixated on Nessa's and she was frozen in place.

Nessa saw Kalina staring at her with no intention of looking away. She brought her hand to her face, thinking that there must be something wrong with her. However, all she felt was her smooth cheek.

"Kalina? Are you alright? You look pale." The Duchess leaned towards her daughter and squeezed her hand. Just a few moments ago, she had been fine.

Kalina's eyes met her mother's. Golden, just like hers. She quickly turned back to Nessa. Her eyes had returned to their normal violet color. It was as if what Kalina had just seen was a fleeing illusion, a magic trick.

"Is something the matter, Lady Kalina? Why are you staring at me like that?" Nessa shrunk back under Kalina's glaring gaze. It was rude for anyone to stare at someone so fixedly. Kalina had perfect etiquette, yet she suddenly made such a big mistake.

"Kalina? Kalina!" The Duke yelled, slamming his fork onto the table. "You're being disrespectful! What kind of manners have you been taught?"

Kalina hurriedly excused herself from the table and rushed back to her room, locking the door behind her. Olivia followed not far behind, along with a couple of Kalina's other maids.

"Lady Kalina? Are you alright? Please unlock the door!" Olivia's worried voice could be heard through the tall painted door that Kalina was leaning on.

Kalina peered down at her hand again. The huge diamond on her finger shone back unwaveringly. Gold, gold, gold. The color of her hair, her eyes, and this ring. Could what happened just a few minutes ago be due to the ring?

It was a far-fetched guess, but Nessa had looked just as surprised as Kalina, meaning it couldn't possibly have been done by her. The rest of the people at the table didn't react either, so the change in eye color was only visible to Kalina.

Kalina took a few deep breaths. Tomorrow, she would get all her answers from the very person who had given her the ring.

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On the way to Count Willick's estate, Kalina's head was filled with muddled thoughts.

'Could it really be magic? Maybe Holly wasn't really joking back then. But magic is but an ancient myth–it couldn't possibly be magic. How silly.'

Kalina found herself unconsciously stroking the smooth surface of the jewel on her hand while staring out the carriage window.

'It's strange. I asked a few people what they thought of my ring, and they all said it looked like a normal diamond ring. I've never heard of a golden diamond before, so I thought they'd be surprised as well, but no one said anything.'

"Lady Kalina? We've arrived." Elliott tapped on the window with his knuckles as the carriage came to a stop in front of the Willicks' estate.

Kalina gently placed her hand on top of her guard's and stepped onto the gravelly path. The stones crunched under her shoes as she made her way into the mansion, an entourage of servants trailing behind her.

"Welcome, Lady Kalina." Countess Willick stood at the entrance to receive Kalina. Her amiable smile deepened when she saw the ring on Kalina's finger. Stepping aside to let Kalina walk in front of her, she said: "Please follow me."

Countess Willick swiftly lead Kalina to her sitting room. A rectangular box was placed on the table between the two plush sofas. Kalina sat down and waited for the tea to be poured before she dismissed the servants, leaving her and Countess Willick alone.

"Judging from your expression, I'm sure you already know why I'm here." Kalina had been observing the Countess since earlier and noticed that she wasn't surprised by her visit. Rather, she looked like she had already anticipated that she would come.

The Countess suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Kalina. "I had my suspicions before, but now I am sure. Lady Kalina, you are the rightful owner of this ring!" She bowed her head, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Kalina was shocked. Why was she kneeling all of a sudden? She quickly helped the Countess up and asked: "What are you talking about?"

Countess Willick fervently began to tell her story.

The Countess wasn't any old jewelry maker. She was actually the third princess of Jassian when she stumbled into the Count's territory. Her father and mother, the king and queen, were strict. She longed to live a life outside of the stifling palace walls. One day, she decided to pack her things and head towards the Empire, leaving only a note bidding farewell to her older siblings and parents.

Kalina couldn't believe a princess had just bowed to her. Even if Kalina was a powerful noble, it wasn't appropriate to have royalty of another country bow to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not a princess anymore. I left my royal title behind when I left Jassian." The Countess laughed lightly, seeing Kalina's worried expression.

Jassian was a gem-producing country. Many of its citizens held jobs in the vast mines found all over the land, and jewelry was used as an indicator of status. Jassian nobles were always adorned with all types of precious stones and metal accessories. Even commoners had one or two gold bracelets or a small gem necklace.

Since Jassian land consisted of dry desert for the most part, Jassian had to rely on the Empire to provide food. One country relying on the other for a vital resource was never a good thing. The issue of Jassian not being able to thrive without the Empire loomed over the country. If the bond between the two ever fell out, Jassian would in a much worse situation.

Anyway, since Jassian mainly supplied jewels, the royal family consequently had an extravagant collection of jewels. It was a royal tradition for each royal baby to be given one of the royal heirlooms by their parents when they were born. There was even a special ceremony where all the citizens would gather to see which jewel would be bestowed.

A secret only known by members of the royal family was that the royal heirlooms were actually magical artifacts from hundreds of years ago. They appeared to be in mint condition due to the magic inside them that kept them protected.

Although they were magical, they could only be used by people with blood from an ancient group of mages. The group of mages had gone into hiding some hundred years ago and entrusted their treasures to the Jassian king at the time. It was unknown if any of them were still alive or if there was anyone that could activate the magic.

'I have magical blood...?' Kalina peered down at her hand. Her mother had never mentioned anything about the ancient mages, neither had she read anything about them.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were the goddess of the sun, Aya. In Jassian's mythology, Aya had golden hair and eyes just like you do. I had the feeling that you were the one that should receive my heirloom. It's very fortunate that the magic in your blood was able to awaken the magic inside the ring." Countess Willick smiled fondly, her eyes fixated on the ring.

"So what I saw was magic? The eyes?"

"Yes, that was magic. The ring's special power, to be exact. If you touch the gem while looking into someone's eyes, you'll be able to tell if they're lying. I presume their eyes turned gold? I was told by my mother that they turn the same as your own."

"They did."

'I can tell if someone is lying? Nessa did say that she wished me a happy engagement before her eyes changed color. Turns out she was lying–who would've known?' Kalina's plans would be much easier with this ring. But such great power came at a price.

"However, there is a side effect to using it. If you use it too frequently, your physical and mental state will be harmed. The maximum amount of uses you should allow yourself each day is three. Even so, it wouldn't be good to use it three times a day for years."

"I'll keep that in mind. Countess Willick, thank you for giving me this. I'll use it well."