The Love Potion 43 - 44

Pintrest

43 The Lady’s Despair:

‘How have you been faring, Iris?’ Leticia asked.

They were in a visitors' drawing room in the Royal Palace.

‘I have been well.’ Iris answered. 

Iris could not help but wonder what Leticia was doing here. She was the Countess Reinfeldt, so she could enter the palace with only minimal procedure. 

The room they were in was staffed with only Katri for privacy. 

If she had some errand in the Palace, why did she not ask to see Matthias rather than Iris?

Iris had been stupefied when she had been informed that her sister was requesting to see her. 

Leticia laughed softly, calling Iris back to the present. 

‘In just a few weeks, you will become Queen.’

Iris remained silent. 

She was planning on leaving the palace soon, once Ernest was freed from the love potion. She had sent the letter to Matthias, who had told Ernest. Since that day, Ernest held her with maddened passion every night. Even when she lost her mind from pleasure, he put his hot thing inside her and forced her back from the world of sleep. It was as though he was trying to keep her tired to stop her from escaping. From another point of view, it was his behaviour was equal to torture and rape. 

Nevertheless, Iris felt a dark joy more than sorrow (Zuben: These two and their dark joys). She understood that the love potion was still in effect. While it was not a good situation, in the corner of her mind, there was a foolish part of her that was relieved. 

‘-Iris! Iris!’

‘Hmm…?’

‘Have you been listening to what I have been saying?’ Leticia puffed her cheek out in displeasure. 

‘Oh, pardon me.’

Do not give Leticia an opportunity. Though she had learned this enough, she seemed to have been at a loss for a moment. 

When Iris apologised, Leticia’s eyebrows lowered. 

‘Are you ready to be Queen with that attitude?’ Leticia chided Iris. 

Looking at her green eyes, Iris had a bad feeling. 

Leticia placed her hand on her cheek looking troubled. 

‘There’s something I’m worried about. Do you know what it is, Iris?’

‘What’s that?’

‘You’re going to be Queen, so after your marriage you have to give birth to a good boy.’

Leticia’s discussion was taking on erratic leap after another, Iris was finding it difficult to understand. Still, she managed to work out what Leticia was trying to say. 

‘It seems you have forgotten sister, in this country, a boy or a girl can inherit the throne. 

They both studied they same things as daughters of a noble family, but it looks like Leticia may have forgotten. 

‘But Iris forgets. As a girl, you can never be happy unless you marry a nice man and give birth to your loving husband's child.’ (Zuben: How is this your business, Leticia?)

Just waiting for her beloved husband to return home to the manor is the best happiness. So Leticia insisted the Iris had a boy. Certainly, being Queen would be hard work, Iris may not be able to spend the day elegantly and calmly like Leticia did.

Iris was about to retort, but she remembered what Ernest had said at the last ball,

"Countess, you’re an important relative of my beloved, so I would like you to be more considerate to your sister."

Her sister Leticia may be her only close relative, but it was not necessary to think that her words were absolute. Iris now had someone who understood her, though it was love borne from a potion.

The growing darkness in her heart cleared. She quietly exhaled and she looked at her sister calmly,

‘Leticia, why did you want to see me today?’

Leticia had a look of remembrance on her face,

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I brought you the antidote.’

‘Antidote…?’

Leticia took out a clear bottle and placed it on the table between them, before Iris. 

‘Matthias asked me to bring it to you.’

Iris was convinced in that moment. 

Inside the bottle were blue sweets; it was no doubt that this was the antidote. (Zuben: Really?!)

But Matthias had told Ernest about the letter; for him to prepare the antidote, did he think that Iris did not have to be Queen anymore?

Leticia continued to ruminate, tilting her head left to right, (Zuben:

‘What did Matthias say it was an antidote for…?’

It looked as though Matthias had told Leticia about the love potion. Iris could not believe it. 

Leticia continued to mutter trying to remember. 

Iris was surprised that Leticia had forgotten. If Leticia had any good sense, she would be reprimanding Iris. But it was not something Iris was able to talk about either. 

