the era of calamities-Chapter 95: Sweet restraint

Iris sat on a chair beside the bed, arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

She waited for Sirius to finish his story.

Once he was done, she briefly pondered everything he had told her and summed it up:

"My dear little brother bravely sacrificed himself to save an unfortunate candidate from the clutches of a count."

She paused, clapping softly.

"Such bravery, such heroism, such a noble sense of sacrifice. I expected nothing less from my sweet little brother."

Iris then ran her finger over Sirius’s wounds, making him pale.

"Oops, you must still be in pain... Your injuries must be fresh."

Sirius coughed.

"I’m fine."

He was relieved that she hadn’t mentioned the fact that he could have escaped or even tricked the Calamity.

Still, he couldn’t understand why Iris was praising him.

No , that wasn’t quite true.

Sirius knew his twin sister far too well, and when she smiled at him like that and acted so sweetly, it could only mean one thing.

("She’s trying to make me drop my guard so she can knock me out and lock me in this room until the end of the trial.")

Unfortunately for Sirius, in his current state, there was no way he could oppose Iris.

The best he could do was try to distract her.

"By the way, I haven’t heard from Lucy. How are they doing on their end?"

"We spoke on the phone yesterday, and everything was fine. Their mission is going smoothly."

("Damn... she’s not taking the bait. Desperate times call for desperate measures.")

"And did you talk to Brad and Bell? I don’t know how long I’ve been unconscious, so I’m a bit worried."

Iris’s fake smile almost vanished for a split second before she recovered it.

"Wonderful. They’re such little angels."

Sirius gritted his teeth, forcing a smile.

"Terrific."

But his thoughts grew darker.

("Damn... if even that didn’t work, all I can do is pray she shows mercy.")

"Big sister."

"Yes, little brother?"

Sirius spoke in a low voice.

"I’m thirsty. Could you bring me some water, please?"

"Of course, what wouldn’t I do for my beloved little brother?"

Iris turned her back to him and went to grab a water jug sitting on a table by the wall.

Sirius saw the opportunity he had been waiting for.

("She’s probably using her resonance to watch me... Should I try to reach the door before she grabs me?

No, my wounds will slow me down , I’ll never make it.

I could try to knock her out and run... but could I really pull it off?")

He visualized both possibilities in a split second, and in both, Iris would have him pinned in two seconds flat.

Realizing neither plan would work, he stayed put and waited for Iris to hand him the glass of water.

"My body still hurts, big sister. Can you help me drink?"

Iris didn’t refuse. She helped him drink, then asked:

"Do you want anything else?"

"Yes, I’m hungry. I’d like something light... maybe a fruit salad?"

"As you wish, sweetie."

Iris left the room to fetch what he’d asked for.

Sirius waited fifteen seconds , just enough to be sure she had gone far enough , before getting up.

Pain shot through his whole body, as if a thousand needles were stabbing him.

("I have to hurry... she’ll be back soon.")

Still, he forced himself to ignore the pain and staggered toward the door.

But as soon as he reached for the handle, he cursed inwardly:

("Damn it...")

Footsteps echoed on the other side, along with Iris’s voice thanking someone.

("Did she trap me? Did she predict everything I’d do from the start?")

A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

He had three reasons to be worried.

The first: the sound of those footsteps.

Whether it was Iris, himself, or Lucy, they had all been trained as killers since childhood , and they were the best in their field.

The ability to move without making a sound was as natural to them as breathing.

Of course, none of them did it in public; that would draw unwanted attention.

But that was back when they were still ordinary humans.

Now, as Awakened, they no longer needed to hide. And the footsteps Sirius heard were far too deliberate, too loud, as if she wanted him to notice.

The second clue: Iris seemed to be thanking someone.

Sirius didn’t know who or what for, but she had been gone less than a minute.

Who could she have possibly talked to in that short a time?

And most of all, he asked himself:

("Why would Iris thank someone loudly enough for me to hear?")

And the final clue:

("Iris is coming back. She was supposed to bring me a fruit salad, and I doubt she forgot anything. Which means...")

Sirius’s brain went into overdrive, and he understood.

("She knew I’d try to escape.

She knew I’d get thirsty , hence the water jug already here.

She must’ve guessed I’d ask for a fruit salad and either got one beforehand or had someone wait outside with it.

And if she made noise on purpose and thanked that person loudly enough for me to hear, it’s because she knew I’d put the pieces together.

Which means only one thing:

She wants me to go back to bed as if nothing happened.")

All that reasoning took Sirius only a fraction of a second.

The moment he understood his sister’s silent message, he gathered what strength he had left and let himself fall back onto the bed.

As soon as he landed and adjusted himself, Iris opened the door, a basket of fruit and a knife in her hands.

"You’ll never guess , I ran into Carla outside, and she kindly gave me this fruit basket. Now I can make you that salad."

Sirius smiled back at her.

"What a coincidence... and how kind of her."

Iris pretended not to notice the sweat running down Sirius’s forehead, grabbed an apple, peeled it calmly, and handed him a slice.

"Open your mouth."

Sirius obeyed and let Iris feed him.

When she finished, he put on his sweetest expression.

"Big sister, please... I’m sorry. I promise I won’t take such risks again."

Iris feigned confusion, looking surprised.

"What are you talking about, sweetie?"

Sirius pleaded:

"Please... I won’t do it again. So forgive me."

Iris’s fake smile faded, and she stopped pretending.

"Don’t worry. How could I ever stay mad at my little brother? Especially when he tries so hard."

She ruffled his hair and pulled him into a hug.

Sirius trembled with fear and rightly so, because her next words confirmed he was in trouble.

"I’ll let you out when the time comes. For now, rest and let big sister handle everything. As for your plan, don’t worry , I’ll take care of it."

Before Sirius could react, he felt a needle pierce his skin.

His eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

Iris laid him back on the bed, adjusted his pillow, then took her seat again.