Chapter 7: Second House

The stench of the alcohol Johanna perceived made her scrunch her nose in disgust. She hasn't even entered the room yet, but she already felt like turning back but couldn't; her sole aim can't just be obliterated.

She yanked the door open, holding up a napkin to her nose, and cat-walked into William's room with an eagle gaze.

There were two men at the corner; one was playing a harp, the other a flute.

There were a lot of concubines dancing and swaying their waists to the harp; their nudity made Joanna's eyes sore, not that it was something she hadn't seen before.

These dancers were zealous; while dancing seductively, William had one of the concubines seated on his legs, his hand wrapped around her as she planted kisses on his face.

They all flanked around William trying to get his attention. Soon William pushes the concubine on his leg away, as another one helps him up to his feet. The latter was drunk; he rode along in any direction he was pushed to, holding a glass of wine in one hand and the bottle of wine in his other hand.

Filled with annoyance Joanna walked up to where he was; snatching the glass of wine from his grip, she threw it on the floor, and it made an eerie noise while shattering to pieces.

The music immediately stopped; immediately the concubines spotted Johanna, and they scurried out of the room, totally horrified.

William was still drunk and was simply not thinking straight; smiling like someone who was mentally deranged, he continued dancing without any music. Johanna gripped his wrist tightly; she spun him towards her direction, and then she slapped him across his face.

William staggered backwards with bloodshot eyes; he suddenly became completely sober and very angry.

"Woman, what is your problem? He questioned icily, smacking his lips. Johanna gave him a murderous look and shook her head slightly.

"If you were my only child, I would have gone and hang myself." She hissed aloud, grabbing an apple and a knife from a fruit basket on a table in the middle of the room.

William scowled, breathing heavily; he rubbed the cheeks that his mother had just struck and cast her a disdainful glance.

He watched his mother walk up to a golden crafted chair in his room and sit on it, crossing her legs.

"Why don't you make yourself useful? Look at your sister Leah; she is already garnering eligible suitors that will make us rich, and here you are wearing time away while exploiting numerous concubines."

Johanna couldn't hide her disgust; her face was masked with a nauseating countenance.

William clenched his fist in anguish while gazing at his mother. "You greedy woman, if you love money so much, then why don't you work for it? Johanna snubbed his rude comment and decided to hit the nail on the head.

"What do you want, Mother?! William asked as he staggered frenetically; he dropped the bottle of wine in his hand on a table, and using both hands, he yanked and pulled his hair. There was an impending headache coming.

Johanna was silent for a while; she cut through the apple in her hand and then elegantly shoved a piece into her mouth.

"I want you to be the King of Decreash; is that too much to ask? Immediately Johanna said that William couldn't hold his laughter; much to the annoyance of Johanna, he laughed his heart out.

"You want me to be the king? He said between his laughter. "I can see that you are slowly losing your mind due to greed. Why don't you just go ahead and tell me to kill Veronn, you greedy woman! He lashed at his mother, but her strong heart could not be penetrated.

"If his death will make you the King of Decreash, then so be it." Johanna couldn't help but feel that she was cheated in both wealth and love; she was ready to kill anyone to at least retain one.

"I will not be a partaker of your venomous ways; leave my room." William pointed at the door, but Johanna didn't flinch; instead, she adjusted on the chair she was seated on. She now had a death gaze as her brown hazel eyes glittered with untold mystery.

"You have tested my patience for long enough, William; don't push your limits." Johanna gritted her teeth; sidestepping his insults wasn't enough. He wants to throw her out of his room?

Joanna's foolishness was definitely going to cost her, and William wanted nothing to do with it. He didn't want his story to end with the theme :Like mother, like son., No way! William ran his hands through his hair; he wanted to take a shower because his whole body reeked of alcohol.

"Do you think I am a pawn you can use to get your dirty bidding? Mother, for once shine your eyes and take a look at your surroundings; be grateful that Father accepted you and made you his second wife, or else we would have been on the streets!

William tried to talk sense into his mother, but it was futile.

Johanna felt the weight of his words but wouldn't budge.

"I should be grateful? Johanna said sarcastically, then scoffed.

