Kitanna
Chapter 20: TALE OF THE SAD EUNUCH

Chapter 20: TALE OF THE SAD EUNUCH

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: SAD WALTZ ~ KARINA AESPA]

"Clephas the queen dowager asked you to brew her tea before she steps out of her bath. I am going to draw the bath for her now." one of the maids spoke to Clephas, before she packed sunflowers in a basket to move back to the queen dowager’s chamber.

The maid was rushing to the door, when he noticed the enunch he delivered a message to was not bulging from his position. She called him again but there was no response. The young maid, Misam bit her lips in frustration. She was supposed to be rushing but if she was to leave Clephas, he will be punished again for not meeting up on time for the queen dowager’s morning tea.

Misam walked back hurriedly to where Clephas was sitting with his shoulder slumped. The man looked like old age crept to him faster than usual, his eyes looked tired and his hair disheveled with his fetou carelessly dropped on the ground. Even his enunch uniform looked dirty and ragged. The man was in pains. When Misam reached to where he was, she tapped him gently. "Clephas, do you want to whipped again? Brew the queen dowager’s tea. I am on my way to draw her bath!" Misam exhaled sharply, she looked at the man with pity.

"Ok, I will do that now" Clephas stood up but his stance was no balanced.

When the maid saw that he got the information right, she shook her head in pity, before she rushed out of the room treading her footsteps to the queen dowager’s chamber.

Back inside the store room, Clephas moved tiredly to brew the tea.

He, too, like Khelan felt the weight of Kitanna’s absence.

After her death, He had been reassigned to the kitchen to brew tea for the queen dowager, since there was no longer a princess for him to serve. He had requested to be transferred out of the palace, but his request was declined. He wanted to leave the palace rather than sit and silently mourn the little princess he had cherished despite her stubbornness.

The palace in it’s entirety reminded him of the princess. Clephas had watched Kitanna grow into a woman, despite her dark jokes and tease. She was the only one who regarded him as a human other than a mere servant as enunchs were seen as below human.

During the past moons, Clephas had received countless whippings because he failed to keep up with time to serve the queen, but the scars from the whips did not move him because the next moment he was again, lost in thought.

"Clephas!" Felipe, the head eunuch screamed to call Clephas back to reality.

Clephas jerked, he turned lazily to look at the older man who was in charge of the eunuchs. Without realizing what he did, Clephas bowed to apologize. " I am sorry, I will be on my way"

Felipe sighed in frustration, "Be on your way you say? You should be on your way to the physician!" He pointed at Clephas hands.

That was when Clephas raised his hands, it was peeling and was soon forming scalds. He had been pouring the hot water on his hands all along. When he saw the mess he made, he staggered back, Felipe rushed to hold him.

"Clephas, you need to get a grip on yourself! I warned you not to get attached to the princess. This is what we are trained for, do not put our clan to shame with this attitude of yours! Please!" Felipe scolded, yet looking at him with pity.

"You, come over here. Your first duty is to take him to the physician." The head eunuch pointed at the girl that was standing behind him all along.

The young girl who was about eighteen walked to where Clephas sat and tried to lift him up.

"I can go myself, Felipe don’t assign a maid to me. You are going over your power. Don’t put yourself in a position to be punished." Clephas smiled wearily.

Felipe looked at the man who was trying so hard to be modest, Clephas used to be the best in his job. Doing things even before the princess ordered but now he was the clumsiest worker in the palace. "Clephas, do not worry about me. You cannot brew the queen dowager’s tea with your condition. I will let her know, and get someone else to do it."

"But....."

"Don’t worry about the girl, she is a new palace maid, she’s among the few that passed the palace entrance exam. All the spots are filled, so the head maid asked me to fill her in somewhere. She’s a good child" Felipe broke off the words he knew Clephas was about to say.

"Go now and get treated. You help him." He said finally, retreating his footsteps out of the store room to find a maid to brew the queen dowager’s tea.

Clephas looked at the young girl with a tired smile. He was not someone who liked to be a burden to other people, seeing himself on the floor with a young child trying to help him up was somewhere embarrassing for him. "Young one, why do you want to work here in the palace?" He asked the girl as soon as he got up with her help.

"I want to assist my family" the girl replied with a beautiful smile.

"That is so thoughtful, but life in the palace is not so easy, but do not worry. You will get to enjoy it with time. Did you not have suitors?" He inquired further as they made their way to the royal physician.

The girl shook her head, and continued walking at the same pace with Clephas. She was intrigued with the beautiful settings of the palace. The flower garden, the marble walls, everything looked foreign to her. Her eyes shone in delight.

Clephas watched the girl, look around at every pillar they passed. It was obvious this was her first time inside the palace. The palace was left off limit for commoners, and before anyone is accepted their family background and lineage is checked thoroughly. That was the extent Almaria would go for her own safety. "I see you already love the palace, when my hands get better I will show you around the palace and every beautiful place in here..." He drawled, when she did not answer turned to look at her closely "your name child"

The girl gently pushed away a few strands of her well packed hair that was falling to her face due to the morning breeze. "Axilla, bright flower, Axilla" she smiled shyly.

"I used to know a brighter flower too Axilla, infact I still know her in my heart. The brightest of all flowers" Clephas gave out another tired sigh.

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