Kitanna
Chapter 255: ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

Chapter 255: ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: VIOLET ~ KIM KYUNG HEE]

Axilla blinked to be sure she was not seeing things. Kayla was the least person she thought would betray her. The girl had been beside her as a friend, even more like family, and they had grown a bond to trust each other. What even scared Axilla the most was how she didn’t notice anything throughout their stay.

Venantius noticed the solemn look on the faces of the two young women and he tutted, "You don’t have to look down, the girl is not to be blamed. I did my findings and found out that our dear little bird is from Badukeh and her old folks reside in the kingdom, all I had to do was bring them tied up and show them to the girl. She knows not to let my guests wander so far, yes?" The king smiled.

Axilla tightened her grip on her gown, her eyes glaring at the man who was Cortez’s father. "This is not fair! You use people’s family to get to them, making them bow to you. Don’t you want free loyalty? And not one forced on people. You think doing all these will get people to like you and stay beside you?"

Lady Hash sighed. She knew it was over. Venantius was not going to stop until Cortez comes back to the palace.

Venantius hummed, "Like me, no. But stay with me, yes. It works every time. Who wants free loyalty when I can force people and it works? My dear kind daughter-in-law, your mother here should have taught you that there is nothing fair in love and war. We all go low at some point, what matters is who wins in the end. The end always justifies the means, not the other way round." The man snapped his fingers, and two guards came to drag Kayla away.

Axilla turned to look at the girl. "What are you going to do to her?" She didn’t trust the man.

"I’m a kind man, you see. I have my moments too. I wouldn’t let someone with such fickle loyalty stay beside my daughter-in-law. She should be willing to protect you even if it will cost her life." Venantius remarked, looking at Lady Hash with a smile.

Axilla blinked, "I don’t want you to punish her. I’ll do that myself. Let her go."

Kayla, whose head had been bowed down since, raised it up to look at Axilla, and her eyes welled up in tears. She mouthed, ’I’m sorry.’

Venantius nodded, "How are you going to do that?" He asked, noticing the perplexed look on Axilla’s face. He clarified, "Tell me how are you going to punish the traitor?"

"She wouldn’t have betrayed me if you didn’t bring her parents in. Kayla is very loyal to Cortez, and she’s my friend." Axilla replied, staring back at the man.

Venantius grinned, "Let me enlighten you, my dear one, for free. Let’s talk a walk, shall we?" The man waved for Kayla to be hauled away.

Axilla turned, worried about what would be the girl’s fate.

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep her alive, for now." Venantius added, walking outside the palace.

Lady Hash remained silent while all this was going on. She knew Venantius, and she knew very well the man didn’t tolerate anyone going against him. Lady Hash was waiting for his final judgment.

Now walking outside the palace, Venantius inhaled the fresh morning breeze and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the process.

"You think the girl wouldn’t have betrayed you, if I didn’t bring her parents in? What makes you think so. The human heart and mind is very funny, you never know how evil you are until the time comes where the mind is put to test. Hash would agree with me, she has been there before." Venantius turned to smile at the woman, when he remembered she wasn’t seeing his expression he frowned.

Axilla furrowed her brow and couldn’t help but wonder if the man had lost it. "So what is your point.?" The girl asked.

"My point is, you shouldn’t ever swear for anyone until their loyalty is tested with the most cruel thing. The girl is only loyal to my son, which makes her loyal to his father. You’re just her friend. No?" Venantius daunted the young girl with his words.

Lady Hash interjected, "Venantius, is that what you delude yourself with? Cortez would never accept you as his father, and you know that." The woman replied curtly.

Venantius nodded, "We will see about that. After our walk today, everyone would bite their words back." They continued to walk casually towards the extended shelter outside the palace.

Axilla noticed how the palace servants bowed their heads, trying not to look at anyone in the face. Even when she almost collided with one, the servant quickly bowed and disappeared without looking at her face.

"Your servants, you have instilled fear in them, that they don’t raise their faces?" Axilla asked, looking at the man.

