Kitanna
Chapter 95: VISIT TO THE SHRINE

Chapter 95: VISIT TO THE SHRINE

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: SPRING DAY (JAPANESE VERSION)~ BTS]

Lady Deonisia finally stepped out of her room; her chubby face was now looking a little slim, but her eyes still remained sharp and witty. Her feet stopped in front of the queen dowager’s room, without waiting for her presence to be announced; she entered the room. Her eyes scanned to meet Almaria sitting close to her flower pot and lost in space.

"What are you doing?" Deonisia asked in a stern voice.

Almaria turned her head lazily to look at the person who had arrived. Truthfully, she had been thinking since after the court session. She didn’t know how to handle the situation at hand.

"The flowers are withering, big sister." Almaria paused, her lips moving to look at the flowers, then she continued, "I don’t want to go back to where we came from... what if...?"

Deonisia stopped the words from leaving the woman’s lips as she walked faster to push the flower vase down, sending it crashing to pieces on the floor.

"Refrain yourself from being weak in difficult times! I chose you for this because of your elegance. Don’t make my decision a wrong one; we are the owners of that throne, and we are not leaving this place. Our family has come to stay. There is no ’what if’!" Deonisia scolded the queen dowager with a scowl on her face.

Almaria got up from her chair, not minding the pieces of the vase that were on the ground; she walked to stand in front of her cousin, holding her tightly.

"You know the truth behind the birth of Khelan is my weakness. How do I cover it up now that everyone knows about it?" The woman asked in a frail voice.

"You told me you had everyone who knew about the case killed. How come there’s one minister in the court who knows about it? I asked you to change everyone of them, especially those who are not on our side." Deonisia frowned; she eyed Almaria for a second before she shook her head.

"It can’t be helped. Let us use divine nature. The people of this kingdom believe so much in their deities. Let’s work with that. Get dressed; we are going to meet Mubera." The cousin sister left the room to give Almaria space to dress up.

Deonisia motioned for the person who had been standing in the corners all along to come over.

"It’s time to use her old pain. Do what you did in the past. Let’s mess with her reasoning for the time being." Deonisia gave out her order to the person who had been acting as a mouse for them.

Without a word of reply, the person bowed and stepped out of the place, leaving Deonisia alone.

Almaria finished with her dressing with the help of some maids, and she joined her cousin sister as they walked to the royal shrine.

Getting to the shrine, Mubera noticed the women enter as if they wanted to pray while sending other persons out. She knew they had come for her, after all, where else will they run to after everything she heard going wrong in the palace.

Mubera pretended to be engulfed with her spiritual prayers, dancing and chanting while her shrine maids rang the bell of the spirits. She did this intentionally to keep the women waiting. When she was finally done, a maid rushed to clean the sweat on the sides of her face and offered her water to wash her hands.

Using a small piece to dab her hands, Mubera let out a dry smile, which didn’t reach her eyes. She walked to where Deonisia and Almaria were now sitting.

"To what do a forgotten piece of the chess owe this visit?" Her tone laced with sarcasm.

Deonisia sneered, "you don’t have to act petty, Muber—"

"High priestess Mubera. You are in my shrine; put some respect on the name of one who communes with the heavenly beings." Mubera spoke with a serious look, then her face broke into a smile, which made her wrinkles very visible, especially the ones close to her eyes.

Deonisia opened her lips to talk, but Almaria gently pressed her hands, telling her to calm down. This act didn’t go unnoticed by Mubera; she smirked.

Speaking through her teeth, Deonisia said finally, "High priestess Mubera, we have come seeking your help." The elderly woman finally said, trying to control her anger this time.

Mubera dropped the piece after she was done dabbing her hands, and she picked up her tea cup, bringing it close to her lips, she said, "Why will I help a sinking ship, especially one that didn’t allow me to board with them." She turned to face Almaria and sipped from her cup.

"The queen dowager threw me to the side immediately her cousin sister came around. I thought by now the princess would have had the slave mark, and you would have won your battle. But it seems like the little girl is dealing with you all, seeing that Lady Deonisia is losing her precious weight and Queen dowager Almaria is not glowing as usual." Mubera mocked them openly; she dropped her tea cup and relaxed.

"I’m glad I wasn’t allowed to board the ship... I’ll have to follow the winning team," she brushed the invisible dust that was resting on her gown.

"It is not what you think, Mu—high priestess Mubera," Almaria corrected herself immediately, and Mubera nodded, enjoying every bit of it.

"We haven’t lost the battle yet; Khelan is still the king." She said.

"Then why are you here? Seeking for my help." Mubera questioned, her eyes mostly on Lady Deonisia, who was evidently annoyed with her.

"Do you know what happens if a bird flies too high, forgetting its place? It gets burnt by the sun." Deonisia ticked her jaw in irritation. She couldn’t believe Mubera was now acting all mighty and powerful.

"This ship is not one you can leave just like that. Have you forgotten your own history? We helped you kill the mother priestess just so you can be where you are today. What high priestess? Have you communicated with any heavenly being since your stay here? You’re just a scam, and the faster you remember that, the better for you. And all of us." Deonisia, who couldn’t keep her anger at bay, fired at the woman. She was vexed that a used-to-be shrine maid now high priestess was talking to people who put her in that position anyhow.

Mubera coughed like the tea she had taken earlier was now choking her; her body shook terribly. When she stopped coughing, she said, "You talk like I am the only person who has a dirty secret. What about you two? Your hand is only stained with blood of the innocent. You stepped into Morado and decided to covet another person’s throne. You impo—"

Almaria hit the table out of anger; this was not the time to spread their dirty linens outside. "Stop! We are all in this together. This is not the time to announce what we have done wrong; we all know about it. This is time to make sure our hard work doesn’t go down the drain. Please, we are adults; let’s calm down."

The woman tried to pacify her cousin and the high priestess.

"What do you want me to do? I hear the rumors about Khelan even in the shrine. There’s not much I can do, it has spread far." Mubera turned her head to the other side.

She didn’t notice the stern look that was thrown at her by both Almaria and Deonisia.

"Do what you did to the former king. Arrange for a ritual; the commoners will also be invited. Use your ways to stop the rumors about Khelan. Then as for the princess, touch the part that is most sensitive to her. Don’t worry about her reaction; I have someone who will mess with her mind before the ritual day." Deonisia clearly stated her plans.

"Use my ways? I don’t know how to stop the rumors about Khelan." Mubera retorted.

This time it was Almaria who scowled, "You always have one. Every time you lie to the commoners that the kingdom is in danger. They believe your lying tongue. If only they knew... but that’s not the point; you’re cunning enough so tap into that."

Mubera thinned her lips in anger; she didn’t know if these women came to ask for help or to insult her. She decided to ignore them.

"What do I gain out of this?" The high priestess asked.

"You are the longest-reigning priestess; what else do you wish for?" Deonisia asked her face scrunched in distaste. This priestess is one greedy woman, with her thin face.

"Name your price! I will grant it, just after we get a winning hand." Almaria pacified Mubera.

"I’ll let you know the date for the ritual." Mubera finally agreed, but she had no smile on her face.

"Please make it quick before the next court session." Almaria pleaded, her voice had a sense of urgency in it.

After the short meeting, Deonisia and Almaria stepped out of the shrine, walking back inside the main palace.

"It’s time we got rid of her." Almaria said, talking about Mubera.

Deonisia shook her head, "Mubera is like a bug. She won’t let us throw her away that easily. For now, she’s not our problem."