Chapter 16 : Ally or Foe?

Both Kaya and Clover turned around when the door creaked open, revealing Sam, whose hair was now combed back. He smiled as he slowly stepped inside the room.

"Miss Kaya..." Sam bowed deeply, one hand behind his back and the other on his abdomen. "Sir Caspian would like to speak with you in the kitchen."

"...Tell him that I'll be there in a few minutes." Kaya said then Sam bowed before leaving the room in a flash. Silence filled the room as both Kaya and Clover digested Sam's words. Kaya was thinking of why Caspian wanted to talk to her, besides the fact that they were complete strangers to him and maybe, just maybe, he wanted to know more about the two.

Clover, on the other hand, was thinking the exact opposite. His teeth were gritted, his gem glowing in and out, as well as his eyes. He didn't know what Caspian wanted with Kaya but he was sure that it wasn't a good thing. Kaya stood up without a word, knowing that Clover would try to stop her if she said anything. However, when she did, Clover grabbed her arm. His eyes were glowing just a light shade of red, his hand radiating a heat that was... comforting.

"Clover..." she said softly. "Please."

"Kaya, if he does something..." Clover breathed out and Kaya swore that there was smoke coming out of his mouth. "Scream."

Now that Kaya was paying more attention, the hallway was longer than she first thought. There were also multiple paintings on the wall, each different in it's own way. Kaya stared at the beautiful mixture of colors, patterns and creativity.

"Starry Night by Van Gogh." Kaya read a random nameplate as she passed a painting composed of dark colors, swirls and what looked like a ting of yellow. Then, the painting at the end of the hallway caught her attention. The way it was lighted and positioned made it look like a center piece in a museum so she walked towards it to take a closer look.

It was a self-portrait of a family of three. The tall man, father of the household, was standing tall and proud, a thick beard covering his chin. The mother was sitting on a chair next to the father, pearls adorning her neck and a beautiful headband on her brown hair. The little boy in the center, wearing what looked a formal school uniform, was no doubt to be Caspian. Although, she almost didn't recognize him because of his glasses and chubby cheeks. For some reason, even though Caspian was smiling in the painting, he didn't really look happy.

"My mother is a beautiful woman, isn't she?"

Kaya jumped when she heard a voice behind her and turned around with so much force that she thought she gave herself whiplash. Caspian was standing behind her, glasses sitting at the tip of his nose, making his eyes stand out. He was wearing a black long sleeved turtleneck, which was complimented by his frilly pink apron. He was smiling, his eyes on the painting, one hand occupied by a white rice scooper, which he was holding close to his lips.

"You must be wondering where mother and father are." Caspian walked towards Kaya with a light chuckle and she just stared at his face. "They're taking care of a business proposal in France so they won't be back in a few months. You and Clover can stay as long as you like."

Kaya continued to stare, then Caspian placed his hand on the small of her back, which made her shiver a bit because of the touch.

"Would you mind coming into the kitchen with me, Kaya? I prepared a decent meal for you. Don't worry, I already told Sam to send some to Clover as well."

Kaya's head spun as she was lead to the kitchen, which was blinding white. She honestly expected everything but to be served a meal by Caspian. Wasn't he the master of the household? Which meant that Sam should be the cook?

As Caspian assisted her in sitting down, Kaya looked around. The kitchen alone was as big as her bedroom in the orphanage and the dining table was twice as long as her bed. Kaya touched the chair, which was made of glass and looked up at the chandelier that was hanging a few feet above the table. She turned towards the kitchen and saw Caspian's blue hair bobbing up and down from behind the counter, After a while, there was a ding of a bell, then Caspian walked in with a tray of food. Caspian was smiling all throughout, even when he placed the tray in front of Kaya.

When he raised the silver cover, Kaya was greeted by a plate of roasted chicken and fried rice, its smell intoxicating her. Together with it was a glass of wine and a small plate of what looked like lemon jelly.

"Eat up." Caspian was now sitting across her, his chin resting on his hands. "You must be hungry."

Even though she was extremely hungry, Kaya still remembered her table ethics and ate with ease. Her eyes widened at the taste, since it reminded her of the food she ate in the orphanage.

"This... is really good." she said and shot a smile at Caspian, who nodded at her approval. "Thank You." Caspian cocked his head a bit, his bangs falling over the rims of his glasses.

"You're very much welcome, Miss Kaya."

Kaya took a sip of the wine. "There's no need to be formal with me, Caspian."

Caspian chuckled and silently watched Kaya eat. As he did, Kaya thought of why he was being so kind to her and Clover. Was he planning something? Or.. could he just be a kind person at heart?

"Caspian..." Kaya muttered as she set her utensils on the plate. Since she was so hungry, it was as if she sucked up the food with a vacuum. "Why did you help me and Clover?"

Caspian's smile faded upon hearing her question and she wondered if there was something wrong with what she had asked. His eyes flicked towards the table and his lips curled down to a frown.

"...You two were in trouble, so I decided to help." Caspian said in one breath and Kaya could tell that he didn't want to say any more. For a while, she was silent then nodded slightly. Could it be that he didn't know that Kaya and Clover were fugitives?