The confrontation

"So you did decide to come. Please come and sit in front of me" Iris could see the confusion bloom on the other's face. Lady Hua's face was turning an alarming shade of red which could mean a lot of things.

There were also slight mismatches in her breath which worried Iris as well.

She could not afford to lose Lady Hua this early in the game.

"Breath deep and let it out. Here, let me check up on you" Iris extended her hand to touch Lady Hua but the other jerked herself off at the last second.

Lady Hua gave Iris a face full of naked panic without any reason or explanation.

"Nah, I'm alright where I am. You should, I don't know, maintain your distance for the time being. There is something weird about your energy" Lady Hua panted out as she took another step back.

For someone who had been more than enthusiastic about finding Iris, Lady Hua sure made it seem as if she wanted nothing to do with Iris. It slightly irritated Iris and made her magic unstable.

It only happened for a second but it was enough to make Lady Hua take in a sharp breath and clutch at her arm. Her expression looked to be one filled with pain.

Was it her imagination? That expression filled with pain.

"You're doing that again. I don't know what you did to me yesterday but something happened. I can feel a connection with you, one which I cannot explain. It's been pulling at me ever since you touched me" Lady Hua let out with a sharp tone.

Her expression made it certain to Iris that she had not meant to use that sharp tone, it had just happened.

"I see. Then, do you know what this is?" Iris extended her hand in between their two bodies and took off her glove.

The mark of Isis shined brightly beneath their gazes, its blue-green color bewitching.

Iris took a quick look at Lady Hua but the other seemed lost in that mark, her eyes following it everywhere.

"It's a court mark. I swear I've seen it before and recently at that but I can't remember where" Lady Hua muttered unconsciously, her hand moving over to her heart.

That must be the effect of the seal carried by the architect families. Unlike the court mark, the mark of the chief architect was passed through blood and only one in the family inherited it at maturity.

No other chief architect was chosen by that blood till the previous one remained alive.

This was a well-guarded secret of the courts, one kept hush to not spread their weakness. It was an unspoken rule to never let their chief architect in danger since his blood was often warded into protective spells as a trigger.

"It's the mark for the court. I'm sure you know what that is" a lot of things happened in the next couple of minutes.

Lady Hua jerked away from Iris in shock, her body choosing to flee but Iris could not allow that.

Iris's hand shot out and caught Lady Hua's arm but she got a kick in her stomach in return which caused that grip to slack.

But Iris had expected that and taken precautions beforehand.

Spells emerged from the ground and caught Lady Hua before her escape. Lady Hua tried to move away even using magic but it did not affect the binding Iris had cast.

Iris might not have much control over these kinds of magic but she has practice and resources. Lady Hua could erode tens of those spells at one time but Iris had laid down much more than that.

It was also a bonus that the paper used to cast these spells was reusable.

"It's no use trying to run away from me. You might as well stay here and listen to me" Iris proposed, her words cutting through Lady Hua's brain.

The Lady growled back at Iris, her sharp teeth making themselves known.

"Let me go. I want no part in all these stupid court wars or the commission. I would rather die than cooperate. You people killed my family" Lady Hua was stubborn, refusing to listen and Iris wanted to sigh at her behavior.

"And if I said that I'm not with the commission, nor with the council, will you listen to me then?" Lady Hau did not believe her words and panicked harder. The spells were getting strained now and would soon start to hurt Lady Hua.

Iris had to sway the other to her side but she did not know how to achieve that. The other was not even willing to listen to her words on this topic.

"You're from a court and you say you're not a part of the council? How is that even possible?" Lady Hua accused, her eyes filled with anger at being detained.

"You're right, it is not possible to be a member of the court and not be affiliated with the council. However, that does not make us like minds at all. I am someone closer to you in circumstances, haunted by the council as well" Iris's words finally seemed to make an impact.

Lady Hua slowed down her struggle, her eyes full of curiosity at Iris's words.

"Explain" Lady Hua tried to order, her voice filled with command, and Iris decided to humor the other. It would serve better for Lady Hua to feel as if she had gained some means of control over this situation.

It would make this situation much smoother to execute.

"I was, or rather, am a healer unaffiliated with the commission. As you can see, it causes certain problems for people like us. To get away, I decided to take on a court mark and hideaway in plain sight" Lady Hua's expression made it clear that she doubted Iris's story.

Iris decided to give the other proof of her powers and took Lady Hua's hand in her own.

Iris could see the other starting to tremble but also biding enough confidence to not pull away from her. The other was trusting Iris to prove her words.

Her magic flowed through both their bodies and started to mend away at Lady Hua's damaged hands.

The other, more subtle court magic also knocked at Lady Hua's court bonds and started to mend them as well.

The other looked dazed at all that magic, having never felt it all course through her. The pleasure must be getting to her now.

"How does it feel now?" Iris asked, finally pulling back from the other. Lady Hua had somehow ended up on her lap in the process.

"I, ugh, What was that?" the other asked, finally coming out of the daze.

"It was the court magic. Your family worked with my court and the magic merely recognized that. Now, can you stand up?" Iris asked, extending her hand to Lady Hua who looked up at her in disbelief.

"B-But how? That court is done, ended. The only traitor is in the council and you are not her. Then how?" Lady Hua asked, her mind still trying to process all the information provided to her.

"Let's get to a safe place first. We should also change into something more appropriate. I'm sure it's uncomfortable for you" Lady Hua went red at Iris's words, her eyes darting to the wet patch on her bottom as well as Lady Hua's lap.

Lady Hua was not able to match Iris's eyes for the whole time during their journey back.

[Charm magic active

+100 exp (10100/20000)]