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It was her father who took advantage of his maternal relatives (maternal relatives… he wondered if Vladimir Harkonnen had ever considered his mother a daughter) to massacre his clan. It was her father who indirectly killed his father. An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth. It was him who paid back all the favors. It was also him who spared her father and exiled him into a deserted planet. She was talented, in both politics and arts, he must admit. But to him, she meant no more than a stepping stone to strengthen his legitimacy to the throne, no more than a tool to investigate the opponents surrounding him. To her, he gave her no more than a title as his wife and some respect for her courage. He had given her enough mercy, Paul deemed so; and it appeared that he had not even a tiny bit of affection for her. 

Irulan Corrino could have been the Empress Regnant, the son of the Duke of Atreides could have been her consort. But what were her family members now? They were no more than exiled deadbeats. It was her father’s fault! It was… Didn’t matter anymore… They lost everything, and it was her who lowered herself for her father’s safety. And what was she now? The wife of Muad'Dib, but in name only, a political pawn in the shape of an Empress, the Emperor’s sword in the shape of a pen, nothing more. Her Empress’ throne was filled with blades and needles, and her bed was cold… She resented him, so she decided to take part in a malicious plan to overthrow him. But it seemed that nothing could kill Muad'Dib… 

Except his own mind… 

xxx

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” A servant rushed into Irulan’s chamber without any knocking and information. 

“What’s wrong?” Irulan responded coldly, without bothering to stop her writing. If it was something crucial, she might spend her time taking a look. But if it was about the Emperor and his concubine, Lady Chani, give her a break. 

“The… the Emperor…” The servant seemed to have lost his ability to talk. 

“Talk to me properly.” Irulan breathed out, immediately imposed ‘The Voice’ of Bene Gesserit on the servant. 

In an instance, his eyes appeared to lose his light; and like a moth attracted to the flame, he obeyed the Empress unhesitantly. 

“The Emperor has gone missing.” 

Irulan’s green eyes widened in a moment. Missing he said? Kidnapped or just his own trick? Although he was blind after the ‘Last conspiracy against Muad'Dib’, he was still Paul Atreides, Muad'Dib, the Lisan al Gaib of the Fremen, the Kwisatz Haderach of the Bene Gesserit (she doubted if it was only in the name now), the conqueror of 90 planets, 500 worlds and the destroyer of more than 61 billion lives. Who could possibly lay a hand on him? Even a formidable fighter lost to him, despite his state as a blind one. 

“To the throne hall.” Irulan dismissed the servant with the Voice before ordering her maid, Corinna, to help her change. 

The important members of the court were awakened by the news of the Emperor’s truancy and now they were standing in the hall. Lady Jessica Atreides, the Emperor’s mother and the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood; Princess Alia Atreides, the Emperor’s sister, Lady Chani Kynes, the Emperor’s concubine and his beloved one; and others…

“The Empress is here!” A servant announced. 

The word ‘Empress’ rendered Chani’s eyebrows twitching, yet she bowed to Irulan Corrino in accordance with the etiquettes, and her two maids by her sides lowered themselves to steady their master. Chani had never been well since she gave birth to the twins. 

“I think the Empress is fully aware of what is going on.” Princess Alia started. 

“I’ve been announced.” Irulan responded.  

“As an Empress, my brother’s consort, my sister-in-law, is there anything I can ask about his whereabouts? 

Now it was Irulan’s eyebrows twitching upon hearing “my brother’s consort”. The Emperor harshly refused her demand to have a child with him not just once, publicly; as from his perspectives, she was no more than an ornament to the triumph of house Atreides. An Empress she was, he crowned her as he married her, but in name only. In name only! In name only! Her title as the Emperor’s consort meant nothing more than empty letters on paper sealed with their names. 

“His Majesty barely visits my place. I’m afraid that even his servants are more aware of his location than I’m.” Irulan quickly pulled herself together.  

“Your Majesty, you are the Emperor’s consort, I must remind you, but you aren’t even slightly concerned about what he does, where he is. Are you worthy of the title that he gave you?” Alia continued. 

“But Princess and Lady Chani were those that had been spending time with His Majesty the most, I must say.” Irulan replied. Please, if Paul Atreides didn’t come to her palace for business, he would stick to Chani Kynes’ palace or anywhere without her presence. After so many incidents, she decided that she wanted to give up and step away from all the struggles to seize what wasn’t hers. So could they stop dumping responsibility on her for a moment? 

