Ileus: The Dark Prince

"What do you mean 'my fill'?" Paige said, her numbness fading and replaced with anger. She had loved Ara with all her heart. After having found her in a desolate state at the inn, she had taken her under her wings and done everything to help her get out of her depression. 

"I mean what I say, Paige. It's not that you haven't fucked me!" Ara replied in a loud voice. 

Paige stared at her as her lips parted. She exhaled a shaky breath. She got up from her place and walked to where Kaizan was standing. "I never fucked you, Ara. I made love to you." 

"Really?" Ara crossed her arms across her chest. "Then you are a bigger moron than I thought you were!"

The little thread that connected her with Ara, broke, and the noise of it shattered her heart. She loved Ara with all that she could give. She had helped her in every situation, and even went against her family to stay with her. But everything became clear now. She was surrounded by a miasma, an illusion that Ara had created around her. She was so much in love with her that she failed to see every logic, every clue that Kaizan and her parents threw her way. Ara fought for her share of property, and she thought that Ara was only thinking of her welfare. "You made me fight against my family for the share of my property. And I stood with you. I am definitely a moron. Why did you sow the seeds of animosity amongst us? Did you want the money so badly?" 

"I—" Ara said. "I was—"

Kaizan cut her off. "Isn't it obvious, Paige? She wanted to take away all your money and run away so that she could live her life comfortably?" He nodded at Finn who dug more papers from his pocket and handed them over to him. Kaizan opened them and gave them to Paige. "Read these." As Paige read them, he looked at Ara and said, "She had already processed her papers to leave you and go and live permanently in the Kingdom of Aztec. Her papers were processed quickly because in the Kingdom of Aztec, the population is thin. There is a permanent drought-like situation. She was going to migrate there without you."

Paige was speechless. It was as if she had lost her voice. Her hands shook as they fell to her sides. She turned and walked to the nearest tree and rested her hand over it. She was so ashamed of herself that she couldn't face her parents and her brother. More than that she was totally broken. "I loved you, Ara… I thought you were depressed after what your brother and his lover did to you. I did everything to allay your situation. You said you wanted to live separately and I even went with those wishes of yours. But—" Paige shook her head, as tears stung her eyes, as bile rose and choked her throat, "—but you had other intentions. You wanted to swindle me? Me? The only person who had taken you under her protection. I would have pardoned you for being with rebels had you really loved me?" Every memory of how she met with Ara, how the two came close to each other and how much she fell in love with her, flooded her mind. She pressed her hand against her heart. 

"Oh please!" Ara said sarcastically. "Even you are not happy living amongst your family. You feel you are a burden to them and you want to live separately with me."

"But I wanted to live with my income. It was you who planted the idea of separating our property. And I like a fool—" she sniffled. 

"That is not all," Kaizan said. "Wait here for a moment!" He rushed out of the garden and came back with a bag. He held the bag high in the air and said, "Do you know what it has inside?" He gazed at Ara with so much anger in his eyes that if it hadn't been for his sister, he would have choked her throat. "This bag contains two panties."

Ara's face paled. 

"Why are you showing these panties?" Ookashi asked, totally bewildered. 

Kaizan threw the bag in front of Ara and said, "Take them out!"

Ara started shaking. If she touched those panties, her hands would get the poison. She stayed put, her feet fixed to the ground. 

"She will not touch those panties!" Kaizan growled. 

"Why?" Ookashi asked again.

"Because she had placed those poisoned panties in Olivia's wardrobe. Her intentions were to kill the babies in Olivia's womb!" Kaizan seethed as his hands fisted into tight balls. 

A collective gasp was heard. 

"Yesterday, when I came back home, I smelled a very strong mint scent in the corridor that led to my room. By the time I reached my room, the scent was gone and I noticed that the doors and windows of the room were open. She had done her best to ventilate the room to ward off her scent. But Ara, you are such a fucking dimwit!" Kaizan snarled. "You tried to hoodwink me? I went and checked every damn nook and corner of the room and came across these panties. The smell of poison in them is pretty off!" 

Ookashi covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh God!' A shudder passed through her body. "Why would you want to kill Olivia's babies?" 

"She wanted to take revenge from me, mother," said Kaizan. "She used Paige to take revenge from me and from Olivia. And only because she was in love with Luke and his twisted theories."

"Don't say a word about Luke!" Ara shouted with no remorse. "That man was beautiful inside out. He was abandoned by his father and mother. And what could be worse? His sister is married to the man who wanted his head on his sword." 

"Kaizan!" Suddenly, Olivia called them from inside. 

Kaizan whipped his head to see her. "Olivia!" She was one person he didn't want to come and witness this situation and here she was. And the worst part—Anastasia was behind her. 

Olivia and Anastasia came to stand right beside Kaizan. Seeing Anastasia for the first time in her life, Ara thought that the whole world faded around her. The goddess's aura was mesmerizing. Her knees became wobbly as she stared at her. The woman was extraordinarily beautiful and so petite. Her wings were tucked tightly behind her. "Gods!" Ara murmured. 

"What happened?" Olivia asked, her innocent eyes searching Kaizan's and then she gazed at every person out there. 

Paige stepped forward. She held Olivia's hand and the first thing she did was to hug her. "Will you forgive me?" she asked with quivering lips. "I committed a mistake unknowingly." Paige couldn't believe that she would be so embarrassed in front of Olivia. She was practically with her brother's lover who was carrying his child. She suddenly felt so filthy that she thought even if she washed herself, scrubbed her skin off, she wouldn't be able to remove the dirt. 

"What mistake, Paige?" asked Olivia as she hugged her back. She stroked her back gently to quiet Paige, but Paige was now sobbing. 

"It is nothing!" Kaizan said quickly.. He didn't want Paige to tell anything to Olivia.