Kitanna
Chapter 24: POWER PLAY AND SECRETS

Chapter 24: POWER PLAY AND SECRETS

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: WILD FLOWER 🌸~ RM FEAT YOUJEEN]

Man-uel’s pride was hurt after his embarrassing encounter with Nix. He entered the royal kitchen, still fuming with anger, and spotted Bareea, the maid who had given him information. He approached her and forcefully dragged her outside, startling her.

Bareea gasped in shock as Man-uel pulled her away. "Lord Man-uel, w-what are you doing?" she protested, feeling uncomfortable with the aggressive manner in which she was being handled.

Man-uel released the young maid but his anger was still evident. "You told me you saw someone enter his quarters today" He had rushed to confront Nix based on her information, and it had backfired. Man-uel gritted his teeth as he remembered the manner at which Nix talked down on him.

"Yes... I was going to the servants’ bathhouse after I left your quarters this morning when I saw someone enter Lord Nix’s room," Bareea confirmed.

"Did you see the person’s face?" Man-uel inquired, still curious and upset about the whole situation.

Bareea hesitated but then replied, "No, but the person might be female because of the features. Did something happen?" She was eager to get some gossip.

Man-uel didn’t immediately respond to her, and she began to press for more information. "Lord Nix has refused to bed any of the palace maids; if it was a female, then she is not from the palace," Bareea added, her ears craving gossip.

When Man-uel did not still answer her, she pressed her lips together watching the man in disgust. The man called her over to his room the night before and bedded her the whole night until she was not able to stand. When she saw him come to drag her again, Bareea was scared that the man wanted more. She had only agreed for him to bed her because Man-uel promised to get her on Nix’s good side.

Man-uel looked at the girl suspiciously.

"And how did you know this?" When she hesitated to explain how she knew, he quickly guessed the reason. "Because he rejected your offer? You think you are that special?" he scoffed before turning to leave the kitchen.

Bareea clenched her fist in anger, regretting the decision to let Man-uel have his way with her the previous night. If only Nix had agreed to be with her, she wouldn’t have to humiliate herself in this way. She stomped back into the kitchen, almost colliding with another maid.

"Watch it!" Bareea snapped at the girl, venting her frustration.

"I am sorry," the other maid, who was no other person than Axilla, replied meekly, frightened by Bareea’s outburst.

Bareea sneered at Axilla before deciding to target the young girl. "You, come here."

Axilla nervously approached the senior maid, her heart racing in fear.

"I haven’t seen you before; are you new here?" Bareea asked, sizing up the young girl critically with her eyes.

Before Axilla could answer, another maid intervened. "She is new, Bareea; don’t scare her. Here, Axilla dear, take this to Queen Larel’s room," Misam said, handing Axilla a tray of jasmine tea and cookies.

Misam, the maid who had told Clephas to brew the tea for the Queen dowager, before the accident happened.

Axilla heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for the older maid’s assistance. Because by the look of things the other maid wanted to bully her. She quickly grabbed the tray and left the kitchen.

"Bareea, you really should leave these young ones alone," Misam advised before walking out of the kitchen to continue her duties.

"The innocent act is just for few days, soon the palace officials will take it away " Bareea spoke to herself, she felt her eyes sting, she wiped the tears with the back of her hand, before she shrugged her shoulder and walked back inside the kitchen to finish her work.

Axilla, still adjusting to her new role, headed to Queen Larel’s chambers. She entered the room and began setting the table and arranging the cups. She was not sure where which cup stays but she just moved with her instincts.

Queen Larel, who was in the room, noticed Axilla’s hesitancy and spoke to her from behind. "Young girl, it seems you are new."

Axilla was not expecting the queen to notice her as she wanted to be invisible and disappear before anyone finds that she did not get trained properly to be a maid.

When the queen spoke, she nodded her head in response .

"I see. Here, let me help. This one stays here, and this other one is placed on the side," Larel said as she guided the girl to set the table properly. "And one more tip, if anyone from the royal family asks you a question, use your words, don’t nod," she advised kindly.

"Thank you, Queen Larel," Axilla responded with gratitude, surprised by the queen’s kindness. She bowed her head before standing up from the position she knelt to set the table. Axilla was relieved to find that not everyone in the palace was as intimidating as she had heard.

While Axilla was still admiring Queen Larel, the lady-in-waiting announced the arrival of the queen dowager, Queen Almaria.

This caused Axilla’s anxiety to surge, she felt her legs wobble. Amongst everyone in the palace, the princess had warned her to stay far away from the queen dowager. And she had been doing her best to avoid any occasion or situation that will make her stay in the same space with the formidable woman.

The queen dowager entered the room, and her presence made Axilla feel uneasy. She had expected the queen dowager to be older, with wrinkles and a wicked look. But the woman that just walked in was not just young, but also pretty, and gracious in all standard. Queen Almaria’s royal attire was exquisite, and it radiated authority. Axilla was so lost in thought that she forgot to bow not until the queen stopped in front of her, then she quickly bowed her head deeply.

When the queen dowager passed, Axilla exhaled quietly trying not to make any sound.

Aside from Axilla one other person was terrified by the queen dowager’s presence in the room. Queen Larel, on the other hand, stood still with clenched fists, she was not expecting Queen Almaria to enter her chambers. She had been trying to remain unnoticed in the palace, living like an invisible fish.

The fact that the queen dowager had come to her room indicated that something serious was afoot. And it will not end well especially for her, Larel.

She bowed when the queen dowager got close to her, she immediately bent down to set the sitting pillow for the woman.

Queen Almaria noticed the fear in the room and relished it, she was enjoying the aura of fear. She was the one instilling fear in people, not the one feeling it. She did not allow Larel to remove her and she sat on the pillow, squashing the young queen’s fingers, then she slightly adjusted.

Larel did not make a sound, even with her fingers aching. When the queen dowager was sitted comfortably, she moved around to sit opposite her mother in-law. She continued rubbing her palms together trying to ease off the pain.

Larel finally spoke, trying to hide her unease. "Queen Almaria, to what do I owe this gracious visit?"

Queen Almaria replied, with a hint of mockery, "To show you that I am still alive. I know you’ve been praying for me to pass on."

Then she noticed a maid from the side of her eyes, who was trying to discreetly leave the room, "You, where are you going? Should the queen also serve me tea after offering me a seat, or is this a buffet where I serve myself?" Her words were directed at the young maid, Axilla, who was now creeping out of the room.