Chapter 27- Dethronement of the Illegitimate Queen

It wasn't long after the meeting with William that Salina came to meet her. She thrusted herself through the study doors, a constantly moving mass of anger. She stomped over to Iris's desk, infuriated.

"How dare you!" 

Iris gave her one glance before dismissing Reis from the room. Salina couldn't be trusted not to say something he shouldn't hear.

As he left with his work in hand his face was expressionless, but his eyes betrayed a moment of concern. Iris barely saw it before she forced herself to remove it from her mind.

Salina's anger only rose in the face of Iris's distraction. She had long lost most of her reason, simply becoming a being of instinct and emotions. Every pang of anger she felt in this moment multiplied tenfold.

"Look at me! Why didn't you- Ahh!" Salina fell onto the ground whimpering in pain. 

Iris had pushed her away when Salina had gotten too close, but she hadn't pushed her that hard. Obviously, Salina's time was running out, she could barely support herself to stand.

"You are my daughter! And yet you pushed me! I'll tell your father and we will punish you! You disobedient idiot!"

Her piercing voice undoubtedly reached beyond the study room, but Salina was in no state to care about whether or not she was spilling secrets. Iris frowned with disgust as she observed the pitiful women in front of her. 

Salina definitely came to her to protest Iris meeting William without her, they planned to meet him together. Or at least that's what Salina planned, Iris made sure couldn't even get out of her room at the time. But Salina at the moment didn't seem to remember her original purpose. At the moment all she held in her sickly mind was unintelligible rage.

Iris stared at Salina, watching her outbreak of fury, in annoyance. She had gotten what she wanted from Salina, and she was going to die soon so she didn't feel the need to dispose of her. However, she was a nuisance and a flight risk. 

Iris tried to keep a clear head and make proper plans, but she felt an uncontrollable wave of animosity begin to chew at her reason. She was finding herself unable to properly deal with Salina without her personal enmity clouding her judgment.

Stomping over to the door, Iris found Reis still waiting by the entrance. 

"Place Salina under house arrest, no one is allowed contact with her unless I permit it." Iris staunchly said before leaving.

Reis watched her back in a mix of concern and confusion. After a few moments of guessing, he put aside his thoughts and waved over a few nearby guards.

-

The study was again empty with Iris's absence. However this time the castle was unprepared for it. She had only been missing for about two days, but Reis had more work recently than ever. After coming to know her, he knew this was very uncharacteristic of her. She had her absences, but she still managed the kingdom with an iron fist despite that. 

He hoped she would return soon, the meeting with the Calton sisters would be very soon and it seemed she placed importance on it. 

But he felt misgivings enter his mind. Maybe this was it, maybe she had left for good. She put on a brazen appearance but she's poisoned after all. Maybe her body has finally broken down, the weakness overtook her. 

Reis's head spun with these thoughts, he found it difficult to focus on his work. He had never worried over someone to this degree, yet here he was. It was a mystery how Iris had managed to infiltrate his mind without even trying. 

"Prince Reis." Reis's head snapped up at the familiar voice. He had been so enveloped in his thoughts he didn't even notice her entering the room.

"Your majesty!" Reis jumped from her seat and strode over to Iris, inspecting her. A crease of concern found itself in between his eyebrows.

"Are you alright?" Iris was confused at his questioning but still nodded nonetheless. She left the castle all the time, but he usually didn't act like this.

Reis stared into Iris's alienating eyes. He had thousands of questions, propelled by his worry and curiosity. But he knew he couldn't ask them.

"You're meeting with Cianne and Cora Calton tomorrow, there is some preparation needed. Everything is ready for you to look over at your desk." Reis struggled to rein in his emotions, but eventually matched Iris's alienation.

"Thank you." Iris curtly said before striding to her desk. But as she sat her focus was not attracted by her pressing work, but rather Reis's busy back. As he faced away from her as he messed with some paperwork, she found her eyes following the slant of his shoulders. His taut muscles were obviously the result of recent stress. Stress caused by her. 

Iris frowned as a troublesome thought entered her mind.

He had changed. He didn't have the same intentions as when she had first arrived in this novel. She was still a bit cloudy on it, her emotional intelligence, or lack thereof, was unhelpful in moments like these. But she could tell he didn't have malicious intentions anymore. His eyes no longer looked at Iris in disdain, but some other emotion. Something piercing and pained.

"Your majesty?" Reis looked at her in doubt.

Iris snapped awake from her thoughts with a jerk. She had been staring.

"It's nothing." She looked down at her work with a frown.

-

"What do you think she wants?" An energetic girl with long brown hair and sage green eyes matched the girl next to her identically. However, even without knowing them anyone could tell they were polar opposites. 

"It's obvious. She wants to go through us to Father. He'd provide very valuable support to the throne." Cora said to her less politically inclined sister, Cianne.

Contrary to her wayward sister, Cora painted the perfect picture of demure elegance. She was the pride of high society, a title she kept close to her heart.

One of the many servants led them to a grand meeting room, drinks and snacks waiting for them to delay their impatience. Cianne instantly settled herself, not paying any mind to the stern glances Cora shot her way. 

However, neither of them had to wait very long. The Queen's arrival was a matter of minutes after theirs.

"Your majesty." The sisters rose and perfunctorily bowed before raising their heads. 

Cora looked at her sister in chastisement when she heard a loud, sharp gasp leak from her lips. Cianne, however, was in no mood to pay attention to formalities. 

"You! It's you!"

"We will meet again." Iris greeted the excited girl. She had expected this reaction, but she was still a bit baffled by her intense response.

"Wow! I can't believe I'm meeting you again! And you're the Queen!" While Cianne was entertaining herself with the fascinating situation, Cora watched the interaction with slanted eyes. 

Her sister knew the Queen. This complicated things a bit. She usually never considered her sister in her plans, but somehow she ended up back in the capital. And in cohorts with the amateur Queen, no less.

"You know each other?" Cora asked, a gentle smile pasted on her face.

"Yes. I owe Ms. Calton a debt." Iris said simply.

"Yep! We met a while ago! Some rude guy was bothering her." Cianne was excited looking at Iris.

"I'd never imagined she was the Queen!" Canine's eyes were as wide as saucers. She wasn't completely oblivious to proper etiquette, but her emotions made her unable to pay them any mind.

But Iris didn't care. Rather than the sister whose intentions were plain for everyone to see, she was more interested in her twin. After the conversation with William, she became suspicious of Cora's, and perhaps her father's, intentions. They were in cahoots with Reis in the novel. They likely already had that intention even without Reis on their team.

As she thought of Reis, the doors opened and he entered the room.

"Your majesty, I have the invitations." Reis handed the envelopes to Iris.

He had already begun preparing some of the invitations for the ball, but Iris requested he present them to her at this time. He was curious, but he had no reason to refuse.

Iris had simply wanted to see the twin's reaction when seeing Reis. However, contrary to her intentions, Iris found her eyes glued to Reis's face rather than the Calton sisters. 

In the novel they would end up as his harem members, maybe they would become enamored with each other at first glance. She partially anticipated him to show a captivated expression when he saw the two beautiful women. 

But all she found was a flat, professional expression. He showed no response. It was in character for Reis, but Iris still felt a bit relieved. She tried not to think about why.

She forcibly turned her attention to her real goal.