Book 2: 306
Book 2: Chapter 306
Pitter patter.
The sound of the raindrops falling onto the carriage roof was surprisingly not very soothing. In fact, it was loud and annoying enough to cause a headache.
In the first place, a carriage traveling in the middle of the night on a rainy day in itself was an incredibly dangerous act, but the two passengers didn’t seem to be aware of this.
“…something’s wrong.”
Muttering to herself was a habit Iris Phisfounder had never been able to grow out of.
Sheryl tilted her head as she looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Well. I’m not sure.”
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In any case, 10 years had already passed since she’d first started having the strange feeling, but Iris still had yet to find the cause. If it was not a problem that she could solve after thinking about it for so long, then it was better to just ignore it completely.
She shook her head and opened her mouth again.
“I’m still surprised that Ivan agreed to cooperate so easily. I thought he’d act more stubbornly.”
“It’s not just that. If things had gone differently, then Snow or Ivan, one of them would have died today.”
“…that man’s balls are pretty big.” (Note: I choked)
Sheryl nodded, knowing what man she was referring to. That white haired man, who seemed like he’d collapse from a sneeze, had managed to stop Ivan’s rampage.
It was an amazing feat for all of those who had witnessed it.
Iris was also recalling the same scene.
“…Lu… kas…”
He was a man she’d never seen before, but the way he looked at her left an impression. Maybe that man was the reason she was feeling strangely depressed at that moment.
“In any case, one thing is clear.”
Sheryl’s voice roused Iris from her thoughts and she nodded.
“Right. The situation of the radicals is much worse than we expected.”
Sheryl nodded as well.
“Do you think there will be internal conflict?”
“I don’t think there will be internal conflict. I doubt they would dare to go against Ivan. There is no one in their camp who has more charisma than Ivan. He is a necessary existence both in terms of strength and symbolism.”
“…then…”
“Don’t forget what era we’re in. Only fools would mistake actions done behind their back for loyalty.”
Iris smiled coldly.
“In the end, secret actions are still secret actions.”
“…Cairo Wilsemann, that man…”
He was one of Ivan’s closest aides and even had the guts to do things he wasn’t asked to do.
It was then.
A single strand of Sheryl’s trembled.
One of the minions she’d spread everywhere, in other words, a spy, had just made a report.
“They’ve arrived at the academy.”
The words were said in an unfriendly tone without a subject, but Iris knew who she was talking about.
* * *
Snow brushed a few raindrops off her shoulders as she stepped into the headmaster’s room.
Syris, who had been reviewing documents, immediately got up from behind her desk, grabbed a nearby dry towel and tried to wipe the water off of her body.
“This Queen also has hands.”
Then she grabbed the towel and roughly wiped the water from her face.
“…how’s the situation?”
“For who? This Queen? Or…?”
“Naturally for your Majesty.”
In all honesty, Syris didn’t have much interest in the white haired man or his situation.
She recalled Lukas’ performance at the meeting.
His show of stopping Ivan was impressive, but in the first place, humans had always been impressed by those who stepped above their station.
As a result, while everyone who witnessed it had some degree of respect for him, they all still view him as a crazy or conceited person.
“There is no situation. I’m just a bit tired.”
“How long will your Majesty be here?”
“One more week.”
In Syris’ eyes, Snow was simply wasting a week of her time, but she used her superhuman patience to suppress the urge to say something.
“I don’t think it was a good idea to stimulate the Grand Master like that.”
She was talking about the things she’d said to Ivan,
Snow chuckled.
“That might be true. But you should know Ivan’s personality. If I hadn’t done something, that man would have simply left the meeting before it got too far.”
If that did happen, then the entire meeting would have become a pointless waste of time.
Since she was also aware of them, Syris didn’t voice any more complaints.
Snow, who was wiping her wet hair with the towel, suddenly said.
“By the way, where’s Peran?”
“It seems that one of his younger siblings came.”
“…his younger sibling…”
Snow’s eyebrows furrowed.
If it was just a family member that came then there would be nothing to worry about. But both Syris, who brought it up, and Snow, who heard it, exchanged subtle glances at that moment.
This reaction was natural.
“It doesn’t seem like she came with Iris.”
This was because Lylia Jun, Peran’s younger sister, was Iris’ servant.
Each side had been allowed to bring up to two people into the meeting, but Sheryl had been the only one standing behind Iris. She’d thought the other had just been waiting outside the meeting room, but after the meeting she found that wasn’t the case.
“Right. She came through the Warp Stone.”
“…”
Lylia Jun.
They believed that it would have been much more beneficial if Iris had taken her into the meeting with her.
The reason for this was simple.
Lylia was a master negotiator.
Even if the meeting was filled with childish battles of wits and conflict, it was possible for talented people like her to lead the direction of the meeting just by being there.
Could it be that she couldn’t come because she was busy with another task? That shouldn’t be the case. Iris was also aware of just how important that meeting was. It wouldn’t have been difficult for her to adjust Lylia’s schedule accordingly.
Nevertheless, the fact remained that she’d sent Lylia to the academy after the fact rather than let her accompany her.
“From the start, she had no intention of negotiating with us.”
Snow smiled as she came to this conclusion.
Iris Phisfounder had intended to unconditionally agree to the Anti Circle Alliance’s request for cooperation without negotiating terms.
Of course, this wasn’t a bad thing for Snow, but it somehow felt like she was the one to take the loss.
‘I can’t predict her. That’s the difference.’
Ivan usually acted in the exact opposite of what Snow wanted, but that meant that his actions were in a predictable range.
Although it was annoying, it didn’t make her uneasy.
But Iris was different.
She was a woman who could pretend to be quiet, and smile softly, while having hundreds of venomous snakes lying in wait.
Perhaps from the moment she’d heard that they’d be having a joint operation, she’d already devised a way to get the most benefit.
‘Is Lylia the first step?’
Even though she’d noticed this already, Snow wasn’t worried.
The reason for this was simple.
She trusted Peran.