The sultan had been more than eager to see Nicole return with Iris. The relief at this meeting could be seen clearly in those green eyes of her.
"Do you have time? I have a lot I want to discuss with you" The sultan did not greet them, but sprang directly into the important bits.
The office space was filled with people pondering over different pieces of documents. Many did not even pick their head to greet them when they entered. The place looked a little too busy today.
"I have time. I would also like a report about the project we started a while back" A few workers did look at Iris after she left those words to fall from her lips but the easy smile on the sultan's face eased her fears.
"We can discuss that as well. Let me just hand over these documents to my second in charge" the sultan did not rush, but there was no hiding the nastiness in her body language.
Luckily for her, the assistant quickly arrived on the scene and relieved the sultan of her burdens within seconds.
"Follow behind me" the sultan took them to an adjacent room and closed the doors.
As soon as they closed, the noise from outside and surroundings dulled into a chilling silence. The unnatural silence could only be the result of one thing - a magical ward.
It looked like something was bothering the sultan as well. Otherwise, there was no meaning behind this much security.
"Nicole, if you could wait outside as well," the sultan asked and Nicole nodded reluctantly. Nicole did not look happy but she did not argue with the sultan over her words.
Iris felt the intensity of Nicole's stare, willing Iris to call her back inside or to argue with the sultan but Iris could not.
Nicole seemed to have understood as well but the intensity of the stare did not lessen at all.
"Is it something we cannot talk about in Nicole's presence?" Iris asked as soon as the door closed behind Nicole.
According to the original novel, the bond between the sultan and Nicole had been solid. They had been close as well and had even fought side-by-side later on.
Their current relationship did not reflect that and it worried Iris a lot.
"I trust Nicole, but I respect her loyalty as well. I do not want the words of our talk to get back to the vizier and then to the commission" there seemed to be no love lost there.
There was a sore spot there which Iris chose to leave alone. There was a time and place for everything and this was for discussion.
"So, what's the update?" Iris did not want to beat around the bush and neither did the sultan.
"The children have been relocated but the campus is still in need of reconstruction. We need to start that soon or the temporary arrangements would not hold up." The sultan stressed.
Her face seemed to be covered in stress lines that made her look far older than her original age.
Iris pitied the hardworking young woman, she did. But unfortunately, she needed the sultan to work even harder for Iris's goal.
"We can start the construction. I brought the last court architect of Isis back with me. I will discuss it with her and get back to you regarding it" Iris paused there and allowed the sultan to soak those words.
The harsh lines on that lovely face faded but they did not disappear. There was something more worrying the sultan.
"There is more, right? You can tell me. Is it the council? The commission?" Iris asked the sultan. It accusation caused the sultan to flinch but she shook her head.
"No, the council and commission are not the problems here. It's everyone else. You saw the crowd in front of the city? Word got out that Oreta is changing and people from all over are trying to gain new grounds here. It's caused so many issues that it's not even funny" the sultan seemed even more depressed at those words.
The influx of trade should be a good thing but the crowd had been a concerning factor.
"Can't you stop those people from coming here? Do something to refute those rumors?" If people were coming here based on rumors solely, then it should be easy to drive them away.
But somehow, Iris had a feeling that things were not that easy.
"I tried at first but most of these families are elites. They are, as they say, 'too important to be refused'. All we can do is stall them but even that has a limit. Oreta would be overrun by outsiders at this rate" now that seemed like a real problem.
A problem Iris wanted nothing to do with.
She was worried as well but she also knew things would get better soon enough. The Oreta from the original novel had been a ghost ground people avoided at all costs.
Only the most desperate seeking treatment dared to venture inside Oreta since the city was cruel to even its three rulers.
Iris believed in the sultan, believed in Rhea to make things right.
"Do what feels right to you. The city is yours to protect after all. I will go and have a look at the children. I will head back to Noir in a few days as well" the sultan looked like she wanted to interject but the window seemed to have passed.
To Iris, it seemed as if the other wanted to say something more but something seemed to be holding her back.
There seemed to be an internal struggle inside the sultan but she finally seemed to have made up her mind.
"Lady Iris, you and Nicole, is there something going on between you two? I don't think it's a good idea to divert your focus away from the real problem right now" the sultan started and her words sounded oddly toned.
They also seemed forced but Iris could understand the concern and the need for a forced talk.
"Me and Nicole. There is nothing there, just a passing infatuation on Nicole's part. Don't worry, I don't have any interest in romance for now. We all have goals we need to achieve" the sultan gave a blank stare back to Iris.
The silence and the movement lingered for a few seconds between them. There seemed to be something more than Iris was supposed to read into.
But she could not manage to find it before the moment finally passed.
"Good. That's how things should be. Do not forget what your end goal is and keep moving toward it" the sultan's voice got stuck at the first word, but gradually smoothed itself out.
That made reality wash over Iris once again.
She had a goal she needed to achieve and everything seemed to be intended to remind Iris about that face.
This world, she could not enjoy it because she had to return one day.
"Then, I shall take my leave" Iris turned to move out of the office but her eyes lingered out of the window.
There were thousands of things to see outside but her eyes sharpened their focus on a familiar figure far out toward the outskirts.
The only reason Iris could recognize Orpheus was because of the electric violet and the feeling of dread that followed whenever she looked at her.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Rhea asked and Iris felt her eyes narrow. The body was doing it on its own, proving that it agreed with Iris's suspicion.
"Everything is fine" What was Orpheus doing there?