“What are you trying to imply, Your Majesty?” Alia squinted. Her brother was just absent for a short period and his ‘wife’ was acting like a fierce tigress. Alia had never liked Irulan, she hated how Irulan kept that prideful look despite being the losing one, she hated how Irulan indifferently denied that she had drugged Chani, who her brother loved with all his heart. However, Alia also admitted that Irulan was capable in one or two fields, and her brother must have paid her some respect for that. 

“Enough with the argument.” Lady Jessica spoke up before Irulan had the chance to respond, “Our priority now is to find His Majesty and before we fully discover what happened, we mustn’t let a tiny bit of this news spread.” 

“You are… right, mother…” Chani said. A tune of harsh coughing accompanied her words, making her figure tremble like a dried leaf before wuthering winds. 

“The concubine is unwell, escort her back to her chamber.” Jessica signaled Chani’s maids. 

“No… not before the final judgment. I won’t leave before you say it, mother…” Chani rebuffed. 

“What do you want me to judge?” 

“Your son has gone missing and you simply said that we need to find him? The top potential suspected for his absence is standing right before you. You just let that person get away?” 

Eyes cornered Irulan as a natural reaction for the sole outlander in the room, for the lineage of the former Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV. Like thousands of needles piercing through her flesh, the pressure made Irulan feel crushed, to the point that she almost lost her ability to breath. Alright, she confessed in her mind that she resented him, she resented Paul Muad’Dib Atreides and played a role in the conspiracy against him which got rid of his vision despite the failure. How could she not resent him for taking everything from her? How could she not resent him for their strained relationship in which she was no more than a wife in name to him? She confessed in her mind that she put contraceptive pills in Chani’s food so it took her 12 years to be pregnant again. She got away by committing trial by combat but she did it, and now her guilty feelings burned in her stomach as she saw Chani’s weakened state. Nevertheless, believe her, she had nothing to do with Paul Atreides’s absence. She wasn’t that stupid to alone have him kidnapped and murdered right in his house. In fact, concern had started to coil in her mind.  

“Empress, what do you want to say about it?” Jessica asked Irulan calmly. She had been polite to the daughter of the former Emperor, but politeness was all Jessica could offer Irulan. 

“The search will rely on the capability of the Fedaykin. I’ll do my best to support them in any needs they have. For now, I’m taking my leave if there are no matters that require my presence.” Irulan lowered herself. 

“You may leave. As the concubine is unwell and the princess is busy, I’d be pleased if you take care of the twins when you have time, as a true mother you should be to His Majesty’s children, and as a wife you should be to him.”  Lady Jessica said. As expected from the Reverend Mother, her speech was indeed a hammer of thunder which hit two targets in one strike. Not only did it give Irulan a slap but it also served as a shill, because if Irulan did something faulty, it meant that she put her own neck inside the knot. 

Chani couldn’t think this much for the time being. She had been unstable since she found out that Irulan was the reason she couldn’t bear another child for 12 years. After birth, her sensitivity grew to a negative point and now the news of Paul going missing struck her hard, she was seemingly ready to break. The once fierce female warrior of the Fremen was now only a shadow of her glorious images in the days of old; yet when Lady Jessica suggested that Irulan keep an eye on the twins, her eyes rolled out of rage and fire. 

“Irulan Corrino, don’t you dare come near my children!” Chani hissed. 

None could react in time to her unpredictable expressions and actions, including her two closest maids. After an instance, she had managed to grab Irulan’s emerald necklace with so great a force that caused the Empress to wobble. 

“If you dare to approach them…” Chani emphasized every word she was uttering, eyes flashing with sharp blue needles, “I can guarantee you… you’ll die such a horrible death that you can never imagine, even in your dream…” 

Chani’s killing intent scared many around her, but apparently, none worried about Irulan, they would be glad that the concubine killed the Empress in this case, except Irulan’s maid, Corinna. 

“My Lady, please the Empress go.” Corinna gently consulted Chani, but ended up on the ground as the concubine rashly pushed the maid away. 

Chani’s absolutely blue eyes were staring at Irulan’s. She was terrified to some extent, but she was still the Empress of the Known Universe. The Emperor didn’t love her, but her influence and power as an Empress Consort was genuine, and before “her” people, she had her own prideful side, despite the fact that she was at fault.   

