Shadows of Avarice - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 21

For the next few days, as Shiva had suggested, Xia and his sister joined the concubine to learn proper etiquette. Neither seemed too thrilled to understand the subject, but it was something that they needed to know before the celebration. Xia got through it by telling himself he was competing with Soraya. Thinking that he wanted to do better than her fueled his motivation. He wanted to show that he was more than a pretty face.

But learning how to present himself properly was becoming boring. Xia needed some excitement in his life instead of sitting in a room for days. He appreciated Shiva's help, but he needed a break. He could learn the right way to eat with a fork later. It seemed like such a useless skill that the nobles would judge someone for if they did it wrong.

Shiva was in the middle of lecturing Alishba about her technique. His sister had to stop herself from rolling her eyes or making a snide comment on multiple occasions. While the women were distracted, Xia saw this as an opportunity to escape for a few minutes. They would surely notice his absence quickly, but Xia would handle their scolding later. After a short break, he would return to these boring lessons.

He left the library, silently closing the door behind him to keep them from noticing right away. If Shiva noticed, she would make him turn around this instant. He couldn't risk being caught so soon. All he needed was a short break and then he would be fine. The concubine did give them breaks during the lessons, but they weren't long enough for Xia's liking. He also wasn't allowed to leave the library during recess. Shiva didn't want them to go far in case they tried to skip out on their lessons.

While he had a moment away from the concubine and his sister, Xia wasn't sure what he wanted to do with this short time. He didn't want to be spotted by anyone either, or they would make him return to class. Everyone in the castle knew that Shiva was training Xia and Alishba. They were under strict orders from her to make sure that they didn't escape during lessons. For being only a concubine, Shiva seemed to hold a lot of power in the palace.

For a moment, he wondered why Shiva wasn't interested in becoming sultana. But after learning about her past, he could understand why. She didn't want to be in a position of power, but she was also in love with someone else. She couldn't settle down with Osiris when she had feelings for another.

Thinking about Osiris, it had been a few days since Xia last saw the sultan. He was still avoiding him after their last interaction, but it wasn't as though Osiris was trying to see him either. If the sultan wanted to, he could have visited Xia in his room. They didn't see each other during dinner and Osiris didn't summon him. It made Xia worry. What if Osiris was finally planning to get rid of him? Maybe that was why he was keeping his distance.

Xia had to find out. He needed to know what Osiris was planning in case he had to escape with Alishba now. Even if they did escape, Osiris knew where Xia lived. Xia regretted taking him there that day they ran away from the merchant, but Xia wasn't sure where else to run. Returning there wouldn't be an option if Osiris chose to turn his back on him. Xia began to plan in his head their escape. He would need to get his grandmother and brothers out of there as well. All of the presents Osiris gave him they could use to flee Rasea. It wouldn't have been enough to make a living somewhere else, but Xia would improvise. He made it through life this far, so he would figure out what to do in the future as well.

As he contemplated his next move, Xia spotted the sultan looking over one of the balconies above him. Osiris wasn't looking down as he leaned an arm against the balcony's rail, so he didn't notice Xia just yet. Seeing the sultan made Xia's heart race. It had been a week since their last interaction but seeing him again still made Xia's stomach flutter.

He glanced around, making sure no one was watching him. Xia wasn't sure how to traverse the palace to get to that specific balcony, but Xia did see a lattice fence leading up. He could climb that to reach Osiris. He was a skilled climber, so Xia wasn't worried about falling or stepping on any of the flowers wrapped around the fence.