A MAZE OF GREED

"Oh, come on Ruth! How long you are going to stay mad at me?" Thea was tired of convincing Ruth.

She did not mean to ignore her while talking with Ida, but it just... happened. And now, Ruth was giving her a hard time.

After some more failed tries, Thea gave up and drew her master card.

"Fine then. I came here to take you somehwere. I had a SURPRISE for you. But if you do not want it then let it be." She sighed sadly as if she was the only person in the world with no love.

The word 'surprise' shook Ruth's resolve. Thea smiled wickedly, as she knew what a curious cat her friend was.

"Surprise?"

Thea sighed dramatically again and sat on a bench in the garden. The servants were not allowed to use those benches in the garden, but Thea was not a servant, and Ruth was too distracted to pay attention to that nuisance thing.

"Yes, surprise! But you are mad at me and-"

"Mad? Who said that? Can I ever get mad at my best friend?" Ruth batted her eyelashes innocently while wrapping her hands around Thea's shoulders.

"Is that so?" Thea cocked her brow.

"Absolutely!" Ruth has a toothy grin, and the two of them burst out laughing.

Edwin watched from the window at her. Her eyes squinted when she laughed, the corners of her eyes wrinkled. She threw her head back and did not hold back. She liked to laugh loudly as if she had no care of the world.

His mate did not fit in the standard societal definition of a Lady, and she never tried to fit in.

Moon Goddess, she was so perfect in every sense! His face broke into a gentle smile. The smile that only she could create. He checked the time and realised he had an important thing to take care of and for that, he needed to leave now.

"See you soon, little mate!" He whispered and moved away from the window.

"So what is this surprise?" Ruth asked excitedly.

"Eager much, are not we?" Thea wiggled her brows teasingly.

"Thea!"

"Come on. Call your coachman. We are going to my home where your surprise awaits for you."

Ruth's excited smile turned into puzzled expressions. "My coachman?"

"Did not Rees arrange a ride for you to and from your home? Henry is his name, right?"

"Thea! He is not MY coachman. He is-"

"Hello Miss Ruth, Miss Green." As if hearing their conversation, Henry appeared in front of them.

"Oh, hello Mr Henry. Nice to meet you!"

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Green." He smiled charmingly.

"Oh, he is handsome!" Thea whispered in Ruth's ear though she knew that he was a werewolf and could hear them clearly.

Ruth's cheeks burned cutely as she subtly nodded in agreement.

Henry coughed, seeing that. Thea could not understand if it was because he like their comments, or because he did not like what his supposed to be Luna thought he was handsome.

"Miss Ruth, shall we?" He asked. His wagon was ready to go.

"Henry, actually tonight I am going to Thea's house." Ruth told.

"No problem, Miss Ruth. I will take you both there."

"Oh no, Henry. You then will need to take a long route with the wagon. We will walk there by the short route." Ruth protested politely.

"No, Miss Ruth! Please! Mr Welby has trusted me with your responisibility and I do not want to disappoint him. Besides I would like to talk with Miss Green as she has stolen his heart. He is like a hero to me, you know."

Thea smiled. "Then we shall!"

The three of them took their spots in a wagon. Henry took his place behind the reigns, and the two women sat in the comfortable seat behind him.

The horse neighed, and the wheels started running on the road towards Thea's home.

During the journey, Thea and Henry were consistently discussing some trivial matters, as if world politics was dependent on them. Ruth's mind could not join them and kept wandering to what Lester said.

-"Not everything is as it looks, Miss Ruth. There is always something more than what meets the eyes."-

Ruth pulled out the red book and ran her fingers again on its title.

So the blue-eyed monster had read this book. He must have liked it if he gifted it to Lady Elsie. But it was a romantic story.

So did he believe in love?

The images of his face when he held Ruth before she fell in his office flashed in front of her eyes. She was astonished at her inappropriate thought about him.

How could she find his lips... delectable?

That very thought arose some funny feeling in her chest and stomach. Ruth shook her head to clear those thoughts. She again glanced down at the book.