“The previous defeat didn’t enlighten you that I’m stronger than you, concubine?” Irulan grabbed Chani’s wrist. 

“Hear me, Empress, otherwise…” Chani’s force on Irulan’s necklace increased and it felt like she wanted to pull Irulan down beneath her foot to trample on. 

“Chani, let the Empress go!” Lady Jessica had had enough with this drama, she ordered and her two subordinate priestesses immediately proceeded forwards to remove Chani from Irulan. 

Irulan fixed her necklace, not even bothered to fully turn towards “her husband”’s concubine, “Relax, my dear Chani. I’m not getting an inch close to your children. Whatever that may come to them isn’t my responsibility either. If this is what you want, I gladly accept your offer.” 

“Mother, how could you let Paul’s children into her care?” Chani continued to wrest free from the hold of the priestesses and she dropped herself to Jessica’s knees. 

Although they had some conflicts in the past, Jessica still had some soft spots for Chani. The Reverend Mother patted her head, whispering, “Nobody will harm you and Paul’s children, I promise you.” 

“Escort your lady back to her chamber.” Jessica ordered again. Chani reluctantly stood up, face still filled with tears and she didn’t forget to throw a razor-sharp glance at Irulan before leaving. 

“Chani is experiencing mental health issues, you don’t need to argue or question her behaviors, Empress. I entrust the children to you and Alia.” 

Alia and Irulan now bowed to hear Jessica’s assignments with calmness on their faces but storms in their minds. 

Finally, the Reverend Mother repeated what she had said about the court’s priority for now; and her ultimate order was that nobody had the right to doubt Irulan’s power and reveal anything about the Emperor before everything was unfolded. 

xxx

Irulan returned to her room after the sudden summoning of the court, throwing herself on the couch. 

“Your Majesty, should I burn some tranquility incense?” Corinna asked. 

“No need.” Irulan pressed her fingers against her temples, “Were you hurt?” 

“No, Your Majesty.” 

“Good. You may leave. I’ll summon you when I need to.” 

“But Your Majesty…” 

“It’s fine. I want to be alone for a while.” 

Corinna didn’t dare to argue with her Empress, so she bowed and retreated to the quarters for servant, leaving Irulan alone as she pleased. 

The room was complete in silence, and Irulan could assume that she was able to hear the sound of her own breathing. 

‘Paul Atreides, Emperor, what game are you playing?

What are you doing? Where did you go? 

Even the conspiracy couldn’t kill you… Who could? Who could sneak into a place full of guards and kidnap the Emperor of the Known Universe?’

Irulan seemed to sink further into the couch as meddling thoughts conquered her mind. What a headache! She was wrong, it appeared that everything was yet to end, not even with the Emperor becoming a blind man. 

She stood up, walking to her table to take a glance at what she had left for the summoning earlier. A writing about herself, and next to the piece of paper was a book from collections of documents given to her. 

‘Paul Atreides, I hate you… I participated in a plan to pull you down from your throne… I drugged your love to force you to mate with me… ‘

“But it doesn’t feel right when you suddenly disappear like this.” Irulan brushed her fingers against the cover of the book. It was a book about Caladan, belonging to a precious compilation about this planet in terms of history, ruling families, nature and so on. It was brought before the Emperor on a mid-summer day. 

“I give all of these treasures to my Empress. She is book fancier, surely she will enjoy the company of these invaluable writings.” Paul Atreides told the ambassador of Caladan. 

“I thank Your Majesty’s kindness.” Irulan told him, lowering himself to express her thankfulness. 

“You are welcome, my Empress.” Paul said, looking at her, but there was no love in his blue eyes. 

Besides the unparalleled compilations of writings, Irulan received an emerald necklace whose color matched her eye color. Paul Atreides told his servant to give it to her, nothing more, he didn’t even care if she would wear it; meanwhile, he put the sapphire bracelet on Chani’s wrist himself. 

The scene of their passions squeezed both Irulan’s eyesight and heart, but as an Empress, she couldn’t lose herself during such a great feast. 

She wore the emerald necklace today, to the summoning of court (she might have done it on purpose, or she simply picked it because it was the first thing she saw in the line of necklaces) and she bet if Chani remembered the jewelry. Either way, the rage of a Fremen was indeed terrifying… 

She still hated Paul, but come to think of the pieces of writings he gave her… Maybe it was some tiny bits of care he could offer her.

