Shadows of Avarice (BxB)

Chapter 14

Two days passed as Xia and Alishba tried to survive palace life, which was relatively easy for them. After a while, they found themselves bored of roaming around the palace with nothing to do. Xia longed to go on an adventure. Escaping Rasea momentarily and exploring the world outside of the kingdoms' walls always filled Xia with a sense of joy. He was not accustomed to this life of luxury, where he was able to stay inside and not have to worry about survival. He enjoyed not having to worry about when his next meal would be, but he didn't want to stay cooped inside all day. Even walking around town might make him feel better for a while.

He doubted that he could leave the palace without consulting the sultan first. Osiris may have given him permission to go wherever he pleased, but would he allow Xia to leave the palace grounds? He wasn't a prisoner, so perhaps he would be allowed to come and go as he pleased. Though, he doubted that he would be able to go alone. If he were to be Osiris' bride, then a guard would have to always be escorting him when leaving the palace. Xia didn't know if he could handle someone following him around the whole time.

Xia needed to do something. He was becoming restless being stuck within the palace. He hadn't seen Osiris much during the last few days, so he wasn't sure where to look for him first. The sultan was always busy. If someone from his court wasn't following him around, then some other noble was. That man couldn't escape to get some alone time. Whenever Xia saw him, he avoided him, for multiple reasons. He didn't want to get caught up in politics, and he also didn't want to seem like he wanted the sultan's attention. Alishba was right when she said that Xia shouldn't become attached. If they planned to leave in the end, then Xia didn't want to become heartbroken.

However, right now he wanted to escape this damn palace for a moment. He thought about trying to escape without anyone knowing, but he didn't want to risk being caught. He needed to be on his best behavior to prevent people from suspecting him. For now, he would seek out Osiris and ask him for permission to leave. Xia would return when he felt as though he had his fill of the outside world. Part of him wanted to visit his family to let them know that he was okay, but he didn't want the guard accompanying him to know where he lived. Anything that he did would surely be reported back to the sultan.

As Xia walked around the palace looking for Osiris, he eventually spotted him talking with two nobles who had come to discuss business with him. Xia wasn't surprised to see him surrounded by people who wanted his attention. Osiris wore a smile on his face as he listened to the nobles complain, but Xia could see a tinge of annoyance on his face. The sultan longed to be free of this situation.

Eventually, Osiris glanced up and saw Xia looking at him. This was the perfect opportunity for him to escape this situation. He gestured to Xia to join them. While Xia wanted to turn and hide, he couldn't disobey the sultan. If Osiris was summoning him, then he had no choice but to join them.

When Xia took the spot standing next to Osiris, the sultan put an arm around Xia's waist and pulled him close. He pleasantly smiled at the men and said, "This is my betrothed, Xia. If you men don't mind, I would like to spend some time with my fiancée."

He didn't wait for the men to respond as he pulled Xia away with him. It would be a bad look on his reputation walking away from nobility as he did, but Osiris was tired of dealing with them. It was every day that either his court or a noble was bothering him. He needed a break from all of these headaches.

Osiris let out a sigh. "Those men have been on my case for the past few days. Not only is the court trying to force us to marry now so that I can produce an offspring, but those men have been trying to get me to annul my marriage with you and marry one of their daughters instead. Luckily, you showed up at the perfect time for me to show them that I already have you. You freed me from having to listen to them for a moment longer."