A MAZE OF GREED

Kevin was asked to stay for lunch by Lester. And that was Ruth's best chance. She followed Kevin closely, and when he retired to his room for rest until the lunch was served, she decided to speak with the man.

But the problem was she could not just directly barge into the room. She needed an excuse... a believable one.

And the opportunity came her way when she saw a middle-aged maid, her hands full with fresh towels walking her way.

"Hello, dear! Is the guest in his room?" The woman asked with a friendly voice.

"Erm... not yet. He may take some time." Ruth lied.

"What? But-"

"Are these towels for him?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Why don't you give them to me? I will place them in his room before he comes." Ruth offered help.

"Oh no no dear. You are a guest here." The woman said.

"Yes, but I am getting bored as Lady Elsie is resting in her room and I do not have anything else to do." Ruth insisted.

The woman looked hesitant at first, but she had other things to take care so she finally gave in to Ruth's offer. Smiling at the retreating figure of the maid, Ruth had a victorious face.

Standing outside Kevin's door, she made sure that no one was watching her. She knocked on the door, waiting patiently for him to open the door.

With a clicking sound, the door was opened by Kevin. Ruth's eyes widened fractionally as the man looked better up close than before.

"Yes?"

She was startled by his voice. Clearing her throat, she said, "I have brought fresh towels for you, My Lord."

Kevin's eyes moved to the towels in her hands. "Okay. Give them to me." He extended his hands to take them from her, but Ruth instantly took a step back.

Kevin gave her a quizzical look.

"Erm... Lord Lester has told me to put them in the bathroom by myself and see if you need help with anything else." Ruth lied again.

She saw him narrowing his eyes, but then he stepped aside, letting her in.

Ruth released a shaky breath after entering his room. She roamed her eyes around to find one small bag open on the bed. He had no other belongings with him.

And then her eyes fell on the scroll that lay on the bed beside the bag.

Kevin cleared his throat, pulling her back to reality.

Ruth went inside the bathroom and arranged the towels there. When she came out of the bathroom, she found him grinning ear to ear while reading that scroll. She tactfully peeked over his shoulder.

She did not get what was written in there except she saw Edwin's official seal in the right corner.

Kevin instantly turned around after sensing her presence behind her.

"Are you done?" He asked.

He was not rude or creepy, yet Ruth felt the suspicion lingering in his orbs.

"Yes."

Ruth searched for a topic to prolong their conversation. She could not just ask him about Edwin directly.

"Erm Lord Kevin... if you do not mind I would like to know more about you." Ruth finally said with the prettiest smile she could ever muster.

Kevin had smelled her to be a human. There was no way she had any knowledge of why he rose to fame over the night.

"What do you want to know?"

Ruth was relieved. At least he was polite and not rude.

"I heard all the maids gossiping about you. They were gawking at you like crazy... not that you are not handsome or anything. You are a good looking man but... I do not understand why... umm..."

'Great Ruth! You just messed it up for yourself.' She thought, cringing inwardly.

"Basically you want to know why everyone was talking about me." Kevin made it simple for her.

Ruth nodded in response.

Kevin gave her a long scrutinous look before answering. "A few days back something terrible happened with me but I walked safely out of it. Perhaps that is the reason why they were gossiping about me. But many people know about it. But it seems like you don't!" He pointed, raising his one brow.

"What can I say... you may think that I am not really into gossiping besides... I was busy with something else." No matter how angry she was with Edwin and how much he hurt her, her every thought began with him and ended with him only.

"Okay." Kevin nodded.

Oh no! was that okay an end of their shortly survived conversation?

"Was it a wolf's attack?" She asked instantly.

Kevin was confused. If she was a human, then how did she know about it? One wrong word from him, and he would create trouble for himself.

Kevin did not know why he was entertaining that woman for such long. However, he could not be rude to her and tell her to get out.

"What else do you know about it?" Kevin decided to play safe.

Ruth contemplated if she should tell him what she knew. But then if she did not, then that would be the end of their conversation. That also meant she could not know more about Edwin's wounds.

"I know that your family was attacked by a wolf when you were travelling. Only you survived because Lord Edwin and Lord Lester reached there at the right time.

Lord Edwin got severely injured while saving you. He was unconscious for more than thirty hours. More than his hand, the injury on his back was so gruesome. The wolf's claws had torn his skin too deep."

While telling it, she eyed the changing expressions on his face. And when she finished, what she saw was similar to guilt.

"You... you are right. It was only because of Lord Edwin that I was saved or..." Kevin could not complete his sentence.

Ruth felt guilty seeing the pain on his face. She was so adamant about finding her answers that she forgot she was digging the painful memories for him.

Her face softened, and she slowly took a step ahead. "Lord Kevin, I am so sorry! It was very inconsiderate of me that I made you recall those terrifying memories. Please forgive me for I had no intention of upsetting you!" She told sincerely.

"That is fine!" He said while masking his emotions.

Ruth wanted to ask more, but then she thought otherwise. She realised that she was changing... she was changing a lot. She did not care about the means and the ways that she chose to get what she desired.

She was never like that. She was changing gradually into a person that she had never imagined before.

"You were smiling while reading that scroll. May I ask what is in it?" She asked, trying to divert the course of their conversation.

At least now, she knew that Edwin's story was not a lie.

Kevin looked again at the scroll in his hand. The previous painful expressions were replaced by joyous ones.

"I am actually recruited by Lord Edwin." He said with a smile that reached his eyes.

"Seriously? For what?" Ruth asked curiously.

Kevin searched for the right words before telling her, "I am recruited to... to take care of his business outside the Vincardine. As he cannot always be present at every place by himself. I will represent his cause whenever necessary." He came up with something believable.

Ruth's face lit up with a smile. "Congratulations Lord Kevin! He must have seen that potential in you if he has given you such a great responsibility." Ruth commented.

Kevin tilted his head, studying her. "You seem to know so much about Lord Edwin." He pointed out the obvious.

Ruth bit the inside of her cheek before saying, "I am actually Lady Elsie's headmaid. She is his cousin."

Although Kevin nodded his head, he was not convinced. As a brother of an alpha he and his family members also had head maids or servants. But his brother's head maid could not tell such detailed information about him.

This woman was either lying, or she was different. But he didn't hear her heart racing, unlike she first lied when he opened the door.

He should probably ask her about Lady Elsie or Lord Lester. What if she was a spy?

Kevin tensed at that thought.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not realise when his hold around the scroll loosened and it fell on the ground.

"Let me pick it for you." Ruth said before he comprehended what happened.

She bent down to pick up the scroll. While she was bent down, her necklace came out of the dress's neckline to dangle in front of Kevin.

That unusual but gorgeous design caught his attention. But when he took a closer look at the blue coloured stone inside it, the lanes of his thoughts got mixed up in confusion.

Ruth straightened herself then returned his scroll with a smile. "Here."

"Lord Kevin?" She called his name when he stood frozen on his spot.

Kevin blinked, coming back to reality. He took the scroll from her hands.

"Nice necklace!" He complimented.

Ruth looked down at her chest. She took the pendant in her fingers and smiled.

"Thank you! It is a gift." She replied.

"From special someone?" Kevin inquired.

Ruth shook her head with a giggle. "No. It is given by Rees. Lord Edwin's bodyguard."

Now that confused him even more. Rees was married to Thea, but he did not see the same necklace around her neck. Then why did he gift that necklace to Ruth?

Why did he put that gemstone in that necklace which absorbs and barricades the negative supernatural energies?

Kevin was confused, thus he decided to ask about it Rees at the lunch.