Kitanna
Chapter 251: FAMILY TIES AND LOYALTY

Chapter 251: FAMILY TIES AND LOYALTY

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: SORRY ~ THE ROSE]

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Now back at the merchant’s inn, after Cortez had left the Oleka mansion. He paced back and forth in his room, his hair looking disheveled because of the constant running of his fingers through it.

Lady Hash, who was sitting quietly all this while, finally broke the silence, "I’m sorry, Cortez. I didn’t even know he would find us here. And I didn’t know Axilla was..." the woman’s voice trailed.

Cortez rubbed his temples, "I don’t care about you or that man. What I want is to see Axilla. If you both have issues, then sort it out. Don’t involve either of us."

Lady Hash exhaled. She knew that she deserved to be at the receiving end of Cortez’s anger. She had stayed beside him all these years pretending not to know anything about him, yet she had a chance to help the boy’s mother, and she didn’t. Lady Hash nodded to herself; she deserved to be punished, but not her daughter. Her child did nothing wrong.

"Do you know where that man would take Axilla?" Cortez asked, gathering his things in a bag.

Lady Hash quickly stood up, "Cortez, you have to make a plan before you leave. Venantius is a sly man; he would do anything to have his way."

Cortez chuckled, raising his face up before looking down at his shoes. "What exactly are you worried about, Lady Hash? Are you not worried about what that man would do to Axilla?" He asked, anger coursing through his veins with every minute that passed and Axilla’s whereabouts were unknown.

"I am worried about her, and also you. I didn’t wish for any of this to happen; I know I deserve to be punished for my sins, but at least I don’t want any more bloodshed." The older woman replied with a sad, tired voice.

Cortez nodded, "Of course, you’ll pay for your sins, but this is not the time. I’m going to Morado. If there’s anyone that would help, then it’s the king and queen of Morado. You can join me if you want." With this, Cortez walked away from the place.

Soon Cortez was on his way to Morado, he sat inside the carriage alone. Lady Hash had decided to stay behind. Getting to the palace, Cortez walked straight to the royal court, where Nix was signing parchments.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Cortez bowed in respect.

Nix raised his face, surprised to see the young merchant as he had expected to see just Axilla, "Cortez, is Axilla with you? Did you receive the letter?"

Cortez inhaled softly, dipping his hand into his pocket, he handed the letter Lady Hash had given to him before he left.

Soon every member of the royal family was gathered in one room. Cortez explained everything that had happened, including Venantius abducting Axilla and the man’s relationship with Lady Hash, and how he had somehow swapped the letter that was sent from Morado.

Kitanna was the first to speak, "Let me get this straight, Lady Hash is Axilla’s mother, and she has been with you all this while, knowing your past and who your father was? Now your father abducted Axilla and Lady Hash is on her way there," The Queen asked to be sure.

"That seems to be the case. I need to make sure Axilla is safe." Cortez replied. He was not worried about anything but Axilla’s safety, which was his utmost priority.

Nix tapped his finger thoughtfully on the couch. He didn’t say anything but listened to everyone’s opinion.

Hieron was the next to speak, "Did he abduct the girl to bring you back home or to get back at Lady Hash? I wonder." The older man remarked, looking at his grandson from the side of his eyes. Fate was really cruel; the same man who had killed Nix’s father years ago had been found, but there was nothing Nix could do about it because the man was holding someone who was like a family to Nix.

The older man couldn’t deny that he was disappointed at Lady Hash but he decided to wait and hear her explanation.

Cortez turned to Nix, "I know this is hard for you, but I need to bring Axilla back safely. Maybe then you can kill the man if you want to." The young merchant pleaded. He didn’t want Nix to attack Venantius head-on when Axilla was still there. It would only be putting the girl’s life in danger. That was why Cortez came to Morado to plead with the King not to kill the man who had killed his father yet.

Nix hummed, "Axilla is like family to all of us. I wouldn’t do anything that would harm her." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

When the gathering ended, Larel, who had been quiet all along, went to meet with Cortez after putting Little Labre to sleep. Cortez stood at the balcony, his gaze looking distant, as he had a lot of things on his mind.

"Cortez," the young woman started.

Cortez sighed, "Larel?" He answered, staring at the vast sky.

"I’m sorry for ever doubting you." Larel apologized.

Cortez nodded his head, "That’s not my problem right now, but your apology is accepted. You had every reason to doubt me then." He replied, his gaze not moving from where he stared.

Larel nodded her head and left. After listening to the story about Cortez’s life, she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She had believed all these years that Cortez killed his birth mother, but the young man had met with only tragedy all his life.

Cortez, now left alone, couldn’t get a wink of sleep. He wondered what Axilla was doing at the moment, and he wished he was there to protect her.

"You need to get enough rest if you want to protect your woman." Nix walked up from behind, holding two cups filled with wine. Giving one to Cortez, he held the other one to his lips.

Cortez sighed, "How can I get any rest when I don’t know the condition Axilla is in? That man, who is capable of killing his own children, would kill just anyone." The young man said.

Nix scoffed, "You know the saying? The most scared animals always bark the loudest. If he wanted to kill you and Lady Hash, he would have done it immediately without going through the stress of abducting anyone. I would say he is afraid." The king replied.

Cortez raised his brow, "Afraid of what?" He asked, turning to look at Nix.

"Afraid that you wouldn’t choose him. He is barking this loudly to get your attention; he wants to show you a good side of him, and that is by keeping Axilla alive. That’s my thought because in the end, he is still a father." Nix answered, resting his back on the iron railings.

Cortez pursed his lips, "He already crossed the line when he killed my mother. I don’t care about his existence, so we should all live separately."

Nix nodded. It would be understandable if the young man thought that way. He had every right to hate his father. Nix thought to himself.

"What about you?" Cortez asked, "Why are you not rushing to kill the man who killed your father? Because I would say he deserves it. Why are you so calm about everything, even sharing a drink with me?"

Nix smiled, letting out a deep breath. "I don’t know either. All my life, I imagined how I would kill the man and his family in the most gruesome way when I finally found them. But it only turns out that his family was somehow my family, and it’s now complicated." He said, looking up to the dark starry sky.

"When I finally get Axilla out from his clutch, you can have your revenge." Cortez replied. Pausing for a moment, he said, "I’m sorry for being his child."

Nix touched the young man’s shoulder, "We don’t get to choose where we are born. You don’t have to be sorry about that; I don’t even hate you." Patting Cortez’s shoulder slightly, Nix walked inside.