Chapter 34

King Evander looked into her teary eyes before he took his hand off her mouth, “I love you too and that is why I have to send you away.”
“You can’t keep me from my child. Why do you want to send me away?” Iris cried.
“Because I can’t bear you see me loving another woman,” King Evander said, untying her.
“You don’t love her, not really,” Iris clung to him, sobbing.
“I don’t know anymore,” King Evander said, pushing her away.
“Do you remember our first meeting here in the castle?” Iris asked.
“Of course,” King Evander said, sitting down on the bed.
“Do you remember how confused I was and what I told you that day?” Iris asked, picking her dress up.
After thinking for a moment, King Evander looked up at her, “You had memory loss or something. You claimed you are not Cerena.”
“I was telling the truth,” Iris said slowly.
“Not that again,” King Evander said, standing up.
“I am not Cerena and during the pregnancy princess, Marchelle tricked me to swop with her. That is when you fell in love with me again only as princess Marchelle,” Iris explained, but was cut short when King Evander picked up the whip and lashed at her.
“Somehow you went crazy, and I was just too stupid to see it,” King Evander whipped her again.
Iris cried and turned her back to him, “I am sorry, please stop! I love you!”
“You love me? You love this?” King Evander asked, pulling her up from the floor and throwing her onto the bed before pulling her dress that was not on properly off her and tossing it aside.
Iris gasped at his violence, but at the same time, she wanted him in any way he will give himself.
“Is this what you want?” King Evander spat as he thrust into her womanhood.
“Yes,” Iris cried, wrapping her legs and arms around him.
King Evander grabs her arms and pins them above her head while he continues to take her in a violent manner, her motions reminding him of their first times together.
King Evander does not know if he was angry at her or at himself, but one thing for sure was that he was losing control again, becoming his old self and that made him angrier.
“Yes, cry for me my queen, you have always been so weak even after I tried to make you strong,” King Evander said and linked her tears like a wild beast of her face.
King Evander exploded into her before getting off her, leaving her there, broken.
King Evander pulled his clothing into place as he made his way back to his guest.

“I have an announcement to make,” King Evander announced when he walked back into the ballroom, bringing everyone’s attention to him.
The ballroom all went silent and waited for him to continue.
“Come, Princess Marchelle,” King Evander held out his hand to her to join him.
Marchelle smiled brightly, expecting King Evander to announce that he will take her as his wife.
“My lovely sister,” King Evander said as he took her hand.
“Princess Marchelle will be son, Prince Evander the fifth’s godmother and Prince Remington,” King Evander said, showing his hand towards his cousin, “his godfather.”
Everyone applauded as prince Remington stood up.
“I am honored,” Prince Remington bent his head.
“Now let’s celebrate,” King Evander said and walked Marchelle back to their seats.
“For a moment there I thought you are going to announce that you are taking me as a second wife,” Marchelle said under her breath.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” King Evander said, grabbing a goblet of wine and gulping it up.
“Something or someone is clearly upsetting you,” Marchelle whispered.
King Evander hold his empty goblet towards a servant for a refill and gulped that down as well.
“Fill,” King Evander demanded, holding his glass out again.
‘Maybe now is a good time to get rid of the queen again, he will think she ran away, this time on her own account. But instead of giving her to the slavers, I should leave her at a convent?’ Marchelle thought as she watched King Evander, ‘she is only confusing him.’
“Excuse me,” Marchelle said, standing up from the table.
“Where are you going?” King Evander demanded to know.
“I am turning in for the night,” Marchelle said, leaning down and kissing him.
King Evander did not object and allowed her to leave.

Marchelle left the ballroom and noticed the guard that she had slept with Iris outside in the hallway with a few other guards.
“Where is the queen?” Marchelle asked the guard.
“The pleasure room,” the guard said.
“Come with me,” Marchelle said and walked over to the pleasure room.

