The Silenced Speaker

Chapter 4 - Aelia Keys

This chapter is dedicated to xxcrimsonxshellxx, my twin ^_^

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Roxanne didn't even notice when the banquet had officially started. She had forgotten how to breathe; engaged? One minute she was still just the normal Roxanne, now she was the fiancée of Prince Trenton! That explained the Trenton's excitement earlier on, Roxanne recalled miserably. She should've known. Next to Trenton wasn't where she rightfully belonged - if she wasn't his fiancée that was.

Roxanne nodded and waved mechanically to everyone who came to congratulate her. She was a fair actress; no one doubted her happiness about the engagement.

Yes, a Princess-to-be. Ready to join the Royal family. Who wouldn't be delighted? Roxanne wouldn't. She always saw Trenton as a superior or at rare times a brother, but that was it; never as a lover. At the age of fifteen, Roxanne had never given a second thought to love or marriages. Her second life was for hatred and revenge.

Trying her best to ignore the inconvenience of the engagement, Roxanne managed to remember the last thing the King said. The wedding would only be after the quest, and no one had set a time limit on it yet. Her quest could last a whole lifetime, and then maybe Prince Trenton could see that he would be better off marrying a foreign Princess perhaps. Although in the back of her mind Roxanne knew it was impossible, the thought had still cheered Roxanne up. She soundlessly parted with Trenton, and drowned herself in the crowd, hoping no one would notice her.

Roxanne made her way to an inconspicuous corner, and observed the other guests from there.

The King and Queen greeted one of the ambassadors from Iskeryl, and the three of them sat down. From the expressions on their faces Roxanne guessed that they were discussing about something major, and definitely not something she would like to meddle with. Roxanne decided to turn her eyes elsewhere.

Tathiette was literally buzzing around Prince Alexis for the whole evening, death-glaring at any female who did as much as taking a second glance at the Prince. Roxanne felt sorry for Alexis; Tathiette was acting like this already only as his fiancée, when she'd actually become his Princess...

The rest of the night passed in peace. The engagement hadn't bothered Roxanne anymore as she had put it on the back of her mind already, making room for more practical worries. Like the quest. And her revenge.

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It was already past midnight when Roxanne returned to her own room. Staring out at the window, the sky was dark and clear with no stars. So was Roxanne's room. There was no illumination since the corridor leading to her suite. Unlike the Royals, Roxanne had no maids. No one else lived in her suite to do as much as turning on the lights at night, but she was used to it in the past thirteen years.

Roxanne changed out of her dress, and put on her usual all-blacks. She left the bandeau and the clips, since they were black already, and helped darkening her light hair colour. Even as a mute Speaker she attracted a mass number of assassins; she always had to hide herself.

Summoning a piece of parchment and her silver pen, Roxanne sat noiselessly on her desk. Her study was joined to the bedroom; she had insisted on that. There wasn't even a door between the two rooms.

Little did the others know; Roxanne never slept in her luxurious bed for the whole night. She always slept in the study, sitting on her desk, as then she would be more wary to the movement of her surroundings than lying on bed, and a whole lot easier to take dominance once a fight really starts. The only time in a day she lay on bed was after dawn, when there was more light. Note the word 'lay' not 'slept'. She stayed awake the entire time on bed. She was only there in case anyone suspected her strange habit.