"If anything else, I regret my decision. There were a lot of eligible suitors that would bend the knee just to see my face. I could have pinned my pregnancy on anyone, but I chose to do the right thing.

I told your father about my pregnancy, and he accepted it…but never loved me." Johanna tightened her grip on the knife she was using to cut another piece of apple.

"You are not even from a noble background, Mother, but Father still got married to you. You were a brothel dancer; you were a whore!

"William! Johanna rises to her feet as her son's word cuts through the deepest part of her heart.

"I was never meant to be king in the first place; at least Father made that clear before he died." William's last word ripped Johanna's heart into pieces; right there she felt his pain.

"Mother..." William started off with a low tone. "Leave! he yelled, startling Johanna. Then immediately he started taking off his clothes to have a shower.

Johanna had no choice but to leave; seeing her son nude would be abominable. Being careful not to step on any broken glass, she walked out of the room with a heavy heart.

Getting to her chamber, she sat on one of the royal golden chairs in her commodious room and began to ponder on William's words.

Flashes of what Selena had said the other day ran through her head.

"At least I didn't hook him with a child…" The words of Selena crushed her soul as Johanna reminisced on them.

If Selena hadn't said those words about her past at the dining room during breakfast the other day, no one would have known she got married to Harris because he had no choice but to take her in since she was pregnant. All of a sudden Johanna was filled with hatred towards Selena. "You will pay for this, Selena, I promise you."

...…...

Racheal was seated in a hot bathtub; the steam emanating from the bathtub filled the atmosphere. Her personal maid, Rosa, was washing her silky brown hair.

"My lady, I heard about the chess battle you had with Queen Jazell." Rosa broke the silence, her voice low, almost in a whisper.

Racheal's eyes were closed as she pushed herself deeper into the steaming bathtub.

"What do you have to say about my loss, Rosa? Racheal questioned with eyes closed.

Taking hold of a sponge, Rosa scrubs Racheal's bare shoulders gently.

"My lady, you lost on purpose. Why? Rosa sounded confident in her words. She could barely see the countenance of her mistress's face because the candles in the bathing arena were few.

"Why would you think I lost on purpose? Racheal's eyes slowly fluttered open; she gazed at Rosa, intrigued.

Rosa kept a straight face, Racheal brought out one of her fair, supple legs, and Rosa scrubbed it gently, the steam from the water hitting her face.

"I just know it. My lady, you could have won, but you chose not to; the reason, however, I do not know." Rosa said, her gaze fixed on what she was doing.

"To be candid, I was afraid that she would win; she sounded so confident, but as we played, I realized she wasn't as good as I thought she would be. I could have won her a few minutes into the game." Rachel's eyes suddenly looked distant.

"Then why did you decide to let her win, my lady? Rosa was scrubbing Racheal's feet.

Racheal was quiet for a while….

"At times, Rosa, we have to make sacrifices to get what we want; we have to play little games." Racheal said, rising up from the bathtub, Rosa wrapped her up with a thick towel before allowing her to carefully step out of the steamy bathtub.

As Racheal sat elegantly in front of the dressing mirror, Rosa oiled her skin with lavender oil.

"You made such a big sacrifice. My lady, I only hope what you get in return is worth it." Rosa's voice was low as she massaged the lavender oil into Racheal's fair and supple skin.

"I didn't let Jazell win for no reason; I sacrificed my pride and made her seem like the winner, because I have studied her for a while, and I know her type." Rachel's eyes looked distant.

"If I had let Jazell win, she would hold a grudge against me, because her pride would have been challenged, and Jazell's pride is like her mask, a mask she adores and wears every day."

Rosa was now combing Rachel's brown curly hair.

"I can't let Jazell hold a grudge against me just yet; I need her to be able to achieve some of my plans. The harem is like a battlefield; if you have friends, keep them close, but if you have enemies, keep them closer." Racheal said, rising to her feet, Rosa slipped a blue robe on her.

She then blows out most of the candles in the room, leaving only a few on.

"My lady, you are very wise; I admire you." Rosa commended as she led Racheal to her bed; she began to massage her feet after Racheal lay down on the king-sized bed.

"I lost this game and a part of my pride with it, but what I want from Jazell is bigger than that. If Jazell had seen what was coming her way, she wouldn't have dared to underestimate me."