Kitanna
Chapter 32: A LITTLE BIT OF THAT

Chapter 32: A LITTLE BIT OF THAT

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: RECOVERY ~ JAMES ARTHUR]

The next morning inside the palace was as silent as a graveyard. The servants tried not to make any annoying noise while carrying out their duties because the queen dowager was in her worst mood.

The servants who went to attend to her that morning came back with bruises and cuts, as she was annoyed with everything everyone did. While a few persons knew why she was angry, others did not understand why she was acting out, perhaps due to her menopause, they whispered amongst each other.

Axilla carried a basket of fresh flowers as she walked directly to the princess’s quarters to draw a bath for her. When she entered the room, Clephas was putting on a new bed cover.

He looked up the moment Axilla walked in.

"Axilla, it is such a fine morning today, isn’t it?" Clephas smiled, removing a fold that was on the bed cover.

"I have not seen you in such a bright mood since I started working here. Can you perhaps tell me your secret? You are glowing," Axilla teased the man, shaking her body like a little girl.

"There is no secret. I’m just happy the princess is back. You will enjoy working with her. I’m sure you haven’t met her yet, but she’s a nice person. Just that her jokes can get rough sometimes," the eunuch smiled as he talked about his favorite person.

"Clephas, is that my trumpet I hear you blowing? Well...well," Kitanna stepped out of the closet and started walking to where Axilla and Clephas stood.

Axilla bowed when she saw the princess, who had a bright smile on her face. Kitanna also responded with a smile.

"A beautiful morning to you, my princess. I’m sure you don’t know this little one. She was of great help to me while you were away. Her name is Axilla...br....."

"Bright flower, Axilla," Kitanna completed with a smile. "I see she still introduces herself with that signature line." She moved forward and pulled Axilla into a warm hug. Then she mouthed a thank you.

Clephas was once again left confused with his mouth left agape. He watched the two of them smile and hold each other like they had known each other for decades.

"Do you know each other?" He finally asked.

"Yes, I sent Axilla here to see how things are before my arrival. I even gave her a message for you, thinking you would know immediately that day at the royal pond," Kitanna sat on the bed, watching Clephas try to wrap his head around the situation.

When he finally did, he used his hands to cover his mouth. So that was it. It was really the princess who sent him a message that day. He turned to look at Axilla, then he smiled. He always thought there was something peculiar about her.

"What else don’t I know?" Clephas asked the both of them.

"In the palace, Axilla and I are strangers," the princess said. "You don’t have to act like there’s anything going on. Treat her like any of the servants. Yeah?"

"That I can do. Axilla, go ahead and draw the bath," Clephas ordered the girl.

After bathing, Kitanna sat on her bed, looking outside the window, her mind void of any thoughts. She noticed someone move from the corner of her eye and then turned and smiled.

"Are you here to monitor me?" Kitanna winked at Nix, who was now standing in front of her, his tall figure casting a shadow that covered her.

"Your grand entry was grand," his velvet voice vibrated in Kitanna’s ear.

"I see you loved the show," Kitanna stood up from the bed and started walking toward Nix.

Nix watched the princess come closer to him but didn’t bother to move. When she came closer, he raised his hand, reaching for her shoulder. "I did enjoy the show, alright, but you need to bring it down a little," his hand brushed on her bare skin as he helped her adjust the neckline of her dress which was falling.

Kitanna blinked at the action. She didn’t hear what he said immediately after his hands touched her skin. She found herself imagining wild scenes. When he dropped his hands, she cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly.

"The queen dowager wishes to have tea with you. She is at the lotus pond shed. Get dressed," Nix spoke to the princess, his voice as calm as the ocean.

The moment he left, Kitanna nudged herself back to reality. Why was this man making her feel some type of way? Emotions she wasn’t used to having, and now he was her personal guard. It obviously meant trouble.

She looked at the door he walked out from and then shrugged her shoulders, walking to her closet to get ready.

At the lotus pond shed, Almaria sat comfortably sipping her tea. Last night was terrible for her; she couldn’t sleep, and every time she tried to sleep, she saw Kitanna taunting her.

The eye bags under her eyes were pure evidence that her night was bad. As she was sipping her tea, she saw Nix approaching, but behind him, there was no sign of the princess.

"Where is the princess?" Almaria asked when Nix got closer to her.

"She is getting ready," Nix informed, before he bowed and left the place.

Almaria nodded her head and continued sipping her tea. She wanted to ask the princess more questions to be really sure she wasn’t faking her memory loss.

After few minutes Kitanna stepped into the sit-out where the queen dowager sat but she did not come in alone. Khelan was with her.

"Mother, I thought to bring my brother so we can have a family reunion and also, I think the king has something to say, right?" Kitanna smiled, looking at Khelan with an innocent face.

Almaria was already taken aback by the presence of Khelan. She had wanted to talk to Kitanna alone and see if she was actually faking the memory loss, but now Khelan was present. "It is not a bad idea to have a family reunion, but I wanted us to have mother-daughter bonding first."

"I am glad you both are really getting along. That is why I am announcing Kitanna’s reinstatement today. We need a party; everything calls for a celebration," Khelan said, looking at both his mother and sister.

Almaria did not expect Kitanna to be reinstated as the princess immediately. She looked at Khelan with a hard stare, then she opened her lips to talk.

"Ah!"

"Oh, heavens! What have I done? Mother, I saw a fly perch on your cup, I tried to remove it. Who is there! Come and take the queen dowager back to her chambers and get the royal physician immediately." Kitanna stood up and gave out orders.

The maids and eunuchs arrived immediately and carried the queen dowager, who was both in shock and in pain, away.

Almaria had moved her lips to talk, when Kitanna moved swiftly, crashing into the cup which the hot contents landed on Almaria’s face.

"Why do you people make this tea so hot? Pray to heavens my mother does not get a scar on her beautiful face." Kitanna continued to rain down shouts on the palace maids.

When Almaria was carried out of the place, Kitanna finally sat down and looked at Khelan, who was also worried.

"Don’t worry, our mother will be fine. Just go ahead and announce the reinstatement two days from now, so that by that time, mother is already well." She advised Khelan like a pious daughter.

"Yes, yes, let me go and meet the royal secretary. Take your time and rest, Kit," Khelan spoke hurriedly as he left the lotus pond shed.

Kitanna picked up her own cup of tea and stared into nothingness. "Mother won’t look so pretty for my reinstatement. That’s sad," she grinned mischievously.