Chapter 67: DRAWN CURTAINS
[MUSIC RECOMNDATION: FINE ~ TAEYEON]
Nix unrolled the parchnts he had used to put down the statents he got from the witnesses. He looked through each session, trying to sort out the person that got an alibi when his door flew open.
Kitanna stood there, her face looking excited and worried at the sa ti. It looked like she had run all the way to his quarters. Nix dropped the ink he was using to write and stood up from his chair.
"Is there another problem?" Nix asked because it’s obvious that the palace was in that season when the only news that was spreading was bad news.
Kitanna shook her head, she took a little ti to catch her breath then she started talking, "Lady Aggie, she wanted to tell
sothing. She said sothing about the king; that was it. Do you think she was silenced because of what she knew about the king?" the princess spoke in a rush.
Nix sighed when he heard what she had to say; he turned back and sat on his chair. The look on his face was still the expressionless bored look which he held everyti .
Kitanna moved on to speak, "I don’t just know the king she was speaking about. Let’s check her room; I might find a clue." She turned to leave the room but then stopped when she noticed that Nix was not following her.
"Are you not coming?" Kitanna asked in a rush; if they needed to check the woman’s room, then it should be done imdiately, not waste the whole day before soone else will find the clue first, if there’s any.
Nix moved his back to relax on his chair; his white hair was looking disheveled due to the evening wind, or maybe the stress. He shut his eyes close for a brief mont; when he opened it, he was staring right into Kitanna’s soul.
"Don’t you think the first place the culprits will search will be the head maid’s room?" He asked casually.
Kitanna blinked when she couldn’t hold on to the intensity of his gaze. "Are you saying soone has already searched her room?" She asked out of frustration. That was her only hope of getting a clue.
"There is nothing in her room anymore. Soone emptied it," Nix said, picking up his ink to continue with the statent crosscheck.
Kitanna moved back a little when she heard this. Anyone doing this was always a step ahead of her. She tried to search in her mind for any clue when she noticed how relaxed Nix looked about the whole situation.
Kitanna walked to his table to stand in front of him. Nix noticed the shadow that was now blocking his view. He raised his face to look at the princess.
"Am I the only one worried about all these? You seem very relaxed, like you know sothing," Kitanna said, with her hands folded resting on her chest.
Nix used his two hands to hold up his chin, "Your point?" He asked her amusingly, his eyes filled with mirth.
"I think this whole thing was to hide sothing I’m supposed to know because she asked
if I rember, and I didn’t know what exactly she was asking
about. Please Nix, I need your help." It was difficult for Kitanna to say those words. She had never relied on anyone for anything; all her life she trained herself to only fend for herself. But with the way things were going, she needed to have soone she could fall back on, and the only person is the man sitting in front of her.
Nix dropped his hands and stood up. He walked to stand in front of Kitanna, his height towering over her small stature.
"Here," he pulled out a white piece from his pocket and handed it over to Kitanna.
Kitanna tilted her head, then she collected the piece of parchnt.
On the white piece was a short letter written with a black ink, which read ’Princess Kitanna, I am sorry it took
until now to let you know the evil that I helped to conceal, allowing impostors to hold the crown. Even if I am no more, don’t mourn for my sake; it’s because I am paying for my sins. Kitanna, the only daughter of King Dunstan Morgair. You are your only savior and the hope of Morado. Rember.’
Kitanna read those words over and over again; she raised her face to look at Nix. "Where... I an, how did you get this?" She asked in a low voice. Kitanna wasn’t sure what she should ask first; her world was beginning to spin. Who were the impostors Lady Aggie was talking about?
Nix trailed his fingers over his hair, trying to move them all to the back. Then he dipped his hands into his pocket. "She saw
enter the main palace in the morning; she squeezed it into my hand." He replied.
Kitanna folded the paper tightly; she didn’t even know what to do with the information. What was she supposed to rember, who were the impostors who held the crown? It was still Khelan her brother who was the king, nobody else. She turned to look at Nix.
"How long have you stayed in the palace?" She asked trying to join the dots.
Nix pulled up the corner of his lips; the princess was going to find out everything soday, but it was better for her to figure it out alone.
"Let’s say I’ve witnessed over seven full moons here; I’ll count it as thirteen years," Nix responded.
Kitanna moved around in the room, "how co I don’t rember seeing you while growing up? If you were here all these while, when did you start working for the queen dowager?" She asked.
Nix looked around the room; it was obvious they were getting sowhere with this discussion, but what he didn’t want was soone eavesdropping. Nix moved to his curtains and closed them. Allowing only the light from the candle stand to be their main source of light.
"I trained with the other guards until the queen found
worthy of serving by her side. And I rember seeing you," Nix threw back the puzzle for Kitanna to solve.
"You rember seeing ? But I don’t. Lady Aggie also said sothing about it. She asked if I rember. Nix, do you think I’ve lost so parts of my mory?" Kitanna asked feeling scared. It was horrendous to wake up one day and realize that there’s a possibility that everything you knrw or believed was a just a lie.
"Tell , what do you rember about your childhood?" Nix asked walking closer to Kitanna. He moved his hand to her head and gently stroked her hair.
"Breathe in and relax; it’s just us here. The curtains are drawn. Tell
what you rember," he asked again; this ti, his voice sounded like a whisper.
Kitanna inhaled deeply; then she closed her eyes. "I used to train with my father; then he told
I’ll beco a black Rose while Khelan will take over the throne. Then when he beca very sick, I was not allowed to see him. We all used to be a happy family." Kitanna said the words slowly.
Nix listened to everything Kitanna said. Almaria had already filled the girl’s mind with wrong informations, making her believe that she was supposed to be an assassin. But he didn’t make any expression; he moved further to ask.
"If your father asked you to be a black Rose, why did you not accept your fate when it was ti to shed the old rose? Why did you try to survive?" Nix asked her; this ti his hands were no longer on her head but in his pocket. His eyes was still on her.
"I- I don’t know....."
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