Kitanna
Chapter 78: QUEEN LAREL’S ACRIMONY

Chapter 78: QUEEN LAREL’S ACRIMONY

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: WASTED ~ YOUNHA]

Few days passed, and nothing seemed to go wrong in the palace. As morning arrived, the palace servants moved around, carrying out their duties as quietly as they could to avoid disturbing the royal family.

Larel stayed in her room, waiting for her maids to come help her prepare her bath and dress, but nobody came in. She sorted all this out by herself, still feeling optimistic.

The time for breakfast came, and there was still no maid knocking at her door.

Larel made her way to the dining room; it was morning, and nobody came to alert her for breakfast. She decided to go to the dining room herself and check if something was wrong.

Inside the dining room, every member of the family was eating like they didn’t notice her absence or even her presence. Larel checked around the table, but neither Kitanna nor the guard was at the table. She knew something was up, but she decided to keep her thoughts at bay.

"If you did not see any maids to attend to you this morning or were not called in for breakfast, does that not speak louder than words?" Larel stopped in her steps when she heard the queen dowager speak.

Almaria dropped her spoon and turned to look at Larel, her brows slightly arched in distaste. "Hm?" She pressed further.

Larel, who did not know that it was a question thrown for her to answer, touched her chest with her finger. "Me?" She blinked her eyes.

"Did you also lose your hearing?" Almaria retorted.

Larel felt blood rush up her neck in shame. The condescending manner in which the queen dowager spoke to her in front of everyone was embarrassing. She threw a glance at Khelan, and he did not care to interfere. He continued eating his food like the discussion was not his problem. Sitting beside him was Bareea, who now sat comfortably in Larel’s spot as she ate her meal, avoiding to meet Larel’s eyes.

"Greetings, Queen Dow-" Larel was cut short with a harsh push of the plate caused by Almaria.

"Keep the greetings to yourself. You barely come to my chamber to wish me health, so don’t bother with the greetings. Why are you here?" Almaria sneered.

Larel held her gown tightly; it was still Almaria who stopped her from coming to her quarters to greet her every morning. The queen dowager said it was a waste of time and only disturbed her sleep; now, she’s putting it in front of everyone like it was her fault. Larel decided to ignore it; blaming the woman will only worsen her situation. It was evident that the queen dowager was in the mood to taunt her.

"I came to join the family for breakfast. I’m sorry I’m late," Larel bowed politely. She decided not to report that no maids were assigned to her and nobody came to call her; it’ll only give the queen dowager more privilege to torment her.

"Khelan, I am ashamed I found a liar as your wife. Did any maid come to inform you about breakfast? No. And here you are, if you’re not called, why come?" Almaria replied sternly.

Lady Deonisia, who was sitting close to the queen dowager, chuckled a little. She raised her face to look at Larel, then she continued with her breakfast.

Larel felt her legs itch; she wished for the ground to open up and swallow her. Why was she being embarrassed in front of the maids and the new mistress? She didn’t remember doing anything. She felt the corner of her eyes prick, but she blinked the tears away. Her hands still holding her dress very tightly, she wished the princess would step inside just to help her out. Larel prayed earnestly.

"You have your husband alive and healthy, yet you decided to live like a woman without a husband. I even heard you stopped the king from entering your chamber. What insolence! Seems a butterfly suddenly feels like a dragon because of too much attention. I will have necessary punishments handed out according to your offense," Almaria’s voice sounded like the haunting whispers of a ghost in Larel’s ears.

She decided to speak up because keeping mute only attests that what the queen dowager was accusing her of was really true. "Queen Dowager, I think there’s a misunderstanding. It was just once I stopped the king, and that was because I was angry with..."

"Angry with what? He spent nights with you, and you couldn’t bear an heir. He should sit around with you while the crown is in danger. The king had to make a decision, and all you could do was stand by him and support him. You made decisions by yourself to avoid the king."

For the first time, Khelan raised his head. Larel felt relieved when their eyes met; she wished what they had, what they shared would suffice in Khelan’s memory, and he would speak on her behalf.

To Larel’s disappointment, Khelan cleaned his mouth with the tablecloth, walked around, and left a peck on his mother’s cheek, and he exited the dining room. Larel’s eyes followed him until he stepped out of the room; she felt her heart break into a thousand pieces. She was left alone at the mercy of the queen dowager.

"Your presence even makes the king lose appetite these days. From today henceforth, Larel, you will no longer join the royal family for breakfast. You’ll move from your chambers to a new room I have assigned to you. Bareea needs to stay closer to her husband; the child needs the father’s presence at all times to grow healthily. Any other changes, you will see it; you don’t need to worry about attending functions with the royal family."

"Since you find the king’s presence appalling, you can spend time alone in your new quarters. Maybe that way you will value your husband more and respect the crown."

Distant bells rang at the back of Larel’s mind; she felt each word blurring out before it even reached her ears. This was just taking away her rights as a queen, a wife, and a person. In just a few minutes, she was being reduced to nothing. Larel tried to find words, but her throat was aching because she was suppressing her tears.

In the midst of everything, a peculiar sound caught Larel’s attention. The cup Bareea was using fell on the ground, and the maids rushed immediately to pick it up.

"And I’ll also ask you to stay a little far away from Bareea; babies can detect bad luck." That was the final thread that held Larel back, and it snapped, right in front of her.

She stepped back a little; a place that should be a home to her was now a prison. Larel looked at Bareea and her pregnancy; the hate she never felt for her fellow human, no matter how much they hurt her, she felt it.

Larel felt the bile of hate rise in her throat; if only the maid did not come along, just maybe her life and her marriage would have been better. She bowed to the queen dowager; without saying much, she turned and left the room.

As the young queen exited, Lady Deonisia, who was not involved in the discussion, said, "I think you went too far."

Deonisia was someone rational; she knew her target, but she never attacked head-on, and also, if Almaria continued to create enemies for herself, it’ll only backfire. She had advised Almaria to push Larel to the side but not in this manner.

Almaria twitched her lips, "What can the little rat possibly do? The weakest ones gets swallowed, that is the natural order and rule."

"A rat who is about to be devoured by a cat has no rule," Deonisia muttered; the words were just meant for her.