Kitanna
Chapter 233: WE ALL HAVE A PAST

Chapter 233: WE ALL HAVE A PAST

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: LET ME OUT ~ JONGHYUN (SHINee)]

Axilla shook off the image from her mind; she didn’t have time to think. Time was of the essence, and Cortez needed her the most at the moment. She didn’t know how long he had been in such a condition, but the wound wouldn’t stop dripping blood. Axilla rushed inside the room and packed lots of towels, using them to dab the wound and trying to stop the bleeding.

She noticed that the mark from the wound was an old one, but she couldn’t understand why it was bleeding again. She continued to clean it up until the bleeding subsided. Then she said, "I should go look for a physician," as she stood up to leave, she felt Cortez hold her leg, which startled her.

"Don’t go... please stay..." He mumbled before passing out again.

Axilla got down on her heels; she needed to move him from the ground, but she didn’t know how she was expected to do that without reopening his wound, which had now stopped bleeding. Axilla raked her fingers through her hair; a lot of thoughts were going through her mind at the same time. Her mind was having a conversation of its own, so she wasn’t able to do anything. She first remembered when Lady Larel had tried to say something to her, then Lady Jenna and the painting in her sanctuary.

Axilla held her head tightly. "Shut it! I need to help Cortez... please keep quiet!" she begged. This wasn’t the time to think about anything aside from a way to help Cortez. Axilla nodded her head; she removed her gown, which now had little stains of blood, putting on only her inner garment that allowed her to move properly.

Axilla got down on her knees and said to Cortez, "I don’t know if you can hear me, but right now, I’m going to carry you to the bed so I can tend to your wound. And I might touch your wound in the process; please just bear with it." After saying this, Axilla hit her hands on her leg before carefully reaching out to lift Cortez.

He was two times her size, so it was like moving a rock. She couldn’t go out to call for help; at the same time, she wasn’t able to help him properly. Axilla bit her lips helplessly; every passing second made her anxious. Trying again, she raised Cortez’s hand, and finally, she managed to lift him until he hugged her.

Axilla nodded; it was progress, she thought to herself. The next step was to stand properly. Axilla squatted, then she tried to pull Cortez with her. The first trial failed, and Cortez, in his subconscious, grunted in pain. But the next one she was successful. Slowly and carefully, she dragged him to the bed and made sure he was lying down on his face. Then she ran back to the bathroom and filled it up with cold water, picking the last clean towel as others had been used to clean the blood.

Axilla carried the bowl of water back inside where Cortez was resting. She dabbed his body carefully, trying to reduce his fever. She noticed his lips were broken and looking very pale. Axilla paused what she was doing and looked at the man.

"How long have you been like this?" she muttered, seeing Cortez in this condition broke her heart to pieces. It made her feel like she was not good for him; she had clearly told him to confide in her, but he chose to bear his pains all alone.

Axilla’s gaze dropped on the wound on Cortez’s back, and she wondered what he had done so wrong to receive such a scar. It worried her, the kind of life Cortez had lived in the past. She wished someone could really tell her about it, what exactly Cortez had gone through. There were only two persons Axilla could think of, Lady Jenna and Lady Larel.

Axilla clapped her hands when she remembered someone else, Lady Hash. The woman was almost like his second mother; she said Cortez started the merchant business at a very young age. Then that meant she knew everything about him and maybe how he got the scar.

Axilla found a quill and parchment on Cortez’s work table; then she scribbled a letter for Lady Hash. She pondered whether to go out and send it, but she canceled the thought. She didn’t want to leave Cortez all alone by himself.

Axilla walked back to the bed, getting herself comfortable beside him. She hummed a song while patting Cortez’s back gently. She watched as he now slept peacefully, the sweat subsided, but a part of his black hair covered his face.

"I wish I could take all your pains away," Axilla muttered before leaning closer to hold him in her embrace while avoiding the wound on his back. When Cortez scrunched his face as if he was having a bad dream, Axilla noticed a small tear slip from his eyes; the young master who she always saw as invincible now had all his walls broken.

A part of Axilla was glad that finally, she was someone Cortez could rely on. He was always there whenever she needed him, from the time she was flogged by Panha, to the time she was locked up by Hubert, and even when she was almost nabbed by one of the merchants of Ipolo or accused of theft. Cortez had always shown up to protect her. And now at this very moment, Axilla was happy she was extending her hands for Cortez.

"I can protect you, no! I will protect you," she said, touching his soft black hair as she watched him sleep. Unable to sleep, Axilla sat on the bed, continuing to stare at the marks. Then she tried to recall the ones she found in the sketch back at Lady Jenna’s mansion.

They were similar; how was she able to draw it? Then it meant she saw it too? Axilla tapped her fingers on her lips, trying to come up with something that could define the situation, but nothing was coming to her mind.

"Maybe it is something from his past," she finally said, giving up. Axilla relaxed herself on the bed, praying that sleep would finally engulf her so that her hyper senses would calm down. After seeing Cortez in such a state and finding the mark on his back, her whole senses had been on high alert.

Slowly, Axilla finally found solace in watching Cortez sleep peacefully that she didn’t realize that she too was falling asleep.

Away from where the couple was resting, the personal aide of Venantius walked briskly in the dark as if he was being chased by someone. When he got to the house his master was, he pushed the door and entered, making sure that nobody was watching them.

Dominique was tired of living in hiding in Morado when they had their own palace. But the Supreme King insisted on staying around until he got what he was looking for.

"Greetings, Supreme King," the man bowed when he got to the place his master was resting.

Venantius opened his eyes, "What did you find?"

Dominique inhaled deeply before answering, "Deonisia is right; the child is alive. Lady Hash kept that child alive."

Venantius narrowed his eyes, "Did she? Was it out of guilt, I wonder. Where is the child?" The king asked.

Dominique gulped; he didn’t want the king to go on a killing spree like he did in the past again. "Supreme King - the child is all grown and didn’t search for you. I’m not sure Lady Hash told its origin; let’s give up and go back to our kingdom," the aide suggested.

Venantius scowled, "Rubbish! I’m not going back without my heir; I’m getting old; the throne needs an heir. Don’t you think, Dominique?" The man asked seriously.

His personal aide blinked; for a man who tried to kill his own child in the past, he had some guts to ask the same child to return as heir.

Venantius noticed the man’s hesitation and sighed, "You’re worried the child wouldn’t accept me? Blood can never lie; give me the name and location of my child. Don’t worry how I do it," the man moved his fingers in the air.

Unsure if his idea was a good one, Dominique brought forward the small parchment and handed it over to the king. "Deonisia said to get her released else she would tell the King and Queen of Morado who your child is."

Venantius chuckled, "Then we should be fast," when the man read through the name he smiled, "Lady Hash chose a great name. Get the carriage ready; we are going to the merchant village for a family reunion. Get everything you think my heir would love. Father is coming home," the man grinned at his own words as he looked forward to meeting his long-lost child or better, the very child he tried so hard to kill in the past.