8 Sisters of KodaCait: The Original

Chapter Thirty-One: The Big Secret

Mari threw the piece of paper at King Augustine, and watched in revulsion as the colour drained from his face. His hands began shaking and his mind was overrun with a thousand thoughts. How did she find this? Where did she get it from? He thought he told the maids to keep the box as hidden from view as possible? The rest of the family stood waiting anxiously for his response, but his mouth just gaped open, unable to utter a word.

Impatiently, Queen Pandora took the paper from his hands and went to check it out herself, and what she saw shook her to the core. The paper was a birth certificate- a very old one judging from the beige stains that covered it. But it wasn't just anyone's birth certificate- it was Posy's.

King Augustine, burdened by the weight of his past transgressions, offered a confession that turned the entire family's world upside down.

"After Mari was born...I made a terrible, terrible mistake. I had an affair with Honeybelle for three years...she was just a twenty-two year old maid at the time, just began working at the palace. I didn't intend to get her pregnant. But I knew if anyone found out, my marriage and my reputation would be destroyed, so when...when Posy was born...I bribed Honeybelle with the chance to be governess if she sent Posy to the orphanage. It was the most painful thing I ever had to do, but I saw Posy a few times when she was a baby before being sent off...Honeybelle had to tell everyone that her child had died in childbirth...but I knew I couldn't just leave my daughter without getting to know her, so that's why I proposed the idea to adopt Posy after a few years, but choosing to solely adopt Posy would've raised suspicion, so that's why I agreed to adopt Odie, Bea and the twins...Posy's real name wasn't even Posy- we changed the name on her birth certificate at the orphanage...Her real name is Valency''.

Posy wished that the ground would swallow her whole. Her face twisted in abhorrence, and her stomach knotted as she engulfed the feeling of betrayal. She felt as if King Augustine had pulled wool over her eyes. She was a fool to ever believe he wanted her, or anyone in the family had wanted her. She had always been a burden to everyone around her- but she didn't expect that her own biological parents, the two adults who pretended to care for her the most, would sell her off to an orphanage in order to salvage their reputation.

Honeybelle was even more shocked than anyone in the room. She felt her knees shake. In fact, her entire body began to shake. Staring at Posy with helpless, apologetic eyes, she couldn't remember to function normally. While she knew Posy hadn't actually died, telling others she did hurt to the core, Honeybelle thought she would never see her precious Valency ever again- only to realise that she's been there the entire time. She couldn't bear to be in the room any longer, and ran to the bathroom. Her face was a sickly green colour and she had her trembling mouth covered with one hand. Moments later, faint coughing and gagging sounds were heard.

Simultaneously, Queen Pandora erupted into a fit of rage. It was the first time anyone had seen her so furious. Her face contorted with fury as her jaw clenched tightly, and her eyes narrowed into piercing slits. Tension radiated from her rigid posture, and her fists involuntarily tightened, the knuckles turning white. Each breath seemed to carry the weight of her seething rage, and her body language spoke volumes of the profound anger that consumed her. The man she had loved for years had just blatantly lied to her face. In a swift motion, she removed the slipper she was wearing and charged at her husband, ready to attack him viciously.

"August, how could you?! You lying scumbag, making me believe you loved me for years, how long were you going to keep this hidden, huh?!" She screamed, only to be held back by Evie.

"Dora...please...I'm so, so incredibly sorry...I never meant to hurt you...I still love you so much...the affair was a total mistake, it never should've happened-"

"Damn right it shouldn't have...don't you even try to go near Mum!" Mari hissed, holding her mother's arm. Even she was surprised at the revelation- she never knew it would cause so much chaos. The curling of her upper lip and a quick, instinctive glance away underscored the depth of her aversion.

Evie and Isa couldn't even look at their father. Isa tried to ignore him by comforting the twins, who were now weeping loudly in her arms, their stains staining her nightgown and their whimpers piercing at her heart. As she rubbed their backs and squeezed their arms, she chose to silently retreat upstairs, the twins holding onto her for dear life. Evie took a distraught Queen Pandora to her room, whispering comforting words into her mother's ear.

As Mari followed after her mother, she took one last look and spat at her ashamed father. Her eyes were cold and full of hatred.

"You disgust me, Dad".

Odie and Bea held each other, trying to navigate their mixed feelings of disbelief and hurt. They couldn't fathom that they didn't belong at the palace. If Posy wasn't born- which she wasn't even supposed to be in the first place- then who knows what their fate would've been?

"Dad...does that mean we'll be sent back?" Bea murmured, tears incessantly flowing down her face.

"No! No, not at all Bea, I love you guys too much to ever let you go" King Augustine reassured, trying to muster a small smile at her worried daughter.

Odie, on the other hand, felt more anger than worry. She wasn't angry for herself, but for Posy's sake.

Odie yelled at her father, almost about to attack him herself, "You love us so much that you'd let Posy rot in a terrible orphanage to save your face? You love us so much that deceived us into thinking you actually wanted us here? Do you know how many children bullied Posy at the orphanage because no one knew where she came from? Do you know how hard it was every time I had to fight a kid because they wouldn't stop hurting Posy? Do you know how difficult it was taking the blame and being yelled at by the matrons for trying to defend the girl you wanted out of your life?"

"I never said-"

"Save it father. I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses. Come on Bea, let's head to sleep"

As Odie and Bea headed upstairs together, all who remained in the room were King Augustine, who was sunk into a chair, his head buried in his arms. His head hurt from attempting to apologise to Queen Pandora and his eight daughters, but they remained resolute and ignored his pleading, their anger eclipsing any words of remorse.

Posy was still in the room. She couldn't feel her legs, or her arms or her face. She was just numb from all the mix of emotions and thoughts that were running through her. Her face was blank and lacked expression, staring at the roaring fire without blinking. Her breaths were short but heavy.

King Augustine tried to approach her, hoping his favourite daughter would share some sort of understanding.

"Posy...you have to understand...I never meant to hurt you, or anyone, you have to listen to me-"

Posy unexpectedly erupted in a sudden surge of anger. Her detached demeanour shattered as she aggressively pushed her father away, the intensity of her emotions etched across her face. A profound sense of betrayal fueled the disgust in her eyes, and the forceful push conveyed a raw and visceral rejection, leaving an echo of shock in the air.

"Don't touch me, let me go! I don't even want to look at you. You're disgusting Dad, and to think you actually loved me, how could you betray me like this?! I hate you Dad, I hate you so much and I don't even want to see your face!"

As Posy ran to her room, King Augustine broke down, sobbing in a chair. He had been an idiot, and now he had just lost the woman of his dreams, and his eight cherished daughters. He struggled to grapple with the grave consequences of his actions.

Meanwhile, Isa, torn between the loyalty to her sisters and the familial bonds that now lay fractured, was still comforting the twins. Her father's mistakes had nothing to do with her- but something told her that it was all her fault. In their shared grief, she sang them a gentle lullaby to ease their sorrow and usher them into a tearful slumber, whilst she herself was crying uncontrollably. The truth reverberated through the corridors of the royal residence, as each member of the KodaCait family faced the reality that their lives had been built upon a foundation of deception.