CHAPTER ELEVEN: A LITTLE ON NOBLES.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but Kaiden's story isn't a pleasant one, being the last of the Monroe line, he has to join a guild." Spade continued with the noble's story.

"Doesn't he already have a family name? Why should he join a guild?"

"I heard something about him being the last generation for the Monroe name. Apparently, all his cousins who were supposed to renew the name decided that they wanted to start their 'own' families under different names."

"What does that mean?"

"Well a noble has to renew their second name, you know."

"I actually don't," Kaira added.

"When a person receives a name, a second one, they are liable to become nobles depending on their interests. Nobles or anyone with a large family that desires to establish themselves must declare their use or importance to the empire by either strengthening themselves through guilds or working for the royal families. The easiest way is obviously to join a guild because the requirements are a bit lax, but once you gain a name, you have the capability of using it till the third generation of your family."

"Why is that bad though, aren't nobles strong? Shouldn't it be a piece of cake for him to join a guild?"

"That!" Spade exclaimed, pointing at Kaira's mouth and she unconsciously touched her lips.

"What?" she asked.

“That’s why.”  He continued. "Its beliefs and thoughts like that that make a weak noble sound disgraceful, people are different; they have different strengths and weaknesses. Not all nobles are strong."

"How do you know that Lord Monroe isn't ‘strong’?"

"Honestly I don't, but if he was strong, don't you think that he would have joined a guild with his cousins?"

"Hmm…maybe he wasn't interested," Kaira said.

"I…I feel like we are going in circles, and I'm talking to a wall."

"A wall?" Kaira repeated seeking clarification and partly looking for a reason to be insulted, but Spade had already moved on.

"If he is not interested in joining a guild, he is obviously interested in something else, right?"

"Yes," Kaira responded as though she was a child in school, diligently following along with his train of thought.

"Have you ever said, 'oh! I've reached the maximum strength that I will ever reach in my life."

"Well no, because each time I train, I find a new way to do something else."

"Good, good." He hummed for a second as though he had been trying to find the best way to explain his next sentence. "Because everything is constantly evolving; there is nothing 'done' or a 'complete' level when it comes to skills. There can be leading-edge, but never a state of 'doneness.' So, every time he spends neglecting training and doing something else…" he trailed for Kaira to finish.

"His competitors surpass him?"

"Close enough. The moves evolve, people learn the new and simpler way to do things and grow more accustomed to their bodies. I'm not saying it is a bad thing not to train, I mean his attention is evolving something else, he's on the leading edge in trade, I just wanted to explain that not all nobles are interested in strength."

“Then what about masters or…”

“They are just people who are on the leading edge; they aren’t done with the skill. Perhaps their bodies can't keep up with the evolution due to long term damages inflicted but whatever, my point is…what the hell was my point?” Spade sighed.

"So…you're saying that Sienna could have given me her name relatively easily?" Kaira asked. "I mean: I want to inherit Sienna's second name." she clarified.

“What? That was not my p-, I just…” Spade sighed."Yes, Kaira out of everything I said, yes.” He answered as though he was tired.

“But also depending on which generation the name is at." He added, after a brief pause.

"Sienna used to work for the royal guild, the covert side of it," Kaira stated.

"Covert?" Spade asked. "Is there even such a side, the royal guild is popular as it is, from brand deals, to scroll recordings? It's pretty hard to miss the guilds work?" He clarified.

"I mean the assassination side of it." Kaira said hopping off the table then plopping her body on the bed, "You know when a royal family wants someone gone but doesn't want to make it public, that type of thing," she answered confidently.

"SIENNA WAS AN ASSASSIN?!" Spade asked, his whole body froze at the thought.

Spade hated assassins. Ever since they had killed his mother and father, he hated the art.

-There had been no warning, no foreshadowing, no…-

He stopped his thoughts before they took over. The art should not exist; no-one's life should end that quietly. He loathed it.

-WHY DID ASSASSINS EXIST?  WHY?- His mind was racing, no, his thoughts were ravaging him.

He was going to be sick. Spade felt bitter bile rise his throat.

-Wait...Sienna was part of the Royal guild? Could she be connected to-

-No, I can't start doubting my connections now...I can't..hate the only lifeline I have.-

His hands trembled slightly.

"Why are you yelling? Is it really that shocking?" Kaira asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

"No, no, sorry. Uh, yeah, if Sienna was working for the royal guild then yes it should have been relatively easy for you to attain her second name, as long as she...well provided, that she gives her consent." He said distractedly.

"So I guess that Sienna wants me to earn it, huh?" Kaira added then sighed.

"Sure," Spade answered.

"Are you okay you seem a little...?"

"Hm? No, I mean, yes...Yes. I am..." he stood. "I just need some air," he said then headed to the door.

"Did...um, did Sienna ever...kill...I mean-"

"Of course she did; she is an assassin? Spade, there is no colour on your face." Kaira sat up and frowned.

"H...huh, oh…huh?" he touched his face slowly with his trembling hands. Then forced a smile and then left.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kaira asked herself. Then she touched her chest. Why did it hurt?

KAIDEN

A DAY LATER.

"More often than sometimes," Kaiden answered honestly to Rosa's question of ‘How often he had missed her.’

To him, the question had sounded Ludacris. During that time, he had been certain that his body would give in from craving her too much. She had been his worst drug.

It had been a day since he had experienced her hateful side.

He had asked the boy about it, but the boy had claimed stubbornly that he never spoke to Miss Rosa because she hated how he smelled, and that none of the staff had liked him either.

The child seemed unattached to things and people; he did not know his age nor have a name; it seemed as though he was waiting to die, simply filling his time. As Kaiden watched the boy, he felt a similar feeling that he had felt watching the waves the ship made on the ocean. He carried nothing. He couldn't explain it, but he was interested in the boy, more so than he had been before.

That was why Kaiden did not doubt him, but if he couldn't doubt the boy, the only one left to doubt was her.

So, he was back to zero again with the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. Rosa was leaning against the metallic railings on the deck in a light pink gown that he had gifted her, sipping champagne and watching the waves on the dark ocean.

It was early night now, and he had reserved that area for them to have a private dinner since today would be their last night on the ship. He had planned to tell her tonight that he wanted to run away with her. At least that had been the plan before she started looking like a stranger to him.

Of course, he would believe her if she showed she loved him with as much intensity as he loved her, but his mind kept flashing to an image of her beautiful face filled with disgust. Funnily enough, it was not because of the boy, but because she had pointed it at him.

That had made him realize that he had never been on the receiving end of her hate, or rather any negative emotion from her, even disapproval. It made him wonder if their relationship had even been ‘real’, didn’t all couples disagree on somethings? Didn’t they flip back from love to hate on some days? The look on Rosa’s face then and the look on her face now…made her seem as though she had multiple personalities.

But that was probably because he had never seen her face in that light before, Or maybe she hadn’t let him see it. Kaiden felt his thoughts spiral.

He examined her expression again, she had closed her eyes now, and the wind was blowing through her hair enchantingly. Her cheeks were a light shade of pink due to the alcohol she had been steadily consuming. Truthfully, she was breathtaking. He couldn't see a fault or slip up, she was perfect, and maybe that was what unnerved him the most.