Kitanna
Chapter 79: PRINCESS ACT

Chapter 79: PRINCESS ACT

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: I CAN’T SAY THAT ~ KIM NA YOUNG]

Kitanna searched through the old scrolls that was found in her father’s room, retrieved by Nix after they left the underground cemetery that day. She decided against spending any more time with Almaria because she didn’t trust herself not to snap, and according to Nix, it would only be their loss.

If Almaria should find out that she now knows, and she, Almaria, along with her son, who has the seal, would only make it seem like she was being a rebel.

So Kitanna had her breakfast inside her room and never attended any of the court meetings, not like they needed her because the other seal she had was already taken away from her after losing the game.

Days passed, and she searched through her father’s old scrolls. Nix said it was only proper she tried to get a little bit of her memory. As he said, she might have seen, heard, or knew something that was Almaria’s weakness, which caused them to clear her memory.

Another reason she held onto the scrolls was that it made her feel like her father was just beside her. It was the last writings of her father untouched after his death. So it gave Kitanna the closure she wanted; she read through each of them. Her father was someone who loved poems; he had the scholars deliver their best poems and riddles to him. That was what the late king used in his spare time, answering even the hardest riddles given to him.

Kitanna raised her face when she heard her door creak. She moved the scrolls aside, replacing them with other random scrolls. Larel stepped inside the room, her eyes looking puffed up and red.

Kitanna stood up from her chair and went to stand in front of the young queen. "Larel? Sit, let me get you water." She didn’t want to ask what happened because the woman was already breaking down; any more questions would cause her to start another episode of long tears.

Kitanna poured water into the cup, her eyes still on the young woman who was now sitting with her head bent on her knee. Kitanna sighed. If anyone was going to have it difficult this period, it would be Larel. She was too timid and always allowed people to step on her, praying that one day they would find redemption.

"Here, take some water," Kitanna handed the cup to Larel, who lifted her face up and took the cup by the handle, but her hand was trembling, so she used two hands to hold the cup.

After she was done drinking, she dropped the cup on the table, and her eyes, which were looking dull, turned to stare at Kitanna, and she said, "I want to go back home. Is it possible that I decide I no longer want to be married?" Larel asked, her words and voice were only evident of how heartbroken she was.

Without waiting for Kitanna to answer her question, Larel continued, "I was stopped from having breakfast with the royal family today, and I’ve been moved from my chamber to somewhere almost outside the palace. That is not my problem; I was tagged as bad luck to Bareea’s unborn child." the words Almaria spoke earlier did hurt Larel, hearing it from her mouth broke her into pieces.

Kitanna turned her face and let out a frustrated sigh. These people were really getting on her last nerves day by day. But she just couldn’t act yet, and she hated that plan; it was unlike her to think for so long. What her blade could have solved in one night. Kitanna cursed under her breath.

"I am of no use to the royal family; it’s better I drop my title and leave the palace. I feel like I can’t breathe inside these walls; I feel the walls are closing up on me." Larel held her chest tightly.

Kitanna moved from her seat and sat close to Larel, patting her back gently; she knew that this was not really the kind of comfort Larel needed at the moment. She needed to see Almaria down on her knees, begging her for all the hurts they made her feel. But not just yet, soon but not yet, Kitanna thought to herself.

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: "QUIET" ~ NORA EREZ]

"Larel, this is the life we are born into; we are not able to leave as easily as it was to come in. Abandoning this life is almost superficial; it’s a life that stains your entire blood, and we can’t outrun it." Kitanna did not want to give the young queen hopes that she could be able to escape or leave the palace because that was impossible.

A queen can never leave the king’s side except by death, and if she tries to escape and gets caught, she is dragged to the village center, stripped of all her clothes, and marked as a slave and prostitute. It’d be a life of shame and horror for the rest of her life; as much as it sounded absurd, the life Larel was seeing within the palace was better than if she tried to escape.

"Instead of running, why not stand back and fight. Feed them exactly what they give to you," Kitanna remarked; it was a better option than to leave the palace. Which was what Almaria was looking forward to because she would search the end of every kingdom just to ruin the young queen’s reputation. Almaria just never quits once she marked her prey.

Larel let out dry laugh when she heard Kitanna talk about fighting. "Princess Kitanna, you know how I am. It is not in my nature to use violence," she replied, tucking her hair, which was out of place. As no maid was assigned to her, she was not able to arrange her hair properly.

