Chapter 157: WEIGHT OF FAREWELL
[MUSIC RECOMNDATION: BON VOYAGE ~ DREAMCATCHER]
"What?" Khelan slamd the table with anger, He had been trying to recover ever since the attack at the palace but at the sa ti he sent people to infiltrate the palace just to get information about his mother but they always returned unsuccessful. The scrawny looking man who was now standing in front of him was the only person who had been successful. But the news he received was not what he wanted to hear.
"What did you say happened to my mother?" He asked again, his hands trembling, seeking confirmation.
The lean man, uneasy, fiddled with his hands, unsure whether to speak. He hesitated before repeating what he had said earlier. "Th- She- They buried her at the outskirts of the palace."
Khelan shook his head gently, unwilling to accept the news. He had seen his mother that night, she was filled with confidence, her authority back in her voice and elegance in her behavior.
"Why is she buried? Why did they bury her? Let’s go and dig her out," Almaria’s son stood up from the table, scratching his hand on the table, his face marred with confusion.
Venantius signaled for the man to leave, recognizing the difficulty Almaria’s son had in accepting the news. He, too, was surprised, as Almaria had been tenacious and didn’t seem likely to leave the world anyti soon.
"Supre king, why did you send him away? Let him show us the place she was buried. Let’s dig her out; she must be feeling cold," Khelan spoke with tears forming at the rims of his eyes while his hands trembled.
"Khelan, you need to take heart. It is obvious that she is no more. I can make arrangents for you to go and pay your last respects," Venantius said to the boy before stepping out to give him room to mourn his mother.
Panha, also present in the room, walked towards where Khelan was standing, trying to offer comfort.
"Khelan, I understand how you feel." She touched his shoulder, patting him in a way she thought would comfort him.
Khelan moved away from the touch, feeling irritated. "Who are you to understand how I feel? What do you know of what I feel?" He asked, almost transferring his anger to the young woman in front of him.
Panha scoffed, "You haven’t asked why I’m entangled in all this? I lost my sister too in that palace. Kitanna, that bitch. She killed my sister without batting an eye." The woman who held a grudge for the princess clenched her teeth.
Khelan was in no mood to listen to such a story, but sothing caught his attention. "How do you know it was Kitanna who killed her? Kit can be crazy, but she would never do that," he remarked.
"Kit? Ho. I bet you know just little about that sly princess who pretends to love everyone around her. She is capable of many things you’re unaware of. You didn’t see the murderous look in her eyes that night. I was the one who fought her, and I know she had lost her mind," Panha retorted, the mories of that night she had a one-on-one fight with Kitanna flashing in her mind.
Khelan shook his head; he knew Kitanna and she was not one to hurt Almaria or him. Despite the fight for the throne, she was the only one who did not lose her sanity as she chose to give them a light punishnt, especially after what he heard his mother did to Kitanna’s family. But he was not ready to explain all that to a stranger; he just said to her in a low voice,
"I will like so ti alone to myself. I need to think." He sat back down on his chair, leaning on the table.
Panha looked at the young man for so ti before sighing and stepping out of the room.
The following evening, after Khelan had made up his mind to visit his mother and pay his last respects, Venantius had already arranged for the young man to see his mother. Khelan was now ready to leave when he heard the supre king speak.
"Would you love to go with your mother’s cousin as she is the only family you have now?" The man suggested, touching his cornrows.
Khelan shrugged his shoulders; he didn’t mind as long as nobody stopped him from spending ti with his mother.
After the carriage was made ready to depart to Morado, Deonisia was set free from the dungeon she was locked in, dressed in neater clothes. Khelan and Deonisia entered the carriage before it could depart. The carriage door opened, and the supre King stepped in.
"You’re coming too?" Khelan asked, looking at the man with surprise.
Venantius nodded before getting himself comfortable on the carriage seat. Almaria was also soone he enjoyed the company of for so ti, and it was only right to pay his respects.
The carriage moved slowly in the dark night, everyone inside silent as there was nothing to talk about. Deonisia, who sat close to the window opposite Khelan and the supre King, kept her eyes outside as she watched the trees fall behind while the night wind blew gently.
The news of her sister’s demise did not co as a shock to her, as she had expected it the mont Almaria crossed her. She humd in the night, feeling pleased but not a single word left her lips.
After a long ride, the carriage from Badukeh finally arrived at Morado. It was already midnight, and the people of the kingdom had all gone to sleep. The trio who ca to pay their respects got down from the carriage and moved towards the place they heard Almaria was laid to rest.
Getting to that place, it was unlike what the supre King expected. The cetery was lighted with torches at every pillar, and the tomb ant for Almaria looked noble, raised with fine marble.
"Mother," Khelan muttered as he walked towards his mother’s tombstone. On it, the inscription ’In the lovely mory of Lady Almaria Morgair, a mother, sister, and grandmother’ was boldly written in black ink.
Deonisia stood behind as she watched the boy cry over his mother’s tomb. She noticed another grave head close to Almaria’s. Deonisia walked to see who it was, and on the tombstone was, ’In the loving mory of Lady Bareea Morgair, a wife and mother.’ Deonisia nodded her head; so, the concubine was no more too. But sothing else caught her attention. They were both given the last na of the royal family. ’Very generous of the princess,’ the chubby older woman mused.
After crying for a while, Khelan stood up from the ground, dusting his trousers. His eyes briefly glanced at Bareea’s grave. He brushed off the dry leaf that was on it, then he stepped back, allowing his mother’s cousin to have a mont with her sister.
Deonisia stood in front of the tomb, her back facing Khelan and the supre King. A dark grin escaped her lips. "Little sister, this is what happens when you try to cross . Rest well; I’ll take over now that I’ve rested for a while." She whispered, touching the tombstone like she was deeply affected.
Back where Khelan was standing, sothing moved from the side of his eyes, and he turned imdiately, but the shadow moved. "Kit?" He muttered.
After the farewell, the trio made their way out of the cetery. Before they exited, Venantius looked at the place he saw Khelan’s eyes glance briefly at before, and he also noticed soone standing very far.
He shook his head before stepping out. "The princess is one generous royal seed," he said this in a low voice.
Far away from where Almaria and Bareea were buried, Kitanna stood holding her night robe as the night wind blew on her face gently. She had told Chantal to call her if anyone should co to visit the tomb at any ti.
"Princess, is them...let
call the guards," Chantal spoke in an alard tone.
Kitanna shook her head, "Let him be, and every ti he cos to visit his mother, don’t try to stop him as long as he doesn’t an harm. And always get people to clean the tomb every full moon." The princess sighed; as she turned to leave, she saw the blue eyes staring at her in the dark.
"Nix," Kitanna whispered, enveloping herself in his arm.
Nix caressed her hair gently, "The weight of farewell is always heavy on those left behind." His words were carried gently with the night wind.
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