Kitanna
Chapter 242: LONGING TO BELONG

Chapter 242: LONGING TO BELONG

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: LEE SUHYUN ~ IN YOUR TIME]

As Venantius exited the place, his aide trotted behind him immediately, making sure there was a two-step gap between him and the supreme King.

"He doesn’t look interested in the discussion. Find out everything about him and his business. I didn’t know my son would have this much interest in trading. I see what Hash did there," Venantius said to himself, but it was loud enough for his aide to hear.

Dominique, who was following his master behind, noticed that the man was not happy. Even with the rumors going around about the missing heir, the king’s son didn’t care about it. He wasn’t one bit interested, and it angered the man.

The aide bit his inner cheek and wondered if it was the right time to let the man know about what he found out, but he decided to say it anyway. There was never a time called the right time.

"Supreme king," the aide started. "I found out something. I think you should know," he completed.

Venantius nodded, waving for the man to continue without stopping to listen. His steps brisk and precise.

"Lady Hash is in the merchant village, at the inn where Cortez stays," the man said cautiously.

Venantius finally stopped in his tracks, turning to look at his aide with a frown. "You call my son by his name? He is my heir, the Crown Prince of Badukeh. Accord him the respect he deserves," the man said angrily.

Dominique gulped, getting down on his knees. "I have committed a great sin. I’m sorry for calling His Highness by his name," the man bowed, his forehead touching the sandy ground.

Venantius nodded with a grin. Even if the boy tried to deny him, they were still blood no matter what, and he would take him back home, to the palace, and right all his wrongs. He smiled. "Hash? She might guess I’m already making a move. Take me to this inn."

Back at the inn, Lady Hash sat at the small shed, with falcon resting on her shoulder. The conversation she had with Axilla lingered in her mind, comforting her at the moment.

"That’s right, I am brave, I’m Hash, daughter of Amidei, and we fear no one. Not even Venantius," She said to herself. The bird on her shoulder cooed.

"You also agree with that right Falcon?" The woman touched her pet bird gently while thinking about what Venantius would be up to at the moment.

Meanwhile Venantius stayed not so far from the woman, while he watched her, "Hash, look at you. Now all alone talking to yourself. We should save her from that misery, let’s take Hash with us." He said to his aide.

As the two men advanced forward towards where Lady Hash was resting. They stopped in their steps when a young woman entered the place with a tray of food.

Venantius grinned, "Look at that, I almost forgot about the girl. She is somehow connected with my son too, I heard her discussing with the woman we are staying in her mansion. It seems she is my son’s love interest, she also knows Hash...." The man’s voice trailed.

Then he snapped his fingers in realization, "What do we have here? Is fate playing a cruel card on all of us? That is a heart wrenching sight, right in front of you but you can’t see it." He chuckled dryly. When the girl raised his face to look at him, Venantius turned and moved away from there.

While he was walking away, he said to his aide, "I change my mind, I’ve found something even more interesting. The girl. She will bring everyone we want right to our doorstep. Find a way to get a seal from the mansion we are staying, is time I had tea with my future daughter in-law." He grinned.

Dominique paused in his steps, he turned briefly to look at the girl, then he sighed. The supreme king was one twisted man, who knows what else he was planning this time. The aide walked away from there.

Meanwhile back at the open space, Axilla furrowed her brow, looking at the two men who were standing not too far from where they were. For some reason, they looked familiar even with their backs turned, but she couldn’t place where she had seen them.

"Axilla, are you still there?" Lady Hash asked when she wasn’t getting any movement from the girl.

Axilla finally snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes, yes, I thought I saw someone. I guess my eyes are playing tricks on me," she said casually, going to sit in front of the woman.

Lady Hash sighed. "It happens. Even our mind plays tricks on us," the woman replied. "You’ve been spending more time with me. Don’t mind this old woman; this is your youth. Make sure you spend it doing what you love the most. I can be boring."

Axilla chuckled. "Actually, I enjoy your company more. And I brought you the juice I made. I tried doing it last night, but it turned out to be very bitter. Taste it now and tell me what you think."

Axilla pushed the cup of juice forward, taking Lady Hash’s hand to make sure the cup was firmly held before she let go.

Lady Hash took a small sip from the cup, then she tried to savor the taste for a minute, moving her head from side to side. The woman tried to relish the taste of the juice.

Axilla pressed her lips, waiting to hear what the woman thought of her juice. She wanted to make a better one for Cortez. With the way Lady Hash was reacting, this time it appeared she finally got it rig-

"Axilla, throw this away," the woman said. "What did you add inside that makes it so bitter?" Lady Hash asked, her face scrunched.

Axilla’s shoulders dropped. She was finally feeling excited that she got it right. What could she be missing? She thought to herself.

"I’m sorry; I thought I got it right this time," she replied.

Lady Hash smiled. "You don’t need to feel bad. We all learn every day. Maybe you’re missing something out. Tell me, what did you use?"

"I squeezed orange inside a cup, then added a little sugar. That’s all," she answered.

Lady Hash hummed. "Maybe the fruit is not so ripe, or you’re not just getting the right quantity of sugar. Maybe I can help you later when you want to make it, if that’s okay with you."

Axilla nodded excitedly. "I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much," she stood up and walked around to hug the woman.

Lady Hash smiled. "There, there, child. It’s just making juice and nothing special. You get so excited about little things, reminding me of myself when I was still young."

Axilla let go of the woman’s neck. "Really? Tell me about it. What were you like when you were young?" she asked curiously.

Lady Hash hummed, giving it a thought, she smiled. "When I was young... I enjoyed the simplest things of life. One time I caught a butterfly..." The woman’s voice trailed as she narrated her experience as a young woman to the girl in front of her.