“Paul Muad’Dib Atreides, what in the Universe are you doing?” Irulan whispered, touching the emerald necklace before removing it. Now she felt uncomfortable with it, it would just remind her of her husband, whose heart had belonged to another. 

“Whatever you are doing, don’t die before we get a slight idea of where you are.” She sighed. For the second time, she was actually worried about him, as an Empress to her Emperor, as a wife to her husband, as any role she could play to him… 

xxx

Three days, then five days, there were still no signs of the Emperor and there had been some stirring in the court. Chani Kynes had been severely sick, from the process of bearing children, from years of being drugged and from her great longing for her Usul.  

Irulan did her job as usual, writing answers to reports sent to her, going on with her stories, presenting at the court if required. But she never set foot in the room of the twins, Leto II and Ghanima, as the Emperor and his concubine had named them; instead, she sent her maids to observe the situation and notify the details to people who needed the information. Lady Jessica had been stressing that she should visit the twins herself, but she kept refusing in a courteous way. Her guilty feelings for drugging Chani were still there, so she deemed this solution as the best she could afford; because if her husband’s concubine knew that the Empress visited her children, her condition would simply worsen. 

It had been seven days since the Emperor went missing and while searching, the court covered the news by announcing that he had been to a far planet for business. Irulan intended to go to bed early tonight, she felt exhausted, because of both business streaming towards her and the heavy remorse for having a hand in causing the current situation. 

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The twins!” One of her maids sent to keep an eye on the twins burst into her chamber, face filled with fear and knees on the ground. 

“What is it?” Unlike the previous time, Irulan was clearly troubled. 

“They won’t stop crying for a reason, and both are behaving in extraordinary ways.” 

“What do the Princess and the Reverend Mother say?” 

“They want you to come and take a look first before deciding what to do with the twins’ state.”

“Tell them I’m on my way.” 

xxx

A few moments before Irulan Corrino got announced about the twins’ strange behaviors…

Somewhere in the desserts of Arrakis… 

Paul Muad’Dib Atreides was walking slowly, careful with each step he took. The walking cane in his hand seemed to never cease moving… 

A harsh wind came, blowing his hood backwards. Paul reflexively held onto the hood with his hands, while preventing sand from getting into his eyes. He was blind now; still, it was annoying to have sand penetrate his eyes. 

He stopped, waited until the wuthering blast passed to gain a better insight into the area. There were no signs of Shai-Hulud, no smells, no dry lightning, no immense vibration on the sand surface… Paul sat down, maybe he got to live for one more day… 

Taking a sip from his water bag, his mind drifted into the stream of thought about his life… 

He was born to Duke Leto I Atreides and his concubine, Lady Jessica Atreides. His homeland was Caladan, a planet covered by the blue shades of water, then he moved to Arrakis, the sand planet… He was only 15 when the Harkonnens launched an attack on his house… 

Running into the deadly desert of Arrakis, he met the Fremen. He walked among them, learnt from them, trained them and he became their Lisan al Gaib. He befriended Chani, and he eventually loved her… They had a son, Leto the Elder, but he was gone… Paul still remembered… Leto’s death… 

Defeating the Emperor, he was crowned and the Corrino Empire officially ended. He made Irulan Corrino his wife, but no more than a titular one. His mother was now the Reverend Mother. He kept his words to the Fremen about the green paradise, but to a certain extent only. 

There was a conspiracy against him, and he crushed it mercilessly. Although it failed, it resulted in his physical blindness. But he could still ‘see’ in a way that normal people couldn’t comprehend… But after the birth of the twin by Chani, he was convinced that he was completely blind, as he couldn’t foresee the arrival of his son… 

He walked into the desert, attempting to feed himself to Shai-Hulud, as a Fremen he should be… 

But after days of wandering, he realized that he hasn’t completely lost his prescience… It wasn't too late to come back… 

Straying further from the Golden Path as each day passed… His Sihaya withering… The cruel fate of a Kwisatz Haderach… 

Paul Muad’Dib Atreides, the Great Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, cried, and his sobbing was lost in the sound of desert wind…

Now his mind turned to people close to him, like a person near death revising his memory… He wouldn’t go back… No… He wouldn’t… 

Duke Leto I Atreides the Just, his father, the man he loved and respected the most in this world, left him too soon… 

