Kitanna
Chapter 215: PEOPLE AND WEAKNESS

Chapter 215: PEOPLE AND WEAKNESS

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: ELASTIC HEART ~ SIA (hunger games cover)]

Far away from the merchant’s inn, at the kingdom of Badukeh. The supreme King Venantius sat in his room, as he was served by three of his courtesans. It was a cold night, with the chilly wind ruffling the dry leaves outside, but the crackling woods in the fire place made the whole room warm.

It was only recently he got news about Deonisia and the other merchant woman’s scheme. They had taken the amulet of his trophy from the dead White Lord’s neck and had also tried to ambush the elder white Lord only to be caught and locked up in Morado.

All this worried Venantius, if they should be tortured and questioned it would lead them back to his kingdom and another war might occur and he did not want that.

Venantius was not someone who plays a losing game, he always bet his card where he would gain. He was not like his father and he would never be. That was why he didn’t allow himself to be attached to any woman rather he had fun with them once in a while and that was it, any woman who tried to give birth to his child was punished until they lose their child. All this was because he did not want to have any weakeness.

Venantius sipped his wine again, he needed to make a move before Morado finds out about him and decides to wage a war. He didn’t want to lose his men all because of a generational revenge.

"Who’s there?" the king asked, summoning a waiting guard. His personal aide Dominique entered.

"We need to be on our guard, that woman Deonisia only cares about her head. She might mention our name soon, so find out everything we can use and how it would benefit us. If we can dialogue with the king or really prepare for war. And get me all you find out."

The assistant bowed, "Yes supreme King " he answered diligently. Deep down the man wanted to engage in a combat with the man he had fought with at Morado. He wanted a rematch but at the same time he was only loyal to his supreme King and would do what he ask.

"What about Khelan, what has he been up to these days?" Venantius asked.

"Supreme king, the young man Khelan has been mostly inside or sometimes seen writing outside. Nothing peculiar with his activities." The man reported dutifully.

Venantius nodded, "Keep an eye on him, let him not cause trouble. Deonisia has already done more harm." The king waved the man away, while he continued to enjoy his night.

One of the courtesans moved closer to the man trying to seduce him but Venantius was not in the mood. He pushed the woman aside and started walking to get some rest on his bed, when he heard the Courtesan speak.

"Supreme king, you act as if the rumour about you is true." The woman whose shoulder was barely covered said, getting a look of shock from the other courtesans. Nobody among any of them dared to even raise their head in front of the king, they were nothing but mere commodities. But this one did not just raise her head she was also speaking to the king.

Venantius turned properly to face the woman, she reminded him of someone but he couldn’t remember who it was exactly. "What rumour is that?" The man asked.

The courtesan now finding her voice, replied, "That you have feelings for that Morado woman who is now dead which is why you no longer enjoy us to entertain you."

Venantius scoffed, "Interesting," he paused his lips for a moment before he continued by saying, "I will take it that you had too much alcohol that is why you are acting foolish by talking, but there won’t be a next time. Leave, all of you." He ordered.

The other two courtesans glared at the woman who had ruined their night of good pay before they all scrambled out of the room. It was already a miracle that they were leaving with their head intact.

Venantius sighed, "Almaria" he murmured under his breathe now relaxing on his bed. But that was not who he was reminded of, infact he had already forgotten about Almaria. There was a particular courtesan woman but with so many years that had passed and with meeting so many women he didn’t know the woman’s face neither could he remember.

"Age is finally coming for me," the man muttered to himself alone in the dark night, with no family or wife. "It’s better this way; I don’t have any weaknesses to worry about. It was Almaria’s weakness that led to her demise, same with my father. And I will never tread that path," Venantius assured himself.

But deep down, he wished he had a family. He wished he had a wife, but that was not possible. He finally remembered the reason why he was thinking about this woman whom he could barely remember her name or her face.

The woman used to be among the courtesans, until she found out that she was pregnant, Venantius had asked for it to be removed, and the woman sent away. He remembered her vividly because of her foolish boldness; the words the woman had told him that very day replayed in his mind.

’You are a coward! That’s why you fear a family or a child, just like every irresponsible man would act. What scares you so much in having your own child? You shall die a lonely man, and all the wealth you gathered would be eaten by vultures.’

The woman’s curse lingered in Venantius’s memory; it had been twenty years or less since this incident, but she was one person he couldn’t forget easily. After her, the supreme king made sure he wouldn’t make the mistake of getting a courtesan pregnant, but the woman’s curse still lingered in his mind.

As his pride had been hurt, he asked for the woman to be killed alongside the child instead of getting rid of just the child in the woman’s womb.

Venantius sighed at the unpleasant memory, "I’ve not lived a very great life. I can even be tagged as a churl," the man said to himself with a small dry laugh.

He decided to forget about the past and look at the future; there was nothing he could do about it. It’s already been years since he ordered the killing of the woman and her child just to maintain his image as the supreme king; there was no point regretting it. His mind diverted to Morado; maybe a war would prove his strength as the supreme king, the man thought to himself.

At the dungeon in Morado, Deonisia sat with her legs folded. Since after the questioning, she had not said anything again.

"Do you have a plan about getting us out, or is this our end?" Panha asked worriedly. If so, she needed to find her way out, even if it means throwing her pride away and begging Kitanna.

Deonisia heaved a small sigh, relaxing herself as if there was no problem at all. "Everyone has a weakness that most times they don’t know about... just the right time to poke it makes you superior." The elderly woman’s words were vague and unclear.

Panha sat up, now interested in the conversation. "Whose weakness do you have? Nix? Kitanna? Or the elder White Lord?" She asked curiously.

"When the time is right, he will come for us," the woman remarked, not revealing anything else.