Shadows of Avarice - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 15

Alishba and Xia stood at the front gates, waiting for Osiris. She fixed her brother's shawl to cover up any loose hair that tried to escape. She also dressed him up in one of the plainer dresses to not attract as much attention to him. With the makeup and outfit, no one should be able to know that it was Xia. Even if he went through the market that they hit up a lot, no one should be able to recognize him. 

"Xia, are you sure about this? I can go with you if you'd like," Alishba offered. She didn't like the idea of her brother being alone with Osiris. She knew that she couldn't be around him all the time, but she would have felt more at ease if she were there with him this time.

Xia shook his head. "You know that it is safer if we're not seen together. If it is only me and Osiris, then there's a better chance that no one will know that it's me. I'll make sure that my hair and ears stay covered while I'm out. I promise, everything is going to be okay."

He tried to give his sister a reassuring smile, but she didn't seem to buy it as she pouted at him. She didn't like this idea in the slightest, but Xia was always known to do whatever he wanted. He was stubborn, just like everyone else in their mismatched family. If it were her in this situation, then she would suggest the same thing. She gave her brother a once over, before finally seeming to be satisfied with her work.

Before long, Osiris was joining them. The sultan was also dressed down, in plain brown and red clothing. The sultan had his black hair cascading down his back instead of having it tied up as he usually did. Xia also noticed that his eye color was different. Instead of his usual purple eyes, his eyes were now a light brown. Xia wasn't sure if he was wearing contacts, or if this was some form of magic to conceal his real eye color. Either way, Xia still found him to be handsome.

Xia glanced down, a slight blush forming on his face. Why did he have to be attracted to this man? Osiris was not his friend or his lover. This was all a façade. Xia knew that there was nothing wrong with him thinking that Osiris was pleasant on the eyes, but Xia didn't want to fall for his pretty face. If the sultan weren't his type, then this would have been so much easier to rob him. He had no right to be this good looking.

"Are you ready for our date?" Osiris asked, bringing Xia back to reality.

The thought of this being a date made Xia even more nervous. This would be his very first date. After robbing someone, he made sure that he never crossed paths with that person again. Spending time with a person and simply "hanging out" wasn't something that Xia was used to. He didn't know the first thing about going on a date. Should he hold Osiris' hand the whole time? How close was he required to be to the sultan?

Osiris must have had more experience than him. After all, this man had three women in his harem and was also married at one point. He knew what he was doing.

While he felt nervous about this date, Xia wanted to appear confident. Without waiting for Osiris to make the first move, he reached out and grabbed the sultan's hand. He looked up at his face, giving him a smile as he said, "I'm ready to spend time with you."

Osiris found Xia's response to be rather endearing, and it made the sultan blush. If Xia always acted this cute, then it would be hard for Osiris not to fall in love with this beauty in front of him.

He gripped Xia's hand. "Lead the way, my dear."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Walking through the streets of Rasea with the sultan next to him was awkward. He never thought that he would be in a position so close to this man before, but here he was, clutching tightly onto the sultan's hand as they traversed the city. To Xia's dismay, two soldiers tailed behind them, far enough not to draw attention to them but were never out of sight. The soldiers also dressed more casually, but Xia knew that they were there. He couldn't enjoy finally escaping the palace when he knew that he was being watched.