The queen stood in the doorway, her deep blue dress shimmering with silver threads, hands on her hips, and piercing blue eyes locked on her daughters.

  Her blonde hair, swept into a fwless high bun, didn’t have a single strand out of pce, and her posture demanded clear answers.

  Iris, her face still flushed from Lirien’s sp and her heart pounding, felt Kai’s constant movement inside her, brushing against sensitive walls and sending shivers of pleasure that threatened to shatter her composure.

  Her panties were soaked, her thighs trembled, and her hands clung to the hem of her pale blue dress to keep steady.

  ‘Damn it… stay still, please,’ Iris thought, her chest tight with fear and arousal.

  Lirien, a few steps away, had one hand on her cheek where Iris’s sp had left a fading red mark, her green eyes simmering with barely contained fury.

  The queen broke the silence, her voice firm and unyielding.

  “I’ll ask again—what is going on here?” she said, her gaze shifting from Lirien to Iris with a raised eyebrow. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her fingers tapped against the fabric of her dress, waiting for an expnation.

  Iris opened her mouth to speak, but Lirien was faster, squaring her shoulders and adopting a mask of feigned indignation.

  “Mother, I came because Iris has been acting disrespectfully,” Lirien said, her voice soft but ced with venom.

  She stepped toward the queen, her heels echoing with a cck! on the stone floor, and pointed at Iris with a trembling finger.

  “She insulted me, spoke to me like I was a servant, and even dared to hit me. Look at my face!”

  Lirien tilted her head to show her cheek, though the mark was barely visible now.

  Iris’s stomach twisted.

  ‘Liar!’ she thought, rage cwing up her throat.

  But Kai’s movement, grazing a sensitive spot inside her, sent a shiver that forced her to clench her thighs. Her hands shook, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

  The queen turned to her, eyes narrowed, her expression demanding the truth.

  “Is that true, Iris?” she said, her voice calm but firm, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Her intense gaze and the slight curl of her lips suggested she was weighing every twitch of her youngest daughter’s face.

  Iris swallowed hard, her face burning.

  ‘I can’t let Lirien win…’ she thought, but the words wouldn’t come.

  Just then, the floating window appeared again, its bck letters glowing softly.

  [Suggested response: “Lirien barged into my bathroom without permission and attacked me first, Mother. I only defended myself from her insults and her sp.”]

  Iris blinked, her mouth parting slightly, stunned by the crity of the response.

  ‘Where is this coming from?’ she thought, recalling how the window had helped her humiliate Lirien earlier.

  She didn’t know if it was Kai’s magic or something else, but she had no time to question it.

  Taking a deep breath, Iris straightened and spoke, her voice trembling but growing stronger.

  “Lirien barged into my bathroom without permission and attacked me first, Mother,” she said, meeting the queen’s eyes. “She insulted me, called me useless, and spped me. I only defended myself.”

  Lirien let out an exaggerated gasp, stepping forward with a cck! of her heels.

  “That’s a lie!” she shrieked, eyes wide, hands clenched into fists.

  Her bck hair swayed as she spun toward the queen, her face a mask of feigned outrage.

  “Mother, she provoked me, insulted me first! She said awful things, like my ego’s a pile of manure! Are you going to believe this failure over me?”

  Lirien’s voice was shrill, almost a squeal, and her fingers Cumhuriyet trembling as she pointed at Iris, as if itching to sp her again.

  Fear tightened Iris’s chest, but Kai shifted again, a deep friction that sent a jolt of pleasure she barely suppressed.

  She gritted her teeth, ignoring the wet heat trickling down her thighs, and gred at Lirien with a fury she didn’t know she possessed.

  “A lie? You wanted to hurt me, Lirien!” she said, her voice starting shaky but turning firm, each word dripping with defiance that surprised even her. “You came here to humiliate me, like always, because you can’t stand that I passed the exam you flunked.”

  Her hands rexed, releasing her dress, and she crossed her arms, mimicking Lirien’s stance with a raised eyebrow.

  The queen’s lips pursed, her gaze snapping to Lirien with a look that could cut gss.

  “Is that true, Lirien?” she said, her voice low and dangerous, taking a step toward her eldest daughter. Her hands left her hips, one rising to point at Lirien with a steady index finger. “Did you invade your younger sister’s private bathroom to attack her? You, who should be setting an example, stoop to this?”

  The queen’s voice was calm, but every word carried a weight of disappointment, her blue eyes glinting with restrained anger.

  Lirien opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her hands trembled, and her face flushed, her usual composure crumbling.

  “No, Mother, she’s lying!” she blurted, her voice cracking as she gnced between the queen and Iris. “Iris provoked me, insulted me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  But her words sounded weak, and her eyes darted to the floor, avoiding the queen’s gaze for a fleeting moment.

  Just then, the floating window reappeared before Iris.

  [Suggested response: “If you didn’t do anything wrong, Lirien, why did you barge into my bathroom and hit me? You just wanted to humiliate me, like always, because you can’t stand that I’m better than you at something.”]

  Iris’s stomach knotted, but Kai’s movement, still brushing inside her, sparked a courage she couldn’t expin.

  She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and spoke with a fervor that stunned everyone in the room.

  “If you didn’t do anything wrong, Lirien, then tell me why you barged into my bathroom and hit me!” Iris shouted, her voice trembling with rage. “You just wanted to humiliate me, like always, because you can’t stand that I’m better than you at something—like passing the exam you couldn’t.”

  The queen and Lirien froze, eyes wide.

