Cora sat there on the sofa, with both her hands holding the armrest for support. She trusted Keisha more than she could have trusted any other person in her life. How could Keisha betray her? "This is not true…" Cora shook her head.

"Send the messengers who discovered Keisha's disloyalty towards the kingdom," ordered Dmitri looking at Nate. "You can hear it from those who have evidence against her," said Dmitri looking at his mother.

​​

Cora's heart became heavy as though someone had put a thousand pounds weight on it. The messengers came within half an hour and they poured all the details in front of Cora.

"When Adrianna heard about her father's rebellion, even she reacted to it. I had sent Kuro to the guillotines. However, later she understood that had to be done was necessary," Dmitri said to make Cora understand the gravity of the situation. "It was because of Keisha's offer to help them in their rebellion that Kuro turned against us. With all the money she offered, it was easy for him to buy so many chiefs to rebel against us. But that didn't happen because all chiefs under me are loyal at this point of time. No one has the guts to go against me. Keisha had planned the rebellion all along only to get back at me. While on the outside she showed how loyal she was to you, on the inside her plans were to overturn me at one point of time."

Cora was listening to all that Dmitri was pouring in front of her with wide eyes. How could she not see Keisha's treachery? Suddenly the love she had for her turned into hate even without fighting the self-conscience. Negative emotions flowed through her body and it was as though someone had poured acid into her soul. She tried to remember all the good memories she had about Keisha in order to shirk those thoughts but nothing came to her mind. Her betrayal was foremost in her mind.

Cora looked at Dmitri. He hadn't told her about Keisha even after the rebellion was suppressed. Although she did remember that he had asked her whether she had given any money to Keisha. He had been so considerate of their relationship. Suddenly it occurred to her that even Adrianna was considerate of her relationship with Keisha. Had it been Cora, she wouldn't have been sympathetic and would have killed the disloyal person immediately.

Her mind that was filled with so much purpose and love for Keisha was now replaced with bitterness and hate. Her trust in being a good mother was gone. She had only been pathetic. Keisha pulled wool over her eyes for years, telling tales of trauma and victimhood that never happened. Even in her last letter she had tried to make her a fool. Cora felt that she was like the leading lady of all her dramas. And now that she glimpsed through the curtains, she spotted her evil intentions. Tears ran through her eyes unbridled.

Dmitri came forward to hold his mother, but she removed his hand. It was something she had to deal with on her own. She had to fight her own ghosts. She looked pale and was filled with remorse. The way she treated her son and Adrianna because of Keisha was something she couldn't even fathom. She got up from the sofa and walked to her room.

Everyone else left the room too.

It was already 8AM and Adrianna had to go back to the academy. Dmitri went upstairs to his bedroom. He hadn't anticipated the whole drama would take so long. When he reached, he found that Adrianna was already ready to leave.

She looked at him. He was looking very sad. She went to him and hugged him. "I am sorry…"

He hugged her back. "If anyone has to be sorry, that is me… I am sorry for my mother's behavior…"

Adrianna pressed her head on his chest and said, "This is just a phase. It will pass… However, don't ask me to release Keisha. She has to meet her end and I couldn't be gentler on it. She has to see it approaching near her slowly. What she has done is simply unacceptable."

"I am not bothered about her Adri…" he replied.

Suddenly a portal was beginning to form. Adrianna released him and started to leave. She smiled at him. "Take care Dmitri and if you want to take a rest, why don't you come to the wizard kingdom tonight. If you like you can bring Cora too."

"I think she is going to take a long time to recover but I will think about it," he replied as he saw her entering the portal.

She waved him goodbye with a smile.

Adrianna walked right outside the wizard academy. She took a deep breath to be ready to face Zephyr.