"It’s never in anyone’s nature to use violence, and who said all fighting back requires violence," even though the case of Almaria and her family did, Kitanna completed in her mind.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Larel asked; she noticed that the princess no longer joined in anything the family was doing either in her quarters or at the shrine. Larel suspected that she might have a plan.

"Larel, do you trust me?" Kitanna asked.

Larel’s brow arched at the question; if she didn’t trust her, then she wouldn’t be confiding in her. Among everyone in the palace, Kitanna had always been her last anchor of hope. She didn’t know why, but the princess just made everything seem easy, especially with the way she handled things and especially taunted the queen dowager. It was as if Kitanna did not have that cursed blood of evil running through her veins.

"I trust you," Larel said the words with the utmost surety.

Kitanna leaned forward and whispered into her ears; each word that dropped, Larel nodded to it.

Kitanna grinned when she was done talking, and she stood up from her seat, going back to her work chair. Larel finished the last drop of water in her cup, and she made her way to the door.

Before she opened the door, she heard the princess say to her, "There’s only one rule in the jungle of survival Larel, eat or get eaten."

Larel nodded her head and left the room. As she stepped out, Nix stepped inside.

"The horses are ready; I told the queen dowager you wanted to go and cultivate in the mountains," Nix spoke briefly, his eyes gauging Kitanna’s expression. She was smiling to herself like she was having an internal fun.

Kitanna raised her face, trying to stop herself from laughing out. She was happy everything was working out well; now she had eyes inside the palace, while she leaves for a short while.

"Did you find the man my father wrote about?" She questioned.

Inside the box, she found under her father’s tomb, she was asked to find someone who used to be in charge of creating swords for the royal family, after many years, the man left the palace, and since that time, nobody has heard from him.

Nix raised his two fingers, motioning for Kitanna in a come-hither form. The princess walked to stand in front of him, craning her neck to get a better view of his face.

"As much as I love to go alone for this journey, I have no choice but to take you with me because I don’t know what trouble you might cause before I come back." Nix’s voice was soft but sounded nothing less than velvet on Kitanna’s ear.

"I’ll be of my best behavior. I will blend in, and I will-" Kitanna was counting out a list of what she was never going to do.

Nix sighed, "What is my one rule?"

"Never to leave your sight." Kitanna whispered.

Nix nodded; with this, Kitanna grinned; she rushed to lift her back which she already packed. She was not going to sit back if Nix had refused for her to tag along.

Using her long hood, Kitanna covered her face, cleaned out her makeup, and made way to the door. It was time to give her best acting.

Outside the palace, Almaria stood with Khelan and the new mistress.

"Kit, if you were ill, you should have let the royal physician know; how did you let it get this worst? You look so pale." Khelan spoke worriedly.

Kitanna coughed out, and immediately blood was seen on her lips; she fell back a little like she was about to lose her balance, and Nix caught her waist firmly.

"I didn’t know it was getting this bad; I was having some potions in hope to get cured. Except the potion was laced with something unfamiliar," Kitanna’s eyes trailed to look at the queen dowager; then her brows arched slightly.

Almaria cleared her throat when she heard Kitanna speak about the potion. They had found out through their mouse that Kitanna was taking a herb to get her memory back. To avoid errors, they laced it with something to distort her memory.

Almaria did not know it would only worsen the girl’s health but anyway it was to their advantage; when she saw the blood, her lips twitched, "You should recuperate fast and come back to us." The words were barely from her heart and were only forced through her lips.

Kitanna nodded her head meekly, and she turned to leave the palace; her steps weak and tired.

When Nix found out her herbs were being laced, he changed it but still made it seem like she was taking it. So whoever the spy was would have something to report to the queen dowager.

As they got to their carriage, which was not the royal carriage but a local one. Kitanna’s tired face was replaced with a devilish grin, with the blood still on her lips.

Nix tilted his head; even he was taken aback when he saw the girl cough out blood. He helped her get into the carriage and sat beside her, his eyes not leaving her side. The princess was quite a handful.

Kitanna used her hand to wipe her lips; when it was time to add a little to her acting; she bit her inner cheeks, drawing blood. She removed her long hood and packed her hair properly.

Kitanna noticed that Nix was still staring at her, and it was in disbelief. She raised her hands.

"It’s called the princess act!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.