Chapter 28- Dethronement of the Illegitimate Queen

Cora's fan opened with a snap as she covered her conspiratory smile. However, Iris didn't miss it. Cora's gentle eyes looked at Reis as her new angle. There was no infatuation or adoration as the book wrote her, just plain intrigue. 

She didn't view him as a potential suitor, but rather a new chess piece to add to her strategy. Maybe this was the truth of her intentions in the novel as well. Either way, it would change how Iris decided how to deal with her. 

"This is your assistant, the Prince?" Cora said as she gently fanned herself. Cianne looked at Reis in interest but said nothing. 

"Yes. He has been aiding me recently." Iris said flatly, incapable of matching Cora's sweet, double-edged tone.

"I see…How kind he is." Cora said with a false endearing tone.

Reis curtly nodded at the beautiful woman before turning to leave the room.

"Please wait." Iris instructed him. She wanted to observe his and Cora's interactions more. She stayed silent in the face of his questioning gaze while she tried to make up a reason.

"Since you have been the main party in planning it, please aid me in describing the upcoming ball to them." Iris requested after an awkward silence.

Reis looked at her in doubt but still stayed in the room as she wished.

"A ball?" Cianne asked, curious.

"Yes, a large one."

"For what reason?" Cora asked. The announcement felt abrupt. Everyone outside of the castle thought the Queen was in dire straits, how could she be in the mood to host a ball. 

Then again, the Queen was known for her laziness and frivolity, Cora thought with a smirk. Well, regardless, such a large event perfectly fit their needs. 

"To celebrate. I've yet to hold a proper coronation celebration and this is perfect. It's a bit belated, but the nobles have convinced me of its necessity." Iris said stiffly. She began thinking Cora had the right idea with her fan. Maybe getting one of her own would help cover her lack of acting skills.

"Oh, of course." Cora felt an epiphany. The nobles scheming to revolt against her must have convinced Iris. She wasn't formally part of the group, but she knew of her father's efforts. Somehow he must have gotten into contact with someone who could convince the Queen to hold the ball. It would be the perfect event for their plans.

"When are you planning it?" Cianne asked. She wasn't one for stiff events like balls, but her discovery of her relation to the Queen made her want to attend. 

Iris looked to Reis. She left the specifics to him, and because they had only recently planned to host this he had yet to inform her of the details.

"About four months." As Reis spoke he handed the twins their respective invitations.

Cora took in their interaction with interest. The Queen seemed to trust her ill intentioned brother, despite his opposing position. He would be useful if this was the case. 

If he was as feebleminded as his sister, he would be the perfect figurehead for their group to control. Cora didn't fully understand why her father and his similarly aligned peers didn't use the current Queen as a figurehead, given her simple-mindedness, but she agreed with them nonetheless. Iris was an unfit Queen.

"And you are the one planning it?" Cora asked, her eyes slightly coy.

"Yes, the Queen has been understandably busy recently. Do you have any requests? You are our guests of honor, after all; being the Queen's savior." Reis gestured to Cianne, who shyly looked at the ground.

"No, no, I most certainly trust your judgment." Cora made the normal statement strangely suggestive.

Reis felt a bit uncomfortable, but he still kept his respectful appearance. He decided not to oppose Iris anymore, but that didn't mean he was on her side. But surely she wouldn't mind if he aided just a bit. He wanted to help her. 

Reis relaxed his attitude a bit and began chatting with Cora. He knew of her family's opposing position to the monarch. Perhaps getting closer to one of the largest group leader's daughters would provoke information.

Cianne regarded the two conversing people awkwardly, not sure what to do with herself. 

Iris watched the two with slanted eyes, annoyance rising. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe the two had hit it off immediately. She pushed aside her discontent and turned her attention to Cianne. She attempted to strike up a conversation, ignoring the strange indignation in her heart. 

Cianne was more than happy to talk with Iris, even in the face of her uninspired attempts. 

As the four people split off into their respective conversations, Iris absent-mindedly replied to Cianne's excited chatter. Her mind was mostly on the other conversation in the room.

"And you will be attending this party as a guest too?" Cora sat a bit too close to comfort. 

"Oh yes, I'm the prince after all." Reis let a bit of indignation flash across his face, as if he resented his position as the Queen's assistant. He hadn't been a prince for very long, only a bit more than a year and a half, but he could act as well as any full-fledged noble.

Cora took in his expression as her eyes flashed. She would inform her father of this immature prince, perhaps they would prefer using him over his sister.

"I'm glad you're coming, you seem like a delight at parties. Please let me know if you need a companion." She said suggestively, her fan falling from her face for a second to show her sweet smile.

"While it would be my highest honor to have Miss. Calton as my companion, I'm afraid I cannot. My duties call me to be beside the Queen and I must comply." Reis said begrudgingly. In reality, he would very much like to be Iris's partner. Imagining dancing with her while soft music plays in the background is something he's thought of since the ball was being planned. And since he's her brother and her assistant, and she has no partner, it's very normal for him to be her companion. 

"Oh, I see. What a pity." Cora said the last part of her sentence quietly, but inwardly she was happy with the information she heard. The prince would be next to Iris for the whole ball. If they planned everything correctly and brought Reis over to their side, this event would be perfect.

Iris felt a simmering anger bubbling up in her chest. She didn't know why it was there, but it was inconvenient. She forcibly tugged her attention from Cora and Reis and turned to Cianne. While her lackluster replies were more than enough to have a conversation with Cianne, she shouldn't half-heartedly do her task like this.

"So you'll be coming, yes?"

"Yes! You'll have to excuse my unfamiliarity with parties, it's my habit to avoid them, but I'd like to go!" Cianne was straightforward, her good intentions plain to see. 

"I'm glad." Iris tried to think of what else to say, but came up blank.

"Can I see the ballroom?" Thankfully, Cianne had no problem entertaining stale conversations.

As Iris and Cianne rose to leave the room, both Reis and Cora stood to follow. 

"You're going to see the ballroom? Can I see it as well?" Cora asked. Reis wanted to come as well, for different reasons.

"No." Iris didn't bother with any frivolities, slamming the door behind her and Cianne.

As they walked Cianne shot worried glances at the door behind them, but Iris just barreled into a new conversation.

"I know you travel a lot, and may not have a firm schedule. So I was wondering if you wanted to exchange letters during this time?" Iris suddenly said.

"Really!?"

"Yes, you're my savior after all. We should keep in contact."

"Yeah!" Canine's eyes were wide and excited.

And just like that, Iris completed her goal of this meeting. She would exchange friendly letters with Cianne, eventually trying to get more information as time went by. She likely didn't have nearly as much information as Cora did, but the chance of Cora giving her information through the exchange of 'friendly letters' wasn't very high. 

Iris should have felt accomplished, she completed her goal of this meeting. But as she remembered the two people she left in the room behind her, she just felt irritated.