When they got to the pleasure room, it was empty.
“She must have gone to her room,” Marchelle said, leaving for the Queen’s bedroom.
“Where are the guards that are supposed to be with the queen and the prince at all times?” Marchelle questioned, walking into the queen’s room.
“Guard all the doors!” Marchelle shouted and ran towards the ballroom. Marchelle barged into the ballroom and ran over to King Evander that was having a good time with a few court ladies.
“The queen appears to have run away,” Marchelle whispered into the king’s ear.
“Good,” King Evander chuckled.
“With your son,” Marchelle said out loud, making King Evander stand up.
“Are you sure?” King Evander asked.
“She is not where you left her, and her room is empty. I have already sent guards to all exits,” Marchelle said, hurrying after the king that was busy making his way out of the ballroom.
Some men stood up out of respect.
“Did you check my room? Your room? All the rooms?” King Evander asked.
“Not yet, but someone would have called out by now if they found her,” Marchelle said, running to keep up with the king’s fast, long strides.
King Evander didn’t find her in his room and soon all the guards and servants reported she was not in any of the rooms, either.
“Get out there and find her!” King Evander demanded.
“More than half the guards are already out there looking for her and the prince,” Marchelle informed him. She tried to touch his arm, but he pulled away from her.
“This is all your fault!” King Evander accused.
“My fault?!” Marchelle questioned.
“Yes, your fault! You seduced me and pulled me away from my queen!” King Evander spat.
“Your queen? You love her so much that you don’t even realize that she,” Marchelle shouted, about to tell the king about the body swoping when prince Remington walked into the room.
“What on earth is going on?” prince Remington questioned and looked around at the worried faces.
“Please go back to the ballroom and enjoy the celebrations,” King Evander requested with a calm tone.
“Tell me what the matter is and let me help you. Is the queen, ok?” Prince Remington tried to get to the bottom of things.
“I told you earlier to concern you with your own wife,” King Evander said and walked towards prince Remington to see him to the ballroom.
“I stepped aside and handed Cerena over to you on a silver platter, but something tells me I should have fought you for her,” prince Remington dared to say.
“I tell you what; if you can find her, then you can have her,” King Evander spat.
“What?” prince Remington questioned in shock.
“Queen Cerena ran away with the prince,” Marchelle said and stormed after King Evander.
“Really? What on earth has been going on around here?” Prince Remington asked and ran after the king and his sister, thinking, ‘the last news I got they were happy, but I guess I have a shot once more.’
‘Where will I run to if I was running away with a baby?’ Prince Remington asked himself as he stopped following the king and his sister and thought for a moment.

“Why are you following me?” King Evander asked when he realized that Marchelle was running after him.
“To help you look for the queen,” Marchelle said.
“Split up,” King Evander pointed for Marchelle to go in one direction while he proceeded on his way.
Marchelle saw the guard that was in love with the queen and called him, “you, come with me.”
“Where are we going?” the guard asked.
“Where do you think? We are going to find the queen and the prince,” Marchelle exclaimed, amazed at the poor intelligence level of some guards.

“There!” the guard exclaimed, pointing to the wedding chapel in the garden.
“Stay here,” Marchelle demanded before running over to Iris.

“Iris?” Marchelle asked, noticing that there was no baby in her arms.
“What do you want?” Iris spat, wiping the tears off her face.
“Everyone is looking for you. Where is the prince?” Marchelle questioned.
“In his crib, sleeping. The wet nurse is with him,” Iris said, stroking the engraved words on one step of the chapel, ‘indestructible like our love.’
‘I didn’t check the crib,’ Marchelle thought, running back towards the entrance of the castle.
“The king wants to kill her. Somehow, he sensed she has been with another man, but he does not know it was you. It is up to you if you are going to let her die here tonight or take her away from here,” Marchelle told the guard.
“How do I get her to come with me?” the guard questioned, thinking that there was no way that a woman will leave her child behind.
“Hit her over the head,” Marchelle suggested before running into the castle.