Venantius stopped one of his servants, raising the young man’s face up. The servant did not dare to meet the king’s eyes. "Is that what it looks like? That’s not what I see. My servants are trying not to be familiar with any of my guests. If they don’t know my guests, they wouldn’t betray me for any reason. That’s what I see." The man explained, getting to the shelter, he motioned for them to sit down.

Lady Hash didn’t sit; she stood there. "Venantius, what is your plan? I know you too well, you’re just trying to calm us down with this long talk. I know you’re angry with the attempt of escape." The older woman said, now feeling uneasy.

Venantius grinned, pointing at Lady Hash while looking at Axilla, he said "This is why I like your mother, she knows me too well and is a quick thinker. If I don’t punish you today, you’ll attempt another escape and maybe the next one would be a hassle and I don’t want that." The man flicked his finger in the air.

Axilla gulped, "So what is your plan, are you going to punish me like you did to Kayla?, Then get it over with, don’t delay with these long talk."

"Don’t be so hasty, I want to do something that would benefit us all." Venantius replied, "Something that would strengthen relationship between father and son, and also mother and daughter."

Lady Hash gripped her gown tightly, "W-hat did you do?" The woman stuttered.

Venantius grinned, "A plan you’ll thank me for later, a plan that took effect as of yesterday when Axilla took the cup of water."

That moment Axilla felt her head go fuzzy. She tried to stand straight, but her body swayed left and right. The girl gripped her head. "W--what did you give to me?" Axilla’s voice trailed before she slumped on the ground.

"Axilla!" Lady Hash shrieked when she heard the noise, "What have you done Venantius?!" The older woman blared at the man furiously.

Venantius, who still had a relaxed expression, smiled, "Calm down, Hash. It’s not something harmful. Just something to put her to sleep and remove every thought of escape, also hasten the arrival of Cortez." The man shrugged his shoulders.

"Hash, you might not understand the importance now, but you’ll get to bond with your daughter without her spitting hateful words at you. Take care of her and when she wakes up; she would be touched by how you took care of her all day. My ways might look prickly, but it always works." The man completed.

He turned to his side, "Dominique, get mother and daughter in the same room. I don’t know how Hash would take care of the girl, but she can try. Then send a letter to Cortez; he needs to come rescue Sleeping Beauty with a kiss or whatever works for them..."The man drawled.

Lady Hash got on her knees, "Please Venantius, I know you’re doing this to get back at me but please not my daughter, you can use me if you want to. You can kill me even, but don’t do this to my daughter." The woman pleaded with tears.

Venantius chuckled, "But I would gain nothing but hatred from my son if I should end your life. Don’t worry about your child she is pretty much alive just having a long nap and once Cortez comes back, I would give her the antidote which is in abundance here in my palace. Don’t worry yourself." The man clicked his tongue, watching as the woman cried softly.

Lady Hash still on her knees, said with a broken voice, "Then use me instead, I was the one who suggested that she escaped. She doesn’t even know anything about the palace, I told her everything. Keep her awake then use me as a bait." The woman begged.

Venantius got on his feet, "I had that thought too but it would be no fun and it wouldn’t even pass the message I want across, this method is better and effective. If you’re the one in this state, Cortez wouldn’t come as quickly as he would since it’s Axilla like I said don’t worry I’m not so evil I wouldn’t kill her, she is just sleeping." With this the man walked away from there leaving behind the heartbroken mother and sleeping child

The king’s aide, helped the woman stand and took them to a room that had already been prepared, then Axilla was laid on the bed with Lady Hash sitting on a stool close to her.

"If you need anything, a maid would be right outside to assist you." Dominique said, looking at the sad woman for a minute he bowed and left the room.

Lady Hash touched Axilla, bending her head the woman sobbed, "I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for being your mother. I’m sorry for leaving you behind and making you face a terrible life. I hope you find a place in your heart to forgive me."

Axilla lay there, peacefully with her eyes closed. Her breathing steady and her heartbeat normal but she was not aware of her surrounding.