  Iris’s voice, loud and raw with emotion, was unlike anything they’d ever heard.

  She’d always been reserved, quiet, the younger sister who bowed her head and took the taunts.

  But now, cheeks flushed and fists clenched, she seemed like a different person.

  ‘Where did this come from?’ the queen thought, her mouth slightly agape, while Lirien gritted her teeth, her face contorted with fury.

  “How dare you!” Lirien hissed, stepping toward Iris, but she halted as the queen raised a hand to silence her.

  “Enough, Lirien,” the queen said, her tone final.

  She stepped toward her eldest daughter, the silver threads in her dress catching the light.

  “You’ve disappointed me. Attacking your younger sister, invading her privacy, and then lying about it? I expected better from you.”

  Her words were slow, each one delivered with a precision that made Lirien tremble.

  “I don’t want to hear excuses. Go to your room and stay there for the rest of the day. Understood?”

  The queen crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised, awaiting a response.

  Lirien opened her mouth but found no words. Her hands shook, her green eyes gleaming with a mix of fury and humiliation.

  “Yes, Mother,” she muttered, barely audible, her gaze dropping to the floor. She spun on her heels with a cck! of her boots and stormed out, smming the door with a thud! that echoed through the room.

  Iris panted, her heart racing.

  ‘I did it… I beat Lirien,’ she thought, a rush of joy and disbelief warming her chest.

  It was the first time in her life she’d bested her sister in a verbal showdown, and the feeling was intoxicating.

  But Kai’s movement inside her, still sending shivers, threatened to make her moan.

  She clenched her thighs, biting her lower lip to stifle the sound, and gnced at the queen, who now watched her with a softer expression.

  “Are you alright, my dear?” the queen said, stepping toward her with an outstretched hand.

  Her voice was warm, almost tender, her blue eyes searching Iris’s.

  Iris took a breath, trying to quell the heat rising in her pelvis, and nodded.

  “Yes, Mother,” she said, her voice slightly shaky, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  Just then, the floating window appeared again.

  [Suggested response: “I’m sorry, Mother, I shouldn’t have hit Lirien. I’m always causing trouble, aren’t I?”]

  Iris frowned, hesitating.

  ‘Apologize? That makes me look weak,’ she thought, her chest tight with insecurity.

  But the window had been right before, so she took a breath and spoke softly, almost tentatively.

  “I’m sorry, Mother, I shouldn’t have hit Lirien…” she said, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I’m always causing trouble, aren’t I?”

  Her words carried a doubt she couldn’t hide, her hands clutching her dress, bracing for a reprimand.

  To her surprise, the queen stepped closer and pced a hand on her shoulder, firm yet gentle.

  “Don’t say that, my dear,” she said, her voice warm, prompting Iris to look up.

  The queen’s eyes shone with a mix of pride and sadness, her lips curving into a small smile.

  “I know how hard you’ve worked. Passing that exam with a perfect score is no small feat. I know the effort you’ve put in to get here, and I’m proud of you. Better days are coming, I promise.”

  Her hand squeezed Iris’s shoulder, her voice softening, as if willing each word to sink into her daughter’s heart.

  Iris felt a lump in her throat, her eyes welling with tears.

  Her mother’s words struck deep, touching a wound she’d buried for years.

  She’d failed so many times—in magic, in studies, in everything—that part of her believed her parents had no faith in her.

  ‘Does she really mean it?’ she thought, her heart tight with doubt.

  Part of her wanted to give in, to hug her mother and let the tears fall, but a harder part warned her not to trust, that it might just be an act.

  Just then, the floating window reappeared.

  [Suggested response: “Thank you, Mother, that means a lot to me.”]

  Iris pressed her lips together, ignoring the suggestion.

  She couldn’t say that, not with doubt gnawing at her.

  “I hate you,” she murmured, her voice trembling, eyes dropping to the floor.

  The words slipped out unbidden, an echo of her frustration and fear.

  The queen blinked, startled, but didn’t pull away.

  Instead, she stepped closer and enveloped Iris in a hug, holding her tightly against her chest with a strength both firm and soft.

  “Don’t say that, Iris,” she said, her tone kind but resolute, stroking her daughter’s hair. “You’re my daughter, and I love you. I don’t want you to think that way.”

  Iris gasped, her face buried in her mother’s dress, feeling the warmth of her embrace.

  But before she could respond, the queen pulled back slightly, frowning as she pced a hand on Iris’s forehead.

  “You’re burning up,” she said, her voice ced with concern, her eyes widening. “Are you ill? Your temperature isn’t normal.”

  Her hand moved to Iris’s cheek, her expression growing more serious, brows furrowing.

  Panic surged in Iris’s throat.

  ‘No, no, no, it’s because of Kai,’ she thought, her face flushing deeper as his movement inside her sent another shiver.

  “No, Mother, I’m fine,” she said, her voice trembling, waving her hands as if she could brush away the worry. “It’s nothing, really.”

  The queen’s lips pursed, clearly unconvinced.

  “I’m calling the physician,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument, turning toward the door.

  Iris stepped forward, her heart pounding.

  “No, Mother, it’s not necessary!” she excimed, her voice rising. “I’m fine, I swear, I don’t need a doctor.”

  Her hands clutched her dress, her eyes pleading, desperate to keep anyone from discovering Kai.

  The queen paused, studying Iris with a mix of concern and doubt.

  “I want you to be safe, Iris,” she said, her voice soft but firm, stepping toward her. “I won’t risk losing you.”