From the top of the grassy hill, Macrae slowly walked down to the group below. “Clover and Shamrock, how good to see you. Cecilia, I see you have a jewel, too. And of course, our dear Melilot.”
“I’m not Melilot anymore,” Sweet said as Macrae reached the bottom of the hill, still walking toward the group. “My name’s Sweet now.”
“And I’m going by Chelia,” Macrae’s sister said.
“Sweet and Chelia. Fair enough. Please address me as Macrae.” He looked at Clover and Shamrock. “My name is Macrae.” He turned back to the other two. “I might not know their language, but I’ve picked up a few words and phrases along the way. I trust they’ll be given line-by-line translations of anything worthwhile I have to say. The first order of business is for you to give me your jewels.”
“Shamrock, what are the talking about?” Clover asked.
Chelia replied, “He wants our jewels. Bernard–Macrae, rather–why are you doing this? What do you hope to achieve?”
“I hope for nothing more than our family’s revenge against the Alsike family.”
“And you need all side jewels for this?” Chelia asked.
“One jewel or six, the number of jewels doesn’t seem to affect my power in any significant way. For this reason, I must ensure Piñole doesn’t get a single jewel. So long as any one of you has a jewel in your possession, you may give it to Piñole, or she may take it from you. I will not allow that to happen. If you truly are a member of the miserable Medic family, then hand me your jewel, and step aside.”
“‘Miserable’? You call our family ‘miserable’? You’re projecting your own feelings onto the whole family.”
“I see. So, that’s how it is. No one cared when Alfalfa and I were gone for five whole entire years. Our struggle is not the struggle of our families. An attendant and his slave were sent away for five years, and nobody cared.”
“No… That’s not–”
“An attendant and his slave were promised promotions for their families, then the promiser extended the conditions of the promise. ‘Chelia’, was it? Listen to me well: The Alsike family doesn’t care one bit about us. If we don’t stick together as a family, then we have nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Macrae held out a hand. “Whose side are you on? The side of the Medics and the Lucernes, or the side of Piñole, and the Alsike family.”
“I understand.” Chelia slid the ring off her fingers. Clover and Shamrock let out a combined gasp as Chelia held the ring over Macrae’s open and waiting hand. “What would you do to the Alsike family?”
“I intend no harm. I will bring no harm to Arle, either. I must think of a suitable punishment. I’m thinking the entire Alsike family should own up to all the underhanded deeds they’ve performed through other families. Until they do so, Piñole will be help responsible in some manner. Perhaps I’ll send her to the orange continent. Maybe she’ll find a suitable escort–from within the Alsike family–to keep her company while running away from the beasts there.”
Chelia set the ring on her younger brother’s palm. “Not the orange lands. Maybe blue, but not orange.”
“What’s going on?” Clover asked, “What’s going on?”
“They’re going to send my sister away,” Sweet told her. “They want to send her away to the blue continent.”
“That won’t happen,” Chelia said with a smile. “Once the royal family hears these conditions, they’ll outline everything they’ve hired families to do for them, right? Then Lady Piñole will not have to go to the blue continent.”
“Are you crazy or something?” Sweet exclaimed. “There’s no way they’ll talk about anything! They’ll let Piñole be sent off, because they still have me to be the princess. If Piñole is set away to the blue continent, then I have to be her escort. Maybe they’ll at least think about it…”
“I’ll go with the two of you,” Chelia said to Sweet, speaking Aureumi so her brother would understand as well. She looked him in the eyes. “If they won’t talk, you’ll have to think of something else. If you never see the Alsike princesses again, then you won’t see me again.”
Sweet kneeled down and removed her anklet. “I trust you. If you’re with us, I know we’ll be all right.” She placed the anklet next to the ring on Macrae’s open palm. She turned to Clover and Shamrock. “Please, give him your jewels.”
“Not here,” Shamrock said in a stern voice. “Let’s meet outside of Arle’s dream. Once she’s awake, we can figure out what to do next.”
