The Maid's Daughter: Son of Rozari, #2

By J. Naomi Ay

Kacia thought her life would be pretty simple. She'd spend her days serving as Lady Lorena's maid in the Manor House of Shrotru while occasionally following her mistress to the Royal Palace whenever the occasion arose. When the circumstances change, and the girl finds herself tangled in a web orchestrated by the most powerful men on Planet Rozari, her only option is to leave, to join the first Rozarian battalion in the TransGalactic Allied SpaceForce.

 

In the meantime, Lord Eryk Donika has basically nothing to do in this life. His brother Viscount Byb is set to inherit the family estates while Eryk is too lazy, too uninspired, too stupid, his Earl Father says, to figure out anything else to do. When the opportunity arises, he also sets his sights on outer space, for lack of something better, only to be entangled in Kacia's web.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Naomi Ay
• Release date: Dec 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393568247

Book preview

Also by J. Naomi Ay

Son of Rozari series

The Squire (Book 1)

The Maid’s Daughter (Book 2)

For God, Land and Love (Book 3)

The Two Moons of Rehnor series

The Boy who Lit up the Sky (Book 1)

My Enemy's Son (Book 2)

Of Blood and Angels (Book 3)

Firestone Rings (Book 4)

The Days of the Golden Moons (Book 5)

Golden's Quest (Book 6)

Metamorphosis (Book 7)

The Choice (Book 8)

Treasure Hunt (Book 9)

Space Chase (Book 10)

Imperial Masquerade (Book 11)

Rivalry (Book 12)

Thirteen (Book 13)

Betrayal (Book 14)

Fairy Tales (Book 15)

Gone for a Spin (Book 16)

The Firesetter series

A Thread of Time (Book1)

Amyr’s Command (Book2)

Three Kings (Book 3)

Exceeding Expectations (Book 4)

A Cosmic Dance (Book 5)

Strange Things (Book 6)

Accidental Thoughts (Book 7)

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Chapter 1

Dillon

Isummoned my airplane to take Mish and myself to Takira, the site of the ancient alien spaceships that lay dormant against a hillside.  My father took me there once.  It was after a royal visit to the sparse population of the eastern shore, who regarded us as if we were aliens ourselves.

Look Dillon, my father had said as we stood a respectable and safe distance away.  Some aliens brought those here and left them for at least five hundred years.

Do you think they’ll come back for them? I asked, sincerely hoping not.  I didn’t want to meet any aliens.  The Karuts were bad enough.  At the age of eight, all I desired was peace, harmony, lots of friends, and for everyone to submit without question to my mother’s rule.

I don’t know.  No one knows.  Look, do you see writing on the spacecraft’s tail?  It almost looks Hahrian, does it not?

Indeed, it did.  It looked like three of our letters, SdK, surrounded by a swirl as if it were some sort of symbol. 

What does it mean, Papa?

No one knows, my father repeated again, placing his large hand upon my shoulder and guiding me away.

How do you know where the ships are? I asked Mish as we boarded the airplane.  It was a Royal Hahrian jet that remained in service solely to transport me.  I avoided it whenever possible, traveling by car or boat or even feet.  Flying terrified me and always had.

I put them there, Mish replied, leaning back in his seat.  He lit a cigarette and closed his oddly colored eyes.  Most of the day, they had remained a clear gray, just like my sister’s, but unlike hers, they might instantly change to a variety of colors.

You flew them there yourself?

He shrugged. 

Recently?

His mouth turned up slightly in a bit of smirk.  It depends on your perception of time.

I didn’t know what that meant and frankly, didn’t care to delve into it.  So far, in our short acquaintance, I was a bit wary of this boy who shared my blood.  Altogether, his presence was unnerving and the odd things he said, even more disturbing. 

He yawned and leaned his head upon the window.

Good.  Go to sleep, I thought, but being the diplomatic gent that I was, I sympathetically smiled and asked if he was tired.

Yes, he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with one hand, a childish gesture for someone who a moment before was big and imposing.

Me too.  I waved for the attendant, a girl named Ariana who I particularly liked, and if Mish wasn’t present I might have spent some time with in the back.

Your Royal Highness, she greeted me and presented my usual double vodka on the rocks. 

Bring me a couple more, I told her before picking up the first one.  I was going to need it.  After all, I was in mourning and therefore, allowed to drink as much as I desired.  In addition, I was forced to endure our new young Emperor’s presence, which had I not been an alcoholic before, would have surely become one now.

I didn’t get much sleep last night, he sighed and opening his eyes, he requested his own vodka sans the rocks. 

I gather you were quite busy?

His face softened a tiny bit and a whisper of humanity shown through.  For a brief moment, he looked like my nephew and not the demon I had been entertaining all afternoon. 

A bit, he said, and swallowed half his drink.  Glancing at me, he frowned and then sheepishly turned away.  My girlfriend isn’t speaking to me.  Again.

Ach.  The fiery little red who was wrapped in a bedsheet when we met?

That would be the one.

