The Cursed Insignia

Chapter 5: The City of Yuri and the Wizard's Curse

Chapter 5 – The City of Yuri and the Wizard’s Curse

 

Yuri was the only remaining state in the country that had refused to embrace the governance that the country of Rolanda had adopted. The loyalty of the citizens of Yuri lay with the Monarchy. Of course this ignited conflict in the country itself, for refusing the new governance was seen as an act of defiance, which imminently led to bloodshed.

The people of Yuri fought hard for what they believed in. The war lasted for a decade, until the people saw that it was a meaningless war that killed many innocent lives. Thus, Yuri was allowed to continue their rule of monarchy, but their title of the capital city state of Rolanda was stripped off in the process. It was transferred to the city of Silaz.

Though this happened not so long ago, to be exact, the war saw its last death exactly a decade ago, and it was also the time that an armistice was signed among the cities involved. The tragedy was shoved in the back of the minds of the people, for the sake of coexisting peacefully.

At least it was how it appeared to be from the outside. But we can never be certain, if there still is bitterness from the war imbued in the deepest corner of the people’s conscience, because no one ever showed it. They fear that if they showed their true emotions, another conflict might break out.

The people of the city of Yuri were the ones who were scarred deeply. After such a traumatising occurrence, they are still the warmest bunch of people anybody would ever encounter. They were happy although it only made more sense if they displayed any signs of hostility. But so far, they showed none.

Although I was brought up to always be a sceptic in different situations, as my father had told me that it would help save me one day in a world full of people with evil intent, I truly believed the sincerity of the people of Yuri. They were indeed the nicest people, from the encounter of the occasional tourist in Silaz. I based my claim on the interaction I had with them, though the numbers were negligible, it was enough to make me believe that they are indeed nice. And let’s not forget that good-looking stranger that had offered his handkerchief to a crying girl without any hesitation, though the last words he left me with were kind of odd.  

The previous king was killed in the war, leaving the queen with their young child, who was only five years old when the king died. The child’s name was Hedeon, or more appropriately, Prince Hedeon, since he was the sole heir to the throne. With the king dead, the king’s brother was left to ascend the throne until Prince Hedeon was of appropriate age. Prince Hedeon needed to be twenty-one years old before he could reclaim the throne that was rightfully his. Now, he was only twenty years old, leaving him another year to enjoy his life as a prince.

And that was exactly what he was doing: living a spoiled life as a prince, opening up his own harem that had his own collection of women from the various cities. At least that was what I thought at first, before the knowledge of the cursed insignia was imparted upon me by Lena.

“A powerful wizard, who was a close friend of King Teodor, was the one who placed the curse. When he found out that the king had died in war, in his rage, he placed a curse on the cities that were involved in the war. The cursed insignia is to mark itself on the daughters of the people responsible for the war. That includes the entire five cities. He sacrificed his own life in the process, which heightened the power of the curse. And this curse ties them to Hedeon, the king’s sole heir the moment he is of appropriate age to use women as a form of entertainment. They will offer their bodies willingly to him, without hesitation. Luckily for us, not all daughters were plagued by the curse. The cursed insignia began showing itself just a couple years ago, which meant that it was the only time that Hedeon had begun seeing women as they are. And it comes out without a pattern, without warning, random girls from cities outside the city of Yuri.” Lena told me, pausing to take a deep breath. When she was about to continue, I intercepted.