Chapter 33

Princess Marchelle and King Evander were kissing each other like wild beast as they made their way into the pleasure room and Marchelle kept her eyes shut because she wanted King Evander to see his queen under a guard first.
King Evander opened his eyes when he heard the familiar moans of his queen.
“Queen Cerena?” King Evander exclaimed when he saw his queen naked and stretched out onto the bed, touching herself.
Marchelle looked around and wondered where the guard was, “did she just slept with someone?”
“What are you talking about?” King Evander ignores the idea and gives big strides over to his queen. King Evander smelled the wine and looked around, “she is drunk. This is all my fault. She knows we meet here and must have come here to wait for me. I have been distant towards her because of you.”
“Husband,” Iris said, touching King Evander’s face, not remembering just having sex with a guard.
“I will take you to your room,” King Evander wrapped the bedsheet around her naked body before lifting her up.
“Take me to your room,” Iris moaned.
King Evander did not respond but thought, ‘probably better to let her sleep it off in my room and not around the baby.’
“Marchelle, go check on the baby,” King Evander demanded.
“What about us?” Marchelle protested.
“Do as I say!” King Evander demanded her again as he left with his queen in his arms.
King Evander laid her down on his bed and as he attempted to move away from Iris grabbed his hand, “I want you to divorce me.”
“You are drunk and don’t know what you are saying,” King Evander chuckled before pulling his hand away from her.

Iris fell asleep and King Evander pulled up a chair to the bedside where she was sleeping peacefully and watched her for the longest time.
‘I should send her to a convent,’ King Evander finally came to his decision.
King Evander was deep in thought for hours when Iris woke up. Iris looked around her, confused, “what am I doing here?”
King Evander snaps out of his thoughts and raised his eyes to her, “you got drunk, remember?”
Iris thought about it for a moment and then wonders if the flashbacks are real or dreams, ‘does he know?’
Iris sat up and then grabbed her head, “I have a headache.”
“Excessive drinking normally gives you headaches,” King Evander said, standing up, “I have dinner with our guest. Please be out of my room before I return.”
“You don’t love me anymore,” Iris said flatly as she fell down onto the pillow and sobbed.
King Evander walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed, “I don’t know anymore.”
“Give me a chance again,” Iris pleaded, but the king found her smell of old wine revolting.
“You need to go wash before you hold my son again,” King Evander stated.
“Our son,” Iris corrected him.
King Evander just looked at her and stood up thinking, ‘my son. He will never know her.’
When Iris stopped sobbing, she got out of the king’s bed and left his room.
“Send me a healer,” she ordered the guard that was at the door.
Iris found her way to her room and was appalled to find her son on the breast of another woman.
“What are you doing?!” Iris shouted, running towards the wet nurse to take her son.
Two guards grabbed Iris and held her back, “the king said you are not to feed him again.”
“What are you talking about?! Let go of me!” Iris tried to fight them off.
“Queen Cerena, what seems to be the problem?” the healer asked, arriving at the room.
“I have a headache,” Iris said, still in the clutches of the guards.
“She has been drinking,” the wet nurse informed.
“I see,” the healer said, turning to a servant, “fetch a vast of freshwater, lemons, and bread.”
“Stop feeding him!” Iris hissed at the wet nurse.
“It is better if he does not drink on you until tomorrow,” the healer advised.
“Why not?” Iris protested, wishing the guards would let go of her.
“The wine in your system will get to the baby. Do you want him to have a headache?” the doctor asked.
“Of course not,” Iris snapped.
Iris gave the wet nurse a hate-filled look before speaking to the guards, “please let go of me.”
“Let go of the queen,” the doctor ordered, and the guards obeyed.
The guards stood aside but did not leave the room.
The servant arrived with the healer’s requests, and he cut open the lemon and squeezed the lemon’s juices into a goblet, and added water, “this should help to filter the wine and the bread should absorb it.”
Iris felt worse after drinking the lemon-infused water and laid down on the bed, waiting for the servants to prepare a bath for her.

Just before King Evander went to meet his guest for dinner, he spoke to one of his trusted court officials, unaware that a guard was listening in, “find a suitable convent to send the queen to.”
“Yes, your majesty. How soon?” the court official asked.
“Tonight, or tomorrow,” King Evander said.
During dinner, Marchelle whispered into King Evander’s ear, “why don’t we get married in two days’ time before the guest leaves?”
King Evander looked at her.
“Just think about it my love,” Marchelle whispered before adverting her attention to a guest.
“Where is the Queen?” Prince Remington asked.
“Concern yourself with your own wife,” King Evander said flatly.
“Should she not be part of the celebrations?” Prince Remington asked, and a few whispers could be heard in agreement.
King Evander was about to open his mouth when Iris walked in looking exquisite. King Evander stood up, blown away by her beauty.
“Find another chair,” he said under his breath to Marchelle.
Stubbornly, Marchelle stood up.
All the guests stood up to welcome the queen. King Evander walked over and took her hand, and led her to sit next to him.
Iris smiled sweetly and sat down.
“It is good to see you in such good health,” Prince Remington remarked.
“And you,” Iris smiled sweetly.
Iris felt many eyes on her and muttered to King Evander so that only he could hear her, “to think all the royal men here and your guards know what I look like under this dress. Some even know what my body feels like.”
King Evander made a fist, holding back his anger at the reminder of what he did to her, “why are you trying so hard to make me your enemy?”
“A little birdy told me you are making a plan to send me off to a convent,” Iris said under breath, not remembering that her little birdy is the very same guard she had sex with and now believes the queen was madly in love with him as he was with her.
“Your little birdy should be careful, her head might just roll,” King Evander warned.
“Who says my little birdy is a woman? Maybe my little birdy is a strong, handsome man,” Iris teased.
“So, the rumors are true? You are fucking one of my men?” King Evander questioned, his anger about to spill over.
“What do you care? It is not as if you are interested in satisfying my needs. No, you are too busy screwing your sister and making wedding plans,” Iris spat, smiling sweetly at guest looking their way.
“What are you talking about?” King Evander questioned.
“Oh, please, everyone knows,” Iris said angrily, feeling the king was taking her for a fool.
King Evander stood up and pulled Iris up with him.
“Everything good?” Prince Remington questioned King Evander’s violent behavior towards the queen.
“The queen is tired. She insists on tending to my son herself so little sleep. Enjoy the feast, I will be right back after seeing her to her room,” King Evander said, walking out of the ballroom, forcing Iris to keep up.
Instead of taking her to her room he took her to the pleasure room and tied her up.
“What are you doing?” Iris whimpered, regretting trying to be brave and standing up for herself.
“You need to be reminded of your place,” King Evander said, selecting a whip and walking over to her.
“My place? What about your place?” Iris spat, bracing herself for the lashing that will meet her skin soon.
King Evander hung the whip around his shoulder before loosening her dress and letting it drop to the floor, “good thing you wore a dress that shows your bust and shoulders as if you want men to desire you. Now I don’t have to untie you to take it off.”
“I love you. I love you. I,” Iris started to confess her love, but King Evander grabbed her mouth and prevented her from saying it once more.
“Keep your lies!” King Evander hissed, his queen’s tears touching his hand that was over her mouth.