The Rightful Queen

Fourteen

I was stoked. I could not wait for the clock to tick eight, so Zain would come and take me to whatever adventure he had in mind. He said he was going to show me how Vinadrian commoners had fun. While part of me was furious that I was going to be introduced to this experience by a Carbilian murderer, the other part was thrilled and overjoyed.

Luckily, Lady Mayan agreed to cover for me. A voice in my head kept assuring me that she was a true friend, but another voice kept warning me to beware of everything and everyone. My trust issues sometimes took control over me.

I could have easily told my uncle that the king was planning a secret outing for us, but I found myself keeping this little piece of information from him. I found myself desiring to live the life of a normal noble lady who fell in love with a king who surprisingly knew how to have fun. I found myself forgetting why Nuriya was created in the first place.

I decided that tonight I was not going to be Nuriya Al-Jazi, the trained noble lady who wanted to assassinate the king to pave the way for the emergence of Sedra Orman. I was going to be another version of Nuriya Al-Jazi. A version who was truly excited to have the king take her on his secret adventures.

I was aware of how wrong this was, but I just wanted to steal a night for myself. Was that so bad? Was I deprived of the right to have fun in a way I would enjoy? I realized that I was going to have fun with my enemy, but if this was my only chance to have fun, then so be it.

"I don't think my father would ask about me, but if he does, tell him I felt unwell and went to bed." I probably told Mayan that a hundred times, but I needed to make sure that she was not going to mess up.

"Can you stop fussing about this? There's nothing to worry about. I have got your back," she assured me and I nodded. "I have to say, you look amazing in this outfit. I think you can pull off anything." She admired what I was wearing. This was an outfit sent by Zain.

I had to admit that I was rather astonished when I saw it, but it was not something I hadn't worn before. However, he had never seen me wearing something like that. He only saw me wearing expensive, elegant dresses.

I was wearing a long blue skirt that stopped right above my ankles. It wasn't like the heavy skirts I was accustomed to. This one wasn't puffy as it did not have any underskirt, just a simple long slip, making it light. My movement wasn't hindered. I was wearing a simple off-shouldered white top that hugged my body with a black bodice corset. I looked like a commoner, but I loved how the outfit looked on me.

At exactly, eight o'clock, there was a knock on Mayan's door and I immediately made my way to open it. Mayan was smart enough to dismiss her maid earlier, so it was just the two of us in the chambers.

"Your Majesty," I said with a smile on my face once I opened the door. As I rose from my curtsey, I was surprised to see how elegant he looked. I looked terrible beside him! "A-Are you sure I'm wearing the right clothes?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Good evening Lady Nuriya," he smiled back at me. How beautiful was his smile. "You're certainly wearing the right clothes. You don't have to worry," he spoke with confidence. "Shall we go?" he said, extending his hand for me.

My heart was beating so fast. I have done a lot of dangerous and spontaneous things in my life, yet this felt different. I took his hand and closed the door behind me. I looked at his outfit again, studying how elegant he looked with his formal coat and dress-up pants and shoes.

"How are we going to sneak out?" I couldn't help but ask.

"In order to sneak out, we have to go to my quarters," he said, making me stop in my tracks.