With mixed thoughts, Iris stared at the small bottle on the table. 

They were the antidote for the love potion…

They were blue soluble sweets. But Ernest would be released with only one drop. (Zuben: If the cure only needs one drop, why so many in a bottle? Is there fear that someone has been love potioning willy-nilly?)

And Iris will lose her false happiness. 

Even though she knew this would happen, she was afraid. And disappointed that the antidote truly existed.

As she reached for the vial, the door was opened with a loud bang,

‘Iris!’

She looked up to see Ernest at the door with Matthias behind him.

‘Ernest…’

Why had they come?

Iris tried to hide the antidote from him, but Ernest rushed up to her,

‘Iris, I want you to forgive me for my foolishness.’

‘Huh?’

‘No, you can be angry with me,’

‘Um, Ernest-sama…?’

‘And you can command me to do anything you want me to.’

Iris was dazed by Ernest saying such a thing with a serious expression. Rather it was her, who had dosed him with a love potion, who had to apologise. 

She thought he was apologising for his abusive behaviour these past few days, but there was no reason to come to this drawing room at this very moment with Matthias for that.

While Iris was startled, Ernest eyes widened as though he remembered something. 

‘But before that, first…’

Before what? Iris could not imagine what was going on. 

Ernest took out a small bottle from his trouser pocket. Inside it was the pinkish peach drop. 

‘Iris when you know the truth, you will surely despise me.’ Ernest said with a pained expression. Even so, the brilliance of the piercing golden eyes were strong. 

Iris was confused, and looked to Matthias behind him. But Matthias had a calm aura like he was overseeing the whole thing, but he did not say anything even though Iris looked at him questioning. 

Iris turned back to Ernest who took out the last sweet drop.

The bottle was empty. The love potion was no more. 

‘But there is so much I have to tell you.’ he said as he looked at her directly with strong readiness, at the same time, he took the last sweet. 

Iris could not fathom the reason for his actions. Still, she realised that she had to be in his view after he took the love potion.

Even if she gave him the antidote in the near future, until that day, she wanted all his affection for her alone. 

As Ernest pushed the glaze between his lips before Iris, staring quietly. 

At that moment,

‘I remember! An antidote to the potion that ties two people.’

The sound of an explosive clap filled the room,  causing Iris and Ernest turned to Leticia. (Zuben: *facepalm)

There was the sound of a crunch.

‘Letty!’ Matthias said irritated. 

Matthias rarely showed emotion; what was going on?

Iris turned to Ernest thinking - no way!

At that moment, his throat moved as he swallowed. 

Iris was dyed in despair. 

Ernest had looked at Leticia as he swallowed the love potion. (Zuben: Dun dun dunnnnnn!!!)

♔♔♔

44 Lady and Detoxification:

It would be good if this was all a dream.

It would be good if this was not real.

Even though Iris knew it was impossible, she strongly hoped that it was not real.

But Matthias rushed up to Leticia to draw her away. 

‘No, Letty!’

‘What, Matthias, what has happened?’ Leticia asked confused. 

Leticia understood that the blue drops was the antidote for the love potion. 

But it was the love potion Ernest had eaten, and Leticia did not realise that for the love potion to work, you have to be looking at the person you wanted to love the moment you ate it. 

Leticia looked up at Matthias and asked, ‘Matthias…?’

Matthias slapped his forehead and sighed, ‘No, it was my fault. I did not explain properly.’ (Zuben: No, your wife is brainless.)

He smiled and stroked her head. While he did so, he turned to Ernest,’

‘I’m sorry Ernest.’

‘Oh…’ Ernest responded weakly

Was he confused? Or had he started to fall in love with Leticia?

However, there was no more love drops. Ernest was no longer in love with Iris. 

The moment she realised it, her true despair fell from her lips,

‘No…’

Recovering, Ernest turned to Iris in surprise,

‘I’m sorry, Iris, what was that…?’

‘No!’

‘Iris!’

‘This cannot happen!’

