Kitanna
Chapter 48: A PAIN THAT COMES WITH RAIN

Chapter 48: A PAIN THAT COMES WITH RAIN

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: BLUE ~ YEOYU AND SEOLBIN]

The moment Kitanna left the room, she felt her chest tighten. It was as if she could not breathe properly. She tried to drag herself out of the place without the maids noticing.

Most of the maids in the palace worked for Almaria and gave her every passing gossip. Kitanna struggled with her breath, with her hands on her chest, she used each pillar to keep her balance steady.

One of the maids who was passing watched behind the door as the princess struggled, trying to catch her breath. After watching for some time, the maid walked out of the place and made her way to the queen dowager’s room.

Kitanna wheezed in pain, the rain was still heavy outside the palace. This made it difficult for anyone to even hear her or come to her rescue. Kitanna was almost on the ground when she felt a sturdy hand hold her waist firmly.

In her pains, Kitanna looked up, and she was relieved to see Nix, but the pain did not stop.

"Nix, it hurts, here," Kitanna moved her hand to her chest, holding it very tightly.

Nix lifted her up, making Kitanna’s head rest on his chest. He made his way to her chamber and did not stop until he reached her room.

Nix gently placed her on the bed, and he started discarding everything that the princess had on her body. Her corset and gown, leaving only her undergarments on her, which were very light.

Kitanna continued to struggle to breathe properly. She felt like she was in a trance, and someone was dipping her head underwater. With each raindrop falling heavily on the ground, it made her head feel dizzy.

Nix cursed under his breath when he saw how helpless and fragile the princess looked at the moment.

Kitanna continued to squeeze her chest, causing her undergarment to fall from her shoulder. Nix picked out a towel, dipped it in water, and used it to press on Kitanna’s forehead, which was burning hot.

"Father... Mother..." Kitanna whimpered when the cold water touched her skin.

Nix tilted his head when he heard the princess call out for her mother. Usually, Kitanna was not someone to ask for her mother this desperately. Except...

Nix was still lost in his thoughts when Kitanna wrapped her hands around him. This caused him to grit his teeth, but not in anger.

Nix climbed onto the bed, used his hand to hold up Kitanna’s head, and then he placed her close to his chest.

Minutes passed by, and Kitanna’s breathing started getting steady, then she drifted to sleep.

Deep in her sleep, Kitanna found herself standing in front of the lotus pond. Even in her dream, the rain was still very heavy. Kitanna stood under the rain, drenched to her toes.

She saw something flash from the side of her eye. It was the former king, her father, holding the crown and trying to give it to her.

Kitanna smiled when she saw her father, and she ran to hug him. But then she stopped when she noticed her father’s face start to change.

The change started with his mouth, which appeared to be sealed with cobwebs, and his eyeballs rolled, showing only the white part.

Kitanna shrieked at the gruesome image her father was turning into. She looked downwards, and the crown had turned into a two-edged sword. The figure that had transformed was now walking towards where she stood.

Kitanna started retreating, but the rain was not on her side. It poured down heavily, decreasing her kinetic sense.

Her feet stomped on the ground, causing the water to splash, but the princess did not stop; she continued to run. When she finally turned, the monstrous figure was no longer after her.

Kitanna stood at the point, trying to catch her breath, when she felt someone push her from behind. She tripped and fell into the pond. The pond, which used to be shallow, had turned deep due to the heavy rain.

Kitanna struggled to get out of the pond, but it was as if an unseen force kept dragging her back deeper into the water. She continued to struggle for her life. When she was almost about to give in and drown, she heard a voice call to her.

"Kitanna, wake up," Nix said, touching her face gently.

He noticed her breathing was becoming fast again, like she was struggling with something in her dream. The fever, which had gone down initially, was now coming back, and Kitanna scrunched her face.

"It’s just a dream. Wake up, Kitanna," Nix called again.

Kitanna finally gasped and opened her eyes. She looked around the room in fear that the monster she saw in her dream was still in her reality because the dream was too real.

"You’re safe now," Nix moved closer and hugged her tiny body.

Kitanna sobbed softly, holding Nix tightly, afraid that he might leave at any time.

"Nix, please don’t go, please," Kitanna begged, her voice breaking at the end.

"I am here," Nix assured her, pulling her closer to his warm body.

After Kitanna calmed down, Nix gave her water to drink. Even as Kitanna took the cup, her hand was still trembling, like her whole body was afraid.

"Where did you go to? Did I not say not to go anywhere without me?" Nix asked, his blue eyes looking at Kitanna.

"I-I did not, I was leaving the storage room when a maid told me that the queen dowager had asked for me. I went to greet her cousin sister. Immediately, I left the room, I felt like pins were used to hold my heart. I couldn’t breathe or see properly," Kitanna recalled the events and told it to Nix just the way it has happened.

Nix continued to look at her, before saying "What were you doing in the storage room?"

"Nothing much, I just heard a maid crying. We spoke and that was all" Kitanna replied like a child that was about to be scolded for playing out late. She blinked her eyes and continued to stare at Nix.

Nix tried to know where the problem might have started from, if the princess only spoke to the maid then the problem was after she met the queen dowager.

Nix continued to look at her, before saying, "What did the queen dowager’s cousin say to you?"

"Nothing much, I greeted her, and then she said something about me having my mother’s fighting spirit. I don’t know, but I just became scared after I left the room," Kitanna replied, holding her hands together to stop them from shaking.

Nix remembered that Kitanna also called her mother while she was dreaming. He tried to connect the dots, but nothing was coming on. He decided to let the princess rest for the night; she was already tired and scared.

"Get some sleep, maybe your body remembered a fear that your mind had already buried," Nix said as he started walking to the door.

Kitanna stood up immediately and followed him, "please can you spend the night here?" She asked, holding his sleeves.

"I was going to add woods to the fireplace. You look pale due to the cold; go back to bed, I will join you," Nix replied, his face holding no expression.