Duty and Deceit

Chapter 12

Roxas sighed as he stared out the coach window. He'd given up on trying to get rid of Kaia and decided to work around her presence instead.

She sat beside him, moving ever so often as she chatted happily with her other neighbour.

The inn hadn't been impressed with the ruckus they'd caused the night before and were more than happy to ban them from their establishment for life. Roxas was just glad they allowed them to stay the night.

"So you've no idea who to marry?" Kaia asked the girl she'd been talking to.

The girl, a foreigner to YeFia, named Thea, leaned back with her fingers folded on her chest, a dreamy look on her face. "Truly, I love Aias deeply but I cannot trust him to not break my heart again. Whereas Jace has been nothing but nice to me, he cares for my family and has no reputation for playing with the hearts of the innocent, but I feel nothing but friendship with him. And I believe love should be the major component of my marriage, don't you?"

"I don't think you should marry at all," Kaia said to her bluntly and Roxas snickered.

She shot daggers at him. He continued to stare out the window.

Thea's eyes flickered between them, her eyebrows raised with interest.

"I'm so sorry, I hadn't thought to include your companion in our conversation. I didn't know he was with you." She leaned closer, lowering her voice as she asked, "Are the two of you engaged?"

"We aren't," Kaia said quickly,

"Fortunately." Roxas added under his breath.

"Thankfully," Kaia nudged him hard in the ribs, glaring at him for interrupting. "Don't even think about that with him, I say. He's horrible, hardly understanding, very immature and boring and he fights like a child. I'd be better off with a monkey."

Roxas glowered at the passing trees, swiftly kicking her shins with the pointy tip of his shoes. She jerked up, sending him a wide-eyed look before recovering and sending him a kick of her own. He dodged it with ease, barely sparing her a glance.

He felt Thea's appraising gaze on him. Roxas was used to being admired. He was self-aware enough to know he was quite eye-catching, in fact, he used his advantageous looks too often to do a majority of his work for him.

But Thea wasn't admiring his looks, she seemed rather puzzled instead.

"I'd seize him as fast as possible if I were you." She whispered to Kaia, "If you need my assistance, all you have to do is say it."

He bit back a smirk.

"Oh no, you don't have to-" Kaia started

"Sir," She leaned forward as she called him, and Roxas finally turned to face her. "Master Shui is getting engaged to Lady Xue next month, and Lord Shui is holding an engagement ball for the occasion. If you still find yourself in YeFia till then, would you like to come? I would love to converse with Miss Kaia some more."

Roxas had the delight of being friends with Shui once, as he was in Min's social circle. A charming young man, very humorous and confident. He'd screamed his ear off when he found out he was courting Min. Roxas doubted Shui would want to see him again, on his engagement day no-less. But the defence ministress, Yun Ize would be there, Lady Xue's mother. He'd planned on approaching her this year anyway to see if he could get her to stop the war.

"Thank you for the invitation, Thea. But-"

"Certainly, it would be my pleasure, Miss Thea." He smiled politely, and Kaia's head whipped around so fast it was a miracle she didn't crack her neck.