Lady Jessica Atreides, his mother, of the Bene Gesserit, now the Reverend Mother, she loved her son, she cherished Paul Atreides, but she feared Kwisatz Haderach… 

Chani, his love, his heart, his soul, his Sihaya, the mother of his children, weakened, dying as hours passed… Her second pregnancy delighted him and tortured him at the same time; because he knew that the ending of her story had begun… He resented himself for being a coward, for secretly lending the prevention of her pregnancy a hand, as he feared the consequence of the occurrence more. He resented himself; if he could, he would have given his Empire to the Bene Tleiax in exchange for Chani’s life. Ultimately, all his attempts only prolonged her life, also her sorrow for not being able to bear him more children in 12 years. They couldn’t save her, what must come would come… 

Alia Atreides, his sister, a devoted and loving sister, but also terrifying and ambitious. One day, she might turn the world upside down. 

And… Irulan… Paul squeezed his hand in the sand… If it was about people close to him, why would he think of Irulan? They had never been close… 

Taking one more sip, Paul reconsidered the sudden thought about Irulan. Maybe the desert changed him a little bit, and maybe it was him who didn’t realize that his harsh side for Irulan did lessen a little bit… 

Never before had he formed any deep thought of her. Maybe now was the time for him to think of her, before he had no chance. 

Irulan Corrino was gorgeous, tall and pale with green shining eyes, opposite to Chani in every way. Irulan was talented in many fields, typically politics and arts, also in combat, as she was trained by the Bene Gesserit. Just like Paul once was… 

Back then he found her useful to him to great degree, as her talents and knowledge in politics and arts were prodigious. She was only annoying when it came to romance and breeding matters, Paul recalled. He shoved away her opinion, not just one, he promised Chani that he wouldn’t touch Irulan, even proceeding to say that she might cheat on him as she wished. Of course, there must be no aftermark. 

Paul laughed at himself… Perhaps a part of him had grown to regret saying that to her? Maybe he could have said it otherwise? 

Putting himself in Irulan’s shoes… Trying thinking from Irulan’s perspectives… 

He probably came to admire her more than he acknowledged, upon seeing her meticulous work once or twice and how delightful she was with them compared to when she was with him and Chani… 

Irulan was once very enthusiastic about arguing, fighting for her right as an Empress. But after Chani was pregnant, it appeared that her flame waned. She seemed settled down… She didn’t care anymore, he assumed… Then Paul was blinded after a failed attempt to overthrow him, and it may be the first time he had felt that she was actually worried about him… 

He should see her… During his lifetime, he had always had time for other people, but had never had time for her, who he called ‘wife’, who had been married to him for 12 years. If the knot of angst between them could be unfolded, he would presumably be more ready… 

So Paul Atreides reached out for Irulan Corrino, with the assistance of his bloodline, Leto and Ghanima. 

xxx

Lady Jessica and Princess Alia found it extraordinary when the twins calmed down at the presence and comfort of the Empress. Not even their best nannies could do that just now. Irulan didn’t even resort to ‘the Voice’ of the Bene Gesserit. 

It was a good sign anyway, the Reverend Mother and the Princess thought. They had been watching Irulan closely for seven days and indeed there were no malicious intentions or any suspicious deeds. 

“I assume that I’m spending my night in the twins’ chamber.” Irulan said. 

“They seem to long for the warmth of a mother, and I trust the Empress in this matter.” Lady Jessica said. 

“Warmth of mother”, Irulan didn’t care if it meant mockery anymore. She was the twins’ mother by law and perhaps she was going to start acting like one from now on. Irulan looked at baby Leto cooing in her arm, he had both Paul and Chani’s traits… The good thing was that she had had experiences babysitting her sisters… 

“We shall disturb you no more then.” Lady Jessica said and she took her leave along with Alia. 

Irulan put baby Leto back on bed, next to his sister Ghanima. This is the first time she had looked at them closely… Her husband’s son and daughter with another woman, his one true beloved one… They could have an adequate family, but now with their mother’s unstable mentality, she doubted if Chani could perform the duties of a mother to the twins. At worst, they would lose their father as well, if the court couldn’t find Paul Atreides. 

Poor babies… 

It was her who contributed to the current situation. She would take responsibility! And this was how she started doing it!

Baby Leto took his step-mother’s finger in his sleep and Irulan faintly smiled at the tiny one’s cuteness; unaware of how she fell asleep later.