She wasn’t excited to discover you’re the Emperor of All Rozari?

He frowned more and shook his head. 

Women, I echoed his sigh.  Trust me, lad.  You are far too young in any case.  I am also far too young to be strapped to a single girl.  Wish her well and move on to other pastures.  I suspect you’ll find many more interesting ladies out there in space.  I waved my hand at the sky having no idea how an alien woman might actually appear.  Enjoy yourself with them and do not worry after the ginger wench.  Red heads are known to be quite feisty.  Wild in bed, yes, but you must also endure their viperous tongues.  I’d avoid them altogether if I were you.  Go for a nice golden blonde or a brunette with a dark curtain of velvet tresses like Ariana here.  I winked as she set a tray of cheese and meats before us.

Mish didn’t respond but rather gazed out the window at the ocean passing below.  I wouldn’t look down.  By gods, I hated to fly. 

Just so you know, I added, ordering my fourth or fifth drink.  I shan’t be accompanying you to outer space.

Just so you know, he turned back to me, the demonic presence returning in his voice, There shall be a time when you too shall venture beyond this planet.

I moaned or groaned or made some other sort of noise which implied I was not pleased by this proposition.  Spare me.

He smiled a little.  Trust me, Uncle.  You shall learn to like the stars.

I didn’t know what he intended to do in the realms beyond our planet or where he intended to go, assuming there was a place to be. 

We landed in the valley at the base of the mountains in the east, and I followed him to the ships I had seen as a child.

These are actually spaceplanes, he told me, whilst a boarding stair descended. 

What’s the symbol on the back there? I asked, recalling how my father hadn’t known.

Mish studied the spaceplane’s tail for a moment and then turning to me with an odd light in his gray eyes, informed me it was a corporate logo.  The planes’ manufacturer.

And, you know how to fly this? I asked, as he scrambled up the stair. 

Indeed.  So well, I could fly them blind.  He smiled broadly as if this were some secret joke and lifted a hand I thought to say goodbye.  Instead, he produced a letter.  Please give this to Saint Mark, he said with that trademark smirk.  I realize you’re not the postman but do me this small favor. 

What is it?  I fingered the plain white envelope with no indication of where or whom it was from.

Just an introduction.  And, well, it’s a bit of warning for him to stay inline.  He’ll ignore it, but that is necessary for now.  When I return, I shall encourage him with a bit more force.

I don’t understand what you are doing or why. 

Then, clearly, it is not for you to know.  However, you shall in due course.  Until the next time we meet, Uncle.  He waved.

Goodbye Your Imperial Majesty, I called, relief flooding through me as I saw him off.  With a slight bow, I offered the traditional affirmation.  I am always at your command.

Indeed you are, Mish replied.  See that you remember that.

MY NOT-SO-SAINTLY BROTHER-in-law was not particularly pleased by the message in the letter.

This is obviously false, Dillon, he told me, holding it above a candle.  It singed and then burned from the outside in, Mish’s broad scrawling letters blackening and disappearing. 

It’s not, I told him, downing my drink.  Like me, he was dressed entirely in black, and like me, looked even better in our mourning clothes.

What proof do you have?

I’ve met him, I shrugged and refilled Mark’s drink myself, whilst a waiter spooned our soup course out before us.  It was very rich and very good, a truffle with the finest cream and accompanied by bread straight from the oven. 

Our Hahrian’s chefs here at the Grand Palace were second to none and clearly our budget was not spared for any meals, whereas in Karupatani, during my brief stay, I found their food at best second rate.  Despite my sister’s loss and Mark’s presence, I was relieved to be back home in my ancestral palace where my family had reigned for centuries.

Delightful young man.  Well, not all the time.  Some of the time, he’s actually quite normal.  The rest of the time, I’d say eighty percent or more, he’s...well...I’d say very strange.  Regardless, there is no doubt he is exactly who he is, my sister’s son, although you aren’t the father.

Lydia’s baby was sacrificed, Mark grumbled, a droplet of soup rolling down his chin.  I saw it myself.  It was necessary for the Master.

You saw a girl baby being sacrificed.  You know you did.  I winked.  Mark’s face turned red confirming my words were true.  You said as much to me one night when both of us were well into our cups.  What you didn’t realize then was that it was I who sent the lad away.  Good decision on my part.  How dreadful these last eighteen years might have been were he here.  I shuddered visibly for dramatic effect, although my words were not untrue.  Having endured the teenage Mish, I couldn’t begin to imagine the toddler.

Mark’s eyes narrowed and his hand came down hard upon the table top causing our soup bowls to jump and swirl with waves. 

This is my home, I reminded him.  "And, by rights, I should be the one to inherit the crown which our new Emperor Overlord has so generously decided that you may wear as Regent.  He’s got other plans for me, apparently.  I think he rather likes me, actually.  Twice, he even called me Uncle.  It was sort of sweet.  As for you, I pushed my plate away and leaned my elbows on the table, my face forward so that Mark could feel my breath, you shall do as he commands even whilst he is in absentia.  If you do not, I have orders to immediately take you out."

