Tight Chains

"You called for us, Father?" Ruby asks as she and Diamond enter the duke's office.

Doctor Pledais stands in order to greet Ruby but quickly freezes when he spots Diamond walking behind her. "Oh, my..."

"Who is he?" Diamond timidly asks while hiding behind Ruby's dress.

"Diamond, this man here is Doctor Pledais," Duke Stoneborne introduces. "I called him here so that he can give you a quick check up."

Peeking out from behind Ruby, Diamond stares at the doctor that stands before them. Instantly, Diamond's eyes change various colors as if she was scanning the doctor. Everyone stares in wonder as Diamond's eyes turn all shades of the rainbow. When her eyes return pale again, she loosens her grip on Ruby's dress and steps out.

"He doesn't seem bad, so if Father called him here, then I won't get hurt," Diamond finally says. She waddles over to the duke and sets her tiny hands on his lap. "Can I sit on your lap?"

Surprised by Diamond's request, Duke Stoneborne immediately spins his head over to Raynold who is standing by the duke's desk. 'What do I do?!' is what the duke's eyes are asking as he seeks an answer to the situation from Raynold.

Raynold points at Diamond then motions for the duke to pick her up before pointing at the duke's lap.

Watching the silent conversation between the duke and his knight, Doctor Pledais couldn't stifle his laugh. "Pfft! Are you really clueless on what to do that you had to ask your knight for help, Your Grace?"

"You know His Grace's situation about physical contact," Raynold reminds as he shakes his head. "He's doing his best, so I should at least help him when he's confused."

Not really understanding what's going on, Diamond glances up at the duke. "Am I not allowed to sit on your lap?"

"Princess Diamond," Doctor Pledais calls out from the other side of the desk. "Your father doesn't want to tell you, but he has difficulty with people touching him and with him touching other people."

"Doctor!" Raynold shouts.

"The girls deserve to know," Duke Stoneborne interjects while rubbing his forehead. He reaches down and picks Diamond up, placing her on his lap. "Diamond, remember what we talked about this morning?"

"...That I don't need to have a purpose since I'm little?" Diamond answers with a confused expression.

"Well... yes, but I wasn't talking about that one. You are special to me, so I only want to make sure that you are given the best care. However, right now, I have something holding me back that keeps me from being the father that you girls need."

"I know," Diamond blankly answers.

Baffled, the duke furrows his eyebrows. "What do you mean that you know?"

Diamond points at the duke's heart. "There are chains. There are so many and very tight."

With increasing intrigue, Doctor Pledais steps forward. "Princess Diamond, what do the chains look like?" Diamond retreats into the duke's arms when she notices the doctor getting closer. "Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You said that there are chains while pointing over the duke's heart. Can you tell me what they look like?"

The little girl gazes up at her father who gives her a reassuring nod. Looking back at the duke's heart, Diamond's eyes turn a dark shade of purple. "The chains are old and dirty. They have a lot of dents in it as if someone was trying to forcefully enter, but..."

"But what, Princess?" the doctor pries with wide eyes while jotting down everything Diamond says in a notebook.

"There's a small chain link. It looks like it wants to break, but the other links are combining with it so that it won't."

The duke, Raynold, and the doctor all exchange glances at each other. They already knew that Diamond was special, but with her ability, she's also a bigger target than Ruby at the moment.

"Doctor, how do you feel about moving into the Stoneborne estate and becoming my private magic doctor for the girls?" Duke Stoneborne asks while adjusting Diamond on his lap.

"I have several other connections other than Your Grace, so it would take me a while to notify them of my... retirement," Doctor Pledais comments, rubbing his chin.

"The sooner, the better. I'll have a bedroom and experiment room prepared for you within the week." The duke looks over at the door where Norman and Raja are standing, confused about what's going on. "You two, I hope you remember that you are chosen not only because of your strength but also due to your ability to keep secrets. Nothing about the girls leaves this estate. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Grace," the two knights answer.

Ruby and Diamond watch as the office suddenly turns very serious. Everyone seems to have a strong expression on their face.

"Father, is something wrong?" Diamond asks, tugging on the duke's shirt.

"Diamond, Ruby as well, you two are very very precious to this estate, so we want to ensure that you can live here without any worry," Duke Stoneborne explains. "You'll understand when you're a bit older, but just know that everyone here wants to protect you two."

Diamond simply nods to her father's comment while Ruby clasps her hands.

Compared to everyone here, we're different. Because we are different, we are more inclined to be in danger, but Father doesn't want to tell Diamond that. Diamond probably already understands this too, but she won't say anything. It's the same when we were with the forest fairy.

"Father, is the doctor still going to do a check-up on me?" Diamond questions.

"Ah! Yes, he is," the duke promptly responds. "Go sit in the chair over so that Doctor Pledais can start."

"Yes, Father."

Diamond hops off of her father's lap and walks over to the chair that he pointed out. Scared that Diamond might feel the same pain that she felt when she had her check up, Ruby stands beside her little sister and holds her hand for support.

Holding the rock with the ring inside, the doctor squats down in front of Diamond. "Shall we start then?"