[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: GLASS BRIDGE ~ SAVINA AND DRONES]
Deonisia spoke in hushed tones with a young man, nodding at intervals to what he was saying. When she finished, she threw a bag of money, which the young man accepted happily. Bowing deeply, he left the room, leaving Deonisia alone with her thoughts.
"Greetings, Lady Deonisia," Panha entered the room as soon as the young man left, bowing deeply.
Deonisia raised her face, "You’re still here?" She asked the young woman in a nonchalant manner.
Panha, seeking a way to get back on Deonisia’s boat and prove her relevance, smiled and sat beside the woman. "Who was that earlier? The man that just left," she asked, ignoring the indifferent attitude she got from Deonisia. To achieve greatness, you must first shed your pride, Panha advised herself mentally.
Deonisia, who was brainstorming on how to work against Kitanna with the information she had just received, replied, "He came from Morado. There’s been news about killings happening in the village, and something unusual about the well. The information is still vague, but the commoners blame it on the cursed blood." The woman’s thoughts were consumed by the urgency to complete her revenge before age eroded into her life.
Panha clapped her hands excitedly, startling Deonisia. "It means heaven is on our side!" she stated.
"Why do you say so?" Deonisia asked, not expecting much from the young woman who always failed in her plans.
Panha brushed off invisible dust on her fingers, "Right now, whatever is killing the villagers is like help from above for us."
Deonisia raised her perfectly arched brows questioningly, "How so?" she asked.
Panha stood up to demonstrate, "Imagine, if the killing persists and the villagers are in hysteria blaming their king. Bam!" The woman hit her hand on the table dramatically.
Deonisia rolled her eyes, not a tad bit interested in the act Panha was displaying but listened anyway.
"We cause a ripple from our own end, like you said, the domino effect. I heard the elder white Lord used to hide in the mountains before. We can send in a false alarm to lure him in. What do you think would happen if Nix hears that his grandfather is dead? It would only make him believe the curse is really true! Then he would leave Kitanna. And when she is alone, we attack." Panha concluded, vividly imagining Kitanna crying alone as she stabs her in the chest, giving her a joyful feeling.
Deonisia reclined on her chair, giving the plan a thought. It wasn’t so bad, but there were also limitations. "We can’t just attack the mountains; we need more than that to lure Nix’s grandfather in and even kill him. Also, what if they catch the killer before our plan even starts?" The elderly woman stated.
Panha tapped her finger on her lips, elated that at least her thoughts were being considered. "First, we should mimic the killer so that even when they catch the person, we would continue making them think it’s not just one person. Secondly, for Nix’s grandfather, we should..." Panha’s voice trailed as she let Deonisia in on what her plans were.
Deonisia nodded in approval after listening to the young woman. "You’re not so useless after all. Get everything we would be needing ready, and make sure you get your head straight this time. I don’t need mistakes; this is going to be our last strike." The woman tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully.
Panha smiled; finally, Kitanna was going down with one strike. She would pay for embarrassing her and making her feel small, also for killing her sister. Panha thought, she just couldn’t wait for that day to arrive when she would make Kitanna beg for her life while she grovels at her feet.
Back at Morado, Kitanna sneezed, holding her stomach as she was already feeling morning sickness. She had just finished sending the letters to Axilla and Larel, and now she sat on her chair while she watched Nix work.
"You look so good when you work in the morning," Kitanna smiled.
Nix raised his face, his blue eyes locking with her brown ones. "Do you need something else?" He asked, and this was because Kitanna had been craving for a whole lot since she woke up from sleep.
Kitanna shook her head, "Nothing, is just that..." She drawled, now playing with her fingers.
Nix dropped the ink he was writing with. "What?"
Kitanna looked at him for a moment, then she looked away, "Is just that, I heard that a babies needs their father at every point." She whispered, but Nix heard her clearly.
Nix nodded, "That’s why I’m now working from our chamber instead of the royal court, right?" He asked, now looking at Kitanna suspiciously.
Kitanna hummed, "Right but not that kind of close, like, you know, when we are..."
Nix scoffed, "Kit, we just did that...you know what? I’ll go work in the royal court." Nix gathered his works and made his way to the door.
Kitanna went to block his path, "I won’t ask again, just this once. I promise we won’t go again. I promise, okay?" She begged craning her neck to drop a small kiss on Nix’s lips.
Nix smiled, holding his wife’s cheek, "That was what you said the last time. I need to catch this killer, okay? So we can have a safe place to train our child." He whispered, dropping a kiss on Kitanna’s forehead.
"Did someone say child?" Lord Hieron’s strong voice was heard on the other side of the door.
Kitanna pushed the door; she wouldn’t have panicked if it was only Lord Hieron that stood there. Right in front of them was Chantal, Clephas, Severus, Mubera, and a few of the palace maids, causing Kitanna to wonder what they were doing there to start with.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Everyone bowed, wishing them more fruitful years.
Nix nodded with a smile, "We were going to announce it soon." He accepted their wishes while holding Kitanna’s hand.
After the congratulatory wishes died down, Nix asked, "Did something happen?" He asked.
"I was coming to ask how the investigations are going when I met High Priestess Mubera on my way. She wanted to talk to the Queen. I’m glad we all came." Hieron replied, going to stand beside his granddaughter-in-law, watching over her protectively.
Nix nodded his head; now, his grandfather would see more reasons not to leave Kitanna’s side.
"Also about the killings, Chantal found where the parts removed from the corpse were buried." Hieron announced.
"Close to Lady Almaria’s grave," Chantal said to get a look of confusion from both Nix and Kitanna.
Mubera cleared her throat, "Someone is practicing the ancient ritual of resurrection."
Kitanna and Nix turned to look at each other, the same question running in their minds. Resurrection? Who could it be?.