Chapter 21- Dethronement of the Illegitimate Queen

The grand throne room opened its doors in preparation of the return of the Queen. As Iris walked into the room with a grand entrance, she saw what could only be Salina. Her strawberry blond hair and blue eyes matched Netra's exactly. Salina's face had some wrinkles and her hair wasn't as curly, but otherwise, she looked like a clone of the face Iris saw in the mirror. 

And this was one of the people Netra hated most, and Iris didn't know why. 

Everyone dropped into a low bow when Iris made her appearance.

"Welcome back, your majesty." They said in unison. Iris simply gave a short nod before walking past the group, and heading to the study. 

As she walked into the hallway, Salina called after her.

"Your majesty! Please wait a second!" Since Salina wasn't of royal bloodline, she didn't have the pleasure of saying her children's name.

"There is something I wish to discuss with you!" Salina's slightly pleading voice called out to Iris. 

Iris stood in place and turned to look at the hurrying woman. Salina didn't have any of the poise that she had a moment ago. 

Iris met Salina's eyes and waited for her to talk. 

Salina stopped before Iris but her gaze became a bit strange at Iris's reaction, or lack thereof. Usually, her daughter was extremely resistant when talking to her. She liked to make it known that she didn't like her mother, coming off as a rebellious child. But right now she's just looking at her flatly.

But she ignored the strange feeling and carried on.

"Why did you leave? And you didn't even talk to me about it!" Salina began with reproach.

Once Iris understood the attitude Salina was approaching her with, impatience immediately surfaced.

"What does it have to do with you?" She rudely asked.

"How can you say that! You don't even understand what you've done! By taking your little vacation, you gave Reis an upper hand!" She took a deep breath, struggling to restrain her anger.

"And why would you ever let Reis of all people take over? Do you know what you've done!" Salina continued loudly.

Iris simply frowned and waited for her to finish. 

"You gave him access to so many important documents, and not to mention the power you gave him! He had the opportunity to make connections to all of your trusted advisors, and he most certainly took it! This throne is ours, yet you are squandering it!" Salina's teeth were clenched and she was glaring harshly at Iris. 

Iris raised her brows at the word 'ours' in the last sentence. If she had to guess, these sort of conversations were par for the course with Salina. She seemed to treat the throne as her's rather than her daughter's. Her audacity was ridiculous. 

"If you're finished, I have matters to attend to." Iris turned around sharply.

"Don't ignore me!" Salina jumped forward and grabbed Iris's shoulder. 

Before Iris could even think about it, she grabbed Salina's hand and pushed her against the wall. Salina stared at her in surprise and indignation. Iris frowned at the middle-aged woman. She had been a bit impulsive, but she truly didn't have any patience for people like Salina. 

As she headed in the direction of the study, Salina yelled behind her.

"Netra! Get back here!" She didn't bother adhering to the rules, directly calling the Queen's name. She was furious, but Iris paid her no mind.

-

At the large wooden desk, Reis's thick brows were furrowed as he read through a thick stack of papers. He had truly underestimated Netra's incompetence, she had made an utter mess of the kingdom so quickly. Granted, the deceased former king wasn't in any state to manage it in the months leading up to his death. The Queen had been handed a bad situation and made it much worse. 

He had taken advantage of this predicament to make connections with some of the Queen's circle, but that was about the only field he made progress in. He expected to uncover royal secrets but was only astonished at Netra's managing. She hadn't made any secret movements or made any plans of any sort. She was just making decisions haphazardly. He had never felt so much pressure to usurp her. If he didn't she would ruin this land.

The large doors were pushed open as Iris and a small procession of servants filed in. 

"Your majesty." Reis stood up and bowed, his face expressionless.

"Prince Reis." Iris approached the desk and began sifting through the paperwork.

"Please give me an update on the time I missed." She instructed. She didn't expect him to give a completely honest recollection, but that was fine. She could easily find out his actions. 

Reis began giving her an abridged recollection of events. He left out a few details that he didn't want her to know about but still told Iris everything else accurately. 

"Thank you. That's all for now. I will need to see you tomorrow, please remember." Iris had to begin working on the stack of papers that almost reached the ceiling, but she had more she wanted to do with the male lead. 

"Alright. Goodbye, Your Majesty." Reis didn't understand what else she would want from him, but still respectfully replied. It was his understanding that she had simply used him as a stand-in while she relaxed, he couldn't think of any other reason for her actions. 

Iris began the arduous journey of managing a kingdom, now that she had a better understanding of it. Reis was completely accurate in his assumption about the kingdom. It was a complete mess at the moment. Iris had a lot of work to attend to. 

-

When almost all of the candles had been put out and the only people awake were the stalwart guards, Iris silently left her room. She nimbly avoided all the guards and slowly made her way towards one of the farther bedrooms. Her pace was leisurely as she tried to remember the castle's layout.

Finally, she found the room she was looking for. She knocked out the guard and broke into the luxurious room. The finery that littered every surface and wall of the room was comparable to Iris's room. Its occupant had obviously lived luxuriously. 

She approached the bed and put a cloth over the sleeping woman's mouth, knocking her out with the chemicals it was soaked in. Once Iris was assured Salina was out, she pried open her mouth and poured in the bottle of poison. She watched it all go down, not satisfied until there wasn't a drop left.

As silently as she arrived, she left. 

Salina would likely notice something was amiss, her mouth might burn and she might have a splitting headache, but nothing else would happen. At least not yet. 

Iris didn't return to her room but headed toward the study instead. She had a lot to do and very little time to do it. She wasn't in a rush originally, but her poisoned body gave her a countdown she didn't have before. 

She was now in a delicate tug of war between her declining health and her desire for information. She wanted to know if there was a connection between these novels and the real world. She just needed to make sure she didn't die while trying to find out.