Evil Iris

Chapter 21

Treachery

Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace, a haunting scene was taking place. Iris's mother, Lady Chloe, clenched her head in desperation and tugged at her hair as though she were trying to break free from an unseen torture.

"You're not telling the truth... You wish to part from me," she muttered, her voice strained with grief and desperation.

With her heart pounding at the sight of her mother's suffering, Iris moved forward to try to console her.

She uttered a soft "Mother," her voice quivering with emotion.

However, Lady Chloe pushed her away before she could make contact, as though she was afraid of her daughter's warmth.

"You are leaving me, aren't you?" She let out a cry, accusing and terrified at the same time.

Iris begged, her voice choking with tears, "No, Mother, I would never leave you."

"Please, let's leave this place together."Iris felt a wave of sorrow and helplessness wash over her.

Lady Chloe collapsed to the ground, her sobs echoing throughout the room. Iris knelt beside her, trying to console her but fighting back tears of her own.

"Mother, do you remember?" Iris uttered a whisper, her voice trembling with sentiment. "You promised we would get out of here, that we would find our freedom."

A sudden memory flashed back to Iris in the back of her mind. She saw herself as a small child, clinging to her mother's hand.

She saw herself running through a small village's cobblestone streets as a child in her recollections. The smell of freshly baked bread permeated the air, and the happy chimes of a nearby stream blended with the sound of laughter.

Lady Chloe, in their tiny bakery, her golden hair glistening in the sunlight as she expertly kneaded dough.

A fallen kingdom had produced Lady Chloe as its princess. But after a valiant royal knight named Alexander and she fell in love.

She had only rarely met the man who would become her husband, Emperor Christopher.

A political union.

However, destiny was an unkind mistress, and their love was unattainable.
In battle, Alexander had died .

Lady Chloe opened a bakery after her husband's death. In a small village to heal her heart. Iris was her little helper in a world that had become far too harsh. They walked under the stars on evenings and cherished the songs her father used to sing.

"Those stars are like beacons of hope," Lady Chloe had said pointing at them. We all live under the same sky, wherever we may be."

Iris, the little girl, gazed hopeful at Lady Chloe, her mother.

Then came Iris's ninth birthday, which replayed itself in her head. That was the day that their collapse started.

The emperor and the royal knights had come to their door. Iris remembered how her mother's eyes had widened with shock, how the emperor's demands had silenced her pleas.

She'd seen them torn apart by the cruel hands of fate, watched as her mother was taken away. It seemed like a faraway dream, the village that had been their refuge.

Iris clung to these memories, to the shards of a life that seemed like a lifetime ago, as she lay on the chilly palace floor, she remembered her mother's strength.

"Mother," Iris whispered, "we're strong, just like you said." a soft sob escaped her lips as

"I will find a way, Mother," Iris whispered into her mother's hair, her resolve firm. "I will find a way for us to escape this place and be free again."

As the moon cast a silvery glow over the palace, Iris gently tucked her mother into bed. Lady Chloe's soft breathing filled the room, she leaned down and kissed her mother's forehead.

"Rest well, Mother," Iris whispered

Then, as if by chance, she noticed something in the courtyard below. The gentle glow of the moon shone down on Noah, the crown prince, who stood with a maid.

Iris thought to herself, a cunning smile curling her lips, "Looks like I have found my bait."

It was ideal, an unexpected opportunity that had presented itself.

Sorry for not updating in a while ! the book is back , I was on a vacation and it's my last year of high school so sorry for the delay :)