She could not wait to read it!

They found themselves in front of the familiar home with a small garden around. Stepping down the wagon, Thea thanked Henry.

"Thank you so much, Mr Henry. It was indeed pleasure meeting you. Now I know why Ruth like her journeys these days that much."

Henry blushed adorably, and Thea resisted pinching his cheek and cooed in his ear.

"See you soon Miss Green. I will be there on time to pick you Miss Ruth. Good night ladies! Enjoy the evening."

Ruth watched his wagon running the other way leaving dust behind. She and Thea were about to walk through the small gate of Thea's house when Ruth saw a cat.

"Sweety!" She ran behind it with rejoiced heart, but her face fell when she realised it was not her sweety.

Thea felt bad. She knew how close Ruth had grown to Zoe. Her friend deserved at least a goodbye. But fate has always been cruel to her. Everyone that she loved dearly left her without a goodbye.

"Ruth", Thea softly put her hand on her shoulder. "It is not your sweety."

Ruth fought back a lump in her throat, pushing it down. "Yeah, I... I thought... never mind. Let's go."

She hid her disappointment behind the mask of a smile. Thea sighed helplessly, and they walked through the gate.

Mr Green opened the door with a wide smile on his face.

"Look, my princesses are here!" He welcomed them wholeheartedly.

"Hello, Mr Green. It is been long since the last time we met." Ruth greeted him.

It was one of the days after Mr Payne's funeral, to be precise.

"Yes. How are you, my dear?"

"I am fine, thank you. And how are you?" She smiled politely.

"As fine as your aunt keeps me." He whispered loudly, that making Ruth giggle.

"Come on, there is a surprise waiting for you in the kitchen." He told.

Thea smiled and tilted her head towards the kitchen. As Ruth neared it she could hear Mrs Green's voice, but when she entered the kitchen, she was surprised by Mrs Payne and Mrs Welby's presence.

"Hello, dear!" Mrs Welby smiled as soon as she noticed Ruth in the doorway.

After Mr Payne's death, she visited Mrs Payne regularly along with Mrs Green. And, thus had warmed up some more towards Ruth. And the fact that Ruth was their chosen Luna made her more caring towards her.

"Hello, Mrs Welby!"

"Oh my favourite daughter!" Mrs Green was just like her daughter- hot-headed, impatient, sarcastic, dramatic and loved to squeeze the air out of Ruth's lungs by her tight hugs.

Ruth held her breath as she hugged her to her heart's content. Thea smirked at Ruth tauntingly then separated her mother from her best friend to save her life.

"What... I mean, how? Ruth struggled to find the words.

"Mr Green came to pick me in the evening. Thea have planned this special dinner for all of us." Mrs Payne explained.

That gesture of Mr Green touched Ruth's heart, and suddenly she became emotional. She wanted to run to him and give him the same hug that his wife and daughter loved to give others.

But she did not want to make things awkward between her and Mr Green, so she refrained.

"Then where is Rees and Mr Welby?" She asked instead.

"Rees will be here soon. And Mr Welby is busy chosing a wine from your uncle's collection." Mrs Green answered.

She then ushered the girls to get cleaned up. Thea gave Ruth her dress to change in as she did not get a chance to change her uniform.

After they got freshened up, they went back into the kitchen to help the ladies in dinner preparations. Thea requested her mother to take out the dinner set that her mother had saved only for a super special occasion that had not occurred since she bought it from another town.

After five minutes of arguments and Mr Green's intervention, Mrs Green accepted her defeat and let her daughter have her way.

Ruth noticed that Thea was exceptionally happy today, and she was happy to see that. They both prepared the dining table and added more chairs to fit everyone.

"Thank you Thea for bringing Mrs Payne. This was indeed a great surprise!" Ruth smiled while placing the cutlery in the right way that she had learned in 'the great manor'.

"Oh this... this is nothing Ruth.. The real surprise is yet to be revealed!" Thea winked mischievously and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving behind confused Ruth.