You and what army, Dillon? Mark challenged, leaning forward such that we were nearly nose to nose.

Don’t tempt me, I replied.  You’d be surprised by what forces I can muster.  Trust me, brother.  I have been waiting twenty years to see your neck break. 

Mark sat back in his chair.  True to form he was all bluster and bluff. 

Go ahead and preach your saintliness and wear my grandfather’s crown, but tread carefully for we are watching you.

Mark tossed down his napkin and with a screech, pushed back his chair.  Storming from the room, I was left to dine alone. 

Gods be with you, Saint Markiis, I laughed, throwing him the bird.

Chapter 2

Suraya

My poor Ruka. 

Mama, I don’t like this, he said, sitting across from me at his desk.  I was never meant to be here, never meant to do any of this."

I looked over at my son, who in his nineteenth year, had been forced to take upon himself the heavy mantel of the crown, though officially, he was not yet king.  His shoulders were wide enough.  As with my late husband and two lost sons, Karukan was tall and strongly built.  He wasn’t stupid either.  No, Ruka, my youngest was perhaps the brightest of my children, but emotionally, he was the most vulnerable.  That wife of his didn’t help the situation either.

Where is she? I asked, not that I cared.  The less time I spent in her presence, the better for all of us.

Resting. 

I set down my pen and waved for Lord Boiko to take the document away.  It was a letter to the nobility, the dukes of all our realms requesting they advance the Crown more funds.  Our country was on the verge of insolvency.  Our management was not going well.  If we didn’t stem the tide quickly, we would suffer the most horrific and great depression.

Why don’t you rest too, dear? I suggested, extracting another document from my red box. 

I’m not tired, Ruka sighed, drumming his fingers upon the desk. 

Would you like to discuss this bill?  It’s an educational funding proposition.  Of course there is no money to pay for any of that.

Ruka shook his head, frowning.  I’m not interested.

Of course.  Why don’t you get something to eat? I raised a hand to signal for the butler.  His Highness desires some luncheon.

The butler bowed low to my son, who grimaced as if the action caused him pain.  I don’t really—

Bring him a sandwich, I interrupted, and waved the servant away.

As of late, Ruka wasn’t eating or drinking.  His digestion was troubling him.  Anxiety.  He had lost several pounds and was looking rather gaunt.

Are you purposely trying to starve yourself? I demanded.

It’s not a bad option.

For as slim as Ruka had become, his wife, Lorena had grown even more fat. 

Is she pregnant? I asked, marginally hopeful.

He snorted, a disgusted, somewhat obnoxious sound and pretended to read the document before him.

Granted, I had been the one to arrange this marriage, or rather consent to the arrangement when Duchess Shrotru first proposed it more than a dozen years ago.  Of course, I had no idea of what the next few years would bring.  No one expected my husband, King Kalbert to die so young.  No one could imagine my eldest, Sorran to be taken so quickly, especially by the hand of my middle son, Revak.  And, then, there was my grandson.  All of them gone, leaving only myself and Ruka to shoulder a burden neither of us were ever meant to have.

I can’t stand this, he repeated, placing the document in my box instead, letting his eyes drift longingly to the window. 

It would help if you lay with her, I remarked.  Time it well and once will be all that is necessary.

He frowned and his eyebrows narrowed.  A blush crept up his cheeks.  I don’t desire her.  His lower lip trembled a little bit and then his dark eyes became alight as if with fire.  I am stuck in a marriage I do not like and in a job that is not mine.  I wish—

Enough. I held up my hand.  You, like all of us, shall do your duty.  Close your eyes, hold your nose and think of someone else.

Where is Mish? he demanded, noisily shoving his chair back as he rose from his seat.  Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he stormed to the balcony doors.  He stared outside at the ocean, and the breakers tossing up white foam, and at the turbulent sky overhead, crisscrossed in violent clouds of yellows and red.  Why is he not here to do his duty?  He is better equipped for this position than me.  I am the third son, and he is my brother’s heir.

Shut up! I shouted, a rare occasion when I raised my voice.  It is not you who is doing this job, it is me.  You may stand upon the balcony and wear his crown, or you may sit upon the throne with your corpulent, unpregnant wife, but it is I who is trying to resolve these disastrous circumstances we find ourselves in.  You have nothing to complain about.  Sit back down at your desk and write your stories, whilst our nation falls to ruin.  Perhaps, someday you’ll be famous for them, if nothing else.

Sheepishly, he did as I asked, for Ruka was all bluster and bravado without action. 

For Heaven’s sake, I continued.  Eat something before you waste away.

He frowned and blinked sadly but ate the sandwich when it was placed before him.

Had all been well, I wouldn’t have minded the work.  In fact, I could see myself enjoying it were we not on the verge of complete and total collapse.  Evil was running rampant throughout Karupatani, the same terror that had already enveloped Hahr.  The dukes whose money I needed, were at the forefront of normalizing this rot.  It sickened me to beg them for assistance when it was they who would reap the benefits of our downfall.

How did I