[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: TEDDY BEAR ~ MELANIE MARTINEZ]
Almaria sat in front of Supreme King Venantius. Deonisia had just told her the story of how everything had started, and Almaria felt betrayed, realizing she had been a pawn in the chessboard, while she saw herself as the queen. Now uncertain of what she was fighting for, she faced the Supreme King, whose aura made her uncomfortable, especially as she no longer knew her purpose.
"Supreme king, have you done your research and found out that we speak the truth?" Deonisia smiled, sitting with her legs crossed.
King Venantius, holding a goblet of red grape wine, twirled it, his eyes fixed on Almaria. He pushed the wine to his lips, taking a sip and licking the contents that almost spilled off his lips.
"Hm... I’m not sure what to say." The Supreme King moved his eyes from Almaria to settle it on Deonisia. "When will you get tired already? Eusebius Morgair is dead. Wasn’t that whom you sought revenge on? Why do you continue? You dragged my father into this, claiming to love him. I should make you pay with your life because my kingdom never had any reason to cross paths with the blood of Zeno or Morado until you came along. You deceived my father to get what you wanted, and when he died, we didn’t hear from you again. Now you show up in our land, telling us that a descendant of Zeno is alive. What exactly do you want?" The man asked seriously, taking another sip of wine.
Deonisia’s smile faded with his words. "I was betrayed, yes. But my love for your father was genuine. My hate for Eusebius is deeper than you think. I do not want to see any of his descendants alive or sitting on the throne he denied me. I could have been his queen, but he only saw me as a tool. And for Hieron Zeno, he advised Eusebius and killed the man who was helping me heal. I want them gone too," she declared, her eyes glistening with determination.
King Venantius hummed, "If you truly loved my father as you claim, you should have lived happily with him and not sought revenge. Not every love story ends happily ever after. You were lucky to find my father. That was your second chance, but because you weren’t over Eusebius, you lost everything, even now."
Almaria looked at the king and then at her cousin sister. In the past, she might have joined her sister to convince the king, but now she questioned why she was fighting for the throne when it was just her sister’s taste for revenge all along. She kept silent, listening to everything being said, and she agreed with the Supreme King’s perspective.
Deonisia stood up and moved to stand in front of the Supreme King. But he raised his hand, indicating that she shouldn’t move any further.
"Please, help me. Remember how much your father loved me. I healed him after he lost his wife. All you have to do is remove Hieron and his grandson, that’s all," Deonisia pleaded.
Venantius moved his eyes away from Deonisia and said, "What I want to know is, what you think" His words were directed to Almaria.
Almaria pointed to her chest, and the man nodded. She gulped nervously, looking at her cousin sister who was glaring at her. Why was the king seeking her opinion, Almaria wondered. "I... I don’t..."
"What don’t you know, Almaria? Tell the Supreme King you need the crown back. Remember Khelan..." Deonisia interjected, causing Almaria to stop in the middle of her statement.
Venantius glared at Deonisia, "Keep your mouth shut, unless you no longer value your tongue, Deonisia. I’m keeping you alive because I respect my father so much, but just know you’re the main catalyst for his death. Answer questions only when I tell you to," the man said sternly, his voice harsher than usual.
Almaria felt sweat streak down the side of her face. She gulped softly. "I want to see my son and grandson. Also, Kitanna Morgair disgraced me a lot. I want her punished so she won’t be a threat to my son’s throne," the woman finally regained her voice. Even if she was a pawn, the chess game could always be changed. She decided to be the queen of her game henceforth.
Venantius smirked when he noticed a new look in the woman’s eyes, which he hadn’t seen when she first arrived. "So all you want is for me to get rid of Morgair for you so your son can be King. That’s more like it. You care about your family. I can work with that. But what can you give me in return?" He grinned.
Almaria stood up from her couch, moved closer to the Supreme King, and, unlike her cousin sister, she wasn’t stopped midway. So she took it as a hint to venture closer, now standing in front of the man. She leaned closer and brushed her lips on his.
"I’ve noticed how often you look my way. Say, I warm your bed while I’m a guest here." She flashed him a smile. For a minute, Almaria forgot how tenacious she was because of how suddenly power was taken from her. But right now, she felt her voice coming back.
Venantius grinned, "Well, that was bound to happen. I’m not a man to put my pleasure before business. I want to be in charge of the trade in Morado. Also, I’ll have my soldiers train with yours. When your son becomes king, you’ll make Badukeh and Morado have a common boundary. How’s that?" The man raised his hand to touch Almaria’s face, brushing her lips in the process.
Deonisia stood at the side, watching how everything unfolded. She was supposed to feel happy that the Supreme King had his interest in Almaria, but for some reason, she felt uncomfortable.
"We have a deal, my king," Almaria closed her eyes when she felt his hands brush her lips.
"That settles it. I’ll get my men ready to rescue your son and kill the Morgair’s heir. Now, what do you want me to do to your sister?" Venantius trailed one of his hands on Almaria’s neck, then he snapped his fingers, and two guards entered the room.
Almaria stood properly and faced her sister. "Big sister, your game ended with King Eusebius. It’s my turn now. I’ll keep you alive because you brought me into the game, but I hate the feeling of being used." She turned to look at Venantius.
"Lock her up in the dungeon; let her rest for now." Almaria moved her hand to rub the man’s chest gently.
Deonisia shook her head, pinched her chubby cheeks to make sure this was not a dream. "Almaria! I am your cousin; you can’t do this to me." The older woman shouted, trying to get her sister’s attention.
"You heard the woman, lock her up!" Venantius ordered his guards.
Deonisia shook her head, panic surging through her bones. She couldn’t believe her sister was the one to betray her. Even if a soothsayer had told her, she wouldn’t have believed it. She trained Almaria and taught her everything she knew.
"Almaria please, come to your senses. Please" Deonisia pleaded as she was hauled away by the guards.
Alone inside the room, Venantius held Almaria’s waist tightly. "Your sister would feel so betrayed." He grinned.
Almaria scowled, "She was the one to betray me first. Making me her pawn, and thinking about it now, I always hated her guts"
"Let’s not allow her ruin our fun." Venantius grinned, as the light from the chandelier illuminated the whole room with it’s different colors of light.