Why was she throwing a tantrum like a child? It was no use screaming now. In the first place, she had just been manipulating him with the love potion. 

She understood that. 

But she could not help it. She wanted to cry.

She was not mature. If she hadn’t been grasping her palms hard, she would have begun to cry already.

‘Iris, you are…’

She could not see Ernest anymore because her eyes began to fill with tears. She was afraid to think that his expression was no more than pity and embarrassment. 

Iris turned away from him. 

She bit her lips trying to hold back the tears. 

‘What’s wrong with Iris?’ Leticia’s naive voice shook her eardrums (😁), ‘She’s just like a child. It can’t be helped anymore.’

Leticia giggled. (Zuben: They must have dropped this woman on her head when she was a child)

Why was Leticia laughing at her? Why did she look unashamed of herself?

Alas, this time it was not Leticia’s fault. It was Matthias’; he did not explain things to Leticia properly.

Iris could not help but laugh mirthlessly. 

But for now, she had to keep her important person away from Leticia!

‘Leticia is always like that...;’

Ernest had never belonged to Iris. He had only been controlled by the love potion, he had never really loved Iris. She knew that, but still…

‘I will never let Leticia have you...it can never be Leticia!’

So what if his love for her was not real. 

Iris’ violet eyes sharpened. She turned around and grabbed the antidote from the table and uncorked the bottle. She frantically poured the blue drops into her hand and discarded the bottle. The bottle hit the table and rolled onto the carpet spilling the rest of the sweets as it went. Iris threw the antidote into her mouth and immediately closed the distance between her and Ernest,

‘Iris, please calm down and listen to what-’

Without heeding his words, she grabbed him by the lapel of his jacket, pulled him to her and forcibly kissed him. Ernest’s mouth opened in surprise so Iris was able to slip the antidote into his mouth with her tongue. 

Immediately after, she could hear the sound of him chewing the antidote. 

That was all there is to it. 

Iris lost his false affection. 

But Ernest was freed from the curse of the love potion.

It was alright, this was for the best.

‘I love you, Ernest.’ She said as she pulled away from him.

She was in tears. Iris girded herself as she looked into his golden eyes, that had widened in surprise. 

‘Goodbye…’

She turned and ran away.

‘Iris, wait! I need to talk to you!’

She heard him calling her to stop but she kept running. If he caught her and tried to comfort her, and tell her he could not answer her feeling. She did not want to be told he would marry her out of sympathy. 

She was not strong enough to lose love, lose pride and still look ahead, standing alone. 

She left the drawing room, ran down the corridor, down the stars, through another corridor. She ran heedlessly, uncaring about her long dress tearing as she did. 

Though her actions were unseemly for a crown princess, she ran past ladies and knights. She did not stop. She kept running looking for a place to cry alone. A place where no one could see her tears. Before long, she pushed through a door into a library. The room was lined with bookshelves. She hurried up to them looking for the target book through her tears,

‘This…’

Soon she found it; it was like the other books but the lettering on the spine was silver. She pushed the book and the door opened. 

Iris entered and threw herself on the sofa. 

Oh was this alright?

This was Ernest’s hidden room. He was no longer in love with Iris, so she was not qualified to use it. 

Even so, she just wanted to cry alone. After that, she would take a carriage to her family home. It seemed that somewhere in her heart, Iris hoped to be found. She was sickened with herself. 

‘I know, I will be fine…’

Really, she wondered what she was trying to do?

Iris marvelled at her own stupidity as tears fell down her face.

She will go back when she was done crying. 

After that, she with all her love, she would put aside the status of fiancée and her peaceful everyday and leave the palace. She could only pray for Ernest’s happiness from now on. She would do just that, once she finished crying. 

For now, she removed her hair ornaments and took down her hair. She took off her shoes. And put her legs on the couch and hugged her knees. She put her face between her knees and cried.

The tears overflowed like a dam had burst. A sob leaked from her mouth of out of nowhere, Iris cried out as though she was the only one in world.

Index ♔ Next